Yesterday I sat down with a friend who is using Fusion 360 to do a ZBrush intro. We projected my screen with the full version of ZBrush, and she followed along with Core.
Obviously there are a lot of differences. We were able to make do with the brushes that were provided (although I’d like to see the ability to add more), but some of the other differences made it difficult. Here’s a laundry list of questions:
- Is the “Size” function under the Geometry completely gone, or is it hiding somewhere else? This is critical to the work that I do…if I’m designing a ring, I need to know that the diameter is 19.56 mm and to do that I usually start out with a cylinder that I make a certain size. I found that we could use “Size” under the deformation menu, but it is far easier to use the other Size function. It’s also important because once we know the diameter of the ring, we can use the Transpose tool to measure thickness of the metal.
- I use the Split to Parts function a lot so I can create a bezel for a stone, then when I resize the ring, I split the bezel so it maintains the correct size and resize the ring. I would love to see that feature added to Core.
- Is the History line completely gone? This was a useful feature.
I know that there was a pre-release offer that I missed for $149 for Core, which I considered buying so I could have the same version as the students I’m teaching. When I learned that Core would be a less-expensive, limited version, I was very excited because a lot of artists I know want to learn ZBrush, but have not been able to justify the more expensive version. However, if I am running the full version, I should be able to know the differences intimately. And I was getting ready to propose a class to a local jewelry studio because the new version was coming, but I would obviously need to be able to tweak my presentation based on limitations of the new software.
My suggestion is that for users who already own ZBrush and who are teaching, that they be able to toggle between the full version and Core version so we can more effectively teach. Maybe a “skin” that hides the regular features except those in Core? Or maybe a discounted version of Core—maybe $99—for verified users who have purchased the full version? It could even be tied to the same hardware, and only usable on that machine? I need some time on that version to be able to teach it to a whole new group of ZBrush enthusiasts.
Or because I absolutely love Joseph Drust’s voice and teaching technique, he could do a video that explains to current users what the differences are? Go palette by palette to explain what’s there and what’s missing. Anyway, thanks for listening!