2. The ZBrush canvas: Like with 2D software, the ZBrush canvas has dimensions
but is measured in pixols. The canvas can contain 2D, 2.5D and 3D elements. Unlike
other 3D software, ZBrush doesn’t have a 3D space scene in which the camera (the
user point of view) can be moved; instead 3D objects are manipulated in front of the
camera, within the canvas. Think of the ZBrush canvas as being like a window within
your house, looking out onto the 3D world beyond. Objects can be moved around
outside the window, but you can’t move the window itself. This is a key element to
understanding and being comfortable within ZBrush, and is actually part of the reason
why ZBrush is able to work with millions of polygons in real-time. An animation package
must track every element of your scene at all times, from all angles, regardless of
whether something is visible to the camera at the moment or not. That’s a lot of system
resources being reserved for scene management. ZBrush takes all those resources
and focuses them on a single object, letting you do things that wouldn’t be possible in
any other program.