Just curious who is looking forward to getting Bryce 5 and if anyone is drooling or perhaps has stared at the preview pictures to long and their eyes are now dry? cheers

I have it ordered!

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12368&Form.ShowMessage=329812

Corel's press release doesn't sound too promising. Except for network rendering, there's no mention of speed improvements. Also no mention of import/export improvements. See the link: this "Brycer" says it's his first ever Vue render and he did it in 10-15 minutes. Sticking with Bryce 4 and getting Vue 4 is looking better and better. I'm still gonna wait and see, though.

Attached Link: http://www.macgaming.co.uk/bryce5.html

Rendering time has apparently been improved....theses statistics are without the network rendering from what I can guess...its from macworld..so only mac statistics.. G4 533/OS 9.1/385mb Ram Bryce 4.1 = 10:47 Bryce 5 = 9:31 (12% Faster) G4 533/OS X Final/ 385mb Ram Bryce 5 = 6:31 (40% faster) So I wouldn't cut Bryce out yet..the problem is the secretiveness (is that a word) of Corel..they should let some more information out..like e-on has. I put the link to that info in case people haven't seen it yet. I've thought of getting Vue4, I currently have Vue2 the free version from the many magazines it was available in. Its a versatile program..and I will eventually get it, but Bryce5 looks to offer a lot more useful feature upgrades then Vue4 does from Vue2, flare effect?? I don't need that, thats postwork! But not cutting Vue4 down, just saying metaballs for modeling, improved lighting effects I have seen and other things make Bryce the current want for me...but Vue4 is next on my list to buy:)

Bryce has been one of my favourite programs but I am really ambivalent about the B5 upgrade. It is too early to tell but in many respects B5 seems to be playing catch up with Vue. Vue of course has also moved on and the latest version seems to make it somewhat more Bryce-like in some respects. People claim that Vue already provided substantially faster rendering times than Bryce and ver 4 is supposed to be another 40% faster- makes it difficult to get excited about a mere 12% speed increase in Bryce 5. Metaballs have never struck me as a particularly versatile or precise method of 3D modeling so that doesn't excite me either. Unlike Vue, B5's vegetation seems to be limited to trees and, if so, again loses in comparison. Overall B5 appears to me to be an incremental upgrade providing little that has not already been available elsewhere. Yet Corel has still seen fit to increase the price by approx 25%. A competitive side-grade to Vue4 is only $10 more than a Bryce4 to Bryce5 upgrade so Corel is hardly doing its user base any favours. Until now I have preferred Bryce over Vue for its crisper renderings and its superiority in creating abstract imagery. But Vue 4 may well have addressed those issues. Overall, I have the vague feeling that Vue 4 and Bryce 4 may ultimately give me greater versatility than Bryce 5 alone. Further compounding my decision difficulties is that I can upgrade an old copy of RayDream 3D to Carrara Studio for only $150. That will give me Carrara, Amapi and a pile of accessory items. Certainly B4 plus Carrara Studio will give me a lot more potential (including metaballs) than the same money spend on the B5 upgrade instead. I may still upgrade to B5 but I think I'll wait to see some more imagery and opinions from users of both upgrades first. A major concern for me is that Corel is notorious for selling software that is complete garbage in its initial version release. Typically it takes about 6 months before their patches actually make the program usefully reliable. In the end I suppose it depends upon whether my love for Bryce is sufficient to overcome my complete contempt for Corel.

That I agree with...corel has problems...but I do so love Bryce!! With metaballs I am thinking more along the lines of particle like effects..flowing water, and lava....

I am used to Bryce 4, and will stick with Bryce 5. Hey, at some point ya gotta make a stand, unless of course going out and buying BOTH programs is no problem for you. But...even this desicion of mine might change. When Corel FINALLY comes out with detailed specs on Bryce 5, then we can all truly start to weigh the options. Also, I don't plan to make a purchase for another month, maybe two. so, if in those 2 months a demo comes out in some way for Vue and/or Bryce...that would truly be the tie splitter for me. Prediction : In the end there won't be a definitive "better" program between Bryce 5 and Vue 4. Each will have small pro's and con's so, it will probably come down to which one seems most tailored for yourself and your work. Hey Corel and E-On...15/30 day working demo's! AgentSmith

I did not intend to suggest that metaballs are completely useless. I suspect that the tree modeling and metaballs may be variations of the same thing within Bryce 5. Barring that, I expect that B5 metaball modeling will be of greatest benefit to those who inist upon creating imagery solely within Bryce. Strange how a feature within a program is acceptable but using the same feature externally is frowned upon...

Overall I agree with you, AgentSmith- particularly with your prediction. Yet I am unsure of your point regarding "making a stand". Circumstances change and it seems foolish to me to limit one's choices based upon past decisions. The only stand I take is to maximize the ratio of reward to expenditure. In other words, I want a maximum ROI (return on investment).

