ZBrushCentral

Mac News (Unofficial) (update on page 15)

ZBrush Usage Questions
#241

While I used to find the interface strange to use and I would never say I was a fan of it, I have grown used to it.

I prefer to make my base meshes with zspheres particularly in Z2 due to the xyz plugin and found it pretty easy after a while to get base meshes pretty quickly.

I was in the middle of working with the retopology tools in Z3 when I moved over to Macs from the pc so I am looking forward to getting Z3 native on my Mac a.s.a.p.

The only thing I never fully understoood was the materials and lights but I have invested in some extra training to get me up to speed with those parts I am least comfortable with.

Doesn’t look like I was accepted onto the beta which is a pity but thats life. :slight_smile:

Cheers

Mike R

#242

Different != Immature :wink:

#243

I’m currently 19. And yea, I’d say that after 18 months something could be called “outdated.” Of course, money doesn’t grow on trees. I still use my 3-ish year old Dual 2.5 PPC PowerMac (top of the line when I got it!), and my brother still uses his PowerBook of the same age (don’t know the specs on his machine though).

From what I understand, Pix is releasing both UB and PPC versions…? It’s definitely clear that they’re doing much more than a simple recompile, anyway. As far as Macs being the fastest machine to run Windows on… I don’t know when that will stop being hilarious! :lol:

Yeah, the competition is out there… but–I don’t think Autodesk will be implementing Mac support into Mudbox anytime soon, and Modo is well outside of my budget. ZB, despite the tardiness, is an acceptable middleground. Especially if the Mac release of v3 runs smoothly. Concerning the UI, the UI in v2 feels very tossed together, like the 3D part was more of an afterthought to the cool 2.5D idea… but from what I can make out of screenshots and videos of V3, it looks like they’ve really tightened things up…

Ah well… hope for the best and prepare for the worst, right?

#244

We are certainly in an age when machines are turning around every 6 months in some cases…anything to keep cash running thru the corp system. Glad to hear you are still using a fine machine in your dual 2.5. Having moved thru the DOS days, the LISA (before 1984 and the Mac) 3500 dollars for 5 meg HDs and cpu’s running at 8 hz…not mhz or ghz, one could go broke just attempting to keep up. At 19 you have a life ahead of you and the trick will be matching the right time to upgrade hardware. At 60 I have learned to make the most out of every purchase, keep multiple systems for app compatibility, breakdowns etc. I work in Modo, Vectorworks, Vue Inf., Poser, Painter and photoshop on line thru a MAcbookPro intel, Imac 23, and the dual quad PPC. I would like to add Zbrush to the workflow but when you work with this many programs it eats time to have to work more in ZB just so you can remember the GUI.

Lets look at April and hope for the best ZBrush. … and for you users out there, I always listened to my user base in seeing that our engineers developed what the community needed. Just because they are the olny act in town at this price point, don’t give up your cutomer rights in demanding better service.

#245

Pixologic provides the most innovative solution to 3d modeling, sculpting, and painting, and is driven by ambition. I think “requiring better customer service” from Pixologic constantly, while they’re working on a stable release, is the equivalent of being an unwarranted annoyance and distraction. ZBrush is a better tool than the competition at a better price–even if it’s not currently available to the mac community, it will be soon. Some of the compeition may never be ported, in which case is no competition at all.

If you prefer to use products by larger companies not focused on “artist-centric”, or innovative tools, and simply reinvent the wheel, that is your perogative. If you want the best of the best, it will be worth the wait.

#246

Feb 29th, extra innings, Pixologic at the plate…

#247

Although I was frustrated at first too because of this almost 1 year delay for the Z3 mac release, I think there’s no point comparing modo or mudbox with ZBrush. ZBrush is so much superior from the rest of the competition in terms of high poly count ability, sculpting tools, feutures, user community and support. That’s why we are all here keep waiting for this app from a company that didn’t essentially treated us mac users that good.
Don’t get me wrong. Modo is a great modeler and has some cool innovations like vector displacement maps, a great renderer etc. but in terms of sculpting, it just can’t handle the polycount that Zbrush can handle with so much comfort. In Zbrush, You can handle millions of polygons and still feeling natural which anyone who have used modo knows this is not the case. Mudbox is a great sclulpting app but as far as I know it doesn’t have texture painting tools or materials to play with and above all, it’s not a mac app, and really I don’t think Autodesk will ever port mudbox to the mac platform.

