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I have used ZBrush and it is an excellent tool.  However it's interface confused me and I found it too labourious to get a consistent workflow going.

3D Coat however I found to be much simpler to understand, it didn't take too long to get to grips with the interface at all.  Once I'd worked with it for a little while it had a very natural feel to it.  There are some quirks of course, all programs have them,

Features wise there are features missing in 3d Coat that are in ZBrush and vice versa.  But take it from one who uses 3DC every day to make something other.  If it's not in 3D Coat, I'm not missing it yet.

As someone who has learned both apps I would say that 3D Coat would be my recommendation.  It had loads of great tools for modelling and painting, and more importantly it's learning curve isn't near impossible.

John

oh, thanks so very much.  i've been wondering how they compare, and trying to base it on galleries.  which doesn't really work that well since ZBrush is an older industry standard and has its pick of images from some of the best CG artists in the world, while 3d Coat is relatively new and probably doesn't have that kind of easy visibility yet. 

still, i think i'll check out its gallery again.

and tying this into dynamic clothes, i do find sculpting matters in dynamic clothes, but not in the same way it does in conforming.  something made to stand out from the body will droop if there's nothing to collide it against.  which is great if you want it to, and not so much if you don't.  if you, for instance, do some nice sculpting in the chest area on a default figure to get those fine wrinkles between the breasts, then morph it to a more boyish physique in the final frame of your Poser sim, it will accurately look like a petite woman borrowing a more curvy woman's clothes.

some wrinkles will just fallout in draping, and some won't depending on how the mesh is made and your cloth settings.  i definitely have more playing around to do in that area.