In my opinion Bryce and Hexagon are dead! I remember when Bryce 7.5 came out there was a post from DAZ telling of all the great things that were planned for Bryce 8 and Hexagon 3 that were just around the corner; then the economy tanked, and new management took over, nothing more has ever been said on the subject. That was over seven years ago. Hexagon and other software are created by dreamers who put their heart and soul into to their dreams. When the dreamer’s gone so is the dream. Those who are left don’t care about the dream; they only care about the bottom line. Don’t me get wrong; love of a dream will not pay the bills. If Bryce and Hexagon were up to date and running well, they should sell for over $300 a copy (which is what I paid for my first copy of Bryce over a decade ago). I just don’t think there are enough people willing to pay that much.

All that said, back over 15 years ago when I first got into Poser, Poser was badly in need of an update, which it hadn’t happened in years. The Poser community stepped up and found work-a-rounds for the bugs and ways to use bugs to make Poser do thing that weren’t originally in Poser. They learned how to hack Poser to create new tools. I don’t see that happening anymore, to many people sit around and lament that DAZ has left their favorite software twisting in the wind. I say screw DAZ we don’t need them. It’s time for the community to step up; Bryce and Hexagon are not going to be updated and they’re not going to be open sourced, so it up to us to find work-a-round for bug fixes and ways to hack these programs. I know there are people out there that can do this. If you care about Bryce or Hexagon you need to stop complaining about DAZ not updating your software and do SOMETHING, if not then Bryce and Hexagon are likely to fade away.

One last thing; there’s always a monthly challenge, so this is my challenge to the community. Come up with a product that can be sold in the DAZ marketplace. If we can come with enough people with products in their marketplace then we can go to DAZ and tell them “If you don’t update our software we will pull our products from your store in mass, and you will receive no new products from us.” This may or may not work, but it will hit them where they live; their bottom-line.

The last Bryce update was 7.1.

Horo and David Brinnen are still releasing products for Bryce at DAZ3D.. 

My copy still works. Most people (including me) have moved on. I would like to see further developments, but it seems less likely every day. Bryce isn't dead as long as there are users.

John

I am using Bryce, starting with the third version by MetaCreations in 1998. I tested all versions of Bryce and I know the whole undercover intrigue with programmers to version 7 and 7.1. I create a full-length animated movies and I use Bryce for animations. The program contains not comfortable unit to create an animation. The program has no improvements at creating realistic movements. The new DAZ leadership is not aims to the development of programs, except the DAZ Studio. But DAZ Studio is behind Poser to work with animation. Earlier a DAZ leadership trying to buy all the programs by MetaCreations. But they have bought Bryce and Carrara only. They could not buy Poser and so they started to improve DAZ Studio. Today we have Bryce, who has lagged behind in development for 10 years. The program VUE ahead in development Bryce for many years. And it's very sad.

Michel Agullo started with Amapi,One of his first creations, inspired by Pierre Bretagnolle's Amapi-phant:

Putting this on T-shirts is still a good idea.

of course, after so many washes, it can fade.

But elephants, much like Master Chief and the other 116 of them, they never die, they just go missing in action.

Michel later  went on to Hexagon, and stayed with it: Hexagon for modeling, Modo for rendering. Even though Modo is a great modeler too, he keeps using Hexagon. Once you use a tool to its fullest extent, it's not about the tool, it's about the artist.See? the elephant has survived:

The tool never dies. I still use Amapi.

Here in San Diego, Hexagon is not gone - it is alive and very yummy. http://hexagonerestaurant.com

Sorry, had to add this joke. The Papillotte de Saumon was just too delicious.

I think the market will decide if it hits DAZ3D in their pockets or not, when merchants threaten to pull products.  I used Bryce Pro 7.x ( wow, was it 5 already) and until recently, Hexagon 2.5 - which does not launch in my 64-bit system Windows 8.1.

I think the market will decide if it hits DAZ3D in their pockets or not, when merchants threaten to pull products.  I used Bryce Pro 7.x ( wow, was it 5 already) and until recently, Hexagon 2.5 - which does not launch in my 64-bit system Windows 8.1.

