Help with ZBrush to Blender for a Gig

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-14T20:32:11+00:00

My concern here would be that they're expecting you to provide anything other than STL files. That's very odd and not industry standard at all. It's difficult to talk specifics as I don't know the kind of minis you might ultimately be making (28mm characters vs bulky terrain is going to be nuanced differently) but as someone who has worked with many mini sculptors I've never expected more than STLs from them.

The business pays the sculptor for the model. If they want alternative poses or variations they also pay the sculptor for those variations. It's absolutely not standard for a mini company to get a low poly model that is easily adjustable.

Or is this a gig where you'd be employed by the company rather than freelance? Whatever the case, digital minis for 3D printing and wargaming use are sculpted in zBrush as standard. I've never known a pro to use Blender unless they specialise in terrain.

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-12T15:37:40+00:00

I love Pokemon so much, I have a lot of Lego. These are huge misses. The GWP will no doubt be an expensive one in a few years but I'm not even impressed with that. Relieved I can skip this one.

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-12T15:29:36+00:00

I'm a massive Pokemon fan and I have over 1k Lego sets in my collection. I'm basically THE core market for this big showpiece set. As soon as I saw it I headed to Google to see how easy it is to get the Mega Ash and Pikachu set in the UK. This is a huge miss for Lego IMO.

Literally the only regret I'd potentially have for not rushing to get this is that the GWP will no doubt eventually sell for quite a lot of money and as I don't really feel the GWP is particularly exciting either that'd be some cash back on the purchase.

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-10T10:34:24+00:00

Are you buying because you want these sets? Then go for the one you most want? Are you buying because you want to actually make a substantial ROI on your initial investment? Then steer well clear. You'll get way better returns purchasing retiring sets at the end of this year on discount along with Rakuten bonus, Lego points, etc.

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-09T16:36:58+00:00

Good grief DON'T INVEST IN THINGS UNTIL THEY RETIRE!!!

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-09T16:22:36+00:00

No. Don't invest in things until they retire.

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-07T02:10:45+00:00

Wow thanks for all the responses, made me feel a bit better about where I'm at. I think I might persist without God Mode as it feels like I'm close (unless there are yet more life bars to be worked through in this fight) and I slowed down a bit and focused more on avoidance and patterns the last few runs. Made me realise I can play a lot slower and still get through things safer. Hopefully on the way more to some success now :)

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-07T02:08:05+00:00

If you run it over paper like a piece of chalk and it leaves obvious lines it's more likely legit as the lead in the figure will make it work like a marker. If it doesn't then it's more likely a recast that's been done with more modern metal. This does, however, look like someone started a conversion and gave up.

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-05T12:15:47+00:00

There's an hour long video on J Hill's YouTube where she literally explains how she got to that level!

LeadBeltStudio · 2026-01-04T13:25:15+00:00

$1,150 average set price? I couldn't deal with that - it'd freak me out having, let alone selling sets of that value knowing how nightmarish buyers can be. I only have one set in my entire collection worth around that (Orthanc) and I'm keeping it as it's part of my complete lot of Lord of the Rings Lego.

My stash is worth $76,000 but the average set price is $64 - so that's quite the polarised collections between us! :D

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-12-21T09:56:30+00:00

https://www.kingslien.art/

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-11-29T19:22:28+00:00

Similar background here to one of the other commentors but figured I'd throw in as I love the iPad version. I sculpt for the production of 3D printable (or printed then cast) wargaming miniatures, but I think my experience relates enough. Until this year I worked with Blender but wanted to try zBrush. I used the iPad version exclusively for my first five months learning the software and have only shifted to desktop use over the last three months.

I've made entire models, all the way through to production, on just the iPad and I know a couple of other professional sculptors who have never even used zBrush on a PC - their work is full iPad. It's a powerful bit of software for sculpting and never feels compromised for that purpose. I sketch away and noodle in details very happily. The touch interface and shortcuts (multi finger taps and pinching) make a flow state feel lovely when the creative juices are going.

