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| Bryce 5 | 
 enlarge | From: Corel
Category: Software
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  (4 reviews)
Sales Rank: 6588
Language: English (Original Language)
Platforms: Windows, Macintosh, Windows Nt
Media: CD-ROM
Number Of Items: 1
UPC: 735163086027
EAN: 0735163086027
ASIN: B00005M25B
Release Date: July 11, 2001
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Bryce 5 is the first, important, new update since Corel bought this landscape-modelling application from Metacreations. With version 5, Corel introduces new Tree and Light labs as well as new Metaball and Tree objects. Additionally, new enhanced rendering options are combined with network rendering facilities to dramatically improve the quality of Bryce's resulting landscapes whether output as high quality static images or as animated sequences. The distinctive interface remains in Bryce 5, providing a tactile and visually intuitive environment which presents most options to the beginner from within the main screen whilst neatly hiding away the other numerous parameters within separate "lab" panels for the more advanced user. Unfortunately, the bewildering variety of interface controls puts a little too much emphasis on gloss rather than consistency, making things a little difficult when starting out, though the manual is backed up by an excellent help system within Bryce 5 itself. The new Tree lab gives the user good control over fine tuning trees, with separate parameters for trunk, branch and foliage as well as textures for both leaf and trunk. It is simple to create good imitations of real-life trees but perhaps a little surprising that there is not a predefined list of species from which to choose. Creating organic shapes is now possible with the new Metaballs object which blends spheres together in a natural-looking way based upon the spheres' proximity to each other. Animation of almost every element in the scene is simple and can result in some great looking sequences. As it includes a network rendering facility, which can be installed on any number of computers, it allows the user to take full advantage of the new enhanced rendering options. This is well worth using considering that some of the premium effects such as blurred reflections and depth of field will add considerably to the rendering time. Corel has improved and enhanced the abilities of Bryce, permitting a large degree of depth and control whilst still allowing the beginner to jump straight in and produce stunning results, making this a worthwhile upgrade. --John Bloor
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| Customer Reviews:
 Superb! August 30, 2002
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have been using Bryce 5 for over a year. It is so easy to use and very enjoyable to, you can easily be there for hours creating all sorts of scenes. I am very interested in 3D animation so I took to Bryce fairly quickly.
The only drawback to it I have is that it does not appear to be written for a multiprocessor computer. This means that it will not render the scenes over more than one CPU and for my old dual Pentium III system I am deciding wether to upgrade to a single CPU system or a nice dual Intel Xeon system, both will cost the same. I am running Windows 2000 and have no problems using it. The program for rendering in Bryce just does not seem to be written for a dual CPU computer unless there is someting I have not set correctly.
Regardless of that it is a worthy investment and I will never become bored of it.
Bryce 5 by a complete beginner May 19, 2002
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is the first 3D programme i have ever used. I bought it after seeing work done on it by other users. it is easy to install and runs well on my 4 year old non-state-of-the-art machine. First thing first - its interface is a real shock to those used to a standard windows set up. it has its own way of doing things and some time spent on working out where everything is (especially the menu bar which coyly hides out oF sight until you hold the mouse at the top of the screen)is essential. Basic creation of trees, skies and terrains is fun and easy and you can lose yourself for hours in the texture editor. However be warned that making a useful scene quickly becomes complex and difficult if you are unused to this type of programme. I have found the accurate positioning of objects difficult as working in 3D space is a whole new way of thinking, even though Bryce is as helpful in this department as possible. The major let down with this programme is the on line manual which you really need to print out to get use from it. it tells you what each function does but not how to get a particular effect. i am now awaiting a suitable book to help me progress. A good package but needs real work to get the best from it
Intuitive, powerful and fun to use December 31, 2001
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Bryce sets the standard for 3D landscape art with a powerful rendering engine capable of depicting many subtle effects. It's quick and easy for a beginner to get started but there is plenty of depth in the product to explore as you develop your skills. I first started working with Bryce version 4 and was eager to find what innovations Corel had included in the latest release. I wasn't disappointed. Bryce 5 is more evolutionary than revolutionary which is fair enough given the fact its just moved over to a new "home". The best features of the old interface have been retained and will be familiar to existing users. Minor "tidying up" improvements such as a 'recently used file list' (which was annoyingly missing from version 4) are welcome.The new tree lab is a very pleasing feature although it can bring your machine to its knees if you are too ambitious with some of the settings! The light lab is neater and more powerful than the previous methods of handling independent light sources and gives you the option to produce soft shadows (with the appropriate rendering settings) plus other effects for those of you with fast processors and lots of memory. Meta-balls are interesting. These are spheres which, when placed in close proximity, are smoothly merged in the rendering process to generate organic looking curves. This is handy for plant stems, liquids etc... Unfortunately you can't use meta-balls in boolean constructions which would have made them even more useful (something for next time Corel?). I'd endorse the comments of the previous reviewer and heartily recommend the Real World Bryce 4 book which hasn't been badly dated by the new release (apart from needing some new material for the new features) and is extremely useful. In conclusion Bryce is still one of my favourite pieces of software and this version is a worthy development which existing and new users will enjoy.
Bryce is better than ever July 18, 2001
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
It's a measure of the love Bryce artists have for the program that when Metacreations announced that they were discontinuing it in December 1999, many of us felt as though our best friend had died. After several anxious months, we learned that Corel had bought Bryce and that they intended developing it further. With the release of Bryce 5 Corel have shown that they've taken good care of our baby!Originally intended to be "just" a landscaping program, Bryce has stayed true to that vision and now includes a Tree Lab. No more importing tree models from other sources, a significant saving in file size, and the trees can be as realistic or not as you please. For those concerned with heightened realism, the new Light Lab and render options offer soft shadows, blurred transmissions and reflections, depth of field and an alarming range of render quality. But be warned: Bryce is as processor hungry as ever. The more RAM and CPU cycles you can throw at it, the happier it is. Rendering might be slow, but it's true raytracing - no shortcuts here! But Bryce isn't just about landscapes and natural scenes: it's a powerful tool for surreal and abstract art too. I've been known to ask facetiously "what's a landscape?", so rarely do I make them, yet Bryce is my favourite image making software. Corel have taken advantage of the fact that more people are liable to have more than one computer at home and have introduced network rendering: Bryce will parcel out sections of your image or animation to the other machines on your LAN, thus reducing render time. It even works over internet (though Corel strongly advise against this because of security issues). Using Bryce is as complex as you want it to be: a beginner can install it and be showing off their first mirrored sphere over water in minutes, while a more experienced user can create images of terrifying complexity. Its much-criticised (it doesn't look like a Windows program) interface encourages you to play, and it's through playing that you learn to get Bryce to do what you want it to do. Final note: much of Real World Bryce 4 by Susan Kitchens and Victor Gavenda also applies to Bryce 5. If you're going to buy Bryce 5, you might as well buy the best book about Bryce too. As Steve Lareau says on the cover: "Wheee!!!!!"
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