I agree on the ROI, guess that was kinda what I was trying to stab at with going with which ever program best suited me and my work. But, I might not make any desicions based uopn price. Although the difference is around $100.00 right now, if Bryce seems more what I need for my work and creativity, I will go with that...but I do have limits. What I meant by making a stand was since I believe that in the end there will most likely be equlal pro and con's between the two programs, I would as of right now choose Bryce. Even with $100.00 difference, Bryce's program sensability and interface just completely make perfect sense to me. Vue's is pretty much like every other 3D program and it impeeds upon the flow of my creativity. I feel I have to take out a big amount of time just learning to use the program, then I can be creative. With Bryce, I didn't even have to think, just create...as if I had designed where everything was in the first place. If I have to pay a $100.00 more to ensure my creative flow, then I will...but, I did mention limits. In the end...I will not be stubborn. If bottom line, Vue is the better program(and $100.00 cheaper), I will be learning a new interface, no doubt. But, no one can truly decide right now (except maybe beta-testers), just not enough info...yet. It's not what program you have, it's what you do with it. AgentSmith

Well, time is also an investment (grin). I too prefer the Bryce interface to Vue 3 though I suspect this is only because I am used to it. It was still a thing to be learned so is less than intuitive. Vue 4 apparently now uses a similar "trackball" for movement and entries that were formerly numeric only may now be interactively manipulated. In fact, many of the adjustments seem to be more interactive than in V3. These are some of the changes that make me think Vue is becoming more Bryce-like. The material editor is certainly less arcane than Bryce's and you can actually create your own material and other preset groupings, something which I am not sure has been finally incorporated in B5. I really am having a tough time deciding which way to go at the moment. Fortunately there is no need to rush.

I know first hand what to expect from Bryce 5, and Im definatly getting the new version when it goes retail. Ken

No, I'm not really shooting Bryce down and made clear that I have much preferred Bryce. My question is whether I will continue to prefer it though I think most of us recognize we don't really have enough info yet. From the few images I've seen posted Bryce seems to now offer renderings similar to Vue, as you have noted, but Vue seems to offer more Brycean renders too. Superb work has been done with both programs. In the end, I think it is good to have alternatives even if we may not avail ourselves of them.

Attached Link: http://www.the3dscene.com/

Dave, what is wrong with the reflections in this image...looks fine to me. Vue 3.1, no post work, blurred reflections set at 2% (if I remember rightly). http://homepage.ntlworld.com/martin.childs/maple_harmony.htm BTW. As you will notice, the Vue renders in my gallery are not grainy...they seem to be an artifact when people use a lot of JPEG compression in Vue renders. I have also noticed that people have mentioned here that the Bryce renderer is better becuase it is 100% raytrace, so is the Vue renderer I believe...although I feel that this is not always an advatage, as the best rendering engines can use different rendering techniques for different materials. I would rather have a hybrid renderer any day :) Hope you lads don't mind me butting in :) Cheers

Ditto with the hybrid renderer, Vue I think renders fine, it used to be very grainy, but its gotten a lot better, I have vue2 and even the images I creat in it come out "crisp";) I think I will end up getting both, but Bryce was my first 3D package...way back when dontcha know;) and hate to abandon a product I am so used too, got to expand the horizons though...use both:-D Still I think the demos, if and when they become available, will be the deciding factor.

I'm getting it primarilly for the net-render feature. I have 2 extra machines at home gathering dust & will set-up my own little render farm for Bryce.

Attached Link: http://www.gdiekert.de

It's too early to make a final decision from the information available. I will probably anyways end up upgrading both. Then I will upgrade my "Bryce vs. Vue d'Esprit" comparison on my website ;-) In this comparison I reviewed Bryce 3 and Vue 2 (because I think that the upgrades Bryce 4 and Vue 3 were not really big moves). I hope that there will be some more improvement in both programs. I just ordered the Vue 4 upgrade...

BTW: Does anyone know if Bryce 5 will support multiple processors in one machine?

It really is too soon to say. I certainly don't expect to upgrade immediately.

Attached Link: http://www.bryce5.net/gallerybrowsenew.asp

check this link out

As a Mac user My choice is clear. Bryce 5 Iththink the new render features of bRC5 will make this a worthwhile upgrade Mocap

Cheers offered: "...I have also noticed that people have mentioned here that the Bryce renderer is better because it is 100% raytrace, ..." Whether we call it crisp, soft, grainy or whatever there is definitely a difference between the looks of Bryce and Vue renders. It is not that I think Bryce is a better renderer. In fact, I would give the edge to Vue for landscape work. But I am personally interested in abstract and somewhat surrealistic looking scenes. For such things I find the Bryce look more effective. It isn't a matter of realism. Both programs are excellent but still require improvement for neither yet produces results that will consistently be mistaken for a photograph. Mind you, when I want a photograph I use a camera so this is not a point that concerns me. I also believe that Vue is a 100% raytracer. However, it does use various forms of optimization and this likely affects the visual render result as well as speed. I do like the way that Bryce handles reflections but that is again a preference. In fact, Bryce does not do reflections the way they are done in the real world. These comparisons remind me of an old folk tale. It involved a contest wherein participants attempted to sound like a pig. A challenger to the local champion is booed offstage for his poor imitation- whereupon he immediately produces a piglet from underneath his jacket.

