Paint Mode

From ZBrush Info

Reflecting ZBrush's origins as a paint program, Paint mode is the default mode for ZBrush (the one that is chosen when ZBrush is started), and is active when the Edit button shown above is gray (off), or gray and semitransparent (disabled). In this mode, any application of a tool to the canvas results in manipulation of the pixels on the canvas. This includes 3D tools (objects) that you draw on the canvas; by default, ZBrush interprets them as paint strokes, and unless you tell it otherwise, it will “drop” them onto the canvas as pixels.

Paint mode offers various submodes, including three that look like modeling modes, but really aren't—they are instead used to position a paint stroke on the canvas before painting the next stroke. When these are active, you'll see this control on the screen:

This is a cue that you are still in paint mode, and that you should go into modeling mode if you want to model what is on the screen.

Here's a brief summary of the different paint submodes. You'll learn more about them as you read about and use ZBrush.

: Paint-Draw mode; Manipulate the pixels on the canvas using brushes. (This is "normal" painting.)

: Paint-Move mode; Move the most recent paint stroke using the gyro.

: Paint-Scale mode; Scale the most recent paint stroke using the gyro.

: Paint-Rotate mode; Rotate the most recent paint stroke using the gyro.

You can move, scale, or rotate the most recent paint stroke no matter what it is—it doesn't need to be a model.