Yepp, excellent work here with a wonderful mood - congrats!

I started with B2 in 1997. I think Bryce changed dangeriously little since v2; many "thanks" for Cor-El (DAZ?) for wasting such a brilliant software; I had to emigrate to Vue after the destruction of Bryce and now waiting for a ground-breaking new B version... :-)

You can get a similar result if you use a terrain with volym mats...you have to do the experiments yourself.

What I observed is that it's pretty hard to do "big" objects (houses, space stations, space ships) ; there's always a danger of the "toy look" even if these things are 100 m long (measured in Vue) and there are good details.

4 words : Global Illumination, Global Radiosity! :-)

I only feel a bit frustrated after years of rendering when I spent many days of rendertime on a single pic; I really miss a landscaping software like Sandbox where you trade some quality for realtime fun! :-)

"There are no photons here, no GI, no transparency/refraction, no caustics, and no actual shadows involved.  If you (could) render from CryEngine or Unreal, you still wouldn't touch what Vue does mathematically even in preview renderings.  Also, good luck trying to hit print size with a realtime engine."

I suffer from not having the latest desktop so I can't really check the highest Crysis settings...I'm not sure why you're so negative when I talk about CryEngine...NO WAY IN HELL that you can do the same things in Vue IN REAL TIME what you can do in Sandbox; that's the point.
For me it's a miracle to see those beautiful, dynamic Crysis waters and vegetation...after testing real time composition in the level editor it feels like torture to go back to Vue and waaaaait for update after every single change  I make in the scene...Vue feels outdated after checking Sandbox which is not even a pure landscaping/render prog. (the Sandbox GUI sucks though so that's why I continue with Vue) :-)
 

The crazy thing is that Crytek could make a pure landscaping software out of Sandbox 2 giving it a Vue/Bryce interface+workflow together with advanced render functions - if you want trade real time dynamics for high quality; then  we only would need to figure out how to project our consciousness into those amazing, living worlds...I really love those tropical islands. :-)

Yepp...and CryEngine is not the only one with all the goodies; there's "Dunia" for FarCry 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMAqTXCd1Sg  -  it's  like a wake up call for the landscaping companies! :-) I want to create in real time and maybe trade Global Radiosity for a dynamic landscape with a little lower? quality! LOL

Xpleet, did you make these pic in the Sandbox editor?

They look pretty sweet; amazing "feeling" of the water in the first one...I want to go for a late afternoon swimming...great work there!

Here is a professional Crysis Sandbox Editor guy (http://www.helderpinto.com/) he makes Crysis levels; I thought his scenes are really awesome being a totally interactive environment.

Yes, you CAN render amazing photo-like stills in Vue pushing every slider to its limits  (especially Global Radiosity)  and wait for weeks but the CryEngine does it for "free" (no render times).

My point is that it's time for E-onsoftware to take a serious look at what CAN be done using the latest graphic cards and other new technology;they should stop improving the old Vue engine and get inspired by the new realtime-render graphic engine generation like CryEngine, Dunia, Unreal3!

Peace

I rather believe in MY eyes than in hypes or in your explanations Xpleet; again, CryEngine beats Vue in the animation area and even some outside stills. I just think it's really embarrassing with all the Vue hype when you can make your world in real time...the biggest problem for me is the Sandbox interface.

Another problem is that Vue was built on an old core and on old ideas; it seems that one can take another approach nowadays in landscaping based on the latest graphic technology...but e-on probably wouldn't admit this unconvenient fact; it would cost a lot to create a totally new Vue engine.

I don't know why you're so negative Xpleet, but I've NEVER EVER seen such beautiful realtime graphics; it would be darn hard to create them in Vue/Max and then render the animation for MANY WEEKS...are you trolling me? :-)

I wouldn't care about the Crysis hype if it weren't INDEED so true and groundbreaking...come on, give me some oceans waves and breaks in Vue so that I can dive into it and swim around...LOL

Xpleet: I could only judge from the Youtube videos not having a proper system ; for me it looks like CryEngine beats Vue on many aspects...I was watching the living ocean for example; I don't know how many days would it take to create that texture not to mention rendering it; it simply wouldn't work.
I can't tell much more until I ran Crysis on a top system; I hate to say but CryEngine really beat Vue on many things despite what you say; it's almost embarrassing that it renders in real time...I think that with the latest graphic cards (Nvidia 8800 GTS) the mentioned artefacts maydisappear.
I can admit that the CryEngine can't render Global Radiosity so indeed the shadows or black areas look a bit strange...I can't say more without testing it on a high-end system; I just wish Vue could learn something from these guys.

Another impressive thing is that I can load a 800 Mb Crysis file into the editor and it moves around smoothly...it would be impossible with a Vue file!

I enjoy demo so much cutting palm trees with machine guns...LOL :-)

Great photos chipp! :-)