Very many congratulations to the winners!
Grafikeer, would be good enough to lead us into the new year with your challenge please!

Wow...what a way to bring in the New Year!First of all,a big congrats to Kanzler and Thandaluz ...both of you posted amazing images,and are a constant inspiration!Secondly,congrats to all the other entrants who rose to the challenge and entered a great range of images and concepts...very well done!This was a great challenge(thanks Nazul),I only wish more would have entered.I've had this idea on the burner for a while,so here goes...

                        The Four Elements
 Using  any version of Bryce,create an image portraying any or all of the four elements...Earth,Air,Fire and Water.The image can be in any style you wish...an abstract depicting the swirling motion of wind,a scifi scene of a planetary landscape dotted with fiery lava fields,a realistic scene with rain clouds over a windswept lake...the sky's the limit,as long as the main emphasis is on the elements!
 Now the rules...
 

1. The primary emphasis is on using Bryce and it's many features.Imports are allowed,but they must not be the main focus of the scene.If your scene involves,for instance,buildings or props try to create as much as possible using Bryce.

2.Postwork is allowed,but it must not be the main part of the image.Colour and contrast correction,touch-ups and signature,or effects that would otherwise eat up processing time are okay...but no overworking with filters etc.

3.As an extra challenge for those who wish to take it on...try customizing some area of Bryce in creating your image...change the sky or cloud colours,combine textures for your terrains,or use one area of Bryce to texture another(use a terrain texture to texture a tree trunk for example).If you do customize something,state in your description what it was and what you did to achieve it...that way we all learn something new as well as have fun!

Well,what do you think...are you up to the challenge?

 Good one man...I might even have the computer time to render something for this one...should be a fun comp.. ...

Congratulations to the winners...!!
The new challenge looks very interesting..can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.     :m_bouncy:

Thank you very much for voting!!!
Wish you all the best for the new year 2009!

Sounds like an excellent challenge. I'll set up the pages as soon as I have time.

Congratulations and your idea is excellent.

Congrats grafikeer! a fine scene and well deserved.

It seems there were many that decided not to vote and only 8 entries, There should be more support by the forum users here for the challenge. The last challenge was no more difficult than any other challenge, and ok, it was the christmas period and I realise some people start celebrating that in november.

 I really need to mention that there's a lot of folks like me that just aren't interested in Bryce only challenges - this will be the third one since July '08.

The more "open" the challenge, the more support it gets....

Dan, I beg to differ. We have had many challenges where the support and number of entries was phenomenal.

I just hope I don't get to the stage where I am the only one that enters... but still comes last LOL!

I think the challenge is great...but there are some of them i'm not really "into" because the subject doesn't interest me... I am still learning so, I always pay attention to what everyone else is doing and trying to see how they did it.
But, in this case, I think it was simply the holidays that took precedence....  :biggrin:

Quote - I just hope I don't get to the stage where I am the only one that enters... but still comes last LOL!

If that happens dhama..of course you will come in last...lol
First and  last.

congrats to all! :)

oh and.. was gonna say.. the best way to make up your own challenge rules: win it :)

Congrats to all. I thought the entries were excellent.

Due to the Holidays I was both unable to create an entry and unable to vote.

The Elements sounds like a fantastic challenge! (Maybe I'll get in on this one)

Quote - I think the challenge is great...but there are some of them i'm not really "into" because the subject doesn't interest me... :

 
But this is exactly why it is a challenge. SciFi has never been my forte, but I still took part.

if i win this time, i hereby announce that the next challenge shall be.. boobs!

that is all

m

Here's my entry then.......

WINNER HANDS DOWN!

no, really, hands down, they're mine!!! :D

For those who need a tutorial on how it was done.... use your imagination.

They're fake, I just know it. They don't have the right amount of sag, lol.

Quote - > Quote - I think the challenge is great...but there are some of them i'm not really "into" because the subject doesn't interest me... :

 
But this is exactly why it is a challenge. SciFi has never been my forte, but I still took part.

 
Sorry.....but that isn't why its a challenge to me.

btw...your wip is looking good.

