Sculptris Alpha 6

Overview

Sculptris Alpha 6 is a top-notch 3D sculpting application from Pixologic that combines a neatly organized, icon-based user interface with a robust feature set that gives you professional-grade tools.

Installation

Unlike a lot of other free software, the system requirements for Sculptris are slightly demanding, especially if you want to utilize all of the advanced features. You'll need Windows XP SP2, Vista, or 7. You'll also need a processor with a clock speed of at least 1Ghz, and at least 1Gb of RAM to run the program after it has been installed. A minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 is recommended.

Interface

The intuitive Sculptris Alpha 6 interface is loaded with sliders, knobs, and illustrated buttons that make this program feel more like a video game than a serious 3D sculpting suite. The goal of the Sculptris production environment is to provide a venue through which artists can express their creativity and have fun at the same time, without facing the usual restrictions that come with other graphic design/animation projects.

Pros

• Lets you import existing 3D models for editing

• Once you learn how to use Sculptris you'll already have experience with more advanced Pixologic 3D modeling software like ZBrush, as the interfaces are very similar. In addition, anything created in Sculptris can be exported into ZBrush. For this reason, Sculptris makes the perfect learning environment for aspiring digital artists.

• Automatic Dynamic Tesselation adds an extra dimension of authenticity by ensuring realistic geometric patterns in even the tiniest details

• Symmetry Mode cuts your work in half by automatically duplicating the first half of your model to create perfectly symmetrical artwork.

• A variety of convenient sculpting brushes let you easily grab, pinch, flatten, crease, and smooth out textures and shapes.

• The attributes of each brush can be adjusted to give you even more control; use custom settings or chose from several presets

• Preloaded with a slew of material profiles that let you quickly change the look of the material your model consists of

• Use the masking feature to cover vital areas of your sculpture while editing

• Automatically generates a UV map that simulates light reflections for ultimate realism

• Lets you import pre-painted maps from Photoshop to be placed over your sculptures

Cons

• Someone with no experience in CG may face a significant learning curve before being able to create truly stunning 3D models. However, even amateurs are usually able to produce basic art within an hour of installing the program

Alternatives

The three most notable open-source 3D sculpting software that could be considered alternatives to Sculptris would have to be Blender, Maya, and 3ds Max. However, Sculptris is preferable over the aforementioned applications because firstly, it is made by Pixologic, the developer of industry-standard ZBrush and secondly, it will make intermediate users accommodate faster with the program than the previously named alternatives..

Conclusion

If you're looking for an easy, free way to begin honing your skills as a digital artist, Sculptris Alpha 6 is by far the best choice. With plenty of help documentation, including tutorial videos, and an interface that is designed to be fun, this software is ideal for artists of any skill level.