Do I need Zbrush to make my work stand out?

AndrewD

After a few years I have decided to pick up 3D again and work on a portfolio. I see a lot of amazing work here and a large amount of it is created with the aid of ZBrush. However I do not have access to such a program.

So my question is: How essential is ZBrush and am I going to be at a disadvantage?

Would be interesting to see any work created that does not use ZBrush or other such programs, If anyone can share some.

WarrenM

Sculpting apps, in general, are used in a lot of art these days and many apps provide this feature these days. ZBrush is one of the better ones but there are others ... Mudbox, 3D Coat, Modo, and others.

However, it's not mandatory. It's just more efficient in a lot of cases.

PolyHertz

Do you need it? No, but it's beneficial for anything organic and to some extent for hard surfaces. I would recommend trying Sculptris to start off (it's free and can be learned in less then 10 minutes).

For work that's done without the use of zbrush, check out Paul Pepera, LoneWolf, and Tor Frick for hard surfaces. Also check out the Lowpoly thread in Pimping&Previews to see a lot of hand painted pieces.

FlynT

ZBrush is quite powerful but by no means necessary to create stunning pieces. But the good news is you don't have to go without a proper sculpting app since there is Sculptris it comes from Pixologic and it's FREE! It's pretty solid and provides almost anything that's needed to get you started.