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zbrush, Mac or Windows?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi all, I am ready to take the plunge and buy a license of zbrush,
I use a Mac Pro and a high end PC, so I am deciding which platform to choose for zbrush,

my question is in relation to Photoshop use with zbrush, do you guys interact much making maps etc in Photoshop regarding your zbrush models or do you just use the zbrush painting tools?

the reason I ask is that I already have Photoshop CS3 on my Mac, so would I be better off buying a Mac license of zbrush or is Photoshop use not much of an issue regarding zbrush?

cheers, Rob

#2

Thanks to ZAppLink, you can use Photoshop directly with ZBrush. This gives a lot of nice flexibility in your work. Since you have Photoshop on the Mac, you may want to use it with the Mac version of ZBrush , however, you’ll have to wait for September 30 before Z3 comes out on the Mac. Until then, you’d have ZBrush 2 and receive a free upgrade on the 30th.

#3

thanks aurick, can ZApplink be used to just export a psd file that I can then transfer to Photoshop or does it have to be a live link with both applications open at the same time?

if it can, then I can just move the psd file betwen my PC and Mac,

cheers, Rob

#4

hi watchtheskies,

I’m in the same boat and was also concerned that the Mac versions might perpetually lag behind the PC version, so I called Pixologic yesterday and talked to a very nice guy (sorry didn’t get his name).

He said that as of v. 3.5 all releases of ZBrush for PC and Mac should be simultaneous. He also suggested that if you are basically a Mac person that you should go with the Mac version of ZBrush.

Under the current promotion, you can also buy ZBrush 3 Mac for the reduced price of $489. You also get a license to run the full version of ZBrush 3 on the PC until the Mac version is released (then the license rolls over to your Mac version).

Not sure about your exact situation, but since I already own CS3 Mac and work on a Mac everyday, I am going to take his advice to buy the Mac version and save $100 in the process.

#5

Hi ajoe
I’m in a slightly different boat so to speak, I run the usual graphic design apps for my day to day work on Mac, inDesign illustrator Photoshop etc,
but I run my main 3d app (3ds Max) on windows, also Combustion, and of course all of the free 3d stuff that’s available on Windows that you just don’t get on the Mac like Xnormal for example

even though I use a Mac pro, graphic card wise my PC is far more powerful, so ideally I would run zBrush on Windows

I would never buy a Windows install of Photoshop, just too expensive, Adobe really sticks it to us in the UK, over double the price of the US packages

so really my only issue is whether I can use ZApplink to output the layered psd file from ZBrush on Windows and move the file to my Mac to edit in Photoshop? is this possible?

cheers, Rob

#6

For ZApplink to work you need an app capable of opening and editing .PSD files. It doesn’t have to be Photoshop - I believe there are cheaper or free apps that would do (Dogwaffle?) though they may not support all the features. In theory then you could copy over the file for editing in PS on your Mac, then back again.

#7

Thanks Marcus, just out of interest does ZApplink actually create a psd file?

which then gets passed on to the editing app? or does it all just live in memory until you save from the editing app?

if it does create a psd file directly do you know in which directory it stores the file?

cheers, Rob

#8

Not sure if you realise this but ZBrush doesn’t use your graphics card at all so your Mac Pro won’t be at any disadvantage for that reason. If you’re working in Photoshop on the Mac I would have though ZBrush on the Mac would make the most sense. Of course you will still have to transfer 3d files between your Mac and Windows computers!

#9

Yes, it writes to this file:
…ZBrush3\ZStartup\ZPlugs\ZAppLinkData\TempZAppLinkExport.psd

But I think you may have difficulty if you don’t specify a target app for ZAppLink, or try to set it to work with something like a text editor. ZAppLink won’t recognise that the file has been updated so you won’t be able to load it into ZBrush.

The best way of working would be to save a copy from your target app, use that in Photoshop, then copy back to the target app and save, before returning to ZBrush.

#10

Thanks BazC, yes I think I’m coming the point where it makes sense to use the Mac version, I’d love to try the 30 day demo on my Mac, but Pixologic only have the windows trial available:(?

