Comments

Sol M. wrote on 8/23/2006, 4:46 PM
Free functional software is always good :)
Thanks for the info
David Arbogast wrote on 8/23/2006, 5:02 PM
Just exactly what I needed. Thank you for the tip!

David
fldave wrote on 8/23/2006, 6:31 PM
I got the notice it was free and downloaded early today. I've use Bryce 4 in the past, very non-standard windows interface, not sure about version 5. In fact, I have version 5.5 in my order cart at Daz, haven't bought yet (significant upgrade from 5.0). Getting ready to do more 3D stuff to enhance my Vegas work.

There was a patch to v4 where you can import GIS topographical data files for real places and it generates the 3D environment. Think Yosemite or Grand Canyon. I just played around with it, haven't gotten serious about it yet. Hope the functionality is still in v5 and v5.5.

Tons of add-ons for Bryce through Daz website.
vicmilt wrote on 8/23/2006, 7:56 PM
In the late 90's I lived inside of Bryce!

It's a fabulous 3D terrain generator.
At the time it was strictly a Mac program, and when I left the Mac, I left the Bryce as well.

Srongly recommend this program, except for the hours you may joyously spend playing with it. And let's face it - for free - it's great! I paid about $200 bucks for it in the late 90's.

BTW, as I remember it also had an animation part to it that I used to create moving clouds, of the most mysterious kinds.

Tthanks farss - get it - you will love it.

v
farss wrote on 8/23/2006, 8:05 PM
Now the only question that I cannot find an answer to is what can I do with the output from it?

I could make quite a bit of use of it for generating DVD menu backgrounds and buttons etc. Couldn't find anything on copyright issues on the daz website.

For example if one buys bits that others have created could I then use them in a commercial DVD or something for broadcast?

Bob.
Heysues wrote on 8/23/2006, 9:28 PM
I don't think there are any copyright issues... it is "your creation"

Saw a few animated backgrounds available at Ulead website some time ago....... then... noticed they were all done in Bryce..... yet they were charging big $$$$.......... level 2 understanding of Bryce you can creat these yoursefl.

Follow the tutorials... takea s abit to get the hang... but u can do some badarss stuff with Bryce..

just takes some time... boot n ralley... u will thank urself later

JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/23/2006, 9:43 PM
> I have version 5.5 in my order cart at Daz, haven't bought yet (significant upgrade from 5.0). Getting ready to do more 3D stuff to enhance my Vegas work.

If you want Bryce 5.5 you can get it for $19.95. What you have to do is join the ArtZone community (free) before September 6 and you will receive a coupon for Bryce 5.5 for $19.95 with 24 hrs. Bryce 6.0 is coming out so I guess they are trying to drum up business for the new release.

~jr
JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/23/2006, 9:45 PM
> Couldn't find anything on copyright issues on the daz website. For example if one buys bits that others have created could I then use them in a commercial DVD or something for broadcast?

Like everything else in the content world, it depends on the content creator. Each creator that sells content has a license agreement and you can do whatever is within that agreement. If you paid for the content it will probably be royalty free for commercial work but the provider may stipulate that you give them credit for the content. If it’s free content sometimes it’s only for non-commercial work. It depends on the license agreement.

I’m sure the content that comes with Bryce is royalty free. It’s when you start to buy more 3rd party content that you have to be careful.

~jr
Coursedesign wrote on 8/23/2006, 9:46 PM
If you get the free Bryce 5 now, be sure to install and register it pronto in order to qualify for later upgrades to Bryce 6.
fldave wrote on 8/23/2006, 9:52 PM
Thanks for the tip, JohnnyRoy. Just saved me $80. Version 5.5 has been out for a long time and very stable, from what I gather.
DGrob wrote on 8/24/2006, 11:14 AM
Any common experience with the registration process delay time?

Impatient as always, Darryl
farss wrote on 8/24/2006, 2:25 PM
Under 1 minute.

But where the heck do you get the manual?

