Hi Everyone. I’m new here and new to ZBrush. I’m a traditional sculptor who wants to go digital. I’m getting a new computer specifically to use with ZBrush–what brand/models do you recommend?
I’ve used both MACs and PCs, so I can go with whichever is recommended. Any other recommendations for equipment needed for a professional set up would be much appreciated.
Thanks! I’ve enjoyed seeing all the great work here!
There isn’t an end all be all system when it comes to Zbrush. That is actually a major selling point for a lot of people.
You can use Zbrush rather well with an old system. I have it installed on a POS (6yr old) system hooked up to my TV and it runs just fine, that way I can sit on my couch and sculpt.
The main thing to remember when working in Zbrush is that it will eat your RAM. The more you have the better. Remember that Zbrush is only a 32bit application though, so the most it can use is 4gb of RAM. More is always better though, especially if you use multiple programs at the same time (3d application, image editor, etc). After the RAM comes processor, then gpu.
There isn’t any specific brand that runs better for Zbrush…or OS for that matter.
Chances are you will want a tablet of some sort. Wacom is the standard, either an Intous, Cintique, or Bamboo (if you’re hard up for $$). You’ll want to invest in a nice chair that you can sit in for hours. We have aerons at the office here. A medium is a great fit if you’re average weight and 5’10" or shorter, you’ll probably want the large if you’re taller or have a little more bulk around the mid section.
You’ll want a nice monitor as well. I use dual 30" monitors at work … Dell something or another. The color balance on them is crap, but I do my texture work on a smaller, 24" monitor off to the side.
I hope this helps.
It is common to have 4 gigs of ram (maxed out) on a 32 bit machine and find, depending on your operating system, a report of LESS then 4 gigs even with no applications running. This is quite confusing, but relates to limited address space which needs to be accessed by other processes and add-ons to your machine.
I have a Dell XPS M1730 which I choose because of my interest in virtual worlds. I am now much more involved in Zbrush ad other 3D apps, but since my machine is a gaming machine it maxs out on video cards (dual NVidia 8800 gtx video cards for that purpose). I believe this gobbles up alot of precious ram. My Bios reports 4 gigs of ram, my system reports 3 gigs of ram and my Dell onboard system tracker shows 3 gigs of ram with 2.2 gigs available. I crash in Zbrush ALOT and can’t subdivide a primitive sphere more then 3x without crashing.
So if you are building your system around Zbrush continue to do your homework, be careful what you add to the system that may a constant ram competitor and don’t rely exclusively on what a single computer sales person will tell you (a dell representitive put alot of pressure on me to get me to buy 8 gigs of ram to upgrade my 32 system…4 of which my system would be unable to access. He-he nice try. 
).
Actually no. The system can access all of the RAM, it is the applications that are restricted. ZBrush can access up to 4 GB RAM, so a system with 6 GB will run ZBrush better than a system with 4 GB because the OS will take most of 2 GB. You won’t see any improvement in ZBrush with 8 GB but you will be able to run other programs at the same time without seeing any reduction in performance.
My two cents: Definately get 6 or more gigs of RAM. Yes, as Marcus has said, ZBrush can only access 4 gigs, but with more available for other things, it can access the whole 4 it can handle (as opposed to two or less). I have 12 gigs on my new system, and I have yet to build anything in ZBrush that slows me noticibly. And I routinely have ZBrush, 2 Mayas, Photoshop and other programs running simultaneously. Sure, 64 bit ZBrush would be cool, but until I make something my machine can’t handle, I can’t complain.
Will
Ok my head is spinning…and sorry for any unintentional misinformation I passed along…I’ve spent hours trying to get good information on this and its not easily found. I thought I finally nailed it into my brain.
I’m speaking of a 32 bit system here. Is it useful/advisable/possible to put more then 4 gigs RAM into a 32 bit machine?
I understand that with a 64 bit machine you can run 32 bit programs and they will run better since they can access the full 4 gigs they can utilize (and not compete with other processes.) but what about a 32 bit machine
Would like to point out this only applies if you have a 64 bit operating system. If you are running 32 bit then the max that can be used total (including system and applications) is 3 and 1/2 gb.
Indeed yes. It is possible to access more than 4GB with 32 bit versions of Windows Server running Physical Address Extension but obviously that wouldn’t be your average desktop. Apologies for the confusion. :o
See here for more info:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778.aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_7
Ok so I guess the answer to Witches Brew for a professional set up, it doesn’t matter as much which brand of computer, but getting a 64 bit computer with at least 8 gigs of ram would be ideal. A decent video card is nice but less important a consideration for zbrush and dual two monitors is an excellent option.
As far as the wacom tablet is concerned…I have a medium because I use it across 2 monitors, the small size is good too, but the large tablet takes too large a motion relative to the screen workspace and gets tiresome to draw on and takes a alot of desktop real estate from what I understand. Its counter-intuitive choosing smaller over larger, but I frequently read this advice on the forums.
I was also going to add that alot of people who post on the forums mention having quad core, but now that I searched dthe forums it seems that feature turns out to be mentioned for the most part by folks posting to the troubleshooting forum , so I don’t know quad core is a good thing or a bad. Maybe someone can chime in on this core thing.