DAZ has special offer for Bryce 5!! Get it cheap now, and also get the plugin that allows you to import (most) of the Poser files!! Great offer!!

Except....
I took a look at the "small print".

1. Bryce 5 is available at a lower price from several independent reputable dealers.
2. The "Poser" import facility requires you to go via Daz Studio. Import Poser content into D|S; Export from D|S; Import into Bryce.
3. Does not support all of P5 content.

Am I the only one who thinks that this seems like a sales-driven plot to generate more D|S buyers?

Annoyed,
Diolma

(Sorry, I don't usually rant, but this nearly got me where it hurts..)

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 17:01

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 17:05

Where can you get Bryce cheaper? Would that be in a retail box with the extra content CD or a download, as with DAZ? Amazon has the boxed versino for $70-something. If a person is going to spend $60 for just a download, a little more than $10 might be worth getting a version with the extra CD and a printed manual. At the PC Club price, it's a harder choice because of the greater discount.

If it's a plot to generate more D|S buyers, it isn't a very good plot. D|S is free.

Well since DazStudio is currently free, I don't think it's a sales-driven plot. In the future...maybe. But last I knew the base would be free, additional modules would cost for DS.

Actually, if you're a PC member and buy before July 28th (because it's on sale) you can get Bryce 5 for something like $41.00. That includes the plugin that allows seamless importing of a Daz|Studio scene or a Poser pz3 via D|S, with the exception of Poser 5's dynamic stuff such as the clothes or hair.

I fail to see the issue since you don't have to buy D|S, it's free, still in beta and soon to be v1.0 where it will remain free with the exception of various specialty plugins. Perhaps CL will take a hint from Daz and make some sort of Poser exporter plugin themselves negating the need to use D|S in the first place.

I'm more irritated with the latest "coupon" I just received entitling me to "10% off purchases of $40.00 or more!!!!!" which amounts to squat and doesn't apply to "Magazines, some shippable products, Tutorials and Software". That's no big savings unless I spend some major cash. Care to take a guess where that fabulous coupon is from? At least when I get a coupon or special offer from Daz it's just that, special and actually saves me money, and it's not a waste of bandwidth.

I'm not a PC member of DAZ. I can't afford it.

Unfortunately the problem with exporting and importing comes from the fact that DAZ can't write code for Curious Labs directly and make them impliment it so that it works with Bryce ... They can give them the information but that is all and that is what they have already done. Now it is kind of in Curious Labs hands ...

Um did you look at the bryce parts at daz...a lot of the content cd is online for free.

I wonder if Curious Labs' arrangement with e-on Software, makers of Vue d'Esprit, would prevent them from working with DAZ to allow one-step Poser>Bryce export? I hope not, it'd be great to do it in one step. That's what won me over from Bryce to Vue. Has anyone reading this tried the Poser>D|S>Bryce transfer yet? If so, a) Did all of the textures and transparencies come into Bryce properly? I can't get them to do so with any consistency when importing .pz3's into Studio, so I'm wondering if some data will be lost along the way to Bryce? b) If you imported an entire scene, does it look "right" in Bryce? When doing this with Vue, the camera differences are such that there's really no point. It's better to export individual figures and props, then arrange your scene in Vue, not Poser. I'd assume it's the same from Poser to Bryce via Studio.

"Um did you look at the bryce parts at daz...a lot of the content cd is online for free." I was looking for that last night but didn't find it, besides some tutorials that referred to the content CD. Do you have to buy the app first to have access to the area you're referring to?

"DAZ can't write code for Curious Labs directly and make them impliment it so that it works with Bryce" DAZ has already written code for CL (Poser) to work with DAZ/Studio so why can't they now do the same for Bryce? What's the difference? Only that it would take away from any furure sale of DAZ/Studio plugins that will not be free. If there was a plugin to go from Poser to Bryce, people wouldn't need Studio at all. By not writing a plugin for Poser to Bryce, they are guarenteeing sales for their future plugins for Studio.