Hex 2.5 won't launch on Windows 8.1?  hm... I'll have to check on mine and see. Got more details about your config or errors seen?

I've been using Bryce since I purchased 3D at full retail back around 1997 (I've still got the box). I'd imagine I'll keep using it regardless of what DAZ or anyone else does, far into the future. It's a tool that I simply enjoy using. ;-)

Looked on Renderosity shop the other day and couldn't find even a mention of Bryce. Now my link to the Bryce Gallery isn't working either. I think they just pulled the plug on Bryce and didn't bother telling anybody :S

Bryce gallery works for me https://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/?section_id=2

IMO Daz could care less about software. I brokered for them before they bought out Bryce 5 from Coral. As soon as they got Bryce they did a 5.5 update that basically put their name on the software. I immediately started brokering content for Bryce. There is not a lot of content too be made for Bryce (Skies, Materials, Terrains, Trees, other objects. ) The two guys who still broker Bryce product, are great and talented, ( they recently pointed me to the 7.1 upgrade at Daz ) But if I recall correctly, they are starting to Broker tutorial for Bryce. Which tells me, as talented as those guys are, there is only so much content people will buy for Bryce.

IMO what would save Bryce is for Daz or a competitor to do an upgrade that puts a plug-in or pathway into 3D gaming engines. So Bryce content, materials, animation, etc....can be easily broght into 3D gaming engines. That is where the big$$$$$ is in the industry now. I say Daz could careless about software, because these are some of the programs I have bought from them, that I can no longer download....Injection Magic, INJection Pose Builder 1.5, UTC Michael 3 Plugin, Universal Texture Convertor, The Tailor 1.5, Deep Paint 3D, Texture Weapons, ZBrush 2, Mega Software Bundle, Hexagon 2.5, & then some. There's only one item I out right sold too Daz that's still in the marketplace. ( The only one I made compatible with Daz Studio ) I refused to make anymore cause the software stinks IMO. {Poser Rocks} :)

Anyway that's my 2 cents of mindlessness.

Well it seems that everytime that I come here I continue to read all this depressing news about Bryce. I myself still use Bryce and I still create models and terrains and textures that seem to work and look very good, well at least to me. Until I'm not able to use Bryce I will continue to use the program because of the ease of use. I use version 5.5 not 7.5 which is a train wreck in my opinion. In 7.5 you can hardly have a file greater than 450 megs before the system will freeze or lockup to the point that you have to shut down the program altogether. At least in Bryce 5.5 I can still have files over 1 Gig without crashing the program but even than you are limited to the amount of detail that you create for your models. Sometime I have to render different section separately then doing postwork you integrate all the elements using a program like PhotoShop. I will still continue to use Bryce until I actually take the time to learn another modeling program and I just don't know if I have the patience to learn something like Lightwave or 3D MAX.

Regards,

David

Well, there is no Bryce 7.5, it stopped at 7.1. With Bryce 6.0 file compression was introduced - a bad move because compressing/decompressing is done in memory. Memory limit is still 2 GB (though that can be extended if there's enough memory in the system) but it can use up to 8 CPU cores to render, which speeds up things considerably. I still have all versions from 4 up installed but use the older versions seldom, 7.1 is very much improved.

To use bryce to render but the ram can be eated so much.

hi all... yes its been a long time. Bryce and Hex do seem to be left lying in the dust... but, contrary to what was said above...both run in windows 8.1 64 bit...I run them routinely (along with carrara). I long ago stopped posting stuff and regularly visiting the site, but I do still like to stick my nose in here once in a while to see some old faces. Phil (staigermanus!) long time my friend...hope you are doing well!... cheers all!

And it is still possible to use the old Bryce 7.1 in latest Mac OS versions by using Bryce in Snow Leopard Server emulated in VMWare or Parallels. On the latest 8 core 5K iMac-27inch with 32Gb RAM...

