Was asking my better half advice on this and as she pointed out, she has no idea and to ask “them”.
You are them, so here we go.
To begin with a few facts.I am 59 years old and a virtual newcomer to all of this.
Two years ago,I left my company with a severance package that will do me for a few more months, so I have (for the moment)time to invest in learning this.
Because of my interest I have acquired ,or have access to the following:
Bryce,Poser,Carrara ( cheap version)Lightwave and Maya 4.5.I also have enough books on all of these to fill a small room.
In addition to my first addiction Adobe Photoshop 7
Zbrush was love at first sight and the only one besides Photoshop that I have fun with.I bought the full version 24 hours after trying the demo version and have not regretted it since.
If you ask me what I expect to accomplish I would have to say I don’t know.
Now for the question.When I bought Zbrush I was in a crash course in learning Maya.
I should point out here that animation is not an issue,I have no interest in it.
I have noticed that there are a lot of things that can be done a lot easier in Zbrush then in other programs.
Modelling a head for instance in Maya was a gigantic pain in the ass,I had polygons all over the place.
Now for the loaded question.
I have noticed posts by people who have said they created or rendered different parts of an image in other programs.
If we leave out animation,is there an area that you feel zbrush is lacking and that one of the others makes up for.
I have been spending a lot of time solely on Zbrush lately and would appreciate it if you would advise me of it’s shortcomings.My initial equation was Bryce=scenery Poser=people Maya=objects Zbrush=?
Keep in mind I am not looking to trash this program,only to find it’s shortcomings from those who would know a lot better.
Thank you for any advice you might have.
Its what you make of it buddy. ZBrush is the ultimate Static 3D image creater. It have a fast turnover and powerful too. It does have shortcomings though. It isnt a sub-d modeler like wings3D, mirai, and LW to name a few. But I solve that problem with wings now…it I need a clean topology, I will go into wings and make it BUT!..bringing into ZBrush for the rest is the next step. Posing of finished models is another issue.
Now, I will stop here because of two things.
One, its shortcoming are nothing…and EVERY program has them. Its up to you to find the workaround.
Two, this is the cirrent version…wait until the next version…and then we’ll see what new and remedies shortcomings we’ll have upon us.
Just hold on and hang tough…and doodle inthe mean time.
I am new to this also,but I have noticed
a few things. Obviously these can be chalked up to my inexperiece in zbrush.Also,one hesitates to give commercials for other programs.
1.when using one “primitive” and working on shaping and molding etc,zbrush is at it’s best.
2. When trying to put together a scene of more than one object,street with buildings etc it gets frustrating with multi-markers etc.
3.Poser and Bryce are what I would call subject dedicated.
Poser is people modelling.With the add on models it is perhaps the last word on putting human form in 2d scenes.Obviously a lot of problems go along with Poser.
Bryce like Vue,Mojoworld etc are what I would call scenery programs.They all have preset sky terrain etc.Modelling is not an issue.
4. The big dogs,Maya,Lightwave,3dMax are modelling to the nth degress with the subject of animation a big factor.
In the end,it boils down to what you specifically want to do.
If animation is not an issue.Zbrush seems to be a program that does contribute to all of the above in some fashion.You, and your abilty and interests must decide the allocation of time.
One thing to note, you said you have fun with it.
Continue to have fun,the hell with the rest of it.
Merry Christmas,Like your bananas
Actually, the first thing I’d like to say is I’m quite impressed that someone whom is of your age is trying to start out new again. That speaks very highly of your character, and I’m glad that you are picking up the torch. It’s encouraging to me, being that I started this 3D stuff about a year ago, I’m 27 now, and I’m still not to the level I’d like to be at. I see these kids that are 20 years old doing all this great stuff, working on all these cool movies, and I feel like I’ve wasted so much time already. You’ve just made me realize that I haven’t wasted any time at all. It’s the present that matters now. not the past!
Anyway, to bring this back on topic, here is my response to your question. This is what I’m planning on doing, so this might now work for everyone.
I’m writing a graphic novel, ie a comicbook without a superhero theme. I’ll be creating the characters for it, and I’m hoping to use those characters throughout the book in various poses, etc. But I’m just now figuring out my workflow (pipeline). Here is a brief outline of what I plan to do.
