ok, which is best, if I want a utility like this, which one should I go for. Bryce seems good now that DAZ has it and cheap too! I've heard Vue 4 is really really good but it is a bit more pricey. Your views would be much appreciated and may help me decide. Thanx in advance.

It really depends on what you want to do with the programs, each has its own strengths. E

Well, Bryce 5 is CHEAP! I paid basically $26.98 for it, heh! -thats after the 30% PC discount and a $5 PC coupon and a $10 Gift Certificate (for playing the DAZ guessing game.) I am hoping that DAZ will re-write Bryce 5 for 64 bit Windows, then it would kick some major butt! Frankly, hope that E-On will issue Vue 5 in 64 bit version also--- (Poser 6.4 as 64 bit would be great too) I hope to start a 64 bit Competition War!

I started out with Poser 3 & Bryce 5. Imported the figures into Bryce 5 and rendered them, was pretty OK. When I upgraded to P5 and wanted to import and render the new P5 characters into Bryce that's when Bryce really started to show his age. You need to export your Poser figure as an .obj and you will get quality loss. The new render engine in P5 is superior to the B5 render engine and the importing of all the new P5 features is impossible and the Don/Judy just don't look as good in B5. Don't even mention dynamic cloth and hair, no go with Bryce. So I downloaded the Vue 4 demo and wow, it just imports Poser figures/scenes rightaway (.pz3) and the rendering engine in Vue is light years ahead of Bryce (and Poser too). Also the trees/plants in Vue look much better then in Bryce and I find it much easier to use then Bryce. Creating new materials or editing existing ones is much easier in Vue too. I did get Vue with Mover 5. Mover allows you to even import dynamic hair and cloth and completele animated poser scenes into Vue. With Vue it;s very easy to create a good looking realistic scenes, photo realistic scens, as well as fantasy like scenes. With Bryce I never quite did get (photo) realistic scenes, they always seemed to be somewhat unrealistic. I really wish I would have purchased Vue much earlier and for me it's well worth it's price, Bryce is just to limited when it comes to working together with poser. Bryce is too old, it can not compete with nowadays standards anymore. I've used Bryce for many years, but for me the time had come to get something more in tune with my current needs and wishes. For me Vue has everything (and more) that Bryce lacks and does a much better job then Bryce ever did. IMHO

First I use a Mac. OK, I have both Vue and Bryce. I really like Bryce but that may be because I've had it the longest and I'm more familiar with it. I switched to Vue when Corel stopped supporting Bryce for Mac and I couldn't get Poser files to import. Vue is amazing but when I import Poser files, it gets a bit buggy and has a tendency to crash. I'm hoping that DAZ will put out a Mac version of their importer so I can use Bryce again. Otherwise I only use Bryce now for backgrounds.

Vue is much better, IMO, i have bryce 5 also , Vue is much more poser friendly, I believe since daz have taken over the sales of bryce it is now more compatable with poser, as they have produced a new plugin, the info is at daz3d.com. but at the end of the day my hat goes off the Vue.

I never got on with the Bryce interface, found Vue much quicker to learn.

That said I was very tempted by Bryce at the DAZ price, until I reaized that you have to import pz3 via DAZ|Studio. As DS is still in beta, and has problems with some pz3s, it's hardly a match for Vue's direct import.

Also, as DS does not, and probably never will, support P5 dynamics it looks like a blind alley as a means of getting from Poser to Bryce. In the future of course, DS may gain its own dynamics that will integrate with Bryce, I think you're looking at years rathers than months though!

So my advice is Vue, but if you're a P5 user please note that even Pro with Mover 5 doesn't support displacement mapping or video textures, the two best features of Firefly.

John

Bryce is easier and quicker to use once you master the interface. I'm working on some tutorials on this. If you want P5 support, it has to be Vue. If you use P4, you are better off with Bryce, because then you don't have to use the awful P4 materials editor. As to scenes, IMO Vue is better at landscapes, but Bryce is great for interiors (ironically).

There is an interesting interview with Daz just up (linked at the Bryce forum) - apparently in Bryce 5.5 (this fall) you will be able to POSE FIGURES INSIDE OF BRYCE. Sounds interesting!

I recently got Bryce, and am very disappointed (considering returning it). It's nice for creating typical Bryce-style landscame images, if you're patient, but other than that, I couldn't find much use for it. At least for me, this is nothing I'd need to render my Poser figures in. Well, that's my $0.02. Why don't you try Vue's demo version for yourself? And, if you're willing to take risks (like I am), trust on DAZ' 30 day money back guarantee (which I might need soon, unless there's something superb I discover in Bryce soon).

I've read the interview too and it sounds like Bryce see a price raise in the near future when they'll implement all of these new features. One statement worries me though, "DAZ Character support in Bryce", that doesn't sound to good for Poser users at all. After reading the interview I'm rather glad I've got Vue (looking from a Poser users perspective), sounds like Bryce and Poser will never be real friends like Poser and Vue are.

Thanks everyone, I think I'm being pushed more towards Vue really. Where can I get the Vue demo from?

Here: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Download/Try.php You can try different versions, but only Vue4 and Vue4 Pro are still available.

Thanks aeilkema, much appreciated!

You're welcome, enjoy the demo(s). If you decide to buy, do consider Mover 5 too, which allows you to import animated scenes in Vue and dynamic clothing/hair too. It's imho an excellent plugin for Vue4/Vue4 Pro.