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For Windows '95/NT Bryce 2 is one of the rare products that begins to exceed expectations the minute you open the box. Coming from MetaTools, I was expecting a clever and innovative product when I received the software, but I did not expect the amount of power and sophistication that Bryce 2 offers for a 3D graphics package under $200. Bryce 2 is different from most 3D packages in that it is a "natural
3D design tool." The main feature of the product is its ability
to generate 3D terrains. Users will find it easy to quickly sculpt
scenes by painting simple 2D images. Bryce 2 uses the value of the
colors in an image to determine the height of landforms. For example
in a grayscale image, blacks correspond with the lowest areas of
the terrain, and whites with the highest. To increase terrain building
potential, Bryce 2 allows users to embellish landforms with mounds,
spikes, cross ridges, plateaus, erosion, and many other natural
effects.  For all of its capabilities, Bryce 2 is incredibly simple to use! First of all, installation proceeded quickly, and without any problems. Like nearly all MetaTools' products, Bryce 2 features an ingenious interface and working environment. The Bryce 2 interface provides the functionality necessary for the advanced user, while also making the program fun for users of all abilities with additions such as "pop-up menus" and clever informative captions. All main program functions are represented as icons around the workspace (the interface itself was rendered in Bryce). Other toolbars appear and disappear, according to the position of the mouse. At all times, a rendered thumbnail of the current scene is visible on screen. Users accustomed to 3D modeling will appreciate the fast redraw of vector lines when working with models, not to mention the anti-aliasing of vector lines and depth cueing of the models. Access to libraries of ready made textures, objects, and skies (with handy thumbnail previews) allow the quick creation of convincing scenes. The easy use of the software is complimented by a well written manual. Again, numerous pictures and funny comments make Bryce's documentation easy to understand (and fun just to read). However, with Bryce's simple design, the manual is almost unneeded in learning the software. I found myself referring to the manual once I had already become well aquatinted with Bryce, in order to learn the more advanced capabilities of the program. Despite having an easy to use product and strong support in a quality manual, I was not impressed by MetaTool's telephone tech support. I never reached a MetaTools representative after being put on hold for a considerable amount of time. Bryce 2 also allows users to create other objects from simple 3D shapes (Boolean rendering support greatly increases Bryce's object modeling capabilities), but as a modeler itself, Bryce is not as powerful as other 3D packages. However, MetaTools has solved this problem by providing users with the ability to import DXF and 3DMF models created in other programs, satisfying the needs of artists looking to populate Bryce created scenes with complex 3D models. Bryce 2 spaces itself from other terrain building packages with its superior rendering capabilities. All Bryce scenes are fully ray traced. Beginning artists can create photorealistic or surrealistic scenes in minutes by selecting from the countless terrains, objects, and textures in Bryce 2's preset libraries. Advanced 3D artists will enjoy the ability to apply multiple texture maps, bump mapping, light reflection and refraction, light gels, multiple camera lens types, and 25 different shading algorithms. Bryce 2 excels in the rendering of photorealistic landscapes with the implementation of "world space" textures. Depending on the altitude or slope of a landform, Bryce 2 determines what should be mapped onto that particular part of the object. For example, high altitudes would be covered in snow, steep cliffs would appear as rock, and gently sloping areas are rendered to look as if they are covered in grass. These capabilities make Bryce valuable to a professional artist as well. The realistic landforms generated by Bryce 2's powerful renderer are complimented by the program's ability to produce realistic world and atmospheric effects. Not only does Bryce provide the ability to generate fog and haze, but it also can generate realistic clouds (different cloud types plus settings for density and altitude), and halos around the around the sun or moon. One of the most innovate attributes of Bryce's world building capabilities is the "infinite plane." Water, land, or cloud planes mathematically go on forever in Bryce 2, instead of being assigned to 2D polygons like in other 3D programs. The result is higher quality, and more lifelike scenes.  Bryce 2 requires a 486DX machine with 8 MB of RAM and 50 MB of hard disk space. However, all users will quickly realize that at least a Pentium machine with 16 MB of RAM is needed to effectively make use of the powerful capabilities of the software. The image on this page, which I created in Bryce in six hours (including time to learn the software) pushed my 486, 66 MHz machine with 44 MB of RAM to the limits, and took 3 hours and 45 minutes in the final render (at 640x480 resolution). Though the nearly $200 price tag of Bryce 2 may turn away those that are not wanting to spend a lot of money for artistic 3D capabilities, Bryce 2's price is incredibly low for the capabilities of the software. I highly recommend Bryce 2 to the dedicated graphics hobbyist of all ages and to advanced 3D artists looking for a way to create professional quality natural environments at an affordable cost. Street price: $170 - $200 System Requirements: 486 DX or greater (Pentium recommended) Macintosh version available. By MetaTools |
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