Zbrush Keyboard ShortCuts

1 General Shortcuts

Open Project – Ctrl+O

Save Project – Ctrl+S

Undo – Ctrl+Z

Redo – Shift+Ctrl+Z

Popup selection (on PC only)

Tools – F1

Brushes – F2

Strokes – F3

Alphas – F4

Textures – F5

Materials – F6 (with cursor off canvas area)

Show QuickMenu – Spacebar or Right Mouse click

Show/hide floating palettes – TAB

Show item description (when Popup Info is switched on) – Ctrl+cursor over item

Show alternative item description – Ctrl+Alt+cursor over item

Assign custom hotkey – Ctrl+Alt+click on item (store hotkeys in Preferences> Hotkeys submenu)

Projection Master – G

2 Lightbox and Spotlight

Show/hide Lightbox – , [comma key]

load selected item – Double-click on Lightbox thumbnail (texture/alphas will be loaded into Spotlight if it is active)

Turn on/off Spotlight – Shift+Z

Show/hide Spotlight Dial – Z

3 Edit mode Navigation

with a 3D mesh in Edit mode -

Free Rotate – Click & drag Background

Move – Alt+Click & drag Background

Constrain to 90-degree rotation – Click+drag, press Shift

Scale – Alt+Click, Release Alt, drag Background

Rotate around Z-axis – Shift, Click, release Shift, drag

(For best results turn off RightClick Navigation in the Preferences>Interface menu.)

3.1 Right-Click Navigation

(Turn on RightClick Navigation in the Preferences>Interface menu.)

Move – Alt+Right-click & drag (can be over the model)

Scale – Ctrl+Right-click & drag (can be over the model)

Rotate – Right-click & drag (can be over the model)

4 Transpose

• with a 3D mesh in Edit mode, click W, E, R and draw the orange action line
• click on the mesh to reposition the action line aligned to the surface normal
• to align to an axis, click the end of the red, green or blue axis line

To move action line while drawing – hold Spacebar

To move action line after drawing – click+drag orange line or center orange ring

To change action line end point position – click+drag orange end ring

• Quick tip: in Move/Scale mode, Alt+click+drag on the mesh (not on action line) to move or scale mesh

4.1 Inner (red/white) ring actions

These actions apply to the inner red or white rings of the action line. The terms center or end refer to the position on the line.

Move mode – W

Move – click+drag center

Duplicate mesh – Ctrl+click+drag center

Bend mesh – Alt+click+drag center or end point

Stretch mesh – drag end point furthest from mesh

Flatten mesh – drag end point next to mesh

Inflate – Right-click+drag end ring furthest from mesh

Create Edgeloop & extrude – with partially masked mesh, hold Ctrl and click+drag center point

Scale – E

Scale – click+drag end point in line direction

Scale along axis – click+drag center point

Create Edgeloop and deflate/inflate – with partially masked mesh, hold Ctrl and click+drag center point

Rotate – R

Rotate around end point – click+drag other end point

Rotate around action line – Click+drag center

Joint bend – Alt+click+drag end point (rotation around same point)

5 Sculpting and Painting

Draw Size – S

Focal Shift – O

RGB Intensity – I

Z Intensity – U

Increase Draw Size by set units – ]

Decrease Draw Size by set units – [

(set increment in the Zplugin>Misc Utilities>Brush Increment slider)

Edit mode on/off - T

Draw - Q

Move - W

Scale - E

Rotate - R

Toggle ZAdd and ZSub - Alt (hold down)

5.1 Sculpting Brushes

Show Brush pop-up - B

Standard Brush - B - S - T

Smooth Stronger - B - S - S

Move Elastic - B - M - E

MPolish - B - M - P

ClipCurve - B - C - C

ClayLine - B - C - L

5.1.1 InsertMultiMesh brushes

show all meshes in brush - M

5.1.2 Changing the Brush hotkeys (pop-up palette)

Here is what you have to do:

• Click B to bring up the brush palette.
• Then click the letter that you want to narrow down to, in this example click C.
• With C clicked all you will see is the brushes that start with C. This is when you will see the next letter that selects the brush.
• At this point you can hold CTRL+ALT to change the shortcut to whatever you want by just clicking on the brush and then click your new shortcut.

