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3 Dimensional Chat / Get 'Bryce4' for the price of a magazine.

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Scraggle
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Joined: 10th Jul 2003
Location: Yorkshire
Posted: 4th Dec 2004 22:36 Edited at: 5th Dec 2004 00:23
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Bryce 4 is being given away on the latest issue of 'Computer Arts' magazine. Click Here

Just thought I'd post - incase anyone is interested.

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AlecM
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Concord, MA
Posted: 7th Dec 2004 03:34
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ya, thats because its a useless program...

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Renegade
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Joined: 29th Jul 2003
Location: Israel
Posted: 7th Dec 2004 05:48
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Quote: "ya, thats because its a useless program..."


Can you explain yourself?
I thought about buying this issue becuase you get bryce even if its 4.
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Clueless
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Joined: 16th Feb 2004
Location: Corbin, KY, USA
Posted: 8th Dec 2004 06:52
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Quote: "ya, thats because its a useless program"


If it's even close to Bryce 5 in functionality, it's an extremely useful program. You would have to remove a ton of features between 5 and 4 to make 4 "useless".

I've used Terragen and 3DEM also and would take Bryce over either, though 3DEM is best for rendering raw GIS data into useful terrains.

Bryce, useless? Not hardly...
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AlecM
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Posted: 8th Dec 2004 07:01
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Ok, I will elaborate.. It generates cheesy looking CG terrains and fake looking sky and water.

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JerBil
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Joined: 8th May 2004
Location: Somewhere along the Z axis...
Posted: 8th Dec 2004 09:40
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How useful it is depends on who's using it...


-JerBil
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Clueless
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Joined: 16th Feb 2004
Location: Corbin, KY, USA
Posted: 8th Dec 2004 16:32
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Quote: "How useful it is depends on who's using it..."


You're right of course. Also on what they're trying to use it for.

Quote: " It generates cheesy looking CG terrains and fake looking sky and water"


The bump map for the default terrain object is so cheesy looking I've seen mice nibbling at my monitor when I forget to change it.

The dozens of other available presets easily generate photorealistic mountains and plains. IMHO, the two crossed-ridges variations are incredible and at least six of the fractal presets (esp. Alpine Valleys) give one-click wonders when you render. And if you don't like the Bryce rendering, they at least give you a bump map that works really well with the TGC advanced terrain plugin. I've seen some very non-cheddar results with that.

I think the big thing with Bryce is getting off the beaten path and finding all the hidden options. It should be against the law to produce software whose interface relies mostly on icons instead of words. That's my only knock against Bryce, as it is my only complaint about GameSpace.
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IBOL
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Joined: 30th Mar 2004
Location: @IBOL17
Posted: 9th Dec 2004 17:45
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surprise surprise, the person who says bryce 4 is crap
just happens to sell textures...doesn't want you to do it yourself.
check out those prices! $50 for some roads.

http://astrumgames.com
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Clueless
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Location: Corbin, KY, USA
Posted: 10th Dec 2004 07:26
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Wow.

Yikes.

I'm gonna be a good boy and just say again that Bryce is very far from crap and I think it's an incredible 3D tool. If 4 has even half the features of 5, and you can get it for the price of a magazine, it's well worth the price.

I agree with the post about some of the Bryce stuff looking cheesy, but IMHO it's because of some default settings that are easily overridden.

Bryce works really well with DarkBasic Pro. You can export your terrain height maps and use them with the DBP terrain plugin, and/or you can export them as DirectX textured models if (like me) you have problems with the terrain plugin. A few hours spent with the Sky Lab gives you skybox textures that are as good as what you see in commercial games. A few days ago I wanted to model an island so I went to the USGS data download page to get a digital elevation dataset for Kauai and fed it to Bryce, which built Kauai for me no problems.

I don't work for Daz3d or have any association with them. I admit Bryce has quirks. All software does. I'm just telling you, it does some really amazing things if you spend time with it. I used to know this girl who did really amazing things if you spent time with her, and... oh. sorry. that's off topic.
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Mr Underhill
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Location: The Forgotten Worlds...
Posted: 14th Dec 2004 10:29
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I've had nothing but good experiences from Bryce. It's a sweet program if you know what you're doing.

Quote: "A kilobyte is 1024 bytes, not 1028.
I mean.... not.. that i.... new that already.... i figured... maybe... CRUD! IM A NERD! -Ion Stream"

I feel your pain, man. Wait...pain?!
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Clueless
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Location: Corbin, KY, USA
Posted: 14th Dec 2004 12:02
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@Mr Underhill:

Quote: "I've had nothing but good experiences from Bryce:"


I wonder if by chance you have any thoughts on the one of the few complaints I have about Bryce:

1. I can't seem to get that **** horizon line from running right through the center of my scenes? I'm making a lot of skyboxes in Bryce (http://www.alsip.net/gamedev) but half of each texture image is just wasted 'cause it's below the horizon.

The obvious answer is "rotate the camera up", but doing that seriously distorts the corners of all the images.

2. Everybody knows that Bryce can only export (as .X models) terrains, lattices, and boulders... but I clearly remember seeing a tutorial on how to fake Bryce into exporting most other objects as well. Like trees, for example.

Problem is, I can't find that tutorial anymore!
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Renegade
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Joined: 29th Jul 2003
Location: Israel
Posted: 15th Dec 2004 04:05
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Well I purchase the E-Magazin thought thier website
and I didn't get bryce 4. You must buy the actual magazin with
the CD to get bryce 4. I ask them why and they told me they don't
deliver the media when you buy the digital magazin.
I was looking forward to use bryce but its fine since there are
a very useful articles for me
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Mr Underhill
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Joined: 23rd Apr 2003
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Posted: 17th Dec 2004 00:24
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Quote: "I wonder if by chance you have any thoughts on the one of the few complaints I have about Bryce:

1. I can't seem to get that **** horizon line from running right through the center of my scenes? I'm making a lot of skyboxes in Bryce (http://www.alsip.net/gamedev) but half of each texture image is just wasted 'cause it's below the horizon.

The obvious answer is "rotate the camera up", but doing that seriously distorts the corners of all the images.

2. Everybody knows that Bryce can only export (as .X models) terrains, lattices, and boulders... but I clearly remember seeing a tutorial on how to fake Bryce into exporting most other objects as well. Like trees, for example.

Problem is, I can't find that tutorial anymore! "


Oh, yeah...forgot those , but IMO, the terrain-only export thing is the only really annoying thing about it, and there are ways around it.

Basically to convert an object into something exportable, you have to render it as a heightmap and make a symmetrical lattice out of it. Then export the lattice and texture as an .X file

Quote: "A kilobyte is 1024 bytes, not 1028.
I mean.... not.. that i.... new that already.... i figured... maybe... CRUD! IM A NERD! -Ion Stream"

I feel your pain, man. Wait...pain?!
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Clueless
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Joined: 16th Feb 2004
Location: Corbin, KY, USA
Posted: 17th Dec 2004 07:18
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Quote: "Oh, yeah...forgot those "


LOL. That's OK, I forgot where I posted the question! But I think your answer is the very thing I was looking for and had forgotten. Thank you.

BTW, boulders are supposedly exportable as .X objects also. I'm going to try that tonight with cloud textures applied to them. I found an incredible tutorial on building realistic lightening in Photoshop and have been trying to build an animated thunderstorm object for about a week now. The Bryce terrains look so-so when textured as a cloud and flipped upside down. I think the boulders will be better...
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