Quote - I hope/pray DAZ takes that "Lite" program and slips it under the gui hood of Bryce 6, along with a couple of Carrara's features...that would make it a very worthy Bryce upgrade.

I see a flow the other way. Carrara already includes some of the "Kai" type GUI influences from Bryce, in a similar way that Poser does. That's great; and I'm sure a few more could be usefully slipped in. DAZ Studio could benefit from some Bryce brightness too - and I'm not just talking about the dour default interface colour.

The more I think about the (newly enlarged) DAZ software collection, the more Bryce looks like the odd one out. I know DAZ have said they remain committed to all the programs, but long term I'm taking that with a pinch of salt (because such a policy is commercially insane). If DAZ want to attract beginners to 3D and continue to attract them with an upgrade path to becoming a power user, then it makes no sense at all to have Bryce in the repertoire.

As I'm experiencing first hand, the move from the "Bryce way" to the normal (Carrara) way is a tough one. If I was starting out now, I wouldn't want to be diverted into Bryce; I'd want to start with a brilliant, simple tool that bears a strong relation to the program I'd want to be using when I was 3D top-smart. If, when I was ready to progress beyond Bryce, I was presented with a learning curve that was the equivalent of jumping from one ship to another, then I might just jump to Cinema, Vue or Lightwave. DAZ doesn't want that, but that's what happens currently with those of its user base that outgrow Bryce.

Hexagon, Studio and Carrara could all quite easily become a complementary set from the same division; Carrara as the foundation and base, and Studio and Hexagon the specialist outposts. In relation to that setup, Bryce could only be the monastery up the mountain where the monks get high on the thin air and herbal remedies.

DAZ spent a fortune on Carrara and Hexagon. I think they did so because they realised their Studio / Bryce combo wasn't going to be competitive. Carrara, Studio and Hexagon properly intertwined and skilfully developed should provide DAZ with a very attractive and powerful suite that can face off against the likes of Cinema4D and Lightwave, let alone Poser + Vue.

In my, admittedly now slightly drunken, opinion, the best thing DAZ could do with Bryce is to walk up to it, breath its vapours deep into their lungs until the powerful essence crosses the blood/brain barrier and permanently infuses their neuronal pathways with its inspired brilliance...

...and then sell it to Pandromeda.