-
Create my main two characters in Maya. I do this because I will want to create blendshapes for the faces, for smiles, crying, yelling etc… Since I will be utilizing these models throughout the whole book, I feel it would be important to give them personality.
a) I will detail, and texture the models in Zbrush.
b) I will then pose, and create the scenes in Maya, since it holds a greater flexibility for rendering, lighting, fog, and depth of field. -
Create background characters in Zbrush, using poser models as base figures and altering them to fit my needs. I feel this would be a quick way to build a small crowd, or other figures that I will use in my story.
a) I will texture and pose these in Zbrush, and place them in the scene within Maya. -
I will create various trees, backgrounds, and other elements of an environment in Zbrush, because this will be the easiest and fastest way to accomplish this.
a) Texturing done in Zbrush of course. -
After all the geometry is created, I will begin rendering everything in Maya. I will do this for a number of reasons, but the main one is because of Maya’s Paint FX. With it I can paint flowers, fields of grass, hair for my characters, and so much more. I may do some post work in Zbrush to add other things, and Photoshop to finally put it all together.
But in all of this, I feel that Zbrush will be my biggest and most used tool. It’s abilities are amazing, and I’m quite pleased with the purchase of it. My workflow might change in the future though, but it really depends on what new features are in the next Zbrush update. Displacement mapping looks to be something that I can use pretty much from the beginning.
But like the others have said, it really comes down to what you need or want to do. Having fun is most important though! 
There are still ppl out there, doing fantastic things with machines and gear of “yesterday”. So it all comes down to who exactly is siting behind these boxes - I guess.
But, following your “to do list”:
- ZBrush >>> obvious
- Vue instead of Bryce: because it has the better renderer, shorter render-times, and it is easy to handle. Only downfall: since COREL decided to quit doing something on Bryce, Vue will be a bit more cash for you (worth every penny!!)
- Wings3D for some of your work on meshes (have a look at gmax, too: free just like Wings3D, and very close to MAX)
- Painter or Photoshop for all those 2D thingies you might not want to do in ZBrush. I would prefer Painter before version 5.5.
Myself, well: Truespace and Wings3D for Meshes, Painter for 2D, Vue for Rendering and “terraforming” (you can do A LOT more with it!), ZBrush.
I am not looking for animations 
, just illustrations, so everything i produce is strictly 2D in the end >>> makes Painter even more useful!!
Why Painter and not Photoshop?
Well, Painter is what the name says: you paint with it, just as naturally as you would do outside digital media. And then: just compare prices!!!
Last: Poser >>> I always hated Poser for those Vicky’s, Michael’s and other things that are produced in masses. Over the last few weeks I found ways to sort of hide the birthplace called Poser - still: if I can manage to do without those Posers I do it gladly.
You asked about the “shortcomings” of ZBrush:
- that’s why I use Vue for lights & rendering
- that’s why I use Painter for texturing and final antialiasing
Other folks will use other softs - for me it works!
Good luck in finding your solution!!
Thanks guys this is exactly what I am looking for.
I thought I might throw in my opinion on this topic. First let me say that I have worked in this field for 15 years and I taught it in S.F. Ca. for 3 years. I have to say that the first thing to do is prepare for what you want to model. This is a weak spot in z-brush. Working from drawings that show a FRONT and A SIDE view will help you so much!! But this is not easy to set up in this app… Also if you plan to sell these models they will need to be built for animation, even if you are not going to animate them. Proportion is so important to ANY type of art. So if you follow good working drawings you will succeed. A good way to work is to start with the proper proportions in another 3d app and detail out the model in z-brush. I hope that the new version allows proper images for modeling and I hope that they allow you to edit at least ONE object per layer. But DON’T count on it. Finally if you plan to do this for your own enjoyment just do what makes you HAPPY!
EDDIE
only suggestion i could add is based on my own preference for After Effects. i find this to be a very powerful tool for composition whether it be for still image or animation. it also gives you the ability to turn still images into animation if you decide to head down that path later. it is in some ways very similar to photoshop and in others very different. the newer versions allow you to place “layers” footage,video,still images in 3D space and move a virtual camera through them.
i do alot of composite work involving CG characters in live BG scenes and for this kind of work i couldn’t survive without it.
it all comes down to what you want to do. if, as you say, animation is not something you want to get into then to me the power of ZBRUSH and Photoshop is hard to beat.
Have a merry xmas Rtyer
@rtyer: “…and the winners (softs) are:…!?”
would be nice to know your toolbox as soon as you will make up your mind!?