Ang, you just wish yours were like this. :lol:

Sounds like a good challenge to me, and a "big-up yourself" to  grafikeer, nice one!

congrats winners just got home late last night . New challenge sounds interesting.

LOL I didn't notice I was on my daughters account of mindy6886 when I posted above I am now on my account.

Well I have to say that I did have fun entering this contest!  It was quite a challenge for me to be able to create enough in Bryce to come up with a decent entry.

As for there only being 8 entrants - hey that's better than nothin'

Personally I believe that there will always be an interest in Bryce and the contests

And lastly - I have to say that I love the topic of the next challenge - sounds like something I can handle! - can't wait to get started!

Congratulations to the winners.

I was out for holidays and can' t vote (sorry).

Personally I’m in full agreement with Dan. I’ve used Bryce since its inception into the PC pool and had an interest in it before its debut in Windows when it was solely a Mac operation. Cutting to the chase, being inexpensive it is lacking in many obvious and necessary ways. The one thing that attracts me about Bryce is primarily its simplicity and forte in terrain generation and secondly its ability to import from other programs in various ways (3D and 2D) to help make it more robust. This is what makes Bryce great to work with. Merely having these capabilities allows the user to import whatever they want and in whatever quantity they desire to help them achieve the results they are after in their finished artistic endeavors. Curtailing, limiting or in any way restricting this ability not only sets limits on the program (Bryce) but also limits, chokes off and oppresses the artistic aspirations of the artist. Many people, myself included, feel disenfranchised when not allowed to use the full functionality of the program often solely for the satisfaction of some misguided sometimes masochistic purist egotism.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes, once in a while, it is a good thing and worthwhile to push the envelope and stretch the program to its self-contained outermost limitations but not everyone can go there. And those that can’t are left out. I feel certain that this Bryce forum is not an elitist forum…or am I wrong?

“.. the best way to make up your own challenge rules: win it”

We know this is a challenge but it is suppose to be a challenge for all not just the few that have come to master the program.

Some great entries from the participants in this challenge. Congratulations to the winners.

Sooo, when the deadline and also the page for uploading the answer to the challenge, eh?

I'm on it. Be gentle with me. It's my first time.

Oh yeah, the new kid from Mars... Okay, I'll be patient...
Can we do more than one for this challenge... I like the combo fire & water, fire & air, fire & earth, etc. You never know.

 Quest...when I set up the perameters for the next challenge I was trying to make it more accessable to all by keeping the style and image open to all forms...abstract,realism,fantasy,scifi etc.There is nothing saying you can't use other programs as part of your creative process,or that importing is not allowed(which includes Poser figures and other models).All I was trying to get across was that they shouldn't form the whole basis of the image...that Bryce should be used to it's full capacity as the main component,and that the point of the challenge was to explore the skylab,terrain editor,material lab and other areas and create something new.I didn't think that was catering to only those that have "mastered the program"...in fact,I think there are many areas that have much more to offer!By thinking outside the box and exploring,who knows what Bryce can still do!

Grafikeer…first off let me say that I’m an admirer of your work. You are a wonderful and prolific artist and my hat’s off to you in all due respect. As for being the winner of this last challenge I offer my sincere congratulations. Please note that I’m in no way inferring that your parameter rules need changing. As the challenge winner you have every right to set the parameters for the next challenge without question, those are the rules. My post was not directed solely at you and should not in the least be taken as a personal affront. And if you felt this was the case then I offer my apologies. I made a broad statement and the post was meant for all, especially for future challenge winners to keep in mind. Like Dan, I feel more fish will come to nibble in the pond when the corn bread is spread around.

“…I didn't think that was catering to only those that have "mastered the program"...in fact, I think there are many areas that have much more to offer! By thinking outside the box and exploring, who knows what Bryce can still do!”

