OK, I figured I address the cross platform issue. I use a Mac. I have Bryce 5.

First thing is this. When you save your Bryce file, most people save a picture preview with it. On Windows, it saves a .bmp file an don Mac it saves a PICT file. I don't know how Windows friendly a PICT is, so I would suggest sending along a jpg file with the Bryce file. I know that I can open bmp files in Photoshop, but I don't know it Mac Bryce will recognize a bmp as the image render preview thing and vice versa.

Second, to email a Bryce file, I recommend compressing the file first. It not only makes the file smaller and faster to send, but it also protects the file from potential corruption from certain ISPs (like AOL). I use Stuffit on the Mac, but most Windows people use **Zip. Stuffit Deluxe can decompress and compress into zip format, I don't know about the lite versions. Stuffit Expander is free, There is a Windows version (and Linux!) available at http://www.stuffit.com/expander/ On that site is also a trial of the regular package so that you could probably use it to zip or stuff your file.

In terms of sending huge files, I think it would be wise for each artist to do their absolute best to keep file sizes to a minimum. Remember this, your email box is probably 5MB, but it could just as well be only 2 or as much as 10. That means that you cannot have more than your limit in your mailbox at any time. So, if you have 1MB worth of email sitting there, you only have 4 left that you can send. Not all ISPs are the same in this regard, I've seen some that don't care how big the file you send is, I've seen others that put a cap on you. Your mileage may vary.

An option other than emailing, if a file gets too big, is to FTP the file. It's an option, but let's get into that unless we absolutely have to. Likewise, there are programs like hotline. Though it's mostly used by pirates and what not, it's legitimate use is exactly this type of group project. It has integrated file transfer from computer to computer, a newsboard, and chat room. Best of all, you can run the server right from your computer, and anyone can access it (with the right login and password) via your computer's IP address. It is also cross platform software.

Lastly, as far as compatibility of the actual Bryce File between operating systems is concerned, I believe they are compatible. Try to download the file of spheres over water (as shown in this pic) that I'll attach to the next post. It's a tiny 16K download.