RadialZ Gives ZBrush a Brush Wheel

Bela Beier
02.07.2026
RadialZ turns the ZBrush brush library into cursor-side wheels, reducing palette trips and keyboard gymnastics.
A digital illustration displays two stylized heads in profile, crafted with smooth, contoured features. The heads are surrounded by a circular palette showcasing various sculpting brushes, including textures labeled 'Standard,' 'Clay,' and 'Smooth.' The dark background contrasts with the light gray of the heads, enhancing the graphics' sharpness and clarity.

Brushes, now in orbit

RadialZ places brush thumbnails in a circle around the cursor. Open the menu, move the pen towards a brush and select it with a directional gesture. The idea is pleasantly small: stop travelling across the interface whenever a different brush is needed. During a long sculpting session, those tiny journeys can become a commute. But: RadialZ reorganises access to existing tools. It does not introduce a new brush format or alter stroke behaviour.

And you can create several menus for different tasks. Blocking brushes can live in one wheel, detailing tools in another, and Insert Multi Mesh brushes in their own well-stocked drawer.

Bring your own brushes

The picker supports the standard ZBrush library, custom brushes, vector displacement mesh brushes and Insert Multi Mesh brushes – useful for productions where factory tools rarely remain alone for long. Personal brushes, studio presets and project-specific assets can sit beside the defaults instead of being exiled to another menu.

A sleek digital interface showcases a circular brush wheel at the center, surrounded by icons representing various brush styles. The left side features interactive controls with an orange accent, while the right displays a grid of diverse textured icons, rich in detail, perfect for 3D modeling.

Made for pen juggling

The utility supports Wacom tablets. Artists can trigger it from a keyboard, left-hand controller or Elgato Stream Deck. The drawing hand stays near the model while the other opens the wheel. Once the directions become familiar, brush selection can rely more on muscle memory and less on remembering whether ClayBuildup was assigned to Shift, Ctrl, Alt or interpretive dance. But too many wheels would recreate the original problem in circular form. Sensible menu design requires adult supervision. So, ask your Colorist or Rigger to help you with that.

A dark, gradient background sets the stage for eight glossy, circular icons arranged in a radial pattern. Each icon features a unique design, showcasing various tools and features like a brush, lock, and shapes, all emanating a sleek, modern aesthetic that invites exploration.

Windows only, for now

RadialZ currently requires Microsoft Windows and ZBrush 2026. Earlier releases, macOS and ZBrush for iPad are not supported. That narrow compatibility may rule it out for studios running frozen software builds. But RadialZ is very new, ad compatibility and OS support might widen.

A highly detailed digital sculpture of a fantastical creature with intricate horns and textured skin, set against a dark background. Nearby, a circular interface displays various brush options, while a small circular image features a man with dark hair, offering a guide to the sculpture creation process.

The price?

RadialZ costs $39 USD as a one-time purchase. The licence can be reactivated after moving to another computer. One-Time, no subscription. The developer describes the utility as lightweight and claims it does not affect performance. We’ll see about that, but as a small, helpful tool it is at least worth a try.

RadialZ official website

Bela Beier Author