ZBrush Tip: ZBrush Incremental Save Best Practices

Incremental saves preserve progress, protect against corruption, and make iteration review effortless. Adopt the habit early and keep every major decision recoverable.

What to save and when

• Use ZPR (Project) for whole-scene checkpoints: subtools, materials, lights, cameras, render settings.
• Use ZTL (Tool) for sculpt-only milestones: geometry, polygroups, subdivision levels, polypaint.
• Create an incremental save after every substantial change: topology edits, subdivision changes, pose updates, or detailing passes.

Naming convention that scales

• Adopt consistent, sortable names: CharacterA_v001.zpr, CharacterA_v002.zpr, or ArmorTorso_v012.ztl.
• Append concise tags for clarity: _blockout, _retopo, _uv, _detailA, _bakeReady.
• Optional date stamp for handoffs: _2026-01-20. Keep the numeric version first for easy sorting.

QuickSave vs. true versioning

• QuickSave is a safety net, not history. Tune Preferences > QuickSave to a comfortable interval and limit the number of autosaves.
• Periodically clean the QuickSave folder to avoid confusion. Rely on your explicit v### files for review and rollback.

Keep saves fast and lean

• Disable saving Undo History when not needed (Preferences > Undo History > Save Undo History) to reduce save time and file size.
• Purge tool history before archiving: Tool > Undo History > Delete.
• Remove unused subtools, hidden geometry, test textures, and throwaway layers before milestone versions.
• For snapshot variants, temporarily decimate or save at a lower subdivision; keep a separate “master-high” branch.

Decide the container

• Increment ZPR when scene setup matters (BPR filters, LightCap rigs, cameras, materials).
• Increment ZTL when you only touched mesh, polygroups, or sculpt detail.

Hotkeys and UI placement

• Assign a convenient hotkey to File > Save As via Preferences > Hotkeys, then Store to make it permanent.
• Add Save As to a custom UI shelf so it’s always in view during long sculpt sessions.

Pre‑save checklist

• Unhide geometry, clear masks, and disable Solo to avoid saving a misleading state.
• Confirm correct subdivision level for the version’s purpose (low for iteration, high for archive).
• Consistent naming for subtools, polygroups, and layers aids team review.
• Log changes in a small CHANGELOG.txt next to your files or embed a short note in the filename suffix.

Backup strategy

• Save to a fast local SSD; mirror milestone versions to external or cloud storage.
• Use version control suitable for binaries (e.g., Perforce or Git LFS) for team pipelines.
• Mark a “golden” stable version as read‑only to prevent accidental overwrites.

For licenses, add‑ons, and pipeline‑ready advice, explore NOVEDGE for ZBrush solutions and workflow guidance: NOVEDGE. Their team can help you tailor saving and backup strategies to your production environment. Stay efficient, protect your work, and iterate with confidence—courtesy of best practices and resources from NOVEDGE.

You can find all the ZBrush products on the NOVEDGE web site at this page.