ZBrush 2023's new features have been previewed at the 2022 ZBrush Summit event. These features include updates to ZBrush's masking system and ZRemesher repair tool, as well as integration with Redshift renderer as a separate version. The exact release date is currently unknown.
The ZRemesher tool has been overhauled for faster and more controllable retopology. A new cache system has been added to reduce the time required for subsequent re-meshing operations. Additionally, ZRemesher now saves vertex color data from ZBrush's 3D painting toolset Polypaint, enabling earlier painting during the sculpting process.
Another major change in the ZBrush 2023 test version is the new intelligent masking system. A new Mask Region selection in the masking sub-palette includes an Auto Region button that can automatically fill the adjacent area between existing masks on an object's surface. Users can control the filling process when using complex masks by drawing rough guide strokes on the sculpting surface to determine gaps that ZBrush should fill with existing masks.
Redshift integration in ZBrush enables high-quality rendering right in the software. It supports Polypaint data and any standard or MatCap materials. New Redshift materials have been added, including controls for roughness and metalness, reflectivity and refraction, emissive intensity, and subsurface scattering for translucent materials. Users can also get shadow catcher options to composite rendered 3D models with their environments. Redshift rendering can be performed on CPU or GPU, but like the version integrated into Maxon 3D software Cinema 4D, it only provides CPU support by default.
These are just some of the features previewed for ZBrush 2023. However, note that this update will not be free for existing perpetual license users.
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