i’m a total newb to zbrush and am floored by how cool it is. playing with it though ive been very frustrated by the weird canvas thing its got. i made a couple cool things with zspheres and lost em all cuz they got baked in and i couldn’t edit anymore. that’s really frustrating to a beginner. i wonder why the focus on 2d instead of on 3d which i expect gets more use? any tips on avoiding getting trapped and losing the edit-ability of stuff? 
go through be built in help zscripts that come with Zbrush2. Look at the ones dealing with 3d modelling speficially.
When you drop a tool (model) to the canvas, that doesn’t mean it’s permenantly lost. The tool is automatically saved in the tool palette. You can simply draw out the model on the canvas and enter edit more (‘T’) to continue editing it.
look at those tutorials, they will be a big help to you.
hmm yeah im getting it more now. i guess for the things i want to do i really just focus on that tool window instead of document stuff. thanks!
I also recommend you get a tutorial DVD from Kurv Studios or Gnomon - that was the only way I could begin enjoying my ZBrush2 package… 
-Will
I’m also having a little trouble getting used to the way the model becomes “uneditable”.
abxy, are you saying that the way to get the model back for editing is to undo the dropped one on the canvas then just draw another by picking it in the tool menu?
So far, this is the only area that is confusing me. I am going through the tutorials in the Practical Manual - yep gonna try all of them - and I keep having to restart because of the drop issue.
Other then that, ZBrush is cool!
Regards, Ron
vyrka and blackpawn -
ZBrush’s 2.5D aspects are the reason for ZBrush’s incredible 3D strength. The one is not divorcable from the other.
ZBrush has 2 modes:
Paint mode and
Geometry Edit mode
When you draw a model on the screen, always press T to enter edit mode or click the Edit button on the shelf. If you “drop” your model to canvas as you have described you will no longer be able to edit your mesh but it still exists in the tool palette. Clear the canvas by pressing Ctrl + N or go to the Layer palette and press the Clear button. Then just redraw your model on the canvas and press T to enter edit mode. It still exists with all the changes that you made while it was still a 3D object.
I would recommend getting the Practical Guide and running through it as much as possible. 
ryankingslien,
Thanks for your reply. Things are beginning to make more sense because of this forum.
Regards,
ron
I was the same way at first…
YES you have to be careful what tools you select so you don’t drop the model onto the canvas.
If you drop it by accident, YES, you can clear the canvas and >redraw the tool<, enter edit mode again and continue.
YES, that’s a pain, but you’ll get used to what tools you can and can’t use while editing your models (tools as they’re called)
After you get comfortable with keeping your model in editing mode, you’ll be on your way to ZBrushing. 
-Will