Reference

ZTL (ZBrush)

ZTL is the native tool format of ZBrush, a digital sculpting app used for highly detailed 3D models. A .ztl saves a sculpted "tool" with its high-resolution detail and subdivision levels, meant to be reopened in ZBrush.

Files & formatsGeneral

ZTL (ZBrush)

Also known as: .ztl file, ZBrush tool, Maxon ZBrush

Native "tool" format of ZBrush sculpting
Stores high-detail sculpts and subdivision levels
Export to OBJ or FBX to use elsewhere

What a ZTL holds

ZBrush calls its objects tools, and a .ztl stores a sculpt with its multimillion-polygon detail, subdivision levels, and polypaint. It keeps the data ZBrush needs to keep sculpting, not a finished render.

ZTL is for single tools; ZBrush’s .zpr project files save a whole session with multiple tools and settings.

Using ZTL outside ZBrush

Other apps cannot open ZTL directly. To use a sculpt elsewhere, export from ZBrush to OBJ or FBX, often after generating a lower-resolution mesh and baked maps for animation or games.

Related terms

Keep reading the reference.

Files & formatsOBJ (3D model)OBJ is a plain-text 3D geometry format that stores a model’s vertices, faces, and texture coordinates. It is one of the most widely supported interchange formats, but it carries no animation and stores materials in a separate .mtl file.General Files & formatsFBX (3D)FBX is a rich 3D interchange format owned by Autodesk that can carry geometry, materials, textures, rigs, and animation in a single file. It is the common pipeline format for games and film, and files tend to be large because they bundle so much.General Files & formatsBLEND (Blender)BLEND is the native project file of Blender, the free 3D software. It saves an entire scene — models, materials, textures, lights, cameras, animation, and even editor layout — in one binary file, so it is a working document rather than an interchange format.General