PS. I love Zbrush’s UI and I just don’t get why so many people think it’s strange and difficult to use. I know the UI is a lot different from any other 3d app out there but that’s not necessary a bad think. I mean since you learn how it works you can’t forget it. It’s like the bicycle hehe…Personally, even if I don’t use ZBrush for a long time I can open the app anytime and start working no problem as if I work with it everyday…

#248

Zbrush is a fantastic package for a number of reasons - for me I always get a feeling that the makers are being genuinely creative and making leaps which allow people to redefine the way people work in 3d. Rather than just make the usual maya like interface they made one that is, yes, harder to learn - but once you get your head around it allows you to model/sculpt with just a wacom tablet. Compare this to every other 3d package which really require mice. Likewise people had being doing polypainting for years - but only zbrush killed the UV’s to speed up the actually process of painting.

I’m sure Mudbox is going to come out with an update that adds layered 3d painting a la Bodypaint. And I’m sure it will be very good. I’m also pretty sure that when zbrush add this it will be in a way that eventually makes more sense and just… works that little bit better.

#249

I agree, Zbrush is a stroke of genius, no less. I mean look how fast it has become an integral part of the industry not only by single pioneers but established hollywood studios. Thats properbly the best kudos any piece of software can get.

In regards to detail modeling it has pretty much suplanted every other app. so that know you could do 90% modeling if not 100% in zbrush plus texturing, and the leave animation and rendering for apps like maya.

#250

Hi !

powerpc users will not be able to use ZB3 ?

arg!!!

:wink:

#251

I’m on Powerpc and I really hope in a universal binary version both for macintel and powerpc.
I own Modo 301, Vue 6 Infinite and many other softwares. Only with ZBrush I’m experiencing this “suspense”. :frowning:
Please Aurick, can you give us a certainty about a Powerpc version?

#252

As far as I’m aware & unless I’ve read Auricks posts completely wrong, there will be no Universal Binary as such, but 2 seperate versions of ZB3 one PPC & one Intel.

Now I’m doubting myself, either way ZB3 will work on all Macs eventually I have no doubt about it…

#253

:smiley: It’s been an excruciating wait because I don’t have many 3D tools under my belt (Poser,Bryce,Sketchup,Daz Studio). My background is 2D for the most part using traditional media like oil on canvas. I still use oil on canvas for my fine art work but I’ve gradually transitioned to using Photoshop and a plethora of other programs for graphic design.

Whenever someone asks me about pursuing traditional fine art (using oils etc.), I definitely let them know that it’s a dying profession and that they’re going to have to work hard because it’s all pretty much going to computers. Someday they’ll have a printer that’ll paint it almost like an artist would…I don’t doubt it. This is a simple explanation of my LOVE/HATE relationship with technology.

Zbrush is the closest thing I’ve found to working with clay - only it’s digital and not quite as messy as the real thing. I want to make that leap into 3D soon and don’t really wish to continue using Zbrush in Parallels. All of my training and practice has been put on hiatus until it comes out for the Mac. I’ve got plenty of other things to occupy my time waiting yet I’m still anxious to dive in because I think it’s going to be an integral part of my workflow. Now I just need to find a decent rendering program so I can use printed Zbrush creations as a study for my paintings.

#254

I just looked at my calendar. March 1, 2008.

Gee, February is over.

Guess the development team didn’t make the “unofficial deadline”.

Just wanted to say that. It helps to state the facts.

I am disappointed… again.

Well, we’ve waited for ten months for the Mac version of 3.0.

I’m taking bets that we won’t see it until the anniversary of the PC release.