NOTE: Keep in mind that when you do this ZBrush automatically replaces the shortcut of another brush if you select a shortcut that is already assigned.

5.2 Color

Select Color under cursor - C

Switch Color - V

5.3 Stroke

Lazy mouse - L

Replay Last Stroke - 1

Record Stroke - 3

Replay All Recorded Strokes – 2

5.3.1 Curves

Smooth curve - 6

Snapshot curve - 5

Delete a curve - Alt + draw across curve

6 3D Models

Save Tool - Shift+Ctrl+T

Fit Mesh to view - F

Perspective – P

Floor Grid - Shift+P

Activate Symmetry - X

Show/hide Polyframe & polygroups - Shift+F

Point Selection Mode - Shift+Ctrl+P

Set Pivot Point – Ctrl+ P

Clear Pivot Point - Shift+P

Snapshot a version to canvas - Shift+S

6.1 SubTools

List all SubTools - N

Alt+click on SubTool - select that SubTool

Shift+Alt+click on selected SubTool - frame that SubTool (Note this option can be set in the Preferences > Edit > Enable Auto Center slider; 0 = off; 1 = Alt+click; 2 = Shift+Alt+click)

Click on paintbrush icon - toggle Polypaint Colorize

Shift+click on paintbrush icon - toggle Polypaint Colorize for all SubTools

6.2 Geometry

Divide - Ctrl+D

Lower Res - Shift+D

Higher Res - D

Edge Loop – Ctrl+E (partially hidden mesh)

6.3 Dynamesh

Remesh Dynamesh sculpt - in Edit > Draw mode Ctrl+Drag Background

6.4 HD Geometry

Toggle in/out of HD Sculpting mode – A (cursor over mesh)

Render all HD Geometry – A (cursor over background)

6.5 Masking

View Mask - Ctrl+H

Invert Mask - Ctrl+I

Clear Mask - Shift+Ctrl+A

Mask All – Ctrl+A

Select Masking Brush - hold Ctrl while selecting brush from popup

Paint mask on object (alphas/strokes can be used) - Ctrl (hold down)

Delete or paint reverse mask – Ctrl+Alt (hold down)

Reverse mask – Ctrl+Click Background

Clear Mask – Ctrl+Click+ drag Background

Constant-intensity mask - Ctrl+Click, release Ctrl, drag (starting off mesh)

Alpha-intensity mask (using MaskPen or MaskRect brush) - Ctrl+Click & drag

(select alpha while holding Ctrl)

Blur mask - Ctrl+Click on mesh

Sharpen mask - Ctrl+Alt+Click on mesh

6.6 Topological Masking

in Move, Scale or Rotate mode - Ctrl+click+drag the action line on the model

6.7 Polygroups

Group Masked and Clear Mask - Ctrl+W

6.8 Partial Mesh Visibility & Clip Brushes

Select Selection or Clip Brush - hold Shift+Ctrl while selecting brush from popup

Show mesh portion – Shift+Ctrl+Click, release keys & drag (green selection area)

Hide mesh portion - Shift+Ctrl+Click, release keys & drag - press Alt (red selection area)

Move selection or clip area - 'press Spacebar without releasing mouse/pen

Show entire mesh - Shift+Ctrl+Click Background

Show only selected Polygroup (on fully visible mesh) - Shift+Ctrl+Click

Hide selected Polygroup (on fully visible mesh) - Shift+Ctrl+Click twice

Hide selected Polygroup (on partially visible mesh) - Shift+Ctrl+Click

Reverse visibility - Shift+Ctrl+Click & drag Background

Hide edge loop - with Lasso option selected, Shift+Ctrl+click on edge that crosses loop

ClipCurve add soft direction change - click Alt once

ClipCurve add sharp direction change - click Alt twice

reverse clip area - Alt (hold down)