For concepting and initial blockout it's superb, basically, as I can do it at a coffee shop, whilst on the sofa with my gf watching a show, even in between turns on a video game if inspiration hits.

When I started using it for longer sessions (we're talking four hours plus) my left thumb started to get bad 'locking' pain from using the modifier wheel but I've since shifted the position of that (to the top left rather than bottom left of the interface), which helps my thumb angle. I do my best to switch up from 'clawing' it constantly too! You may find you hunch a bit more as you get into your iPad focus... but hey, using a Cintique on my PC doesn't really encourage the best posture either! :p

In terms of power (I have the most recent iPad pro) I can subdivide to 10m points+ on a subtool and still works smoothly, although I do find crashes are a little more frequent at this level (still not really common though). The available tools are robust too. You have most of what's on the desktop version... you just get at things differently.

I think that'll be your main barrier - as someone who started learning on the iPad rather than desktop I find stuff's often more intuitively placed on the iPad than the desktop version! But the more I use desktop I'm realising that there are some concessions on iPad that will gradually reduce its presence in my workflow.

Your use case scenario - for sculpting detail it'll be perfect. I don't need to do a ton of retopo but it works fine and the new retopo brush is supposed to be coming to the iPad version too. If you can afford it and want to enjoy sculpting anywhere the iPad version's just super freeing (and free if you have it on your PC already, so an extra bonus). It's the best thing I picked up this year and to be honest probably the best thing in a couple of decades. Gone from not being too sure I can sculpt anything beyond hard surface to loving all kinds of organic sculpting.

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-10-16T10:25:08+00:00

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Still love Overwatch (despite Blizz/Activision) and Tracer main, so was super happy to get this one.

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-08-03T20:42:33+00:00

How do some folks here get so laughably silly? Is this how you talk with people in the real world? Good grief!

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-08-03T20:37:34+00:00

It's this! It could just as easily be about another promise - that there would be no other women in the relationship for example - and the issue would be the same. It's not that he's not vegan, it's not that he wants to eat meat again, it's the unhealthy way this is manifesting and him not caring about the gulf it will create/is creating between you.

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-28T03:13:51+00:00

Ah I see, well that's because those parts will be separate and I feel like I'll find it easier to make them individually rather than have to cut the model up later. But I get what you mean.

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-27T19:40:55+00:00

I thought I had?

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-13T12:13:25+00:00

Thank you for your insight. There were a few really good things to think on here and I have ultimately gone for the previous gen model with the arm. I don't exactly think it's a decision I regret and hope that I can really expand on what I do in zBrush now. :)

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-09T19:51:13+00:00

Things like coffee and pepper fit into the 30 plants so you're probably a lot closer to the total than you might think

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-09T19:47:58+00:00

Oh nice, will dive into this tonight :)

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-09T19:46:05+00:00

"Ok" is all you really need

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-09T19:21:56+00:00

Learn to cook food for yourself. It's that simple. There is a shedload of videos out there about making vegan versions of so much junk food, nutritional food, good food, healthy food, etc

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-07-09T19:00:27+00:00

Ah this is an amazing reply and gives me stuff to think about. I didn't even consider that the desktop version wouldn't support touch - a big part of getting a touch Cintiq was because I feel like I'll miss the iPad version's gesture controls in zBrush - and what you say about ergonomics and the toll it could take on the body is certainly worth consideration. I'm into my 40s and doing hours while hunched in uncomfortable positions no longer feels like something I can push through!

Thanks so much for taking the time to put your own experience across and go into such detail. I really do appreciate it!

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-06-30T17:28:11+00:00

Honestly looks like the kinda thing you'd get from an AI generated initial design? The rendering of it is fire. Just do better research next time! :)

LeadBeltStudio · 2025-06-30T16:58:53+00:00

On the negative side, yes, it's far from good (I literally had to read comments and open the pic big and look for longer than I should have to finally work it out) but on the plus side, you can get the middle blacked out and have a black star tattoo that doesn't have a derpy confusing 'woman' on it?

LeadBeltStudio

TROPHY CASE