Hi people Im due to start a fantasy graphic novel. Therefore a lot of scenes using outside natural environments will be needed. I was considering using Bryce for that, but using Bryce and post for a single image is fine, but when you consider the amount of panels a single scene can have, with all the posing and such...well, I began considering to do it all in Poser, using some of these packages that are coming out, like RDNAs Microcosm and now this Renderositys own LandZone by Cybia. Microcosm is extremelly well supported, but I really havent seen good work using it except for some prom shots. DAZ is comming out with something called Millenium Environment or something like that. My concern is shedding the dough and finding out later that it was not it...(I have a lot of stuff like that) and moving to another package and so on...so opinions concerning this will be most welcome... Thanks in advance.

IMO: MicroCosm ROCKS!! MicroCosm is light on resources, has mega developer support, is Extremely versitile (especially with the resent upgrade - that was Free I might add), and I feel that Traveler and the rest of RDNA have more instore for the future as well. As for sample pics, keep on eye on the current MC contest they have going. Unfortunatly I have been tied up with non-Poser life so I don't have anything to refer you to but if you poke around in the 'Poser 4 you' forum you will see some and I am sure this current contest will be forthcoming with more ;p Also, the MC makers have a good ear tuned to it's users. If you have an idea and it's do-able, just watch how fast Traveler and his elfs crank it out!!! =8)

Oh, and check out the Add-Ons too: Tunnels, vines, etc (see all thier links in the MicroCosm Forum)

I'll second the Microcosm route! You get loads for little $. If you have your heart set on a full-blown program, use Vue4 instead of Bryce. The problem with the flat environments offered by DAZ is the inability to modify the direction of the light... the flatness still shines through.

There's also Worldz (Now at Version 3) here in the MP by Andix (or whatever he's called now L) That one also gives nice results and is relatively light on ressources too. The Woodland Playset and the new Millennium cyclorama-thingie from Daz are semi 3D so they aren't as "flat" as the original cyclorama.

Another thing to add to your 3d environment are the free trees and land shapes available here in freestuff. In particular, the trees and landscapes by JSSoftware are excellent! I combined them with a Microcosm ground piece for the last image I posted to my gallery.

Links:
JSSoftware
Freestuff Tree search
My gallery (see first 3 pictures)

Links didn't work right... try again the copy/paste way... JSSoftware is at: http://www.3droad.com/ Use the freestuff button on Rendo's navigation bar and perform a search for " tree". Leave the space at the front of the word (but not after) to avoid a majority of the unrelated items. It should pull up about 90 items. Some of them are for Vue and Bryce, but anything that's 3ds can be used and some .mat files can be used. Image that displays the trees in use the best is at: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=661929&Start=1&Artist=TygerCub&ByArtist=Yes Note that the flowers are from a "fields" pack by Transpond under the Moduluz brandname at RDNA.

I have Vue and Bryce... and Microcosm..and most of the RDNA trees, grasses, etc... I usually use the trees and stuff within Vue... the textures for the Microcosm work real well in Vue... So...you can do your scene with Poser...save it... import into Vue with the new patch..4.2 I think it is...and viola...then add background terrain..great lighting and skys... Otherwise...I highly recommend Micorcasm standalone within Poser...you can make about any type of landscape you want. They even have a snow textures..Plus the Skydome3...another free product is awesome...and the lights from RDNA are fantastic... simulated hdri lighting is really good.

Yesterday I saw some Vue images at the gallery and really was blown away...does it work well with *.3ds files? Actually, I should post this at the vue forum, but since were here... But as far as I can see Im inclined to go Microcosm...

Yep, Vue does well with .3ds files (and .lwo, .cob, .dfx...)allowing for scaling tweaks, of course. And Microcosm and Vue work well together. And you -may- want to check out the demo of VuePro; there are a few features there that could be of benefit. One is the dynamic vegetation. The VuePro native plants have a wind effect for animation...but the intensity settings you place in the unrendered scene affects the plant model, so you get trees and weeds that are 'bent in the wind' in static scenes. Plus the Vue plants use Solid Growth, an E-on proprietary scheme, so that no two plants are alike (two maple trees will have different branch placements, leaf densities, trunk shapes, etc). Both versions of Vue have distributed network rendering capablility; Vue just has it for animation, but VuePro can render a single image in sections across a network, letting you -really- pack an image and not have to wait 30 hours for a render with lots of volumetric light effects, for instance. Oh, and VuePro has the plant editor, which allows you to change the leaf and foliage maps on the plants, so you can kit bash new or alien looking plant species out of what exists. You might also want to check out Transpond's store over at RDNA, and the wonderful architecture sets he has, and liteluvr here, for his backlot series. Both work well in Vue as well as Poser, and you can get some interesting new structures with a little tweaking and texture changing.

I've got an earlier version of Bryce and I have never been able to figure it out. I guess either it's way beyond my learning plateau (there ain't no curve here folks...more like a dip in the road), or I'm just not supposed to figger it out. I've got the free versions of the MicroCosm stuff and just love it. I've also got the DAZ Environments, the Cyclorama, and I love it too. I managed to pick up the DAZ goodies when they had their big free month 'o platinum club membership, otherwise on my graduate teaching pay I'd never have even been able to sniff the packaging. I want to purchase the entier Micro/MacroCosm base package but it will probably have to wait for fall financial aid when I start my PhD program. I can't say enough good stuff about these two packages.

Im all for a free ride with vue pro... Ill check it out...My guess, for what Ive seen is Bryce getting mothballed... There is a guy here, a true Bryce hero...he does the most amazing spaceships with Bryce...(Shakes his head)...Banbam111 if Im not mistaken....but for a graphic novel like the one Im planning I have to be fast without beeing sloppy and most of all practical. Im a huge fan of prince Valliant...(does anyone still remember?) and I have all 3000 or so pages drawn by Foster. I want that same ammount of detail for my story...but in 3d...

And about liteluvr I have his back lot and cathedral building kits...awsome...I really use this a lot for my images.Its worth every penny.

Alas...so much good stuff there, so little money (sighs). One of these days I dump the computer and go back to 2d... All I need is paper and pencil...I used to be good at that...I even have some left overs at the gallery from an ancient time...Sorry for all the remniscence...and thanks for the tips

Attached Link: http://market.renderosity.com/softgood.ez?Who=cybia

Hi, Just a quick note to let you know that I hope to be expanding my LandZone packs a lot more in future, so I'm always open for new ideas. Let me know what kind of things you'd like to see added and as soon as I get time I'll be back working on releasing some new regions in the series. The current versions on sale at my store were originally made for my own use and thought I'd try releasing them here to see if anyone else had use for them. I was quite surprised they sold quite well actually! So thanks to everyone who bought them. But now I've learned a little more about this stuff I hope to expand on the idea a lot more. I'll also release some more freebies in the series soon too. Questions, comments, ideas and suggestions are always welcome! Steve

Hi Steve... I downloaded a freebee you had some time ago if Im not mistaken...But if you really raise to the chalenge of making a product and backing it up, you need to make it happen somehow...either with pricing...(yours is good) and/or with followups. Ill try your freebee...and then again Im game for trying your product...as I said, Im on the hunt for some decent poser Environment...and like me a lot of people... Ill let you know when I whip out something using your generous offer. Take care