ZBrushCentral

RAM, Apple vs. Windows

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I’m an illustrator who has recently discovered ZBrush. I’m interested in buying the program to model photo-realistic characters that would be composited into my Photoshop work. In my research I’ve learned that I’ll need a high level of subdivisions to attain that degree of realism.

I’m running a Mac Pro 3.0Ghz with 6GB of RAM. Since there is no trial version for the Mac, I’ve been demoing it with Boot Camp in the XP environment. I’ve been sorely disappointed with the number of subdivisions the program will allow me to create. I frequently can’t get much above 50,000 polys and was weighing the benefits of purchasing even more RAM. Then I learned that the “standard” 32-bit version of XP can only address 2GB of RAM to any given program which suggests to me that when I purchase the Mac version I will have a lot more polygon resolution with my existing configuration.

I have two questions. First of all, is this a correct line of thinking? Will the Mac version give me access to all 6GB of RAM? Secondly, is there a way to estimate exactly how many polygons can be rendered with 6GB of RAM? Thank you.

#2

Right now, you’ll top out at around 36B Ram (ZB3 is a 32-bit app right now)
I’m using a 4 GB Mac book and an 8 GB Mac Pro.
-K

#3

Are you sure about 50 000 polys ?! I have Win OS and 3 gb RAM and I can sculpt with almost seven millions of polygons and no lag . By the way there is HD sculpting feature which is really useful if you are making models for things like composition and not planning to animate these models .

Finally you can always make good topology at start so you will get more polygons in places where u need them and less where you do not need them .

#4

borkman, first allow me to say that I too am a 2d illustrator that jumped 3d because of ZBrush. Allow me to say that it will revolutionize your workflow like you will not believe! Study up, there’s a lot to look forward to.

The mac version will only use 4gb of your ram, but the other 2gb will go great with background apps, such as Photoshop, and the OS. I currently can only have one open at a time.

As far as high subdivision levels, here’s an important lesson since you’re new to modeling. Keep your polycounts relatively low, focus on form, anatomy, and larger shapes. Then, as your workflow progresses, slowly proceed to the higher subdivisions and small details. This is vital, because it’s so tempting to jump straight into doing small details and divide, just don’t do it until the model is finished at it’s current level. With 6 gigs and Leopard (which is 64 bit), you will be able to push ZBrush to it’s power limits of several million, even a billion, polygons so don’t worry about that.

One more note, since you will be using this with Photoshop. Pixologic has created an amazing thing, the pixol. Once you are finished modeling, you can open a large canvas, drop the model into 2.5d mode, and continue to refine tiny details and sculpt. You won’t be able to rotate the model, but you can adjust the lighting, paint, and render. The detailing that is possible is crazy because the image no longer consists of polygons. Pixols are about as heavy as pixels to your computer, but they have depth. Meats Meier has a dvd called Introduction to ZBrush 3, and the chapter about illustration is a must see for all those using ZBrush for 2d illustration.

#5

Everyone, thank you for your input. Special thanks to James - your reply answered my questions completely. I’m going to investigate the DVD you recommended as well. My experience with the program has been extremely gratifying. I took some Maya classes in college and was completely turned off by the confusing interface. ZBrush seems very intuitive and I’m looking forward to getting to the point where I can render the sorts of models I’m seeing on this site. How long did it take you to “master” the program?