With this new version, Pixologic has refined ZBrush’s toolset, improving the natural traditional media feel that ZBrush is well-known for. They have made it easier than ever for any user to create organic characters, mechanical objects, environments or product designs. Some of the new features are as follow:

QuickSketch
This allows you to draw user thoughts and ideas in 2D in a simple and elegant way to rough them out so that designer will able to quickly find the best approach and move forward. ZSketch, combined with the improved ZSpheres II, adds the ability to freely create directly in 3D space, sculpting shapes and forms.


Hard Sculpting
ZBrush is now opening the door to mechanical sculpting. You can create weapons and armor, vehicles or robots, jewelry, product designs. With features like the new set of brushes (including Trim, Polish and Planar), combined with the new Remesh option to create Boolean-like objects, new Auto Masking functions based on polygroups, improved Lazy Mouse with Backtrack feature, you will be able to make accurate planar surfaces on your models.

Surface Noise
With the new Surface Noise feature, users can apply a procedural noise to their creations, driven by simple parameters and curves for easy customization. By default, this noise is applied globally to object in a non-destructive way, allowing to change it at any time or even remove it. Noise is also available as a brush setting, which means that you will be able to add this noise to any of your ZBrush sculpting brushes.

Sculpting with New Brushes and Settings
With this new update, ZBrush gives users more flexibility in the sculpting through several new brushes: ClayFinish, Crumple, Flakes, FormBrush, FormSoft, SoftClay, SoftConcrete, Move2, MoveRing, Slide, Spherical in addition to all the new Noise, Polish, Trim and Planar Brushes.

Geometry HD, improved Displacement and Normal Maps
With the improved HD Geometry, which now supports PolyPainting, your sculpting can have as much fine detailing, as you want up to 1 billion polygons. The Displacement and Normal Map creation tools are now natively integrated into ZBrush within the Tool Palette, so there is no need for additional plug-ins. Export your Displacement maps in 32-bits, display them in real-time on your model, generate ultra-accurate normal maps and as with texture maps, apply them to each individual SubTool.

Ergonomic and Model Display Improvements
Perspective has been improved, a floor grid has been added, mouse navigation now supports right clicking, and several palettes have been reorganized. Even the display of model has changed with new deep shadows to provide a better feel for depth and details. On top of these enhancements, there is improved pen tablet pressure sensitivity.

ZBrush 3.5 introduces a preview version of LightBox, which will be the hub of your creative content in the upcoming ZBrush 4. Easily browse your ZTools, Brushes, Alphas and Textures.

More Information at www.pixologic.com. Video Courtesy of Pixologic, Image by Diego Maia