"Has anyone reading this tried the Poser>D|S>Bryce transfer yet?" No, and I refuse to install D|S to even try. "Did all of the textures and transparencies come into Bryce properly? I can't get them to do so with any consistency when importing .pz3's into Studio, so I'm wondering if some data will be lost along the way to Bryce?" Quote from this thread http://forum.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=5475 "Will Dupre wrote: the big mixup here is that Bryce will not import the new DS format but an .obj format with complete material settings, something that poser even in version 5 does not export. in fact the poser object exporter I believe is legacy code all the way back to poser 3 where they didnt feel the need to export much other then the base .obj and that includes tranparency info and a lot of other settings. it is easier to use studio becouse studio has already been written to import poser files and convert them to pure object file for export, with all of the texture information intact. " So that's the claim. I wonder if it's true, and as xoconostle asked - what - if any - fixes do you have to do after. If I have to assign the materials to the figures in Bryce then... why bother if I can use Vue without a middleman?

But the thing is that you would have to write code into Poser for it to export out properly ... That is the problem. The file of Poser needs to be affected. Least to the best of my knowledge.

I jsut love the way that Daz and everyone seems to avoid the question...

DS can read poser files.
it can read PZ3 and PZZ.
So....

why not go direct? why implement a conveluted method to do this?

I would just like a straight answer. no conjecture, just a plain, "cos we wanted to" or "erm, we did'nt think of that" or just a simple "cos we wanted everyone to use DS whatever happens"
what gets me is, the plugin? it's an modified OBJ importer. so, we go from OBJ into Poser, to PZ3 to DS to OBJ to Bryce.... aarrggghhh!!!!!

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 19:45

Everybody keeps saying how daz studio is free but to even do basic poser stuff like animating you will have to buy a plugin.

Has anyone considered the opposite may be the case?
The DAZ renderer is glacerially slow (at leats on my machine) and buggy to boot. In adition the 3DDelight renderer while open sourse is lisensed only yearly (as I understnd it.)
In addition the lone time beteen updates suggests things are not good on the software designing front.
So is it not possible that while Bryce may contine to exist that the excellent BRYCE renderer may find it way into DAZ|Studio?
I hope so.
Granted I hate the interface ("brycey" is a pejorative amoung most programmers) but Interfaces are relativly easy to change.
FYI Poser 3 had an easter egg that you chaneg to the Poser1/2 interface. On some live I frefre the Psoer 1 interface, cleaner slleeker, but it does not have the option you do in teh later versions
Perhaps Studio and bryce can benifit from a "Skins" approach like winamp? Give it subdivion (even if only for teh renderer) and Oooo baby wwe've got sonething!
Again I hope this is the case.
The potential for something great is high
However teh potential to really hos ethings up is also high

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 19:58

ARRGHHHH...So much bitching >:(.

If you don't like it don't use it. Somtimes I have to wonder if you all be 100 years old & still using Bryce 5 & complaining about it, even if there is newer version available, cause it's not to your liking :O.....If it doesn't do what you want move on to more updated software or at LEAST have the patience to see what Daz is going to do!!!!!

Geesh...I liked Win 3.1..but I moved on...just as in all other software I own..When I've had piece of software die..I found sonething else that was bigger & better...& yes..that's called progress!!!!!!

My gosh...just give them a chance...if it doesn't work out the way YOU had it planned buy something else...But give it a chance & stop the hand wringing. Bryce was dead & outdated anyway.....hope for the best....One other thing to consider...if Daz screws this up..then they've lost & PO'D a whole user base & this whole investment will be for naught & they will be the loosers as well as you.

So be a part of the solution & not the problem. It seems to me this happens with ANY software upgrade/buyout..everyone freaks out. Oh by the way..I never fall in LOVE with any software to the point I'm not willing to look elsewhere & upgrade to keep up with the "current" times. Change is always good...you just might need to learn & adapt to something new....Damn...I'm 44 years old & look forward to change:)

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 20:13

Khai wrote

"I would just like a straight answer."

Ok, here it is.

"what gets me is, the plugin? it's an modified OBJ importer. so, we go from OBJ into Poser, to PZ3 to DS to OBJ to Bryce...."

It's not the OBJ that's the problem, it's the MTL file.

"why not go direct? why implement a conveluted method to do this?"

Because Poser DOESN'T EXPORT all the material files such as transparencies.

DAZ Studio DOES.

For Poser to export all the correct files, code has to be changed WITHIN Poser, ONLY CURIOUS LABS can do that. That's why Curious Labs has to be involved to create a plugin. For a plugin to export from Poser to Bryce, Poser has to export all the correct files, which right now it doesn't. That's why it has to go through DAZ Studio

I don't think I can make it any simpler than that.

