ZBrush is a powerful digital sculpting software used by professional artists in the game, film, and animation industries. If you’re interested in learning ZBrush, you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, we’ll explore the best online courses to help you improve your skills in 3D model sculpting, from creating basic shapes to manipulating your characters’ most intricate features.

Pro tip: Connect with other ZBrush enthusiasts online for help, feedback, and inspiration. Check out r/ZBrush, a great subreddit for ZBrush artists.

We’ll kickstart our guide recommending Maxon’s official platform, Cineversity. Catering to both newbies and seasoned professionals, Cineversity provides in-depth courses and tutorials not only for ZBrush but also other Maxon products, such as Cinema 4D.

Considering different learning styles and levels of expertise, we’ve included a range of options from the Class Central catalog of over 500 ZBrush courses. Additionally, we’ve added offerings from popular course providers like Skillshare and Udemy, and incorporated recommendations from Reddit for a well-rounded learning experience.

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• Top Picks
• Why You Should Trust Us
• Courses Overview
• How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Here are our top picks

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Why You Should Trust Us

Class Central, a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 80 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 250,000 online courses and 250,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

Courses Overview

• 1 course is free and 7 are paid
• The ZBrush subject is followed by 1.3K learners on Class Central
• Courses in this guide have more than 47K enrollments and views
• The most featured provider is Udemy with 4 courses.

Best Introduction to ZBrush (Udemy)

Absolute Beginners Zbrush course is the perfect starting point for anyone who wants to learn ZBrush. Led by experienced 3D character artist Nikolay Naydenov, you will learn the essential ZBrush features and menus you need to know to start sculpting your own characters.

The instructor will take you step-by-step through the process of modeling a head, horns, torso, armors, sword, and even a cape, all in ZBrush. Along the way, you will learn how to use the most important ZBrush functions.

The course is designed for beginners, so no prior experience with ZBrush is necessary. By the end of the course, you will have the skills you need to create your own high-poly characters.

Also Great Introduction to ZBrush (Skillshare)

Similarly to our previous recommendation, Learning Zbrush from Scratch is also a great starting point for learning the basics of ZBrush. This course by James Leiske will teach you the essential ZBrush tools and techniques in a way that is easy to understand and follow.

Here are some of the topics you will learn:

• Importing into Zbrush: Use ZBrush to create 3D models from existing data
• Working with Primitives: Primitives are the basic building blocks of 3D models
• Using subdivision levels: Subdivision levels allow you to increase the detail of your models
• Sculpting in Zbrush: The process of adding and subtracting material
• Applying Textures: Materials can be used to add realism and visual interest to your models
• Exporting and Rendering 3D models: Once you have created your models, you can export them to other software for further processing or rendering.

No prior experience with ZBrush is necessary to take this course. By the end of the course, you will have the skills you need to create your own 3D models in ZBrush.

Free Alternative: Getting Started with ZBrush (Cineversity)

Getting Started with ZBrush is a free course offered by Cineversity, the official training platform of Maxon, the creators of ZBrush.

The course is led by Ana Carolina, a professional 3D artist and game developer. Ana Carolina has a wealth of experience teaching ZBrush, and she breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-understand terms, making this course perfect for beginners.

In this course, you will learn the following:

• The basics of the ZBrush interface
• How to create and sculpt 3D models
• How to use materials and textures
• How to export your models for rendering or animation.

The course workload is manageable, with an estimated total of 2 hours. This makes it a great option for those who are eager to learn ZBrush but don’t have a lot of time to commit.

Best Sculpting in ZBrush Course (Udemy)

In Sculpting in Zbrush-Ultimate course beginners/intermediate, learn how to create amazing 3D sculpts in ZBrush with this comprehensive course taught by an award-winning digital sculptor with over 15 years of industry experience.

You will learn:

• The essential tools and techniques to create any design in ZBrush
• The best approach and workflow to get from start to finished design
• Tips and tricks from a studio project lead.

Perfect for beginner to intermediate ZBrush artists who are looking to get into 3D sculpting, and professionals who are looking to integrate digital sculpting into their workflow.

Previous knowledge is not required but this course might not be ideal for complete beginners.

Best Realistic Character Modeling in Maya and ZBrush (Udemy)

In this comprehensive course, you will learn how to model and sculpt realistic human characters in Maya and ZBrush. The course is taught by Nalini Jena, a 3D modeling and texturing artist with over 10 years of experience.