Hi Folks, In my experience with the programs and operating systems Bryce and Hexagon worked well in Windows XP 32bit, Windows 7 64 bit Pro and Ultimate. Now I am using Windows 10 Pro 64bit fully updated with no issues. (Windows 7 is still in the background) Windows 10 is a powershell if you installed it as an upgrade. The programs run fine, with the working screens in Bryce , Hexagon, importing, exporting and rendering in Bryce 7. Just save a lot and reboot before rendering. Running Large Address Aware from Tech PowerUp helps. Shut down applications you don't need, as long as you are not trying to work on a 950MB+ picture program, it can be taxing on Bryce as far as resources go. But as long as there are users of the programs I hope models will still be available on the web. I agree with the comment about the industry heading towards the 3D gaming engine. as we see so many new games out there. Unity 5 seems to be somewhat dominant. But we won't discuss Unity here this is NOT a gaming forum. Cheers everyone. (datadraw50).

I am a little late in commenting on this thread but I will say this. Daz vers 7 is a nightmare compared to vers 6. I say that as a 21 year Bryce veteran. I still use the program simply because I am tired of being milked into buying new versions of other software every year. Daz studio is vastly improved with the current 4.9 and all I can say is lookout Poser because DS is still free. The Platinum Club purchase plan is a big moneysaver now that I am on retirement income. Since the management change Daz is heading in a new direction and hopefully they will either improve Bryce or sell it to someone who will. Until that time people will continue to find workarounds and new avenues of creativity through experimentation and good ol' imagination.

Over in the Carrara forum, we are saying sorta similar things but one important point is that as long as a living community is still using Bryce, it isn't dead!

Well I started with Bryce many years ago and since then I have acquired Max, Light Wave, Maya. Vue. Daz Studio (which is still a buggy thing in my opinion) , C4D and few others/ I have and do use most of them but I mainly use Bryce because I enjoy it, The lighting is one of the best natural light set ups and I will hold a well done render in Bryce against pretty much any program out there and defy anyone to tell me it isn't comparable if not better than most. Once you learn the little tricks you use getting the most out of it there really isn't much you can't do with it. As far as Daz is concerned I haven't spent any money for a long time there or for that matter here either because lets be honest; they want us to buy the products but they don't give the support they used to. I can spend my money other places that offer better service and quality products which I can use in Bryce with no problem. I will continue to use Bryce and enjoy using it more than any other program and to me it will never die as long as there is people using it:)

Bryce is not updated, but It is not death. Even without a recent update, it have today, a great potential. And It is very fun to work with it.

The best thing, today, that can occur is that Bryce will be put in the hands of other company, because it is very clear, unfortunally, that DAZ3d don't want to make anything with it.

Bryce is a good place to start learning this hobby. Some people move on to other things as they learn new things about the hobby. Promote Bryce on your YouTube channel with video tutorials showing what you think is cool about it. I'm still making Hexagon 1.21 videos. How old is that program?

beelzebulb posted at 12:02AM Mon, 29 February 2016 - #4256720

Well I started with Bryce many years ago and since then I have acquired Max, Light Wave, Maya. Vue. Daz Studio (which is still a buggy thing in my opinion) , C4D and few others/ I have and do use most of them but I mainly use Bryce because I enjoy it, The lighting is one of the best natural light set ups and I will hold a well done render in Bryce against pretty much any program out there and defy anyone to tell me it isn't comparable if not better than most. Once you learn the little tricks you use getting the most out of it there really isn't much you can't do with it. As far as Daz is concerned I haven't spent any money for a long time there or for that matter here either because lets be honest; they want us to buy the products but they don't give the support they used to. I can spend my money other places that offer better service and quality products which I can use in Bryce with no problem. I will continue to use Bryce and enjoy using it more than any other program and to me it will never die as long as there is people using it:)

If your under the impression that Bryce's lighting is comparable to any current high-end render engine on the market, you are out of your mind. Not an opinion, a fact and facts can not be offensive so this is not a fanboy or emotional reply.

I'm looking at beelzebulb's gallery. From the lighting used in them, you can pretty much tell which app is the cause. That's not counting the rendering, texturing, and modeling used (which also are give-aways). The pros make their CG not look CG. The better the CG render is, the less postwork that is needed to hide the fact.

