I bought ZBrush several years ago and fiddled with it for some time but eventually just gave up trying to figure out the interface. The upgrades are free so I just installed version 4.2.
I also upgraded my Adobe Suite and got some free time on Lynda.com.
I was watching some 3D stuff for Acrobat and Photoshop for a couple of days and the guy mentioned that one of the trainers had just finished his introduction to ZBrush 4.
I decided, ok, I’m going to give it a go, other people have learned the program and everyone that does raves about it.
Well, it’s been a pretty long day already but lo and behold I think… maybe… I am getting it (some).
I tell you these training videos can do something just reading cannot help you to do, see it actually being used.
Well, hopefully this will grow into a new era in modeling and texturing for me.
Just a note of encouragement to any that may have fallen into the same pit of despair over ZBrush that I had for several years.
Yeah, the interface is odd enough that it has a pretty steep learning curve. But it’s well worth the time to get to know it, it really is the best sculpting package out there by far.
A few (many) pointers and just doodling can be a great experience.
I think gaining control over what I with do with each stroke is going to be the greatest challenge.
Its design to be used with a tablet. You wont have much control if your using a mouse, the interface also makes a lot more sense when operated with a tablet - if your having trouble using it, and your using a mouse, that will be 99% of it, that was my experience, using the right tool with the program made a huge difference.
Well, the biggest problem I’ve had was learning how to find and use the tools which the training is addressing.
Tablet, well, that’s another issue.
I’ve had a couple (gave the first one away) and like ZBrush never learned to use one effectively, so gave up,
assuming it was for “real” artists.
Maybe I will have to see about some training on that too. 
from my experience with it , well yes the UI at first can be odd if you come from regular 3d app,
then well Zbrush as every other app is just a tool that let you create more or less in a same way will do a traditional sculptor using clay etc…, so depending on what stuff you want to do with it , you will have to spend quite a bit on learning the brush / tool and how you can use them.
you may better focus on tool for what you want to do first , and not try to learn them all at once through heavy training video , this will just overwhelm you.
and of course for anything organic, anatomy knowledge and proper ref will help you more than know all the Zbrush UI in my opinion.
stick with step task, if you just want doodle around some random things just pick up few brush, maybe learn to use Zsphere to create some base for you to doodle on…
most of the extremely good artist i see using it sometimes juste use 3 or 4 brush maximum, but they are already sculptor in real life hehe so…
I am not a proficient user of Zbrsuh and when you still looking for the tool you need to use or how do this and this your fun doodle session can become quite frustrating ^^…
so my advice if you do not want gave up once more , just learn it bit by bit , for what you want to do, then when you want tackle other side of it go back to your video training and so on , this way you will be able to start using it without get too frustrated.
in my use of it when i was still doing some 3d stuff on daily base , I often used it to get me a base mesh which i could import back in my 3d app and retopo over etc … so i never really use it for make AAA character with map etc…never had too really ^^…
Zbrsuh is vast app offering many things to you and for various context of work , so just pick up the one you want first , work on it and then go further if you ever need it…
I recently bought one and it is definitely worth investing in a Wacom tablet (I highly recommend the medium Intuos 4). The wacom drivers are very nice because you can customize the buttons on the tablet on a per program basis; I’ve set up mine to include Undo/Redo in zbrush so I don’t ever have to touch the mouse/keyboard.
larvantholos is right, the interface is really weird but it works perfectly when you use a tablet (it’s actually weird how much of a difference it makes). For the longest time I just couldn’t get used to the zbrush interface no matter what I tried but since getting my tablet, it sort of just clicked…
Good to hear the feedback of other users.
For now I think I’m doing ok with with the process, but time will bring more experience.
Zbrush is easier to get along with if you stop thinking of it as a 3D app, but rather think of it as an extended painting app.
Zbrush originally started as a program where you could paint on a canvas with depth and shaders on each pixel. Then it was actually discovered in retrospect that its REALLY good at sculpting hi-res meshes for export to other 3D applications. So if you keep that in mind, Zbrush was originally designed as something intended to be like a more advanced Corel Painter, but then it started to head in the direction of a focused sculpting app. Thats why the UI is the way it is. If you come at it with mindset of using 3DS max or unity, it confuses you. But come at it with the mindset of using photoshop or corel painter with 3D extensions, and that more along the proper line of thinking.
My story:
Every month or two i decide to use Zbrush instead of Mudbox, not becouse Mudbox cant handle something but rather just becouse i see every proffessional artist using and i am always wondering if i could pull better results out of it than from Mudbox. I use it for few days, maybe 1 week the most and then switch to Mudbox. When i get back i cant believe that i was actually using that alien software called Zbrush and i am incredibly proud of monopolistic company Autodesk to provide one of the best UIs in any software to date.
My point is: Go use Mudbox, its easier, and it can do pretty much everything for game workflow.
Sure, I do understand about the UI, but I think once I do get more used to it things will be ok.
Some of the things I need in the UI are getting much easier to understand.
I would like to try Mudbox and may have even tried it already a year or two ago,
but obviously didn’t really pick that up either for whatever reason.
Maybe I will try it again, but am excited that after all this time (since version 2.52) I feel I can finally make some use of it (Z).
I dont think you get what i meant. Its not about getting used to it, i have learned it more or less and i just cant stand its interface and non-3d display for too long. I know a lot of people who are using Mudbox becouse of that reason. If you are not disturbed by interface that much after two weeks of using it then you will be fine. If you are using tablet by any chance then it is obvious pick Zbrush.
Ok, I get your point.
Going to have to stick with this for now just to keep concentration but who knows down the line a bit.
Thanks for sharing your experience, I will keep it in mind if I feel the interface is still feels obtuse to me.
I would like Mudbox if it follows in the same line of interface as Max, I think.
Seems when I tried it before I didn’t want to take the time to dig into any training I didn’t actually get any use out of it.
I learned it by a video tutorial from Gnomon Workshob back in the early Zbrush 3 days.
Meats Meier’s “Introduction to ZBrush” is very complete. I don’t know whether there’s an up to date version of that, though.
Apart from that you should go through all of the ZClassroom video tutorials on how to do stuff and get into the general workflow and how to think in ZBrush. Then there’s books as soon as you’re advanced a little more: Ryan Kingslien and Scott Spencer are both very talented artists and good writers. All you need beyond that is time
ZBrush can be difficult to pickup but is definitely worth it to learn. Just stick with it!
I like to use sculptris, it has a simple, clean interface.
I suck at sculpting though…
Yep, got a copy of that right here, but must not have watched it.
The Lynda.com stuff is working though, I’ve picked up a huge number things to use already,
just got to keep working them.
I would suggest anything from Scott Spencer. One of the best Zbrush tutors out there. However you will need to do some basic learning of interface and functions first becouse his tutorials are intermediate.
Thanks will on the training suggestions.
Anyone know it there is a driver for Space Pilot usage in Z?
For me, this would be a lot more intuitive while scupting than using keyboard shortcuts.