Plugins are optional additions to ZBrush that provide extra functionality. Often they will take care of repetitive or time-consuming tasks, freeing you to be more creative.
The plugins listed here are those that are provided by Pixologic as part of the ZBrush installation.
General Instructions for Installing 3rd Party Plugins
These instructions are a general guide to installing ZBrush plugins provided by 3rd parties. The actual plugin file and folder names will depend on the plugin being installed.
Note: Pixologic plugins are installed during the ZBrush installation or updating process.
For most ZBrush plugins, the installation procedure is simple:
1. Quit ZBrush
2. Extract the zip file to a temporary loaction such as the Desktop.
3. Copy the Plugin.zsc to your ZPlugs folder. With a default PC installation this will be found at C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 4R8\ZStartup\ZPlugs64. With a default Mac installation this will be in /Applications/ZBrushOSX 4R8/ZStartup/ZPlugs64.
4. If the plugin has a data folder (usually named something like PluginData) also copy it and its contents to the ZPlugs64 folder
5. Launch ZBrush.
6. The new plugin will usually have its own submenu in the relevant ZBrush palette. Check the plugin documentation for details.
Important!
When you unzip a plugin, you will typically get a folder that is named after the plugin. Within that folder are the .zsc file that is the actual plugin, as well as a data folder containing everything that the plugin needs. The most common mistake when installing plugins is to place the unzipped folder into your ZPlugs64 directory. This buries the plugin deeper in the structure, where ZBrush can’t find it. Instead, you want to unzip a plugin, open that folder, and then copy the contents of the folder into your ZPlugs64 directory. In other words, the .zsc file and the data folder must be in the ZPlugs64 folder directly. If they’re buried any deeper, ZBrush won’t find them.
User Guide > ZBrush Plugins