Obviously ShawnDriscoll and Terminus don't know Beelzebulb very well. I can't find anything on the site about Terminius (must think they are an Expert Pro Artist or something with the Big Time Programs etc etc etc). If they want to stir the pot with Beelzebulb, good luck with that Ha Ha!! History repeats itself. Beelzebulb was just comparing Bryce's rendering capabilities and lighting to the higher end programs out there that the bryce renders ARE CLOSE to a Max or VRay render. I find it rather absurd that they make comments about someone who they don't know, has been here since the beginning of Rendo and who has posted thousands of pictures of varied genres and styles over the years. In my opinion art should be appreciated for what it is portraying in respect to style genre etc and not be technically picked apart especially by people who are obviously NOT pros. In my experiences here there are no pro artists just people who work with their style or genre of art they wish to share with the world. Just my opinion Cheers. (When the storm blows over I will post my work again).

Datadraw50, if you have a Bryce render example that looks like it could have been used for a scene in the film Ex Machina, I'd like a link to it. I'm curious to see Bryce renders that don't look like they're Bryce renders. DAZ Studio has a similar problem. Its renders look like they are DAZ renders. DAZ/Poser figures look like DAZ/Poser figures. CG is written all over them.

I understand what you are saying about Bryce. It doesn't have the rendering capabilities and clarity of say e.g. C4D, Maya or Lightwave which are used in today's digital movies production studios. If DAZ had developed Bryce into a 64 bit platform program its rendering engine would be awesome, but it would probably cost $3000 to $4000 to buy. Talk to the neighbors at 3D Total. Members there use Max C4D Maya and Lightwave. Some are professional artists who work or have worked for movie production companies. The galleries there are amazing. Here at Renderosity there are mostly non-professional members who post their work regularly when they develop a following of like artists who are striving for the same thing, to gain a little recognition for their work across the various styles and genres presented here. Tryout Max or Maya for real rendering power with mental ray satellite rendering and Vray rendering. They produce awesome results. My satellite renders are posted on another site. Nothing against Renderosity though. I post mostly Bryce pictures here. Cheers.

I have online galleries everywhere. I have two accounts here. One is over 10 years old. Back then, people learning CG as a hobby could afford the programs. And they stuck around here for quite awhile. But they left in truck loads when their favorite apps became too expensive to upgrade and the companies changed their user licensing. Some found careers in CG and use the industry apps. Others still here have found a way to make money selling their Poser content to help pay for their hardware/software updates. DAZ/Poser is where the money is right now here, rather than the mountain landscape CG stuff. Most people buying Poser content don't really care how their lighting/rendering looks. Those that do, and know the techno, can get Reality and Luxrender to help improve their content rendering. Some go with Blender because of the free part. So many choices now for people wanting to give CG a go as a trial first kind of thing. They may decide that Poser is great for them. Or they may want to get something closer to what Hollywood uses (if it can still do their Poser stuff as well, otherwise forget it, they'll just stick with using Poser for the renderings they do).

