I have Bryce 5 which Ive been using but I'm thinking about getting Vue d 'Esprit. Is Vue much better than Bryce or are they the same? I heard that I can export from Poser to Vue and not lose what textures I had with it. Like to hear what some of yu think.

Stay will hamburger or switch to steak (LOL). There's a huge difference between the two. You should download one of the Vue trial versions from e-on's site and see for yourself.

Vue has a very impressive import from Poser. I haven't run into a problem yet. But definitely try the demo first.

I ummed and ah'd about this, finally got Vue when it was real cheap. Then Bryce was flogged for a dime by DAZ, who must have been sitting there waiting for me to blow my cash.
I have only used a demo version of Bryce, so take this with a dose of salt. For me Vue is better, but its hard to turn your nose up at bryces price.
Cool functionality or cash?

There are more advanced features in Vue than in Bryce: photorealsitic lighting models, great poser import ( but don't consider importing dynamic hair), procedural terrains with infinite detail, metablolbs and 3D text. Regular terrains though are better in Bryce.

Vue is a lot faster to render an equivalent scene.

Try the demo first -- and then get Vue.

I haven't used Bryce since ver. 4. I have no desire to go back to it.

FWIW - the "upper tier" CG industry regards VI as a pro-level app -- the same cannot be said for Bryce. Check out www.cgtalk.com. They have a Vue Infinite forum there.

Importing Poser scenes into Vue is a snap.

years ago i had also bryce .... but when i met VUE and special when i saw what can u do .. bryce was after that PAST
3DREAL

Bennettor, I don't know why you keep posting that link, but it has your session ID in it. That means people who click on it get sent to their own artist page here at Rosity, not to wherever it is you want them to go.

I love Bryce. I have tons of models and thousands of mats. I got to the point of upgrading to Bryce 5.5 or upgrading to Vue 5 (I got Vue 4 for 99 a little while ago). I finally said to myself that I want the advanced features. Bryce has not gone anywhere in years. I am still having small issues with the workflow of Vue but I am sure I will get used to them. I even removed Bryce from my system. I am not sorry. Sure they both have positives and negatives but Vue has features Bryce does not have. Its nice not having to fake radiosity or HDRI anymore. Also Solidgrowth plants are tons better than Bryce trees. Try the demos but I would recommend going with a product that is still growing like Vue. Bryce is nice and it will make you happy but it just has not grown in years, even with the DAZ update.

Vue better than Bryce? Depends on the Vue version and on what you want to do. Simple interior renders without Poser people: Vue 5 Pro and Vue 5 Infinite are significantly better than Bryce, Vue 5 Easel and Vue 5 Esprit (without expansion pack) should be about the same, only much faster. Plants - any Vue version beats the crap out of Bryce. Vue 5 Infinite is the best, with its ecosystems. Materials, lighting - I'd put my money on Vue 5 Pro or Infinite. Poser import - any Vue version beats the crap out of Bryce. Animation: Vue is way, way ahead of Bryce. Stability: from what I hear Bryce is very stable. Vue has some issues, but nothing I haven't managed to work around yet. Ah well, if you don't introduce new functionality, you won't introduce new bugs either, isn't it? But - try the demos first. Check the comparison sheet at e-on. Look in the Vue gallery, especially for non-postworked images.

I want to thank you all for giving me your comments so far.

Incidentally, Bryce does have its plusses - the interface, once you learn how to use it, is very efficient, and it's easier to lay out scenes in Bryce. For instance, if you want an array of evenly spaced pillars, this is easy to get in Bryce and much more tedious in Vue which lacks a basic feature like axis-constrained dragging (amazing, that). Navigating through a scene is also easier in Bryce, because the camera controls are very responsive, which they aren't in Vue. The Vue interface often runs so slowly it's like molasses. Bryce is snappy and responsive. But otherwise, as the posters above have indicated, Vue wins on features. I haven't actually uninstalled Bryce yet, but I haven't gone back to it in a long while - and I've been a Bryce users since v2 up to v5.

For instance, if you want an array of evenly spaced pillars, this is easy to get in Bryce and much more tedious in Vue which lacks a basic feature like axis-constrained dragging (amazing, that).

It's not tedious in Vue. Just use the "replicate" function.

I would also like to add that Vue has layers like photoshop. This is huge. You can have terrains on 1 layer, plants on another.... You can lock the layers and even hide them. This is something that takes getting used to but once you do you wonder how you ever did without.

Also holding down CTRL while dragging in one of the orthogonal views (top, sidem front etc.) restricts the direction of movement as well.

When released I think Terragen 2 will be a big contender

Also have a look at Carrara 5. Especially when you are a Poser user, Carrara provides an excellent support. Plants - Carrara's plants are better than Bryce plants, but maybe not as good as Vue. They also provide a very flexible ecosystems. Materials, lighting - Carrara Pro has an excellent shader system, which also supports displacement and subsurface scattering (not supported by Vue yet). Poser import - TransPoser 2 makes importing of scenes so simple. It is included in the Pro version. Animation: Very good animation capabilities. Plugin for Adobe After Effects. Stability: Very stable like Bryce. Modelling: Has a real modeler included (unlike Bryce and Vue)!