Both Blender and 3D-Coat also have similar functionality. The news comes just weeks after Autodesk added its own dynamic tessellation system to Mudbox 2018.2. However, Pixologic says that “the majority” of the existing brushes are compatible, and that ZBrush 2018 comes with new Snake Hook brushes specifically designed to work with Sculptris Pro. When working in Sculptris Pro mode, UVs are not preserved, and not all of ZBrush’s existing brushes, stroke types and masking options will work: you can see a list of restrictions here. It is also aimed at CAD data or 3D printed models, where topology may not be optimised for sculpting and for meshes generated by the Live Booleans system added in ZBrush 4R8, where polygon density can vary. Unlike the existing DynaMesh system, it isn’t designed simply for roughing out a model: it should enable users to create detailed finished sculpts from simple primitives without having to retopologise the mesh.

Sculptris Pro dynamically changes the polygon density of a mesh as an artist sculpts – in Pixologic’s terminology, it ‘tessimates’ it – rather than requiring them to subdivide it in order to carry on adding detail. The new sculpting mode integrates the dynamic tessellation system from Sculptris, the free tool Pixologic acquired in 2010. The biggest feature in ZBrush 2018 is also one of the longest-awaited: Sculptris Pro. New Sculptris Pro mode adds support for dynamic tessellation The changelog of ZBrush 2018 isn’t any larger than the previous point updates – arguably, it provides fewer, albeit large, features – but once again, it’s a substantial update to the software, entirely for free. It has now sidestepped the issue of a paid ZBrush 5 release entirely by switching version numbering. Pixologic announced the end of the ZBrush 4 release series as long ago as 2014, but in the end, it squeezed in two further updates, ZBrush 4R7 and ZBrush 4R8. In some ways, ZBrush 2018 is noteworthy for what it is not: namely, a paid-for upgrade to the software. Not ZBrush 5 but yet another free update to the software The release, which is free to registered users, also extends the Gizmo 3D universal manipulator system to cover 27 separate deformers and introduces a new automated system for generating poly groups. Pixologic has released ZBrush 2018, the latest update to its industry-standard digital sculpting software, integrating the dynamic tessellation system from sister product Sculptris. Scroll down for news of the 2018.1 update.

Pixologic zbrush 4r8