3D sculpting: free software, ZBrush or Blender, and how to start
Short answer
3D sculpting means shaping a very dense mesh with brushes, like clay, to create characters, creatures and organic shapes. ZBrush is the paid reference; its iPad version exists as a free edition with limited tools. On a computer, Blender is the most complete free alternative: brushes, dynamic topology, multiresolution, then texturing and rendering in the same application.
Digital sculpting has changed the way characters and creatures are created. Instead of moving vertices one by one, you work the shape with brushes, digging, inflating and smoothing. This guide explains what 3D sculpting is, compares free and paid software, and gives a method for getting started.
What is 3D sculpting?
In 3D sculpting, the model is a very dense mesh, often of several million polygons, that you deform with brushes: adding material, carving a fold, smoothing a surface, pinching an edge. This density allows details that are impossible to get vertex by vertex: skin pores, wrinkles, scales, folds of fabric. It is the method for organic characters, creatures, busts and figurines.
It differs from polygonal modelling, which builds clean, lightweight shapes with a small number of well-placed polygons. The two complement each other: you sculpt the detail, then derive a lightweight version from it for animation or video games. The 3D modelling guide presents the other methods.
3D sculpting software
| Software | Price | Platform | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | Free, open source (GNU GPL) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Sculpting, then texturing, animation and rendering in the same application |
| ZBrush (desktop) | Paid, by subscription | Windows, macOS | The studio reference for sculpting |
| ZBrush for iPad | Limited free version, full version by subscription | iPad | For trying out sculpting with a stylus |
Free ZBrush? The desktop version is not free. Maxon offers a free version of ZBrush for iPad, with a selection of 28 brushes and limited remeshing and construction tools, and no plug-ins; the full version and ZBrush for desktop require a subscription.
Blender is the free alternative on a computer. Its Sculpt Mode offers dozens of brushes, dynamic topology (Dyntopo), which adds polygons where you sculpt, the Multiresolution modifier for working at several levels of detail, and voxel remeshing to start again from a uniform mesh. Its decisive advantage: the model can be textured, rigged, animated and rendered without changing software.
Getting started with Blender sculpting
- Open the Sculpting workspace, which puts the object in Sculpt Mode and shows the brushes.
- Start from a simple shape: a subdivided sphere or a mesh remeshed with voxels (Remesh, Voxel mode) to get an even density.
- Block out the large masses with big brushes (Draw, Clay Strips, Grab) before any detail. F sets the brush size, Shift+F its strength, and Ctrl inverts its effect.
- Turn on symmetry on the X axis for a face or a body.
- Increase the density gradually, with Dyntopo or Multiresolution levels, and keep the fine details for the end.
The tutorial on sculpting in Blender, from volume to fine detail (in French) covers these steps in depth, and the Blender shortcuts guide lists the useful keys.
From a sculpted model to a usable model
A sculpted model of several million polygons is perfect for a still image, but too heavy for animation or real time. It is turned into a usable model in three steps:
- Retopology redraws a lightweight, well-organised mesh over the sculpt; see the article on Blender retopology (in French).
- UV unwrapping of the lightweight model, explained in the UV mapping entry (in French).
- Baking transfers the sculpted details into a normal map (in French) applied to the lightweight model.
For a figurine to be printed, on the other hand, the dense sculpt can be kept as it is, once it has been closed and checked: the guide on 3D printing with Blender covers these checks in detail.
What hardware do you need for sculpting?
Sculpting mainly uses the processor and the RAM, because the mesh is very dense: the more memory you have, the further you can go in detail without slowdowns. A graphics tablet with a pressure-sensitive pen changes how comfortable the work is. The graphics card matters mostly for a smooth display of the 3D Viewport and, later on, for rendering.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free version of ZBrush?
ZBrush for desktop is paid for, by subscription. Maxon does, however, offer a free version of ZBrush for iPad, limited to a selection of brushes and to restricted tools. On a computer, Blender is the most complete free alternative for sculpting.
Which free 3D sculpting software should you choose?
Blender on a computer: its Sculpt Mode offers brushes, dynamic topology, multiresolution and voxel remeshing, and the model can be textured, animated and rendered in the same application. On iPad, the free version of ZBrush lets you try out sculpting.
Do you need a graphics tablet for 3D sculpting?
It is not required, but it is highly recommended: pen pressure controls the strength and size of the brush, which makes the stroke far more natural than with a mouse.
Can a sculpted model be animated?
Not directly: it often has millions of polygons. You first make a lightweight version of it through retopology, then transfer the details into a normal map. It is this lightweight version that gets rigged and animated.
Rendering the animation on TURNA
When a scene is already well optimised and the frame count is what takes the time, the remaining lever is rendering several frames at once. TURNA does this for Blender: an add-on (Blender 4.0 to 5.2, Cycles and Eevee) sends the scene in one click, and the frames are split across 1, 2, 4 or 8 GPUs in parallel, RTX 5090 first and RTX 4090 when none is free. The add-on shows the estimated cost before anything starts. Prices start at €2.90 per hour, billed on the time actually used, with a 30-second minimum, and new accounts get €25 of free credit. A single still image is still rendered by one machine, so the gain is on animations. Tiers and worked examples are on the Blender render farm page.
A very dense sculpted model is heavy to render. The tutorial on sculpting in Blender (in French) shows how to keep the detail in a normal map to lighten the scene before rendering.