Stakes: Nothing monitary; just bragging rights.

Any takers?

I’ll continue to wait.

#255

It’s a leap year. March 1st is tomorrow.
Not that it makes any difference.

#256

hmm…i don’t think i’ll be losing any sleep waiting for the mac release. i hope they make the target, but asking for beta testers this past week has shaken my confidence a bit.

PPC guys, i really hope you get a port as well. i’m all too familiar with that situation. hell, i did a fair share of griping about it on these boards before i got an intel mac.

i’d feel that apple really screwed me over if i had bought one of those late model G5’s. PPCs are really nice machines, no doubt. It’s a shame that they’ll be phased out because development is really leaning toward the intel macs. Time will tell, I guess.

#257

Well, I’ve just laid down my £300 for a copy (damn UK VAT), and now I’m worried that my Quad G5 won’t be able to run ZBrush 3.1!

I thought XCode could spit out both versions during compile - as simply as ticking a check box.

I need to move up to an 8-core, but not just yet. I guess the extra few weeks for the Mac port will give me time to save…

#258

OK Darth, it would be nice to run on the new "Pro 8 core machine but Since Apple is redefining its line up with new chipc coming down the pike, I would wait until summer to see how Apple finalizes this new division. Since the Lisa days I don’t really remember there being a single floor model with options. Any of you younsters out there remember the “NEXT” cube.

Anyway, reading these forum messages I get the idea that there are not many Mac users? While my corp experience would tell me that most studios would outfit themselves with cheap win configurations, I had expected that the small one-two person studio would go with their artist heart and be Apple soldiers.

As the tech generations pass, I see that where anything technical and therefore things like DOS were cool, the youth of today expect more.

The ZBrush team has indeed created a wonderful tool, but that should not mean that current release practices are acceptable, or even an a strange GUI.

For those who have responded about…I love the GUI, let me ask a simply question. If the best of you were invited to their corp headquaters and asked to suggest improvements in the GUI that would speed understanding, workflow, learning etc. Would you have something to offer…or is it just fine as it has been.

There are a number of you who are just unbelieveable in what you are able to do with ZB, and others who have the talent ready to burst forth but have not mastered all that is available. If I can master the interface, Know the tools sets available to me, and move through these tools quickly…thing of what you could produce.

25 years ago I use to push my engineers to create lots of tools. Just pile them into the program so the user can use them. This handing the carpenter a truck full of tools was thought to be great back then but through the years we came to understand that part of a great program was organizing the tools into a useful flow. So understand that my current complaint is based on having been there, and being wrong.

#259

Well, that’s just the case-
The UI is completely customizeable, if you don’t like how
it’s arranged - you can change it however you want, arrange
the tools however you want, color it however you want,
make your own menus, save states, shortcuts, etc.

Just because it looks different doesn’t mean it’s
inferior or immature- it just means you need to acclimate.
I think once you spend some time using it or watch some
of the available videos this should be a little clearer.
You’ve got to get in there and get your hands dirty man!

#260

You bring up an interesting point, so let me ask others. Is changing the colors, moving menus around, even creating your own menus an ability that allows us to create a more usable interface, or is it just dressing it up. I want my pencil on the right and on a green background, and lets have the tools icons in this order. I can see some benefits here but does it address the crit that others have about GUI.

I have all the video, manuals etc. Even attempted tp give the program to my oldest son, a professor at Va Tech who heads up the animation and 3d modeling dept, only to have it handed back and told he couldn’t be bothered.

I thought as a Maya modeler and animator the interafce would be nothing…but time consuming. But again you bring up an interesting point that I will look into tonight, but again let me ask the rest of you, is this a chichen and the egg situation where I need to really know the program so I can correct its interface so I find it easier to learn?

Oh! if customization is the answer to GUI questions then why hasn’t ZB used it themselves to address the criticism

Not trying to punch people in the ribs or dicount ZB efforts but get people thinking afresh.

Let me know people. Should I focus oncustomizing the GUI this week.