Also, Bryce no longer comes with a printed manual, just PDF. That's why it's so cheap.

Coldrake

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 20:46

dlk30341 I agree with you for the most part, but this is not an upgrade for Bryce, it's the same Bryce 5 I already own. Just hope they will give us breaks on any upgrades and continue tech support. I will see what they do with Studio before I decide how I will go with it. For some reason, some folks seem to think there is a conspiracy at Daz when it comes to Studio. If ya don't like it, don't download it and don't buy plugins. I don't even use my Bryce 5, but I may start again now that Daz has taken it over. They improved Mimic and I'm sure they will improve Bryce 5. Marque

Marque..I agree..no conspiracy. I had Bryce..got so digusted with it I literally threw it ALL away...about a year back...I have since moved on to Vue & will be moving on to Pro once finances allow. I have to admit I caved & re-bought Bryce...the price was just too good. It will be sleeping nicely on my HD till I see what Daz does with it. But for the price...I'm willing to give it another shot...who knows...maybe if Daz gets busy it can turn out to be better than Vue. Like I said for the price you really can't beat it...geesh..I spend more in a month on "supplies" ;) than on Bryce..so time will tell. If it doesn't work out..oh well...

For heavens sake I'm still trying to get rid of my MojoWorld....Too mathematical for me ~red faced~. So that was 200.00 down the toilet for me anyway. Live & learn. At least if Bryce doesn't work THIS time, I still would have spent less than on the above mentioned program. As far as Studio goes...I'm NOT interested as of yet...waiting for the final version to see if the "kinks" have been worked out. So many programs to learn & so little time. I guess are chances of ALzheimers will be slim since we are definately keeping our brains busy ;) LOL

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 20:57

Message edited on: 06/24/2004 21:00

ok colddrake, lets make it even simpler DS imports poser files in the PZ3 format that include everything already. Daz wrote this code. so, why not just do that? why the extra step? they've done it already for DS....???? I can't make it anymore simple than that

The point about importing a pz3 to daz and then to bryce as stewer pointed out and he knows more than me about poser. Daz studio can`t import poser files properly so some will work and some just wont in daz studio and exported to bryce.

Most poser people are used to setting texture maps from time to time. Importing from poser to bryce just means fixing the texture maps much the same way as we do already in poser.

Yup I also got Vue, and it's so easy to use that I put Bryce away. May give it another chance though. Marque

"DS imports poser files in the PZ3 format that include everything already." Khai, the PZ3 format DOESN'T include everything, the MTL file in the PZ3 doesn't include some information in some files, such as transparencies. The PZ3 includes the transparency maps, but not the settings. DS CORRECTS the MTL file when the PZ3 is imported. That's why it has to go through DS, so that DS can correct the file before it goes into Bryce. Coldrake

Thanks for the answers to my questions, folks. Deb, I did the same thing about two years ago. At this point I'm not certain where my Bryce CD is, LOL. Maybe, just maybe one advantage of buying Bryce again at the low price would be that when DAZ releases Bryce 6, you'll be able to buy a less-expensive upgrade as opposed to the full version at a higher price. Speculation on my part, obviously, but it seems likely. I'm glad that the sale price will be there for more than another month ... plenty of time to think about this. Uh oh. My copy of Vue just shot me a very jealous look.

Perhaps a better answer (from what i understand) Poser can use the MTL and PZ3 files because poser knows where your Poser stuff is. D|S can open your PZ3s because D|S knows where your Poser stuff is. Bryce could open your MTLs if poser wrote them right/complete or Bryce was reprogramed to know where to look for the information. the latter option consisting of a good bit of programing that would bloat Bryce with the only advantage being the ability to import poser. The easiest solution would be to get Poser to write proper MTL files. It is reported that DAZ has submitted the appropriate information to Curious Labs and they seem receptive to the idea. The easiest "workaround" that can be accomplished faster than reprograming Bryce and/or Poser is a plugin to D|S because D|S's ability to open PZ3s (because it knows where your Poser stuf is) is half (or more) of the battle. If there is any marketing behind this it is the desire to sell more Bryce by making importing of Poser stuff into Bryce more accuratly.

