Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 22, 2016. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Polybrush takes a more traditional sculpting approach, and its UI has well-organised palettes and logically placed tools that help keep the creative process orderly. According to Creative Director Rob Redman, it is comparable to a cross between ZBrush and the old 3D and sculpting tool Amorphium. Polybrush can turn 3D models into a brush and, for example, paint them as a chain, making it quick to copy and clone elements.
Polybrush is not intended to be a holistic sculpting program like ZBrush, but precisely for that reason is said to be excellent for concepts and quick designs. Sketching and and building the 3D model take place in one phase, providing immediate feedback about the shape of the 3D model.
Brushes
The software’s main advantage is its customisable brushes with many presets that invite experimentation. They have a simple Modifier Stack, a complete palette of symmetry options and much more. The 3D model data can be reused in other programs via the OBJ exporter.
Everything Great?
Rob Redman naturally also found a few things that do not yet work so well in the tool: the application interface looks outdated – not so much in use, but visually. The colour schemes can be changed via a drop-down, and the editing tools occasionally froze. The cursor also irritated Redman, aliasing appears quite often, and the typeface is not the happiest choice, especially when working on smaller monitors. On larger ones, however, this is not an issue.
Polybrush can be downloaded free for another nine days. The sculpting tool is available for Windows. The file is 4 MB.
