I can't seem to come up with anything worth a crap. It's not that I'm out of ideas or lack the desire to create, just that I'm not satisfied with anything I've done lately. It damn frustrating, to the point where I'm on the verge or saying f*ck it and quitting, or at least smashing my computer LOL. Time for a new prog, or a new approach? Maybe I'm just in a slump. It does happen now and then. Just a vent. Doug

Perhaps something not related to depression? =P sorry, couldn't resist. Don't go to another proggy plz! Bryce users are going to the dark side more and more often these days. Try some experiments in the EXtreme like me. I love it. I could never get bored of making something more and more realistic, or more and more insane. I have allready decided on my next project, I've modeled chaotic liquid, but how about animating? Now THIS is a challenge... so insane.. But so fun!

Here's a pic i made in Bryce. (mind you it took 3 hours to render) LOL

And if you wanna switch, Vue is the way to go.
PS: I suck at bryce too.

ornlu, i go through this stage once every month or so. and i tell bryce to go back to its origins in romanian so many times it's not even funny. i tried learning truespace, but i gave up... i don't know... gah, now you're making me feel like that :P Mihnea

please dont switch! just watch alot of movies! thats what i do.

Volumetric lights... shudders Alpha, that's one thing that bryce is NOT good at.. I don't know why, but volumetric lights are horrificly slow.

Vue....I love the end result with that prog, amazing skies, but I hate using it. Rendering an image now, might post it, might not....

What I want to buy is Amapi 3d. Not for rendering, but I need a decent modeling tool.

A non-depression image....hmm, novel idea but nah lol. I can't create happy pics. There'd have to be some skulls in there somewhere, a dead body or three. I tried the free version of amapi. I found it confusing as hell. C4d seems like an awesome prog, a bit on the pricy side though.

I have C4Dv7, and don't use it at all, (in fact i was going to sell it).It's work just learning Bryce, Vue and Amapi, Xfrog, and Carrara, oh and Poser (now there's a piece of work). Amapi's interface just takes getting used to, I do my models for my abstracts in it, I want Amapi7 cause it has a better ui and more features.

ocddoug, cinema 4d is not too pricey if you know a student who can get it academically priced. ABout 300 dollars I think, and it';s the full version.

Zhann: AMAPI drove me nuts...nothing about it seems obvious....er..intuitive

TURN THE COMPUTER OFF NOW!!!! Go for a long long walk, sit down, and look at everything but look at nothing. when you mind is ready you know. just look at small things in the world. if that doent work, dump bryce and go to MAX

I've been through this MANY times, in fact I'm going through a period like that right now almost. I have a new idea for a huge project, but I'm probably not going to start it until after the summer. My creativity peaks when the weather gets worse...I know, weird...heheh...but that kinda explains my haitus earlier this year, I just ran out of ideas and time to do anything, so I walked away for three months. Now, I think it would be harder to do that, but taking a week off to refresh my mind is never out of the question. I took a week off, and then I came up with my Wagon Building & Repair image just messin' around. You may wanna try the week off or so, think about other stuff, play a cool computer game, etc. Half-Life 2 screenshots gave me my big project idea, so that might be a route. Hope this helps some, MD

Well, I haven't even gotten good enough to go thru a bad spell yet, lol. I was piecing something together for my challenge idea and took a moment to look at new posts. I saw one that was really good and made me just wanna toss my ideas out the door and walk away, but then I said to myself, I just have to work harder, much harder. Oh well. Hey maybe I've just been in a slump since I started using Bryce and one day I'll pop out of it, :-D. Anyways, I just browsed some of your gallery and you do some amazing stuff, I can see where the pressure of not getting something right comes from. I love those 'skys that never were" didn't see any skulls in them either ;p Taking a break from Bryce can't hurt, maybe toy around with some free programs to distract yourself or just sit in the sun. Ang

I like to try freebies from magazine cover mount CDs, for example Computer Arts in the UK (among thers) currently has Truespace 3 full version on the CD as a freebie. I quite often buy mags just for the free software :-)

Man, I'm with you. I'm totally in a slump right now as well. I find myself coming up with all these ideas in my head, and then I sit down in front of the computer and try to draw them and I end up with bad stick figure art. And I get so frustrated that I just end up walking away. A part of my problem, at least, is that I really have no idea what I'm doing whatsoever. Another part is a lack of inspiration. (The third part is a lack of time, but that's something I have to fix independently of the other two). How do I solve this? I start reading the tutorials, and I do what someone else said - I go for walks and get the hell away from my computer for a while. Just a quick walk down the street can give me an image that I'd like to attempt. Search through the galleries here and see what some of the other artists have come up with. I know that Rochr and Mel3d have been constant sources of inspiration for me, just to name two, and I find myself trying to emulate what they've done. Sometimes I succeed, and the small victories eventually will turn into bigger ones. So there's my $.02 - for what it's worth.

