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Jimco Software Reviews - Bryce 5.5
Skies
Bryce has long been famous for its skies. Version 5.5 continues that tradition. The Sky Lab (figure 8) is unchanged from version 4, but one could argue that no change is needed. Bryce is better at skies than anything else out there.
Figure 8 - The Sky Lab
Figure 9 - A Bryce Sky
The scene in figure 9 was rendered without volumetric effects. By adding volumetric effects, you can achieve startling atmospheric realism, but the price is a significant increase in render times.
Vegetation
Vegetation in Bryce has been around for a while. Early versions had static vegetation, but Bryce now offers the powerful Tree Lab for editing vegetation. (See figure 10.) You can use the scatter functionality in Bryce to create a forest of trees, but the ease of use is not up to par with applications such as WorldBuilder. Not only is the interface a little bit awkward for such things, but the application itself bogs down considerably once you add a couple of hundred thousand trees.
Figure 10 - The Tree Lab
If you look at the bottom of the Tree Lab interface in figure 10, you'll see a series of memory dots. These provide the same functionality as they do elsewhere in Bryce by allowing you to save a combination of settings and easily restore that combination at the click of a button. Bryce is generous with memory dots and they are an excellent interface feature that would be a welcome addition in other applications of this type.
Lights
I've always been fond of Bryce lights. Any 3D designer knows that materials and lighting are the most important aspects of a scene. However, materials are forgiving. Lights are not. Version 5.5 adds a new Light Lab (see Figure 11) which makes lighting in Bryce even more enjoyable and getting impressive results easier.
Figure 11 - The Light Lab
Want another hint at the level of detail that Bryce developers put into this application? Take a look at the Light Lab dialog shown in figure 11. Notice that the dialog itself is lit by several different light sources. Such details add nothing to the functionality of the application, but they add significantly to the usability. Notice, also, that the memory dots are also present in the Light Lab.
One thing that the Light Lab makes simple is volumetric lighting. Getting light beams that look just right is a chore in most applications. Bryce makes it simple with a fast-updating preview window and by providing great results without a lot of work.
Metaballs
As a sign that Bryce is moving into the realm of professional 3D graphics, DAZ added metaballs to version 5.5. Bryce's metaballs are implemented in a fairly simple way (and they don't render in the real time view), but it's a nice addition for Bryce. I hope to see DAZ build on this area in future versions.
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