From what I have seen and heard on the forums (fora?), Vue d'Esprit is very competitive to Bryce in almost all aspects, with the biggest advantages being render speed, vegetation and price. I am thisclose to getting Vue! For what it's worth, Rhino and Truespace look like excellent modelers. Truespace is also an excellent renderer. I have Terragen and POVRAY (both free). Terragen is easy and photorealistic, but lacks flexibility. POVRAY is much harder (you have to code everything) but infinitely flexible.