---
title: "ZSphere Essentials"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/html/5_sculpting-and-painting_zsphere-essentials.html"
section_path: "Sculpting | Modeling | Painting > ZSphere Essentials"
description: "This guide offers basic guidance for building your own ZSphere armature."
---

# ZSphere Essentials

A step-by-step guide for basic ZSphere modeling.

![Image: 2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-header.png](https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-header.png)

> **Note:** This guide offers basic guidance for building your own ZSphere armature.

> **Note:** Learn more about [ZSphere Settings](https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/html/4_palettes_tool-3-zsphere-settings.html.md) elsewhere in this guide.

---

# Basic Applications

The steps and examples provided below walk through a start-to-finish process in creating a ZSphere armature.

[Video: 2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-1-basic-applications-steps-1-7.mp4](https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/Resources/Videos/2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-1-basic-applications-steps-1-7.mp4)

> **Note:** This example demonstrates steps 1 through 7 described below.

### Steps:

1. Tool palette > Tool library > select ZSphere.

2. Drag toward and away from the surface to draw a connecting ZSphere while adjusting its size. Release pressure from the screen to apply the ZSphere. Repeat to add another.

3. Tap **Move** in the bottom toolbar > drag a ZSphere to move its position based on the camera angle.

4. Tap **Rotate** in the bottom toolbar > drag the gray connected surface between two ZSpheres to rotate the child ZSphere around the parent.

> **Note:** Rotation occurs based on the child-parent relationship between connected ZSphere chains. A parent ZSphere sits higher in the connection hierarchy, with the initial ZSphere being highest in the hierarchy.

5. Tap **Scale** in the bottom toolbar > drag in and out on a ZSphere to scale it.

6. Tap **Draw** in the bottom toolbar > Hold Alt/Option > tap a ZSphere to delete it.

> **Important:** The initial ZSphere cannot be deleted.

---

# ZSpheres with Symmetry

1. Long press **Symmetry** in the right canvas toolbar > activate-tap **Symmetry** to activate > choose the desired x/y/z-axis for symmetry > select **Draw** mode in the bottom toolbar > draw on the initial ZSphere to add symmetrical ZSpheres.

[Video: 2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-2-zspheres-symmetry-step-1.mp4](https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/Resources/Videos/2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-2-zspheres-symmetry-step-1.mp4)

> **Note:** This example demonstrates steps to create ZSpheres with all axes activated to create interesting shapes.

> **Tip:** When **Symmetry** is active, drawing ZSpheres at the selected symmetry line displays a green icon, indicating only one ZSphere is being drawn at the perfect center.

2. Tap **Symmetry** > select the x axis.

3. Tap the CamView cones in the top-right of the screen to snap the camera to a front view of the scene.

4. Continue using previous steps to **Draw**, **Scale**, **Rotate**, and **Move** ZSpheres to create a desired shape.

[Video: 2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-2-zspheres-symmetry-step-2-4.mp4](https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/Resources/Videos/2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-2-zspheres-symmetry-step-2-4.mp4)

> **Note:** This example video demonstrates steps 2 through 4 described above. Where connecting ZSpheres simulate a familiar skeletal structure, such as an arm or leg, use **Rotate** to drag the connection that is parent to lower connecting ZSpheres, to pose the selected chain.

> **Tip:** Starting a ZSpheres anchor position in relation to connecting ZSpheres is essential to achieve desired Rotation results. For example, if the goal is to rotate a humanoid upper torso, arms, neck, and head all from a single point of rotation, then the starting ZSphere anchor should start at the hips and build ZSpheres outward from here.

---

# Create Adaptive Skin for Sculpting

The below example video demonstrates the following steps 1 through 7 to generate an Adaptive Skin from a ZSphere armature.

[Video: 2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-3-create-adaptive-skin-steps.mp4](https://help.maxon.net/zbp/en-us/Content/Resources/Videos/2024-5-sculpting-painting-zsphere-essentials-3-create-adaptive-skin-steps.mp4)

### Steps:

1. Open Tool > Adaptive Skin menu.

2. Tap **Preview** to view the geometry preview from the applied Adaptive Skin settings.

3. Set **DynaMesh Resolution** to 0 to disable DynaMesh.

4. Toggle **Preview** to view the new geometry preview.

5. Adjust **Density** to set the number of subdivisions.

6. Choose the desired **Density** and **DynaMesh** settings and press **Make Adaptive Skin**.

7. ZBrush generates a new mesh and adds it to the Tool library.