Gabi, I would not swear to it but I believe that I read somewhere that B5 does not support multiple processors within the same machine. I think the network rendering is as close as it gets for the moment. If this is important to you it would probably be best to wait for the program's release before deciding to upgrade. I have no idea what is truth and what is rumour in this regard.

Thanks, jval. This is difficult to understand for me. To my knowledge, Vue d'Esprit 4 supports multiple processors...

Gabi Bryce 5 is single threaded & dosn't take advantage of dual processors. However, it may be possible that the render client could, we'll have to wait 'til it's out and experiment with it.

"This is difficult to understand for me. To my knowledge, Vue d'Esprit 4 supports multiple processors..." No software publisher can be all things to all people. If they tried then programs would never be released and we would be truly out of luck

For the money they want for Bryce 5, you could spend a tiny bit more and get Carrara 1.1 Studio and Amapi v5. I have Bryce 4.1, and am a longtime Raydream/Carrara user. One of my friends has Bryce 4 and is buying the Carrara/Amapi package from eovia. The upgrade price for Bryce seems a bit steep($159.00???) I only paid $179 for Bryce 4 to begin with. For most current Bryce 4 users I think they could spend their money on something else that would add to Bryce. Hell eovia is only charging $149 to upgrade from Raydream studio to Carrara Studio, with Amapi. By the way is anyone is interested, you can download Amapi v4.15 for free right now at http://www.insidecg.com/downloads.php it's a useful tool for any 3D head, and a great file translation program, and useful for creation of objects for your Bryce scenes. If Corel lowered the upgrade price I would buy Bryce 5 in a second, but at a $159 upgrade price their not doing us a big favor, LOWER THE UPGRADE PRICE COREL! $159 IS TOO MUCH$$$$$$

Attached Link: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Products/vue4/MacOSX.jpg

For all you OSX users. Oooo! Look at the interface Vue4 OSX will have. By the way, I agree kaom...I'd pop for Vue4 before I'd shell out another $159 for Bryce.

jval, I just wanted to express my feelings that I don't understand Corel's policy here. I guess that the chance to have a dual processor system is better than to have two computers (actually: I have three computers) AND THE SPACE FOR SETTING UP MORE THAN ONE COMPUTER! (Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you, I just wanted to point out that using more than one computer is not only the question if you have several computers, but if you can set them up at your home!). Greetings from Germany! ;-) Gabi

Hi Gabi. Yes, I realize what you meant. My point was that although I am sure Corel would have liked to offer multiprocessor rendering it may not have been one of their top priorities and development time is limited. Maybe it was easier and quicker to offer network rendering and this was considered the next best alternative, something to keep the natives happy temporarily- who knows? You have no idea how appropriate I find your comment about "...THE SPACE FOR SETTING UP MORE THAN ONE COMPUTER!" I live on a small sailboat so physical space is definitely a luxury (LOL)! As it happens, my wife and I have two networked notebooks so maybe the network rendering will be useful to me.

With network rendering an oprtion for Bryce 5, what is the possibility of some savy person writing some code that would alow for a renderosity renderfarm/network between users that activates when the computer is not in use? Just a thought!

I have been a bryce user since version 2 I think with patience bryce 5 Still renders will be similar to Lightwaves output Mocap

I don't care what anybody thinks about Bryce 5......I have been using Bryce 3 and now Bryce 4 and I intend to upgrade to Bryce 5. I think it is a great prog. And if all you are looking for is faster render times then you need to excersise some patience. The end product is what you are after....."the best things come to those who wait."

I'll upgrade to Bryce 5. Sure, why not? THe renders from Bryce never dissapoint even if they are a bit slow. Also, the Tree genrator is a nice addition (but where's the GRASS!?! I need GRASS!) and the fact that there are metaballs included in B5 is just an added bonus. You can create your own alien type lifeforms or plantlife with those. Perhaps it's not the "Be all and End all" but it's still a fine program. Now if they could just include support for Poser files directly (anims and all).

I have a couple of questions- "Meatballs"- does that refer to molecular modeling? "Bounces light around"- does that refer to photon mapping? In the user interface shown above (which I assume is Bryce5), is this the whole of the render options, or are there more? (For instance, in anti-aliasing- what are 'super' and 'premium' suposed to mean? Do they use adaptive/ non-adaptive supersampling? Jitter?) Thanks!

Thanks Dave, I'm glad you enjoyed your stay :) You did not sound mean at all, I get a bit over protective sometimes ;) Thanks again, Cheers

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I will get Bryce 5. Metaballs are no big deal. I use Truespace 5.1 now for modeling, I can import the stuff into Bryce. The network rendering could be cool if it is cross platform. A tree generator is a good thing.

Heh...I'm not burying my copy of Tree Druid just yet. Seeing is believing.

!