While I was walking today, I was thinking about what it would be like in the future, and a vision of a Military SF came into my head.  Though I use D|S, I noticed that some of the models I wanted to work with came with Bryce only.

What is Bryce like?

Bryce is a wonderful program..sooo easy to use and yet so much to learn but soooo much fun learning it.  Get it...you will never be sorry!         :thumbupboth:

Annie,

It's just so wierd.  Fellow student suggested that I get Maya.  Can't afford Maya right now.  I'm looking at Bryce, and my fellow Student doesn't like it.  What is Bryce's reputation?

EltonJ
Sometimes we get used to the programs we use and we want everyone to use them and like them as much as we do.  I know there are probably lots of people who don't like Bryce..I just don't fully understand why.  
Bryce  has a very good reputation for being user friendly and it is one of those programs that yu can start creating with as soon as you open it..you can make great scenes while you are learning it. And, you never get bored with it.   Bryce has a great reputation among Bryce users..because they take the time to give it a chance.  Also the Bryce users here at the forums freely give help and tips to those who ask.
Maybe the reason why your friend doesn't like it is because he likes Maya and doesn't want to take the time to learn Bryce?
Also...sometimes if a program doesn't cost a lot..some people think it isn't any good...like when Poser users kinda look down on Daz Studio users...yet at the same time...they use all of the Daz models in their artwork...  I know I'm gonna get in trouble for that one

So it really isn't weird that your friend wants you to use Maya...but you do need to make up your own mind.
I believe you can get Bryce version 5.5 free now at download.com.  The newest version is 6.1 and if you like it well enough..it doesn't cost much to upgrade.

Here is a link to get Bryce 5.5 free at download.com

Bryce

Quote - Annie,

It's just so wierd.  Fellow student suggested that I get Maya.  Can't afford Maya right now.  I'm looking at Bryce, and my fellow Student doesn't like it.  What is Bryce's reputation?

Yeah Maya is fab.... if you have a few years to learn it, but Bryce has a more gentle learning curve, and you'll be rendering scenes of quality that may take a lot longer with Maya.
Just because Bryce is a lot simpler though and a lot of 'Maya', '3DS' people shun it as a toy, it really is quite powerful and can do a lot more than some think.
Download the free version, 5.5, from download.com like Annie suggests and try it out.... I don't think you'll be disapointed.
Take a look at my latest scene to show what Bryce can do. http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1640270

Bryce and maya are two entirely different applications.

Bryce is cheap, easy to use, but limited in its abilities. The renderer is nice, yet slow.
Modelling in bryce is mostly boolean, you shouldnt expect to do much of organic modelling in it.
For animation, it is possible to use bryce, but no doubt maya has a gazillion more options available for this.

--
Ray

Bryce is a small investment that will pay you back fast in terms of satisfaction - especially the free 5.5. Remember you can always get Maya later if you still want.
What do you want to do with it is the question - animation? still image scenes? organic/non-organic modelling. If you are looking for something on which to base a career, Maya, 3DSMax, C4D or XSI  may be a better choice. If you are looking for somewhere to get started and have fun doing so, bryce is a good place.

Well it's nice to see so many come out of the woodwork and support Bryce in words!

Bryce is simply the most underrated 3D app on the planet. People will and do look down on Bryce but it is capable of so much more than the landscaping it was designed for. Take a look around the Bryce Gallery to see what I mean. You CAN model almost anything in Bryce but there are several other small apps that folks** have found can fill in the blanks where Bryce doesn't quite do it for them.

This forum is arguably the most helpful in the whole of Renderosity and no question is deemed to stupid to answer.

And as has been mentioned - Bryce is free atm - what's the worst that can happen?

(** These folks are called Heretics and are doomed to damnation)

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=61868&

You'll probably have to upgrade to Bryce 6. It has some features that B5 doesn't. But you won't regret it.

That model that you linked to would probably work in the free Bryce 5.5. Someone will probably correct me if I'm wrong but it is in .obp format and should load into 5.5.

I haven't yet come across an .obp that won't load into B5.5.  Since I regularly keep the same presets in my B5.5 as I do in my B6... you never know when you might need to do a comparison.

I just downloaded a swimming pool made in bryce 6 and saved as a bryce 6 preset - I copied the .obp file into the bryce5.5 objects preset folder and went to the create menu in Bryce 5.5 and clicked on the swimming pool, and it loaded just fine.

I think you'll find the same applies to any bryce 6 .obp.

You will however find that the lighting in Bryce5.5 isn't quite as quick to get looking right as it is in Bryce6 with its IBL (Image Based Lighting) abilities, and of course you can export more objects from B6 than B5.5.

Try B5.5 to see if you like it, if you do, you can always upgrade to B6.

If you download Bryce 5.5 and register it with Daz...you can upgrade to 6.1 pretty cheap.  boxed version for $34 and change..and download version for $27 and change..here is the link:

Bryce software

not to mention, the 5.5 version has a Daz Studio button that you can use to pull in figures, texture them, then pop them into Bryce. Whadday got to lose?

Don't forget to pick up your Bryce 5 Presets after you download Bryce 5.5.
Look for it about half way down the page just under the Bryce 5.5 Download link: HERE

Bryce is like Go.  Easy to learn, takes a lifetime to master.

***Bryce is like Go.  Easy to learn, takes a lifetime to master.

***Yes but sooo much fun while you are doing it...never boring!

I never found Go to be boring though.  So many strategies.

lol....I was talking about Bryce..I really don't know what Go is....a game maybe?  Sorry...  :D

yes, a very old japanese game. lots of challenge.

 Bryce 6 is a very capable modeler, especially now that you can export bolean models into several different formats such as .obj and .3ds. I have been using Bryce since #4 and I can truly say that I am thoroughly addicted.

The good: Raytrace engine is still decent, even if dated a bit. GUI environment is pretty great and mostly newb-friendly. (Kai has a reputation for that kind of stuff.) Imports a good variety of formats. Has nice library of starter objects and materials. Some neat things can be done with booleans, terrains, or metaballs.

The bad: Animation tools are very limited. Doesn't do mesh modeling (but you can overcome this with another app such as Hexagon, Silo, or Wings3D and use of importing.) No built in morphs or deformers, although latest version has some plug-in interactivity with Daz Studio.

The ugly: If you do anything fancy, large scale, or involving animation - be prepared to wait a long long time for renders to complete. That's really the only thing that hurts it on a "professional" basis. (Some pros still use it for stills and special things, but they usually stay quiet to avoid scrutiny.) It can be killer on deadlines.

Other suggested alternatives near the price range:
Blender: if you can figure out the interface, consider yourself lucky. It's capable of great renders once past that hurdle.
Carrara: Good parrallel to Bryce, has much better animation feature set, render engine can be adjusted more and made faster.
Kerkythea: Seems to be a good free render engine (results look pretty 'nuf), although I'm not too familiar myself.
Anim8or: Works for some folks, mostly for animation, render engine is weaker than Bryce.