Maybe you two can stop your mine is bigger than yours argument since it seems to be my stuff that is part of this childish almost argument/disagreement. I would like to make a comment to firstly Terminus; I can find absolutely nothing on your profile no gallery no stats nothing. That puts you in the troll class as far as I am concerned. Maybe you used to have a gallery or history of some sort but if so it seems you may have left for whatever reasons you had but it doesn't change my opinion. Now I actually am smart enough Mr. Driscoll to know that you will never see Bryce work in a movie because of its limitations but you should realize that not all of us aspire to make movie pictures but rather prefer just to make pictures and if it gives others who view them pleasure that is the icing on the cake. I don't dis others work or try to infer that in some way they are "cheating" somehow to cover mistakes made in their renders such as your continuous reference to postwork in my pictures. You claim to be able to tell which programs I have used to do so right down to which programs the models are made in. I decided to look at your stuff also but found nothing of interest on your gallery to comment on:) I will state emphatically the reason I have no comment on your stuff is because I don't use the programs you do although I do have Vue10 Xtreme which to be honest does not suit the type of colors or lighting I prefer in my work so I use it now mostly for conversion purposes if I purchase or find a Vue model I really like. I have been a member here for a bit of time also (actually long before it was Rendorosity and definitely long before Tim took over the original site with most of the members who have been here longest (and there are still a few of us around). Lastly I will tell you I use very little postwork in my pictures and contrary to what you "perceive" and can see is mostly knowing Bryce from the time it was a dos program with no fancy GUI which makes it much easier now and I learned through trial and error how to wring the most out of the program and usually get the effects I wish for. Horo and Bryster are two others who can also do so with the program to name just a few. Now don't mis-understand me I am not putting you down for your comments about my stuff since everyone is entitled to their opinion of what they like or prefer and that is what makes digital art and this hobby so great but a person should always make sure of their understanding of the program and its capabilities before semi- criticizing others stuff. And as a by-note the end results justify the means used to get there including postwork etc. which believe me are also used by the people who use programs like Max C4D Maya and so on. If you don't believe me go to some of the sites where there are tutorials which teach others how to get certain effects in their renders I also have these programs and use them and the tutorials that I find there). Try 3DTotal and see how many there are and you may be surprised at the number of them. Also see if by your acute observation "powers" which pictures on their site are mine(under a different user name than here so I don't get hacked for posting stuff here since to most there they think Renderosity is a wasteland of no talent) Be well and continue enjoying this fantastic hobby. Beelzebulb

No prob.

Well that does it for the drama. Maybe we can get back to being civilised again!

Simple fact - Brycers love Bryce - end of!

Nobody ever claimed it was able to perform the same way as MAX of what other so called professional programs are out there for $10,000 a shot.

Bryce is not dead - period. Ok, so it's not being developed, but it is what it is and I'm very proud of the fact the my name is on the box as being one of those who helped make it the fun package we all use today.

I think it's totaly irrelevant to compare Bryce to other programs. It was created in a way that brought 3D rendering to we happy few who don't have the time or inclination to spend 5 years learning how to create CGIs and frankly, discussions like this are simply not helpful.

I'll let this thread carry on, but I'll lock it in a heartbeat if it gets out of control.

The Bryster Forum Moderator.

Thank you for your closing statement. The point I was trying to make was that it does not matter what means ( programs for creation and postwork software) you use to create your art. It is the end result of your work that is shared and enjoyed by everyone in whatever gallery or genre you choose. Back to normal we go. Datadraw50 (Kevin).

Well said, Kevin!

I am a purist, no post work. This may sound silly because the result counts, not the means how it was accomplished. However, being a purist makes me work harder to see what Bryce can do. I'm amazed, no astonished, what can be done with Bryce. I still think I am the limit, not Bryce.

You all know that we have been dissed by the 3d community for years because Bryce was a so called NOOB 3D program...Same with Poser and DS...But NOW we see the benifits of using other software in our Pipeline...In 1999 when I joined this community its always been the same and many challenges I stepped upto max users and maya users and came out with a better enviorment pic...Its all about what you know and what program you use...End achievements is the same if you use one or multiple...A picture is a Picture...So dont let the NAY sayers get in the way...Its about createing ART in our own Minds...

BryceHoro posted at 12:45AM Sat, 19 March 2016 - #4260110

I am a purist, no post work. This may sound silly because the result counts, not the means how it was accomplished. However, being a purist makes me work harder to see what Bryce can do. I'm amazed, no astonished, what can be done with Bryce. I still think I am the limit, not Bryce.

Yes you are to a fault...Between you and David I dont know anyone that is so dedicated...Welll maybe Clay and Ken Musgrave...You 2 are the best...

Hello, Brycers. Bryce dead? No sirre. I have taken pains to make a Bryce version of about every 3d model I sell here... I model now in 3d max, but when I have finished a model, or sometimes half way, I import it into Bryce and I take a render there. At the end, there will be always an obp.version of that model, with families assigned, etc. My best promo renders always come from Bryce.I find it as useful as ever, and I dont give a fig about those that will lift their noses in contempt at me when I say it !:) I use version 5 and 7 both.