ZBrushCentral

Disappointed

PARENT-SUPPORT CHILD-Startup And Compatibility Troubleshooting
#1

Strange how I just got through this morning saying Zbrush support for new upgrades was outstanding. I have to take that compliment back. For years now Zbrush has offered upgrades at no charge for subscribers and that’s still the case but now low and behold us 32 bit system users are to be left in the cold.

That’s right as of Z4.0 r2b Win XP 32 bit users are fubar. Zbrush is pushing forward in 64 bit mod and if your a 32 bit users your S. O. L. sad.

I hope Pixologic reconsiders and continues to support 32 bit versions instead of dictating when people will need to upgrade their PC’s/OS in these times of high unemployment and low income.
:cry:

#2

From all the money saved from free upgrades instead of paying for new versions you could have easily bought a 64-bit system.

The 64-bit push is not just from Pixologic it’s from the entire industry. And it has not been a strong push, more like a gradual crawl. 3D is one of the major industries that should really see advantages from 64 bit in the future.

XP is now over a decade old. It would be unreasonable to hold back future features of programs like Zbrush to maintain compatibility with outdated systems and tech.

Don’t get me wrong I still use XP, 2000, and even win98. It would be nice if some of the software and tools could be used on more current OS or even newer software on older OS. However you can only maintain that compatibility for so long before it becomes unfeasible to do so and not just from a business standpoint.

#3

It is not a matter of 32-bit. ZBrush is still a 32-bit application. It is a matter of the OS.

Fibers, MicroMesh and other ZBrush features push your system’s hardware. They push it hard. ZBrush communicates with your hardware through the operating system. In order to tune ZBrush to make efficient (and stable) use of your system’s hardware requires a seamless communication with the operating system.

As programs evolve, they gain new features. Eventually it reaches a point where the new features outstrip an older operating system’s ability to support them. ZBrush has during its lifetime discontinued support for Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows 98 – each time when it reached a point that it was no longer possible to advance ZBrush’s feature set while still maintaining support for the earlier operating systems. Eventually, Vista and 7 will go the way of the dodo as well.

Microsoft discontinued XP in 2008. They started phasing out support in 2009 when they moved it to their “Legacy Support” category. As of April of that year they stopped developing any new functionality for XP, including development of features that software developers needed for their applications. While Microsoft continues to release monthly updates for XP, these are for security fixes only. Not only are there no longer design changes, but warranty claims and free technical support have also been discontinued for the last four years.

While we would have liked to continue supporting XP, ZBrush 4R2b is just too unstable under that OS.

ZBrush’s current system requirements are listed here: http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/system/ The only thing that has changed from 4R2 is the removal of XP from the list of minimum requirements. Since your hardware has certainly not downgraded between 4R2 and now, that means that all you need to do to run 4R2b is upgrade your operating system to Windows Vista or Windows 7. That does NOT mean upgrading to a 64-bit version if you don’t want to or if your CPU is not 64-bit bit.

You can of course continue to use ZBrush 4R2. You simply will not be able to use the newest versions any longer.

#4

Well that’s not what I was told by the Pixologic support person I spoke to on the phone, the part about it still being 32 bit, I mean. And how’s it possible if the new install of 4.0r2b is looking for a 64 bit microsoft file when you install it? (message pops up asking for it) Anyways I understand you need to adapt for what MS and Intell comes up with in OS and chip design however I read that there was not supposed to be a shift to 64 bit until version 5.0 of Zbrush and here it is already?

I do want to keep up but the economy is S**t right now or haven’t you noticed? As for Metalfrogs comment about saving money on not paying for upgrades unfortunately Zbrush is about the only company to do that, all the other software installed on a industry ready graphics PC you pay for every upgrade and that hurts and I’m a single entity company right now so I don’t have a huge budget for new PC’s every month. I commend Zbrush for keeping upgrades free cheers

If Zbrush 4.0r2b+ will run on the 32bit version of windows 7 I guess that’s the route I will have to go.

Thanx

#5

I’m using a 32bit version of windows (windows 7).

XP is more than a decade old now, it cant be supported forever without holding everyone else back. Microsoft doesn’t even officially support it anymore if I recall correctly.

#6

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium x64 OEM: $99.99 (no tax, free shipping)
8GB RAM upgrade: $42.99 (no tax, free shipping)

TOTAL for 8GB, 64-bit upgrade: $142.98 (no tax, free shipping)

(Price maybe a few bucks higher depending on the type of memory you select for your motherboard.)