Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 10, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The manufacturer – Pixologic – naturally claims that the latest version of the sculpting program, like every previous version, is the best version ever. To support that claim, it has included features such as ZProjects, which can store loaded tools, lighting, materials, timeline and renderer settings. This allows the workspace to be carried over for recurring projects. Four saved projects are also already integrated to highlight the new functions.
A render preview has also been added, offering render shadows, ambient occlusion, fibres, SSS and transparency effects with anti-aliasing, among other things.
The tools for presenting projects have been revised and are now intended to offer more than simple dissolves. Keyframes control when and where items appear, and these keyframes can be copied and moved as required. Audio support and export to the MDD file format make the data more useful.
For conceptual work, version 4 adds a Shadowbox, an elastic brush for extrusion without stretching, and mannequins for quick setups.
For hard sculpting, there are now so-called Clip Brushes that allow the model to be split, as well as a large number of new brushes – from Matchmaker, which transfers shapes from other models, through Deco brushes that apply patterns, to clay-application brushes for rough modelling.
ZBrush 4.0 is available for Windows or Mac at a price of 595 US dollars per licence until September 9, 2010, after which 699 US dollars per licence will be charged. Anyone who has already purchased a licence receives the update free of charge.