6.9 Stencil

Stencil On - Alt+H

Hide/Show Stencil - Ctrl+H

Coin Controller – Spacebar

7 ZSpheres

Preview Adaptive Skin - A

7.1 Draw mode

Add a child ZSphere - drag ZSphere

Delete ZSphere - Alt+Click ZSphere

Add a child ZSphere at same size – Click+drag, press Shift

Add a child ZSphere and scale Link Spheres – Click+drag to size new ZSphere, press Ctrl+drag

Insert ZSphere - Click Link-Sphere

with Tool>Adaptive Skin>Use ClassicSkinning on:

Sphere Define magnet/ break mesh - Alt+Click Link-Sphere

7.2 Move mode

Move ZSphere - drag ZSphere

Pose (Natural-linked move) - drag Link-Sphere

Move Chain – Alt+drag Link-Sphere

7.3 Scale mode

Scale Zsphere - drag ZSphere

Inflate/deflate chain – Alt+drag Link-Sphere

Scale chain - drag Link-Sphere

7.4 Rotate mode

Spin chain - drag ZSphere

Control twist - Alt+drag Link-Sphere

Rotate chain - drag Link-Sphere

8 ZSketch

Activate ZSketch Edit mode - Shift+A (with a ZSphere armature in Edit mode)

Preview Unified Skin - A

9 Canvas and 2.5D

Reverse 2.5D brush effect - Alt (hold down)

Crop And Fill - Shift+Ctrl+F

Grab Texture From Document – Shift+Ctrl+G

9.1 Document Layers

Clear Layer - Ctrl+N

Fill Layer - Ctrl+F

Bake Layer – Ctrl+B

On Layer thumbnail, toggle all layers on/off - Shift+Click

Select layer on which clicked pixol resides - ~+Click canvas (US) @+Click canvas (UK)

Move layer contents up/down/sideways (X & Y)- ~+drag (US) @+drag (UK)

9.2 Markers

• Markers will only show when Edit is turned off

Remove Marker – Ctrl+M

9.3 Canvas Zoom

Actual Size - 0 [zero]

Antialiased Half Size – Ctrl+0

Zoom In – + [plus sign]

Zoom Out – - [minus sign]

10 Timeline

Place a new key frame – click on the Timeline

Select an existing key frame – click on the key frame dot

Zoom Timeline in/out – click on selected key frame dot

Move selected key frame – click+drag dot to new position (dragging off end will delete)

Store new data in existing key frame – Shift+Ctrl+click on the key frame dot

Delete a key frame – click+drag dot off the Timeline

Copy selected key frame – Shift+click on the Timeline at the point where you want the copy

Copy multiple key frames – Shift+click on all the key frames dots to be copied, then Shift+click the Timeline

at the point where you want the copies

Create Transition key frame – Ctrl+click on an existing key frame dot

Create Rigid key frame – Alt+click on an existing key frame dot

Go to Previous Camera key frame – LEFT ARROW

Go to Next Camera key frame – RIGHT ARROW

Play the Timeline (will play as a loop) – Shift+click on the Timeline cursor

Stop the Timeline playing – click Esc

Record Timeline as a Movie – Shift+Ctrl+click on the Timeline cursor

(set the cursor to the start first using the LEFT ARROW)

10.1 Movie

Snapshot to Movie– Ctrl+ Shift+! (US) Shift+Ctrl+PageUp (UK)

11 Render

Best Preview Render (BPR) – Shift+R

Render All – Shift+Ctrl+R

Cursor Selective Render – Ctrl+R

12 Custom UI and Configuration

Move item to custom interface position – Ctrl+Alt+drag (when Enable Customize is switched on)

Remove item from custom interface position – Ctrl+Alt+drag to Canvas (when Enable Customize is on)

Store Configuration File – Shift+Ctrl+I

Load User Interface Configuration File - Ctrl+L

Save User Interface Configuration File – Shift+Ctrl+Alt+I

13 ZScripts

Load ZScript – Shift+Ctrl+L

Reload ZScript – Ctrl+U

Show/Hide ZScript window – H