I started in graphics on Bryce 3, and have Bryce 4 and 5, and I have Vue 4 with 4.1 update. There are positives and negatives about both programs. I can't speak to Worldbuilder, as I've never tried it. One big difference I see in Vue and Bryce is the learning curve. It took me months (and finally online voice lessons from a friend) to figure out the interface of Bryce and understand the basics of the program. The learning curve for Vue is almost flat; it is a very easy program to learn the basics with. That said, both of the programs, imvho, offer the ability to do photorealism, abstracts, and all sorts of other stuff. Although I find that I can do more precise modeling in Bryce that is difficult to do in Vue. But Vue doesn't advertise itself as a modeler. Most folks who model and then render in Vue use another program for the modeling. I find the atmosphere in Vue easier to cope with and understand than the atmosphere editor in Bryce, but then Bryce has the Deep Texture Editor which allows for very complex materials and textures. However, the Vue material editor is more simple to understand and use. There are also a great many Bryce resources out on the net, just because it has been around longer. One reason I tend to use Vue more these days, is the Poser import. Rather than import as obj or 3ds into Bryce, then have to apply textures a bit at a time, I can save a figure (or prop) as a Poser file and then import it directly into Poser. Some tweaking may be called for, but it's much much easier. The Vue plant generator is pretty nifty. The one thing that bugs me is that aside from the Vue plants and trees that come with the program, and the few that are offered for free (and most for additional cost) at Eon, there doesn't seem to be interest at Eon in providing more. Most of my vegetation/flowers come from 3rd parties. Bryce's tree generator was a brilliant idea, but I don't think it was ready for prime time. Even with my 1G Athlon, 512 Ram, the plant generator/editor will sometimes hang my machine, and I can get some real strange effects at times, like pieces missing out of the trees. So I probably haven't answered your question...just confused you more. Basically, I use Bryce for some things, Vue for others. I do think Vue can give softer looks to renders, and Bryce can do abstracts extremely well, as well as give a harder edge to renders. Just depends on what you're looking for. Anyway, I use both products, and would really hate to give up either of them.

Sgiathalaich