I’ve searched on ZBC for performance tips, and what I think would be helpful is a quick reference chart that outlines what settings to use depending on how much RAM you have. So I’m going to attempt to make that chart here. Feedback would be appreciated as I want this to be accurate.
Based on what I've read, the two key settings are Compact Mem and MaxPolysPerMesh. These can both be found under the performance tablet. For the sake of simplification, I'm going to assume we're leaving undo levels at 4 no matter what kind of monster computer you're using. That's what the Morph brush is for anyway ;)
2GB RAM (32-bit OS) - Compact Mem 1796, MaxPolysPerMesh 8
4GB RAM (32-bit OS) - Compact Mem 1796, MaxPolysPerMesh 10
4GB RAM (64-bit OS) - Compact Mem 2048, MaxPolysPerMesh 10
8GB RAM (64-bit OS) - Compact Mem 4096, MaxPolysPerMesh 12
In my case, I have a MacBook Pro with 4GB of RAM.
[[attach=143296]systemMac.gif[/attach]]
OSX is a 64-bit OS, so it utilizes all 4GB, but I use Bootcamp to run ZBrush in a Windows XP 32-bit environment. I do this because 1) release dates for ZB point releases and plug-ins are historically sooner on the Windows side and 2) I use 3dsmax which is Windows only. WinXP32 only recognizes up to 2GB of RAM. Below you can see 2GB and change.
[[attach=143297]systemWin.jpg[/attach]]
And the rule of thumb for page file settings in Windows is to take the amount of RAM you have and double it. Windows sees 2GB, so I set my page file at 4GB.
[[attach=143298]pagefileWin.jpg[/attach]]
And my ZBrush Memory settings follow suit.
[[attach=143300]zbrushMem.jpg[/attach]]
Also refer to these pages:
[Getting the Most from Your System ](http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=20976)
[How is ZBrush Memory and Virtual memory used? ](http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=15949)
[Win XP 3GB RAM Switch](http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showpost.php?p=260572&postcount=9) <== Use at your own risk.
*NOTE: Virtual memory is stored on your hard drive once allocated RAM is used up. It's important to make sure you have enough free space on your HDD for this to work, and also to defragment your HDD from time to time so that there are large blocks of free space.
***If I've over simplified, left something important out, or any of this information is incorrect, please add to or correct it and I'll make the edits to the top post. Thanks!