When comparing VoxelShop vs ZBrush, the Slant community recommends VoxelShop for most people. In the question“What are the best voxel editors?” VoxelShop is ranked 2nd while ZBrush is ranked 20th. The most important reason people chose VoxelShop is:
VoxelShop is available for Windows, OS X and Linux.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Cross-platform
VoxelShop is available for Windows, OS X and Linux.
Pro Free
VoxelShop is Open Source. You can download and use the software for free, but donations are encouraged to support the project.
Pro Great for game-dev
Exported .dae files are optimized to lowest possible amount of polygons. Despite lack of animation support .dae files can be imported to Blender and animated.
Pro Layers
Pro Export to COLLADA
Pro Exports optimized meshes
The export (to DAE files) removes unnecessary geometry, creating an optimized model.
Pro Palettes
Easy to go with a theme.
Pro Textured voxels
Pro Exports to kv6
Helpful for making larger voxels for Doom.
Pro Plays well with others
Can transfer work between other packages via AppLink and/or Bridge seamlessly.
Pro Powerful brush system allows for lots of creativity
ZBrush lets the user sculpt an object in fine detail with customizable 3D brushes.
Pro Best for hi-poly modeling
Due to the nature of the program and how it uses high poly mesh sculpting it is best to consider this app when wanting high poly models, as that is what it aims to do best.
Pro Has low poly modelling tools with 4r7 version
Pro Can easily simplify mesh topology
Meshes sculpted with ZBrush can contain billions of polygons, but tools are provided to cleanly reduce the poly count.
Pro Always evolving and innovating
Every iteration of Zbrush has evolved beyond the last and has kept all other 3D package devs on their toes consistently.
Pro Best support
No other 3D package has had continued support from their parent company or community like ZBrush has had since inception.
Cons
Con Website is no longer available.
Con Does not support .obj export format
Con Really buggy
Sometimes it crashes at startup, some large models instantly crash the program, having the mirror function on causes every action to get mirrored (even imports get mirrored).
Con Not easy to export to .qb when there are many models
Con UI is far from user friendly
Though, it's fully customizable. Like for any software, there is a learning curve.
Con Expensive
A single-user license for ZBrush costs $795.
But, Pixologic has not charged a penny for upgrades to licensed users since inception. Anyone who has purchased Zbrush has not been left behind.
Con An odd perspective view
Does not lend itself to cinematic or artistic renderings due to a strange perspective system found nowhere else in 3D which warps according to the relationships between models and rendering viewpoint - there is no real 'camera'.
It is sufficient for rendering your work on a sculptural piece or industrial design, but KeyShot Pro or any other PBR rendering program that uses a camera are recommended for scene rendering, at least in 4R7.
Con Open, Save, Export, Import not conventional standard UI
Authors refuse to use standard layout and the New, Open, Save, Export, Import are in unexpected positions. There will be no UI improvements.
Con Hi-poly only
Not, the case as there is now the Zmodeller Brush system which has a full suite of polygon Modelling options.