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Some pre-purchase questions


MechChicken
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Hello. I'm contemplating about buying an amateur license or zbrushcore. I spent almost the entire afternoon watching Michael Pavlovich showing core what it can and cannot do, and for a newbie, I'm not really missing anything yet from what I've seen so far. I do however know that with 3DC, I will get a complete package, from sculpting all the way to assigning materials and render. The latter two can also be done in core, but I assume it's more complete in 3DC, as it's an integral part of the package.

The questions I have regarding the Amateur license:

1. for non-commercial use

What exactly does this means? Does it mean, I can't export a model, put it in a game, and sell the game? Or is it even more strict as in, I can't render an image, put it in Photoshop, finish the image in there, and then sell the image (without the actual model)?

2. max 7 layers

On what occasions could I need more than 7? It's nice to know where I'm kinda will be hitting that quota in the process. The question from a different angle: if I like to render an awesome image like those in the gallery, aside from skill, will I be able to with solely the (limitations) of the Amateur license?

3. Can you point me to art pieces in the gallery that were made within the technical boundaries of the Amateur license?

It's nice to see where the bar is of the license.

Thanks.

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22 hours ago, MechChicken said:

Hello. I'm contemplating about buying an amateur license or zbrushcore. I spent almost the entire afternoon watching Michael Pavlovich showing core what it can and cannot do, and for a newbie, I'm not really missing anything yet from what I've seen so far. I do however know that with 3DC, I will get a complete package, from sculpting all the way to assigning materials and render. The latter two can also be done in core, but I assume it's more complete in 3DC, as it's an integral part of the package.

The questions I have regarding the Amateur license:

1. for non-commercial use

What exactly does this means? Does it mean, I can't export a model, put it in a game, and sell the game? Or is it even more strict as in, I can't render an image, put it in Photoshop, finish the image in there, and then sell the image (without the actual model)?

2. max 7 layers

On what occasions could I need more than 7? It's nice to know where I'm kinda will be hitting that quota in the process. The question from a different angle: if I like to render an awesome image like those in the gallery, aside from skill, will I be able to with solely the (limitations) of the Amateur license?

3. Can you point me to art pieces in the gallery that were made within the technical boundaries of the Amateur license?

It's nice to see where the bar is of the license.

Thanks.

Hi and welcome!

The quick answers:

1. Means what it says. You can't make money with it. No commercial use. If you made an asset in 3DC and make money off that asset, you're breaking the license.

2. This really depends on how many layers you like to use while painting. If you use a paint program now and can keep your work under 7 layers, you should be fine. I personally use many more than 7 layers for almost every project I am on, when using 3DC, except for simple assets. But only because I like to have more control by using more layers. If you happen to reach the need for more than 7 layers, you can merge some of them together anyhow.

3. I wouldn't know who has the amateur/EDU license VS. the pro license. Sorry. That said, they are the same program. These "limitations" on the amateur/EDU license do not hinder the kind or quality of the work made with the tool.

 

FWIW, if you intend to do any painting, it does not have any painting abilities. From a review of ZBCore:

Quote

"However, you don’t get any manual painting tools – including both 2D tools and 3D tools like PolyPaint and projection painting – or texture map support."

And some more of the limitations of ZBCore from the same review:

Quote

 

"The software lacks support for 3D layers, creases or edgeloops, or automatic retopology; and has limited support for masking, Polygroups, and splitting or merging models.

As you’d expect, given its restricted texturing and rendering functionality, it also lacks support for UV mapping, AO or subsurface scattering, the LightCap system and environment maps.

It also lacks the FiberMesh system for hair; advanced surface instancing tools like Array Mesh, NanoMesh and MicroMesh; and support for custom brushes created in ZBrush itself.

Scripting, macros and plugins are also disabled.

And an interesting omission, given its focus on 3D printing, is the hard-surface modelling tools introduced in recent releases of ZBrush: neither ZModeler nor ShadowBox is included."

 

 

I'm not sure if you're planning to paint, but since you asked about the paint layers limitation, thought I'd point out that you can't paint in ZBCore. Also I see ZBCore doesn't support multiple sculpting objects/layers. 3DC has no limitation on the amount of sculpting objects/layers you can have. There are a number of other limitations from what I can find on the web on ZBCore.

It's hard to compare ZBCore to 3DC, because of the limitations ZBCore has. If all you want to do is sculpt, and only sculpt on one object and keep it under 20million polys (that's the limitation it has), you're probably going to be fine. If you plan to do anything more, you might want to consider getting a commercial ZB license or any 3DC license, amateur/EDU or pro. If you plan to do any paid work, than the choices are obvious. :)

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Yeah I was already afraid of the potential answers.

Non-commercial means for me that I can't stream it live on Twitch, accept a commission to make a cute monster, bring it to Photoshop to make the final image, and then receive money for it.

The layer limit means for me that I can't have the number of layers that I might need. unless as you suggested, merging layers to free up a slot.

I am fully aware of zbrushcore limitations, but have been asking questions on their forum as well. The polygon limit of 20Mi for example is per subtool, so I can still make a full sculpt of 100Mi polys, as long as the subtools within it are 20Mi max each.

If I have 300 bucks laying around, I would go for 3DC professional, but unfortunately I don't. ZBC limitations are more focused on final output, while 3DC's feels more focused on workflow (I love layers to have control), and that's exactly what is kinda putting me off, knowing that my skill doesn't matter, the software already set the boundaries. Not sure if that makes sense for you.

With zbc, I know what is NOT in there, but the thing that IS in there, I still have full freedom in it and I'm only limited by my own skill. Wasn't planning to do hard surface with zbc, I have Fusion 360 for that.

Thanks though, the answers are painful as I really wanted 3DC, but I guess I will dedicate my time and effort in zbc.

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Having used both for years now (EDIT: ZB has been off and on), I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Each are strong pieces of software that compliment one another. If you could afford it, I would get both. :)

Good luck in your journeys.

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