ZBrushCore or ZBrush?

Compare Toolsets

Which Is Right For You?

ZBrush - The flagship product and the industry standard for 3D sculpting. If you want everything that ZBrush has to offer then this is for you!

ZBrushCore - The lighter version, powerful and easy to use but with fewer features. This is for artists who want a stand-alone 3D sculpting app that packs a punch but don’t need all the features of the full version.

Created in ZBrushCore | Refined in ZBrush

Base Mesh Generation

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
Dynamesh	•	•
ZSpheres	•	•
Mannequin	•	•
Primitives	•	•
Mesh Extract	•	•
ZeeZoo	•	•
Mesh from Mask	Basic	Advanced

Sculpting

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
Max. Number of polygons per mesh	20 Million	100 Million
Multi-Resolution Mesh Editing (Subdivision surface sculpting)	•	•
Insert Multi-Mesh	•	•
Number of Brushes	40	300+
Multi-Mesh support (Subtools)	•	•
Surface Noise	•	•
Boolean-type operations with Dynamesh	•	•
Live Booleans		•
3D Surface Effect ClayPolish	•	•
Reference Image support	•	•
Sculptris Pro	•	•
Snakehook Brush	•	•
Curve Alpha		•
Thick Skin	•	•
Contrast Deformation	•	•
Close Holes	•	•
ZRemesher (Automatic Retopology)	Basic	Advanced
Dynamic Subdivision	Basic	Advanced
MicroPoly	Basic	Advanced

Illustration

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
2D and 2.5D painting and drawing tools		•
Document resolution	Screen Size	Up to 8K

Texturing

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
3D painting capabilities (PolyPaint)	Basic	Advanced
Texture Map support		•
Projection Painting (SpotLight)		•

Rendering

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
BPR	Basic	Advanced
ZBrush to KeyShot Bridge support	•	•
Render passes		•
Material editing/import		•
Real-Time Preview AO	•	•
Raytracing AO		•

Import/Export

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
Export	OBJ, MA, STL, VRML, x3D	OBJ, MA, STL, VRML, FBX, PLY, DAE, ABC, 3MF, x3D
Import	OBJ, MA, STL, MESH, MESHB, SC1	OBJ, MA, STL, FBX, PLY, DAE, ABC, 3MF, MESH, MESHB, SC1
Bridge between major 3D applications (GoZ)		•
Export settings for 3D printing (3D Print Hub)	•	•
iMage3D	•	•
Opens all files created in Sculptris	•	•
Opens all files created in ZBrushCoreMini	•	•
Opens all files created in ZBrushCore	•	•
Opens all files created in ZBrush		•

General

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
Available on Windows and MacOS	•	•
64-bit architecture	•	•
Universal Camera	•	•
CPU-based – no special graphics card needed	•	•
Graphics tablet support	•	•
Library of 3D startup models	•	•
Language localization	•	•
SubTool Folders	•	•
CamView	•	•
Real-Time Silhouette View	•	•

Advanced Features

Feature	ZBrushCore	ZBrush
Gizmo 3D Deformers	13	27
Gizmo 3D Primitives		•
Shadowbox		•
ZModeler		•
Advanced Brush/Stroke Customization		•
User-made Brushes ZBrush can load brushes created in ZBrushCore, but ZBrushCore cannot load brushes created in ZBrush		•
3D Layers		•
HD Geometry support		•
Fiber generation (Fibermesh)		•
Advanced copying and instancing tools (Array Mesh, NanoMesh, MicroMesh)		•
Masking capabilities	Basic	Advanced
Polygroup capabilities	Basic	Advanced
Crease		•
Edgeloop		•
Mesh projection		•
Advanced split/merge of models		•
UV Mapping		•
SubSurface Scattering		•
Environment Maps		•
LightCap		•
BPR Filters		•
Advanced 3D file export through plugins	•	•
Mesh Optimization (Decimation Master) ZBrushCore is limited to 5 preset polygon count optimations (20K, 35K, 75K, 150K or 250K)	Basic	Advanced
Scripting / Plugins / Macros		•
Model hollowing for 3D printing	•	•
Dynamics		•
Cloth Brushes		•