I agree with you, my comment; “We know this is a challenge but it is suppose to be a challenge for all not just the few that have come to master the program.” was a nudge response countering Draculaz’ seemingly benign statement; “…the best way to make up your own challenge rules: win it :)”

Dan Whiteside mentioned that there are a lot of folks that are not interested in “Bryce only” challenges and I’m in agreement with him. He also mentioned that this would be the third one since July of ’08. I haven’t been keeping count but July was barely six months ago and if this is true then half of the challenges fall into that category. At least two of the parameters you set certainly seem to bear this out;

A) “…Imports are allowed, but they must not be the main focus of the scene.”

B) “…no overworking with filters etc.”

These are restrictions, seemingly unobtrusive but restrictions nonetheless. My contentions with restrictions were already explained in my prior post. Although, to be fair, you might find me more in accordance with your second restriction for obvious reasons but on the other hand I certainly understand that many effects are difficult or just not possible to construe using Bryce only.

I fully concur with your third parameter and further appreciate the mixed genre aspect of the challenge.

Not to belabor this half beaten dead horse any further I’ll leave this here.

Happy Brycing to everyone.

Quest...no offence was taken,nor did I feel you were inferring a change in the parameters,and I certainly didn't feel you were singling me out.I was surprised at the response,having felt that the rules were much broader than previous.If this was a true "Bryce only" challenge there would be no importing,photoshopping or other elements allowed...I don't think this falls into that category at all,am I wrong?Not having been involved in many challenges,I'm not sure how past challenges have gone,nor what was allowed in them,but for the most part they've all been predominately Bryce derived.
This whole debate keeps rearing it's ugly head each time a challenge is set,and it seems many are against working within the Bryce program only.I concede it has it's limits,and that having dabbled in Vue it doesn't compare to it and other programs.But this is a Bryce forum,and a Bryce challenge.Why not accept the limitations,work within the guidelines set,and create the best image that this program can create.I in no way consider myself a Bryce purist,in fact I like to push that area by using external textures and models.I do,however,enjoy just using Bryce as is and seeing what I can create.That is the point of the challenge,as far as I'm concerned...and why I enter.If we are going to continue to complain about the 'purist element" of the challenges,then I,for one,have lost all interest in entering.
 These views are not directed at any one particular person,they are just my take on this whole issue.I just want to create an image I'm proud of,plain and simple!

It gets tiring seeing these debates about Pure Bryce(Restricted) vs Unrestricted Bryce.  Almost feel like calling it quits.

But instead I offer the following Idea/Solution.

First of all this is the Bryce Forum if you want a challenge that allows for everything including mixed medium why not try "The Challenge Arena Forum" You can Use Bryce and Whatever else you want, because it is a Free For All.

Having said that... than Why not the following solution.

Why not have TWO Separate Challenges.  I know it will be more work for the new Kid from "Mars" but hopefully it will settle this debate once and for all.

Lets have a Bryce Challenge with Restrictions and a Bryce Challenge that allows for uses of Photoshop/Filters and anything else the person wants to do with the Image.  However even the Unrestricted Bryce Challenge needs to have some sort of rules.  Maybe at least 50% of the image has to be created in Bryce or something, we need to draw the line somewhere otherwise we get into another debate which we have seen before which is Bryce simply being used as a render engine.

This is a Bryce Forum After all. 

If the above solution does not make sense or is too much work than every time this debate comes up, I would just post a reminder link to the  Challenge Arena

On the subject of imports or no imports, it has been suggested that we have a survey to see just what the consensus is. I'll try to get this up as soon as is reasonable.

However, the following comes to mind: What about the Newbies or those unskilled at creating Bryce content? If imports are not allowed how many would-be Brycers would be left out in the cold?

No doubt this argument will run and run, but I do think that the possibility of having seperate Newbie and Expert challenges has legs, although there's no way we could have these every month.

Analog-X64 does have a valid point on the percentage of import content vs. Bryce content,which is what I was trying to express in the guidelines for the new challenge.I don't feel we should ban imports all together,be they models,textures,effects etc.I think we just need to set a guideline for the amount used in a Bryce scene in order to say it is a Bryce image,or just accept Bryce as the render engine used and judge the image on it's artistic merits only.This is going to be a tough call,but I would comply to whatever rules are stated.