Creating the sequel to ZBrush 2 was not an easy task, we have traveled long on an unpaved path. We have explored countless ways and discussed numerous ideas.
During this process, we have refined, tested, and refined again every feature. We have also scrapped features that looked great 'on paper', but in practice were just "another feature" which – although increasing the number of features – did little to get us closer to our goal.

With ZBrush we have set out to create a tool, which alleviates restrictions imposed on artists, and to unleash the 'artist within'. We want nothing else but to create an environment that is an extension of your own creativity; an environment that will not only allow you to 'get the job done' but will also encourage you to experiment and go the extra step. Ultimately, our goal is to enable you to create and then be truly impressed with your own creations.

That is our goal and even though there are many steps between now and then, we are thrilled to be on this journey with you.

In this post, I will introduce to you some of the features of the next ZBrush step. I am very excited with the possibilities that will be made available to you and I believe that when the next version is released, it will make a greater impact than version 2 did. It was not easy, it was not simple, but it has always been rewarding. If the responses from beta testers are any indication, then we believe that you will be happy with the next version.

ZBrush 3 continues our development by first and foremost putting the artist in an immersive digital sculpting environment: we have boosted ZBrush's speed, refined its functionality as well as expanded its capability by adding real-time shadows, real-time material capture and render (MatCap), full 3D sculpting and texturing with alphas and textures, advanced ‘digital clay’ with up to one billion polygons using HD geometry, real-time posing with ZBrush's Transpose functionality, perspective camera, 2D / 2.5D /3D mesh projections, mesh retopologizing, topology/cavity/color based maskings, one-click turntable recording and quicktime export, support for 32 and 64 bit systems, mutithreaded support for up to 256 processors, and more.

The Windows version will be released on May 15th, the release date for the Macintosh version will be announced following the release of the Windows version. The upgrade to version 3 will be free of charge to all registered users (including new users who will register before the next release).
Note to Macintosh users: Since you are now also able to launch Windows applications, we will be pleased to make available to you a free-of-charge transfer of license to the Windows version, this will allow you to take advantage of the new version as soon as it is released. Further details about the license-transfer will be posted prior to the release date.