What you will learn:

• The basics of Maya and ZBrush
• How to model a realistic human character
• How to sculpt realistic skin, hair, and clothing.

This course is for beginners who want to learn how to model and sculpt realistic human characters. No prior experience with Maya or ZBrush is necessary.

By the end of this course you will be able to model realistic human characters for your portfolio.

Best Hard Surface Sculpting Course (Udemy)

In Zbrush: Hard Surface Sculpting for All Levels, you will learn how to sculpt hard surface models in ZBrush using Booleans. The course is taught by Sean Fowler, a 3D artist with over 10 years of experience.

What you will learn:

• The basics of hard surface sculpting in ZBrush
• How to use Booleans to create complex shapes
• How to use the Gizmo 3D tool manipulator to deform meshes
• How to create a sci-fi helmet from scratch.

This course is for beginners who want to learn how to sculpt hard surface models in ZBrush. No prior experience with ZBrush is necessary.

Also Great: Creature Design with ZBrush and Photoshop (Domestika)

In 3D Creature Design with ZBrush and Photoshop, you will learn how to bring highly detailed animal characters to life through digital software using the natural world as your inspiration. Led by Rowena Frenzel, a 3D Creature Artist for the entertainment industry since 2015.

What you will learn:

• How to use ZBrush and Photoshop to create 3D creatures
• How to get inspiration from the natural world
• How to sculpt, pose, and render 3D creatures
• How to create a final project of your own
• Final project: Create a detailed 3D creature of your choice.

This course is for anyone with an interest in creating their own characters. It’s also ideal for anyone looking to get started in the field of 3D design.

Also Great: Realistic Dinosaur Sculpting Course (Skillshare)

In Realistic Dinosaur Sculpting in Zbrush for Game and Film, you will learn how to sculpt high-realistic dinosaur models for games and films using ZBrush. The course is taught by Nalini Kanta Jena, a 3D modeling and texturing artist with over 10 years of experience.

What you will learn:

• The anatomy of dinosaurs
• How to sculpt realistic dinosaur skin in ZBrush
• How to pose dinosaurs
• How to render dinosaur models for your portfolio
• Final project: Create a realistic dinosaur model.

This course is for intermediate 3D artists who want to learn how to sculpt realistic dinosaur models. Some experience with ZBrush is necessary.

YouTube Tutorials

In addition to the above recommendations, I have also found some excellent YouTube tutorials during my research:

Getting Started with Sculpting – ZBrush for Beginners Tutorial by FlippedNormals: With over 1.7 million views, this tutorial is an excellent starting point for anyone new to ZBrush. In less than an hour, it covers a range of features including Zspheres, masking, dynamesh, UI, brushes, and many more.

Sculpting SKIN DETAILS with Zbrush by J Hill: This tutorial shows the technique of hand sculpting skin details, a process that typically relies on textures to add realism to materials. The end result, however, is more hyper-realistic compared to using textures.

The ULTIMATE Guide for Creating Grass and Vegetation For Video Games by Stylized Station: This in-depth tutorial guides you through the process of creating foliage, grass, plants, and vegetation for video games, along with insights into the creator’s workflow.

Hard Surface Sculpting Techniques Using zBrush & Cinema 4D by eyedesyn: This tutorial covers the basics of hard surface sculpting in ZBrush by modeling and texturing a medieval helmet using Cinema 4D and Redshift, guided by motion designer Dave Glanz.

Making Shoes in ZBrush – Model your own ’85 Nike Air Jordans! Part 1 by Michael Pavlovich: In this recorded livestream, Michael Pavlovich demonstrates his workflow for creating the iconic ’85 Nike Air Jordans from scratch, in real time.

Have you come across any outstanding ZBrush tutorials on YouTube that you think should be on this list? Feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.

How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog, reddit communities such as r/ZBrush, and the internet to find a variety of free and paid courses.

Second, when choosing courses, I considered the following factors:

• Instructor experience: I looked for instructors with extensive experience in ZBrush and in teaching 3D modeling and sculpting.
• Course content: I looked for courses that covered a wide range of topics, from the basics of ZBrush to more advanced techniques.
• Student reviews: I read student reviews to get a sense of the quality of each course.

To evaluate each course, I watched some of the course videos and read the course syllabus. I also looked at the course’s rating and reviews on Class Central.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to create high-quality 3D models and sculptures.