I am contmplating between these two software packages. Can any one help with their experiences and opinions. Thanks, Chris

I don't know about Vue but I just got Bryce 5 and it is quite nice. It renders much better than 4 and I love the tree creator.

Hmm, the only main difference that I can decern between B5 and V4 is that Vue renders much faster, with the same quality as Bryce 5, and that it's majorly stable over B5. But as for the B5 treelab and network render. The only plus I can see for B5 is the network renderer, gosh I wish Vue 4 would have that, as well as true support for Multi-processors. Mind you, this is the PC version of B5, not the Mac version. I heard that the mac version is much more stable, and it is not a memory hog like the PC version is.. ~shrugs~ The only other major difference that I see is the Interfaces. Bryce's interface seems like it was created with children in mind. V4, appears to be geared towards professionals. However, I do like my B5 for it's ease of use. Vue D'Esprit 4 = Around $180 (full) Bryce 5 = Around $300 (full) B5 has the feel that it is still in Beta (ie, still lots of bugs in it), Vue 4 almost has the same feel as well. So no difference there. If your looking to save money, and fast rendering time with no affect on quality, go for Vue :) If your looking for a low learning curve and have either 1> tons of high end computers (over 1ghz) for network rendering (saves lots of time), or 2> a few days for render time on a single computer (500 mhz to 1ghz), Go for Bryce 5 :)

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

I am just testing both programs for a comparative review on my website (I have a comparative review of Bryce 3D/4 vs. Vue 2/3 on my site already, and an update for the new versions is planned for the next few weeks). My first impressions: Bryce 5 is by far more instable (on an intel PC) than Bryce 3D/4 was (which was stable as a rock). Vue 4 is much more stable than Vue 3 was, even though it still has quite a few bugs. The vegetation system in Bryce allows more control over the tree creation than the one in Vue 4. Vue 4 is faster in renders than Bryce 5, and unfortunately Bryce 5 does not support multiprocessor rendering, which is supported by Vue 4. (Network rendering doesn't help me, since I don't have the space to set up more than one computer; I read, however, that the network rendering option in Bryce 5 can be tweaked to be usable for multiprocessor rendering). Renders are very good and high quality for both programs, and in contrast to earlier versions, Vue 4 has a very realistic looking sky now (including lens flares as an option). Vue also supports faked caustics, blurred transparencies and reflections, depth of field etc., so in this respect, there is not much difference between both programs. It should, however, be mentioned that Vue renders, especially of vegetations, can look somewhat grainy (see for example the "pictures of the day" on e-on software's homepage). To summarize, IMHO the value for money is better for Vue 4 than for Bryce 5, but both programs are equally good with a few drawbacks. ~Gabi

hmmm....i want to buy bryce5....i am torn between just buying the upgrade....or getting the full package and running both....i see by others posts that br5 is a wee bit unstable ,and i am sure that for some of my renders...bryce4 should suffice...any help on this?...i would apreciate the help...

If you need trees, you should consider to either upgrade or use Vue. It should be mentioned here that there are tree models downloadable from the internet as well as tree models that you can buy on CDs. Besides the plant system, I don't think that an upgrade of Bryce 4 to 5 is really worth the money (for me it was Bryce 3D to 5, that makes more sense). For making tree (and other) models, you might also consider to buy the "Lite" version of XFrog (www.greenworks.de). Just my two cents... Gabi

There are good improvements in Bryce 5 over Bryce 4. Bryce 5 does not install over Bryce 4 so you can have both on your harddrive. I found no use other then to port my presets and plugins over to 5 so I have deleted it without problem. The instablity is a comparable thing. Bryce 5 is much more stable then most 3d applications it is less stable then 4, but 4 was considered a rock by many people more then just myself. Bryce 5 has options that help with render quality, It renders closer to highend quality applications now then it does to vue which renders with much less accuracy and very poor anti alias. Also remember that Vue uses shadow maps to make shadows so the shadows in Vue will by nature be less accurate. Things like radiosity and image based lighting are pretty easy to fake in Bryce but impossible to do with Vue. The best thing to do is to download the demos and see for yourself. One thing I have learned this last year of 3d is. Don't believe what you read, many reviews are poorly written or written by people without enough experiance to give a program a proper work out. If you are a person that pushes Bryce (any version) Bryce 5 is for you. If you are a person that finds Bryce hard and rarely goes beyond the defaults the perhaps Vue is for you. Either way downloading the demo's is the only way to know. Griggs

With respect to Griggs' comment about the inability of Vue to fake radiosity I want to redirect you to the following threads: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12368&Form.ShowMessage=399391 and http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12368&Form.ShowMessage=397188 It is described there how to fake radiosity in Vue. In my updated review you will find some more detail on the comparison between Bryce and Vue showing close-up renders of trees. Very interesting! There are some evil bugs in Bryce 5, which should be fixed soon. Else, usually the Bryce renders look indeed better than the Vue renders (as I mentioned before), but they also take more time. Gabi

Thank you to everyone for their advice and for sharing your experiences. They have been very helpful. I have downloaded the demos and will now play around with them. Thanks again, Chris

Thats always the best way to find out what is best for you Chrisdmd. Soon I will download the Vue demo myself. Enjoy will be looking forward to seeing your post Thanks for the links Gabi. I see a problem that the lights don't use shadows which I think hurts the radiosity look. It looks more like an ambient setting then radiosity. It would be easier to accomplish if Vue could work with more then a few lights that have shadows. This image was done with 1 light in Bryce 5 and shows the ability to push the envelope further and easier I think. There is no postwork in this image at all, and is another attempt by me for a true radiosity image from Bryce. . Griggs

I surrender ;-) I always knew that the Bryce renderer is better than the Vue renderer (this was already stated in my review). Even though the Vue 4 renderer is better than the renderer of Vue 3, it is still far away from being perfect. Gabi

I think Bryce's renderer has a ways to go too. Though I think it made a huge step in the right direction it is time for them to address the speed issue. I do think Vue does a wonderful job with its new volumetric atmospheres they seem so alive, which is one of the reasons I want to download the demo. Griggs

wow thanks for your help...and yeah...im one of those guys thast likes to push bryce really hard....lookin forward to br5!!!..and render time really isnt an issue for me...if its going to be a long one...i just save it...then begin the render when i go to work in the morning...

I had the same question before, and finally decided to go with Bryce. Bryce5 is very nice. I am happy with the decision.