ZBrush is a digital sculpting, painting, modeling and texturing software. It’s capable of creating high-resolution models that are used throughout the movie and games industry. ZBrush is used by major studios worldwide like; Epic Games, BioWare, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Crytek, SEGA, Naughty Dog, Namco, Midway, Sony Online Entertainment, Turbine, Cryptic Studios, NCSoft, Funcom.

Learning ZBrush is an asset for any digital artist, this post is a road map for anyone willing  to start learning ZBrush online for free from scratch, the post will present and compare  between the best online sources where beginners can start from and follow along, the  sources stated in this post are full structured courses so you won’t find a link to a single  video or a group of unrelated tutorials.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn ZBrush) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with ZBrush Online for Free

3D Total

3D Total is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning ZBrush through video tutorials. You don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 13 lessons, each video lesson covers certain topics in ZBrush. You’ve to download the video as streaming the video isn’t an option on this outlet.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just navigate through the lessons using the menu of lessons at the bottom of the page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.
3. the instructor makes it very easy for beginners to follow along.

Cons

1. You can’t stream the video and you’ve to download it.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for complete beginners to start learning ZBrush through video tutorials.

GameStar Art

GameStar Art is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning ZBrush through video tutorials.

Structure: It’s recommended to start from the playlist entitled “ZBrush Basics”, the playlist is divided into 10 lessons and each of these lessons covers certain topics in ZBrush.

Interface: The standard YouTube interface.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for beginners.
3. Covers more topics than the first outlet.

Cons

1. The training covers an old release of ZBrush, through that won’t be a problem for beginners.

Verdict: This is a very good outlet for beginners to start learning ZBrush through video tutorials.

Pixologic Website

Pixologic Website is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning ZBrush through video tutorials. You don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 5 sections, each of the sections is divided into subsections. Each of the subsections have a group of lessons that covers various topics in ZBrush.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just select the lesson you’re interested in from the subsections menu.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The trainings covers more topics than the first two outlets.

Cons

1. The training isn’t properly organized for beginners.

Verdict: Though the training covers more topics than the first two outlets but it’s not properly organized for beginners.

3D Tutorials   

3D Tutorials is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning ZBrush through video tutorials, as the above sources you don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: There’s no real structure or organization for the training. The training is divide into 554 video tutorials, these tutorials cover many topics in ZBrush.

Interface: Click on the lesson you’re interested in and the video will start.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros  

1. Free.
2. A huge number of tutorials.

Cons   

1. There’s no structure or organization for the training.
2. There’s no way by which the training could be organized to make it helpful for beginners.

Verdict: The lack of structure and organization makes this outlet not suitable for beginners.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning ZBrush for free

1. 3D Total is the best place for beginners to start learning the very basics of ZBrush.
2. If you prefer books then the free book “Getting Started with ZBrush” is your best option.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in ZBrush.