Your transition is more about going from 2D to 3D though, I've also been through that road and it takes a whole different kind of thinking. The difference between traditional 3D and digital 3D requires the same kind of thinking, it's simply a different tool. I will agree that it feels totally different to have clay in your hands, but Zbrush is in no way like playing iPad bass, I really don't think any self respectable bassist would care much about iPad bass.
Honestly if someone can do a killer Zbrush sculpt but never touched clay in his whole life, you give him enough time to get used to the clay and I'm certain he can pull off the same level of sculpt in real life, it's all about getting used to what's in your hands. Mediocre skills will only get you a mediocre sculpt, doesn't matter if it's digital or not. Zbrush is a powerful software created by artists, it's designed to utilize the exact same skill set as real life sculpting, it in itself is a masterpiece and I can't think of one master sculptor today who doesn't condone it.
They are also comparable in a way that electric guitar never replaced acoustic, and over time people accept that electric guitar also takes skills and can sometimes take things to a new direction.
Digital sculpting does use the same fundamentals as clay, you can't do a killer sculpt without having the chops, there's no way around it. The tools are different but that's just a learning curve, the difference is much smaller then what people are willing to admit. When you look at Andy B's digital sculpt, the computer doesn't make him better, he really is that good.
It's funny that it's the artists who are excited about using these new tools, the fans are the ones who don't seem to accept it.
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