If Bryce 6 is a) taking a long time to become available and b)won't have an appreciably faster render engine anyway, and c) most people can't afford Maya or Max, is there a mid priced app that renders much faster than Bryce yet can handle soft shadows etc? Is that app Cinema 4D?

Measure your mind's height
by the shade it casts.
Robert Browning (Paracelsus)

Fran's Freestuff

http://franontheedge.blogspot.com/

http://www.FranOnTheEdge.com