Hello,
Does anyone know where can I find PDF version of full zbrush r7 manual that I can download to my tablet and read when I don’t have access to internet for example on the plane?
All I can find is getting started download…
Many thanks
I agree it would be nice have a downloadable PDF, I have just been printing out
the parts that I needed to know as and when.
How about checking your Zbrush installation folder guys? There’s thousands of pages pdf documentation to read and print.
Yes I know but there is no “User Guide” pdf which is what we are asking for.
Thanks for the reminder though polyxo 
Hmm, the docs for each point release don’t just alphabetically cover each single tool one by one like classic html Help-Files, would do, they present groups of new additions and bring them into context. Above that there’s several very profound pdf tutorials in the docs folders, as well as a getting started guide. Although a few years old everthing in there still is valid information.
I find all this tremendously well done and really useful as learning resources; for more in depth tutorials there’s even Zclassroom with tons of downloadable videos (which then do work in a plane). Seriously do you know a better documented 3D app? None of the other 3D programs I use even comes close.
There is no downloadable pdf of the Users Guide or other documentation other than Getting Started and a couple of other small files. Documentation has always been the Achilles heal of Zbrush - the User Guide is under illustrated and needs a lot of fleshing out for beginners and there is really very little in the way of explaining some of the interface. For example SubTool has no explanation of what the various icons do or mean in the Sub Tools part of the Users Guide, which I sould have thought would be a pretty basic requirement for a beginner. Again,
The target audience for videos, even the beginner videos is not pitched correctly and frequently assumes an existing level of knowledge. Although the videos are very good, for beginners they really are aimed at experienced users. For example the helmet videos start at a point that may leave many beginners totally confused. Rather than start from scratch with a default head, the video starts with what looks like a dynamesh encasing the head and there is no explanation as to how this was done - does every beginner already know why? I doubt it. To teach, which is the purpose of the videos, you have to take users by the hand and guide them through the process, not grab their nuts and force feed them information above their level of ‘beginners.’ All to often videos fall into the trap of showing ‘how great I am at Zbrush’ rather than being a teaching aid. Teaching involves more than showing everybody how smart you think you are and I’m not sure that some of Zbrush’s top modellers are particularly good teachers.
The complete User Guide and Reference Manuals are included in the Documentation folder. The 3r5 Manual is in the 4.0 ‘whats new guide’. Don’t be fooled by the Document file names, these are actual addenda to the original manual.
4R7 is the last version of what started out as Zbrush 3.5. The original User Guide and Reference manuals were written for Zbrush 3.0. Version 3 was a major rewrite of Zbrush 2. The last printed and bound manual was the Zbrush 2 Practical Guide and Reference Manual. (cover illustrated by Meats Meier). With the introduction of v.3, Pixologic converted the new manual to an online document format. It was also included with the v.3.0 installation files, for offline searching. ZBrush 3 had a Documentation button in the app.
The v3 documentation is mostly obsolete but does go more into the 2.5D features. I don’t think Pixologic offers a link to them anymore but I can post one if needed. They were also illustrated by Meats Meier.
Remember, Pixologic does not remove features. It improves older features, and adds new features that seamlessly compliment one another.
A new user, starting out with v.4R7 will best be served by reading the (appropriately named) “Zbrush Starting Guide”. Followed by the 3.5 user manual and tutorial manual, then progressing through the 4.0 manual and tutorial guide. From there proceed through 4R2, 4R2b, 4R3, 4R4, 4R5, 4R6 and 4R7 “whats new” guides. These are actually User Guide and Reference Manual Addenda. Also read through the 4.0 Tutorial Guide.
After that read through the Plugins Documentation. Unlike the current Online Docs, almost every feature is illustrated in the PDF Manuals.
The Online Docs are also very useful and easily searched. If you want to add the Online Docs to your collection of PDF documents, you can do as I did and download the entire http://docs.pixologic.com Directory folder. I use a utility program called SiteSucker, because it will faithfully recreate all the page links on disk, for offline reading.
I also used another utility to concatenate all the PDF documentation manuals, tutorials, and Plugin docs, into a single PDF doc. All in chronological order. (search for Concatenate, PDF Merge, etc., apps online). A merged PDF is easily searched as one, single, document. My Reference Manual begins with the v3R1.2 Addendum and goes on through 3R5 to the full 4.0 series of Addenda. A complete Reference Manual and User Guide with Tutorials, actually starts with the v3.0 Manuals.
When Pixologic has it ready for download, the “Getting Started with ZBrush 4R7” Guide will also be very helpful to the new user. (the current Addendum is still 4R6). The advantage to this document is that it is laid out in a progressive learning sequence with illustrations and links.
Although the links may not yet be officially posted for the 4r7 Keyboard ShortCuts and 4R7 CheatSheet, you can download them here;
But the best in-app documentation in the business can be found in Zbrush itself. (illustrated, no less!) Hover the cursor over a GUI element and alternately press the Option and Command keys. (or Windows keyboard equivalents).
And, of course, the ClassRoom videos are essential learning tools, that can also be downloaded for ‘‘off the grid’’ viewing. I use a utility called SWF & FLV Player to download the videos for offline viewing. I use VLC app for playback of .f4v videos. (cross platform)
I also found the “Industries” pages inspiring and informative; Pixologic :: Pixologic :: Industry :: 3D Printing
And also the “Features” pages including examples and links, were helpful;
http://pixologic.com/zbrush/features/zbrush4/feature-list/
http://pixologic.com/zbrush/features/ZBrush4R6/ and
http://pixologic.com/zbrush/features/ZBrush4R7/
A very handy utility for downloading entire web pages as PDF’s, completely intact, is called “Paparazzi!”. It will download a graphics heavy web page, of any length, and save it as a PDF.
All in all, the full Manual with concatenated Addenda comes to over 778 pages, NOT including the original 3.0 Manuals, the Tutorial and Getting Started Guides, nor the Plugin Guides.
In other words, the printable documentation is exhaustive. No feature is undocumented.
Thanks everyone ,it never occurred to me that the pdf docs were cumulative.
The user manual is not in the documentation folder and, going back to R3.5, it has never been included in any install/update I’ve had from Pixologic. All the Documentation folder contains for each of these releases is the ‘What’s New’ pdf file, which really is of quite limited use for anybody new to the program - I don’t fall into the new user category. Attached is a capture of my 4R7 documentation folder - nothing relating to user docs.
AgoArgyll9846, Please read this post; http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?191596-zbrush-documentation&p=1126154&viewfull=1#post1126154