Attached Link: http://www.fignations.com/jelisa/mtl/mtl_fixer.html

"Now it is kind of in Curious Labs hands ..." Well no. I mean that's sort of a dodge to me to be honest. The PZ3 format has the info you need. Lookign int he PZ3 as well as the OBJ/MAT woudl yield the info you need. Lets be real, Daz has already implemented most of PZ3 in D|S... there really isn't much technical reason to not use that code to allow PZ3->Bryce exporting.

hee hee -- Lord, but ya gotta love the mercilessness of logic and money...

Ok it seems that there is still some misunderstanding about why Daz doesnt simply create a plugin to import a pz3 to Bryce

You dont have to use D|S to import your figures int Bryce but the only way you can export your figures fully posed is with one of the export options, not with a PZ3

the problem is that a program would have to have a boning system to import a pz3, as all a pz3 is is a combination of the different library file systems in Poser it does not contain the pre-posed figure.

Bryce does not currently contain a poser compatible joint setup and in fact doesn't contain any joint setup. it would take a substantial rebuild of bryce itself to include a poser compatible joint system along the lines of the onging work on Studio itself.

Of the model formats that Poser does export fully posed none of them contain all of the information to import all of the textures that Poser uses. The closest is the .obj formatwith its associated mtl file, but even that isnt complete and it doesnt contain enough of the file structure that bryce needs to import everything properly.

so while daz cannot go into poser and change out their obj export rutine, they did the next best thing they knew how to do, and that is make it possible to import the poser files into studio which can pose the raw .obj files and export that with a complete texture package that bryce can import with the plugin. you can still import Poser .obj files directly into bryce but you will then have to also load a lot of the textures seperately.

it is not DAZs intention of forcing people to use studio for this purpose, they just didnt see any other way of doing it easily without a major rebuild of Bryce.

Message edited on: 06/25/2004 02:32

Friend of mine made a bet with me yesterday about this as I've been hard on DAZ (being a smartass so they think twice about thinking everyone offers blind support lol)...she has Studio beta release and has had nothing but problems including locking her completely out of her computer.Ok,even though we both hate Studio atm she bet me that she could use it to import her pz3's into Bryce as she was told...well things didn't go so well as somehow Bryce crashed in the process-I don't even have the heart to gloat because she had to completely reload Bryce and lost everything she had for it. I can't even figure out what happened as I don't see how importing the pz3 could do this to her,I know Studio is buggy and it can freeze up-but how can importing a pz3 into Bryce using Studio do something like that? This isn't a slam on DAZ as I think its unrelated to Studio,but she has Bryce 5 and according to you guys she shouldn't have had a problem.Wasn't there to give further details but I do know she lost a lot of material here.

It would be cool to have one app that both has Poser capabilities and Vue/Bryce capabilities built into it.

unless there's been a sudden hiring spree, Will doesn't work for DAZ, btw.(wdupre) He's knows what he's talking about.

"It would be cool to have one app that both has Poser capabilities and Vue/Bryce capabilities built into it."

Took the words right out of my brain. An advanced version of Poser would be the ideal realization of that, I think. It might necessitate a higher price, but so long as it were still considerably lower than, say, Maya, and still had the relatively easy learning curve of Poser, Bryce, and Vue, it'd be a huge success.

So, that goes along with what I was saying, you can't go 1-2-3. You have cleanup work first in DS.

Actually I did go "1-2-3" and everything imported perfectly, including transparencies. Coldrake

As I pointed out in msg 18, just about everything in that render has transparencies but DS did not take them and I did not set them up before exporting. If DS can't do it right the first time I'll continue to do things manually. At least I know what's been done and what to expect.

Bryce Crashing: You have to download the newest version of studio realeased this week. Mtl fixer/grouper these programs still do one object at a time...The Daz plugin does a whole poser file. (if any one has tried to do a whole scene as an obj let me know...this has been way to unwieldly for me) Content: Alot of the bryce content cd is online...all over the place. Your right, daz only has the tutorials up The Bryce 5 content cd is the EXACT same as the bryce 4 content cd...and most of the content is for Bryce 3d. Really you are not missing anything.

Good grief!! Once I'd calmed down after posting this thread, and reading the 1st few replies, I began to think I'd been too hasty, and that I should delete it. Having seen the way it's taken off... (even if it's veered in a direction I never expected, but that's OK) I'll leave it. (Still feel a little guilty, but there y'go.) Cheers, Diolma

No need for apologies! lol Everyone has their own opinions :)