There are many different brushes you can sculpt with in ZBrush. Each brush has a unique feature that allows it to do something that other brushes cannot. Brushes in ZBrush can also be customized using several controls to achieve different behaviors.

First of all we must know that even if it is an IMM brush, VDM brush or Multi-Alpha brush – they can be imported the same way as long as the file extension is .ZBP.

Easy Ways To Import Brushes Into ZBrush

One of the ZBrush basics we have to know is that there is not an unique way to import a brush, in fact, in ZBrush it is normal to have the same option on different menus. In this article we’ll show you the most common ways to import your new brushes to ZBrush and start working with them.

Open Brushes Directly From Windows

The first method is really easy, let's assume that we have recently acquired a copy of  the Hair Salon IMM Brush.

First, you’ll need to download the .zip file from your Download Library here in S3ART Store. In our exemple:

  • HairSalon_v2.0.zip

While the file is being downloaded, you can open the ZBrush software if you haven't done it yet. Then uncompress the downloaded file and navigate to the folder where your new brush has been extracted. Now you can double click on each .zbp file, this should load the brushes directly to ZBrush. In our exemple:

  • Flakes_HairSalon_IMM_v2.0.ZBP
  • Braids_HairSalon_IMM_v2.0.ZBP
  • Curls_HairSalon_IMM_v2.0.ZBP

Make sure the brushes are compatible with your ZBrush version, to do so, please read the product description. If the brushes have a weird behavior, it may indicate that you have to update ZBrush to the latest version.

The Brush Drop-down Menu

As it’s usual on the software made for Windows, at the very top-left of the screen, we can see an horizontal list of items which each one is a drop-down menu. Here we’ll open the "Brush" menu.

This will open a panel box with various options to interact with the brushes themselves, plus some of the brushes that are preloaded inside ZBrush. One of the options we can see here is "Load Brush" – click on it.

A window will open, just navigate where your brush is located and double click the .zbp file to import it.

Import Brushes To The Brush Palette

Another way to do so is by going on the left bar where by default, you can find various boxes. Select the first box which will open the brush palette.

This will open a panel box with all the brushes available in ZBrush.

At the bottom-left of the panel, there is a button called "Load Brush", just click it to open the navigation window.

Now you have to do the same as before, find where your brushes are located and double click to import them.

 

How to Automatically Load a Brush When ZBrush Starts By Default?

For those of you that found an indispensable brush that complies with your expectations, and would like to be loaded automatically every time you start ZBrush. You can permanently install your brushes by moving them in the ZBrush installation folder:

  • C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 20XX\ZStartup\BrushPresets

For now on, the brushes you moved to the location above will appear on the brushes palette each time you start ZBrush.

Use Lightbox To Organize Your Brushes

The last method is for more advanced users. What we want to show you has to do with a feature called "LightBox". This is an integrated browser which can display the content located in the installation folder of ZBrush. Here we can find content organized by categories: Documents, Tool, Brushes, Material, Alphas, Textures, ZScript and Other – Ofcourse this may help you when organizing your brush palette.

Let's find out how to import brushes to ZBrush using LightBox.

By default, the LightBox will also open when starting ZBrush. But if you already started a project, the panel surely will be closed. To open it again, you must search for a big button called “LightBox” at the top-left of ZBrush, or push the coma key " , " on your keyboard.

Once you have opened the LightBox, at the top of this panel you will see the categories – click on the "Brush" category. You will see a bunch of folders where there are some digital brushes inside each one.

If you want to add several brush files and organize the folders as you want, we recommend doing it on windows. To open this folder navigate to:

  • C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 20XX\ZBrushes

Once you have all the brushes moved to the folder above, you can also organize the files inside the LightBox by holding "Ctrl + Alt" while drag & drop the files inside folders.

 

Final Thoughts

We hope this article has made it clear to you on how to run brushes into ZBrush. If you are currently thinking of creating a character for a video game, for a movie production, or just to have a good time sketching – we can help by providing you with the best resources out there. Let us help you create amazing game characters.

Download our ready-made digital resources and put your unique ideas into practice.