#11

thanks Markus,
maybe this could be a feature that Pixologic could introduce into ZApplink, the ability to choose to export and import the psd file without needing to see another application at the time of exporting, and being able to import the psd whether there appears to be a change or not,

I wouldn’t imagine this would be difficult to do as they would not be changing the application as such, just the how it saves and loads images

like you say though there are a few workarounds so not such an issue,

thanks again for your help

Rob

#12

hi rob

photoshop elements writes out a psd file with layers etc, the only thing missing in elements is cmyk support…rgb is fine…

so you can stay on windows for max, zbrush and write to photoshop elements for £50 photoshop elements for windows rather than the £900 for photoshop cs3 for windows…both make psd files…though one is £850 cheaper than the other.

also corel painter writes out layer based psd files…

i think your best bet seeing as there’s no mac demo of zbrush yet is to actually go get and try the demo’s of phtotshop elements for windows or
corel painter/painter essentials for windows and make some psd layered files with them…then you’d know that the psd files they crete are workable and you can if you wish/need to work on the psd files further on your macpro if you so desire.

link to photoshop elements on amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Systems-Inc-Photoshop-Elements/dp/B000VZEIOS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1220553190&sr=8-1

for other users looks at this issue in a similar boat…usually there’s photoshop elements bundled in with wacom tablets…i had photoshop elements bundled in with my wacom bamboo fun [a5 widescreen ratio] for example.

one other thing to think about when considering this is ‘where and what’ will be the roadmap for zbrush 3.5?

if they go down the route of live linking to 3d apps such as 3dsmax, lightwave, maya, xsi…you’ll be up a creek if you have mac zbrush sat hi n dry when your live link 3d app is out there on windows…now it’s just speculation at this point but with mudbox 2009 and more specifcially mudbox 2010…not that far away [a year at most] i’d fully expect mudbox to start linking into 3dsmax and maya…all pixologic need to create is a basic ztool loader and a ‘hub’…so your ztool and subtools get linked to max/maya
…dreamware currently but i’d expect it sooner rather than later.

okay thrown some apples and oranges in the air…you need to decide which ones to catch!

#13

also as you already have combustion you could try to point zbrush and zaplink to use that to export/import psd files as combustion can load and crerate psd files with all layers, names and modes intact.

seeing as there’s no zbrush trial for mac it would be prudent to TRY out zbrush demo for windows pc and see if you can get zapplink working with what you have already on your pc…youhave 30days to try that and any other demo’s such as photoshop elenemts and moving the files to the mac cs3 photoshop to see for yourself the workflow you’d have without spending a single penny…ideal really…demo’s really help people make good informed choices based on what they have on their computers and not just ‘opinions’ which may turn out to be a little different in actual practice!..

demo’s are cool! :+1:

#14

I am not entirely sure why you would want to introduce another graphics application into your workflow since you are already working with Photoshop. If you are comfortable with, and have invested a lot of time in PS, any new graphics application would either seem under powered (Elements), or alien.

If you can’t wait to try ZBrush in your workflow, get the 30-day trial for the pc and kick the tires a bit. If you aren’t in a hurry, you can wait for the Mac version in about 30 days - I am assuming Pixologic will make available a Mac trial version at the same time ZBrush Mac is released.

Don’t buy applications based on what they MAY be able to do in a future version. Doing so is just buying into the hype and/or FUD. If, for example, live-update integration between your 3d applications is (or will become) important to you, then either get the software when that feature is available or pay a few dollars at that time to switch/update/cross-grade your license(s) over to the other platform.

Who knows what will happen in the future (near or otherwise)? Maybe there’s be Mudbox Mac, or all software vendors will provide cross platform licenses as long as only one copy of the software is being used. But I am not going to sit on my thumb and hold my breath waiting for those things to happen or spend money on promised features that does not yet exist.

#15

pshop elements on windows pc would give the ability to point to a psd capable app…the saved PSD file could then be opened up for editing on the FULL photoshop on his apple mac…so elements could just be used for creating the base psd to be worked on a full photoshop…

you wouldn’'t be using underpowered or alien except saving the psd file and saving £850 if your used to phtotshop cs3 extended.

as i stated in regards to future developments…i prefaced it with the term ‘dreamware’ to be totally sure it’s NOT available and may never be available… but such things may still figure into your/their desicion making process.

:+1: