I'm actually calming down now, but I still want to bitch a little....is it just me or is Bryce 6 not really worth it?  Besides being able to create new categories for textures and models easily, and besides the HDRI lighting (which I haven't figured out anyway) is Bryce 6 worth it?  I ask this because it crashes so often I want to scream!  And I do, actually.  Now, I'm sure people will say just save more often, but even that doesn't always work.  With my latest picture I had to submit it early because I tried to load it and it crashed upon loading.  So I tried to go back to an earlier version and it crashed as well.  I'm fed up!  So please tell me....is it just my copy?  Should I try to reinstall it?  Help me out if you get a chance.
Frank

Housekeeping. One word, means a lot. Then re-install.
Yup, I've had a couple of crashes but nothing I'd call life-threatening.
And don't forget the ability B6 has to convert a Booleaned group into a mesh.

It crashes for me too, but not a whole lot. Just had one particular file that it liked to crash.

Fortunately I still do my scene layouts in B5. I like the way in B5 I can toggle full screen back and forth quickly (ctrl + tab), something I haven't figured how to do in B6. What has me annoyed about B6 is the help file...it's an HTML type help system and uses some fancy Javascript to make a navigation tree, but this tree never works for me--it always starts with a syntax error. So I haven't looked through the B6 help offerings at all.

I use B5 more than B6. For me, B6 to render something B5 can't do, or export a boolean group. I do think B6 is worth it, but I use it like an extension to B5, not a replacement. I've found if B5 does have trouble with something, B6 usually handles it, such as what I mention in another thread of my corridor WIP.

I just hope DAZ issues B6.1 soon and that it's more stable.

 Just as a suggestion...

Check that you have enough memory.....  

Check you graphics card ( update drivers)  sometimes it interferes with certain programs...

 un-install Bryce...  defrag your hard drive...   check your registry with a good utilty.... I use Registry Mechanic..  but you get your favorite...  re-install Bryce...    it might help with those crashes...

if ur computer is unstable in general u can check if theres any unneccesary services running. u can check tis in msconfig. but be sure not to delete anything u dont know. Only remove services u know u dont need! oh and try keepin bullshit runnin in the background to a minimum.. this can make a lotta differnce! (provided it's te cause)

There is something else besides msconfig that gives you the APPs names...

msconfig gives you all of the exe files running and one program may have more than one exe file....

So if you are not careful you can screw up.... your system... 

I forgot what the other command name was....  hoping someone posts it...

I guess it all depends as well on your operating system etc. Bryce really needs Win XP with SRP2

really. Good to know. Since I only have Win 2k, that means Bryce 6 would really cost....;)

You have  a valid point FCLitte.  I have a new machine (1 month old),  new drivers, new everything; everything clean, nothing else running, and Windows XP with every update that Microsoft ever came out with.  Bryce 6 crashes. Period.  It especially seems to crash on opening up IBL images - which is not good since I use IBL on just about everything now!  I put up with it the way you put up with a naughty child - because I love Bryce!

Quote - You have  a valid point FCLitte.  I have a new machine (1 month old),  new drivers, new everything; everything clean, nothing else running, and Windows XP with every update that Microsoft ever came out with.  Bryce 6 crashes. Period.  It especially seems to crash on opening up IBL images - which is not good since I use IBL on just about everything now!  I put up with it the way you put up with a naughty child - because I love Bryce!

 
Have you posted the problems you are a=havingover at the DAZ Bryce forum? Maybe there is someone there who can help you. Is your machine a 32bit or a 64bit?

Yeah,.........I've had alot of crashes but always the same stuff causing it. That is to say, once I get a couple of crashes from the same cause, I begin to do workarounds,.................one thing that I get crashes from is imported Poser figures when I try to make changes to the textures other than those applied in Poser(always crashes on saving). The workaround for this is, Not Changing the Textures in Bryce ! A royal pain in the butt,................however, managable once I deduce the cause,..............same with other crashes. Sort of like the old joke,.........Doctor, it hurts when I do this,.........then don't do that. Overall I like B6 though, crashes and all,...........I am fortunate enough to have a dual proccessor machine and the multi-threding with B6 is very good. It takes the CPU's to 100% and stays there until the render is done,...........very cool. I feel the skylab is better, renders are a tad faster, the HDRI utility is not bad either. Hopefully the 6.1 upgrade/patch will fix some of the more glaring problems though.

I wish you could save in B5 format from B6. I have scenes that are no problem for B5 but B6 chokes on them. But then I have limited RAM. That's probably my problem. Otherwise I love the improvements.

Hmmm, sounds like the very first Bryce for PC, it was always crashing also. It took months before they even offered a free upgrade that finally worked and needed to appease the public by sending out an extra content CD for free. 

It always infuriates me to know that they are ramming software out the door before being fully tested and at the public’s expense. They get to keep and hold your money and make more money on your money while they peddle around searching for the solutions they should have had before marketing the product, sort of like vaporware. 

Anyway, this is precisely the reason I haven’t bought into Bryce 6 (besides the fact that I don’t have the required OS installed), knowing full well that this was bound to happen. Many are content with this treatment and makeup excuses for the product for whatever silly reason but I would certainly be demanding satisfaction for my money. In my opinion, I would certainly inundate them with email showing my displeasure and start posting negative threads about the product…they never like that being as they’re losing perspective buyers but they should have done the right thing from the beginning and that justifies the negative actions. Nothing is for nothing.

As an after-thought, it now becomes clear why this place isn’t as vibrant as it should with rampant posts after the release of a long awaited and sought after piece of software. It becomes obvious that there is much disillusionment with the release of this product and people feeling dissatisfied are less inclined to be active.

I agree with Quest. DAZ should have offered B6 as a free 'preview' (read Beta) edtion, the same as Planetside released Terragen2.

First releases of new/upgraded software are nortoriously buggy, and what better way to iron out the bugs than by letting the VERY large base of Bryce users act as Beta testers.

Personally I don't mind  using software I know to have bugs, but I sure as hell won't pay for the privilege.

Just a thought.

PS: Anyone taking bets on how long a patch is rammed out the door?
And a patch to fix the buggy patch?
Or will it become "The long awaited patch" of well known myth and lore?

deadwarrior

A suggestion:  Make a comprehensive list of all common bugs and problems with Bryce 6..  Not a long review type of thing.. just a list with comments..

let everyone add their grievances in a concise, short and explicit manner ..  all in one thread...   then send a link to the Bryce people and let them sort it out....

it might help...   I personally like to read a numbered Item list of problems with Bryce 6...
We are the customer and like to hear from them...

I didn't mind the $6 price tag for B6, even though I have to deal with imperfect software (bugs) with it. Since I don't use Bryce for my career--except for one recent need--I'm not sweating too much, and this mostly is b/c I still use B5 for scene layout and all the hard stuff. I'm basically using B6 as the render engine.

Hopefully, though, as I grow better with Bryce and begin to have higher quality work--as I try to learn from the "Bryce masters" who post here--I know the pain other's feel with the bugs will become my pain too. I still wish DAZ would've released a more perfect product, yet for $6 I'm not going to complain too much. If Bryce cost as much as Vue, then I would complain a lot!!

I agree with Tom271 about making a list. I'm sure DAZ has a list of their own, but we might have a few things discovered that they aren't aware about. Plus it'll be nice to see what get fixed with 6.1 when compared to our list. I think it's a good idea.

I personally don't think that Bryce 6 was any more buggy than for example Poser when it was first issued. I think we all have to remember that there are so many different operating systems out there now and different setups that it is difficult to make sure that any software works well on all of them. 
The people who are working on the Bryce software don't read the forums they do read the bugtracker and that is where you need to put any problems for their attention. However, I would suggest first posting it in the DAZ Bryce forum because someone else may have the answer that you need. 
There is a free update being worked on now at the moment and I believe that that will be ready in the first quarter of 2007. 
Can I just add that I have seen more posts saying how pleased people are with Bryce 6 than I have about problems with Bryce 6? 
If you are having problems changing textures in Bryce are you importing through DAZ Studio and have you broken the link first?

Bea I don't have any major complaint about Bryce 6; what the heck - Bryce 5 crashed sometimes too.  I do like the new features; been having lots of fun with them.  When the crashes occurred I'd been messing around testing what I could do with IBL; only had 2 meshes, one fill-in light and 2 primitives in the scene, and no DAZ Studio link.  A screen popped up asking if I wanted to report the problem to DAZ; I said yes, and then was taken to a website that said it was unavailable at the time.  This happened several times and I did not feel a need to report in the DAZ forums 'cause I don't frequent that site - 'rosity is "home" to me.  I'm a loyal Bryce user since version 3D and am glad DAZ is keeping Bryce alive.  The $6 was indeed a bargain!  

BecSchm, I get that same "unavailable" message on that web site too. Like you, Renderosity is my home here too, not the DAZ forums. I get too busy in the day to be forum hopping, so I stick to a very few of them... actually just here.

If it's any help, I have not had any crashes messing about with IBL. For me that's been a well behaved feature.

DAZ have been working on their website and it could be that the link to the tracker wasn't working I know I couldn't get into it over the Christmas period - but I think it is now.  :) :)

I was going to buy Bryce 6, but found out it is only availably by download, and not on a CD that can be mailed. I won't do it. Been there, done that, too many times only to have the download fail, and no way to get a good backup copy.

The CD version should be out early this year :)

Well I finally took a chance and ordered it. Guess what, the download failed, multiple times. I guess I really go took on this one (again). I never learn. I did email them, but won't get an answer until next year. ;c)

You can also pay for a CD burn I think because I know they were aware of the problems for those people on dial up

I am not on dialup. I wish I could cancel the order.

There is a 30 day guarantee you can ask for your money back

Quote - There is a 30 day guarantee you can ask for your money back

I guess that is what I will have to do.

Quote - > Quote - There is a 30 day guarantee you can ask for your money back

I guess that is what I will have to do.

Before you go asking for your money back check to see why the download fails, there must be some reason for it and they maybe able to help you with it. 

I had the same problem when i was getting bryce 5.5 and this all happened after they update the site, check up with them first then if all else fails then go for the refund..

Reset your download and try again.