Ok let's see now, how best to explain... well first of all
I would like to clarify that when I said undocumented abilities, it was supposed to mean undocumented (until the release of PRO-RENDER), abilities. As far as the Bryce 5 render engine question goes, as I said earlier, Bryce 5 does'nt allow for a plugin renderer, so yes, it does use the Bryce 5 renderer. PRO-RENDER consists of .br5 setup files, compatible material presets, and documentation needed to describe the PRO-RENDER method of rendering.

In answer to the final question "why would we need PRO-RENDER?" There is really only one answer to that one, so here it goes...

Can you do this without PRO-RENDER!

I hope this has helped answer your questions. I can understand it being difficult to realise how this works, after all, until now, merchant stores for Bryce 5 products generally consist of sky, material, and scene presets.

There's a little more depth to this product than a mere preset, if you get my meaning. PRO-RENDER really does provide you with the abilities stated in my original post,
and the standard of lighting that can be achieved is far superior to the standard generally obtainable, I hope you`ll agree when I post some example renders.

The wait can be horrific, but the outcome can be worse - pumeco 2006