Doug, first thing I got to ask is......you suck what? lol Just joking. Now you know I am a big fan of your work and you have yet to make an image that I really don't like, so what I think is you just need a break or go download lots of free demos and try them out. Whatever you do don't leave Bryce, it would break my heart to see you go. I hope your slump goes away soon. Cheers Catlin

One thing I considered doing was some sort of interior study like what Doublecrash is doing...I always like the effect of those images he does. At this point I have other things I want to work on like a full-blown tutorial and another large project I'm gonna keep the wraps on, but doing something out of the ordinary could very well be a great start. Work with different rendering options, like blurry reflections, etc...you may discover a cool new technique not many others have done and boom, before you know it you're the resident expert on the subject! :) MD

OMG Catlin you make me smile, can't wait till the bryster reads that one! Ang :-D

Yes, me too Ang, although I was being innocent. I wonder where Bryster is though, it's not like him to miss out on such an opertunity.........lol 8) Catlin

ocddoug - "I can't seem to come up with anything worth a crap. It's not that I'm out of ideas or lack the desire to create, just that I'm not satisfied with anything I've done lately." I know just how you feel. Even a screen-name change couldn't help me out (I was "tuttle" in case you didn't know). I've been posting on Epilogue & GFX recently but every time I look at my new galleries I cringe with horror and have to resist an impulse to delete the lot. What a load of steaming horse-shit. Maybe it's the heat (it was 91 deg here on Wed, which is hot as hell for N England) So if I get any ideas for inspiration I'll let you know. And I hope you'll do likewise. ;)

ocddoug - I have no doubt you will find your way out of your slump. You have a talent and vision that refuses to be squelched! :) Tafkat (tuttle) - what prompted you to change your username? and what is your url at epilogue? Not many of us brycers post over there...

Attached Link: http://dominic.epilogue.net/

Maybe you suck OCDDoug, not gonna argue with you. BUT, sucking does totally rule, you know... My only cure for Brycer's block is to view reality more. You know, go outside, that kind of thing...! Sometimes I'm inpsired by reading, but mostly it's the world around me.

Thanks everyone for the comments, suggestions, and kind words. I did post a new image yesterday and I'm just about finished with another one. I think the key (at least for me) is to take a break every now and then. It's hard though, especially when you're a total Bryce junkie. A day doesn't go by when I am not Brycing 3 to 5 hours or more. Man, I need a life! Doug

Hey there Doug, I usually rotate areas of attack to keep me from getting tired of the same subject: original modelling studies rendering freebies realism study postwork study terrains people city mood food unusual topics Oh also I look at the non-Bryce galleries Hey man don't leave Bryce cuz we need you here, but I think there's nothing wrong if you try Vue for a vacation.

Nice tips Alvin...I'm going to stay tuned to this! :) MD

Doug, if you're not satisfied with your work, I wonder what should I think about mine :) Don't leave Bryce. You're too good at it. But you're right about C4D, it's awesome. If only it wouldn't cost so much. You can always try the demo, it's 1000 times easier than Max or Maya and it's so much fun to be able to model :) S.

I'm with you, Doug...I go through stages like this. I keep coming up with ideas that don't seem to work and end up puting them away till another time.....'Bum & Titty graders' comes immediately to mind here....... Catlin & Ang: I can't leave this place for more than 5 minutes and you are misbehaving again...talking behind my back..etc.....sigh!

Hehehe....................8D

Check out stuff in artist's magazines. They have all sorts of suggestions for flagging creativity. One suggestion is to do a different type of picture than what you would normally do. Taking a break might be a good thing too. I don't force myself to work on a picture when I don't feel like it. Looking at the Real world" was a good suggestion. One thing I have noticed is that I get stuck on finishing pictures and I don't devote some time to messing around. Got one cool picture, just by messing around. Was messing around with textures using Agentsmith's transparent textures and got something interesting. Nice work AlphaOmega1, that picture would make a nice wallpaper if it was bigger (1024x768).