I can see why they feel the need to give it away, I thought Truespace was wierd, at least somewhere it has a widget that'll open a normal Windows dialogue but with Bryce it's all ctl+, took me a while to work out how to even close the thing.

Bob.
TomG wrote on 8/24/2006, 3:45 PM
Hey Bob,

I thought you were kidding so I downloaded the thing and started playing around. Looks kind of interesting but I got a feeling there is a hugh learning curve with this one. I'm glad you mentioned the "ctrl+" since I finally found out (after 5 minutes) that the ctrl+q shuts it down.

TomG
JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/24/2006, 3:51 PM
> ...took me a while to work out how to even close the thing.

LOL, Yea I had to kill it from the Task Manager the first time I used it! That’s when I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to learn. Maybe Mac users like figuring out new user interfaces but I deplore them.

If you bring your mouse all the way to the top of the screen a Windows toolbar will eventually appear.

~jr
ken c wrote on 8/24/2006, 6:15 PM
but hey it's a cool toy for free... I d/l'd reg'd it... can't beat the price... and who knows, someday maybe I'll want to create characters (d/l the free Aiko base for example) to somehow use in video blogs/dvds..

ken
TheHappyFriar wrote on 8/24/2006, 7:58 PM
it's easy to learn. the controls on the left move th camera about. you hit the create button to bring in pre-made objects. you asjust the textures/settings for everything. high quality sky in minutes!
fldave wrote on 8/24/2006, 8:55 PM
HD resolution, too.
Steve Mann wrote on 8/25/2006, 12:57 AM
"Ctrl-Q" sounds like a pre-windows UI.
bStro wrote on 8/26/2006, 8:20 AM
If you bring your mouse all the way to the top of the screen a Windows toolbar will eventually appear.

THANK YOU!

Was driving me crazy...couldn't figure out how to close the program or open / save projects. Is there a manual somewhere? I downloaded what I thought was supposed to be a manual, but it was just a tutorial...which I don't know how to run.

Rob
TheHappyFriar wrote on 8/26/2006, 10:16 AM
alt+f4 works just fine for me.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/26/2006, 8:42 PM
For those of you who downloaded the free Bryce 5.0 from C/NET you don’t have the whole thing.

The 24MB Bryce5FreeVersionPC.zip was just a “teaser” to get you to sign up at DAZ *(which is not a bad thing). Now that you are signed up at DAZ, go to their web site and click on My Account and then Available Downloads.

You will notice that Free Bryce 5.0 is listed for both PC and Mac. You would think it’s what you already downloaded but you're wrong! Click on the DOWNLOAD link and you will get a file called ps_ap075_Bryce5.exe that is 92MB! This is the Corel Bryce 5.01 and is the “real deal” installer as if you had gotten an original CD of the full product.

Well... what are you waiting for? Go download it now and install it. ;-)

~jr
farss wrote on 8/26/2006, 8:47 PM
If like me you followed the link and downloaded this from the CNet site then guess what, you got less than half of it!

So once you've registered what you got, go to your account on the Bryce site and you'll find under Downloads you have a 90MB .exe file waiting for you to download.

That download once installed includes the manual as a pdf AND all the online help files etc, etc.

All in all that's got to have been one of the dumbest things I've encountered, Cnet generating traffic using a crippled copy of a free app and presumably Bryce going along with the idea. How many would have downloaded the crippled version and given up, swearing never to look at Bryce again. Sillier still it's just burning up electrons for nothing.

Bob.

TheHappyFriar wrote on 8/26/2006, 10:30 PM
the dl link expires so be sure to make a CD copy of te installer too!
farss wrote on 8/26/2006, 10:59 PM
Gee, talk about old news :)

Except there's ANOTHER problem, you don't seem to get a serial number or else maybe I'd screwed things up but here's what I did to finally get it running right. I'm only posting this here as I did a search on the Daz fora and many, many people are having the same problem:

Install and register the non install version. basically that just means unzip it and copy it somewhere, run the .exe file and get a serial number. Goto Help about and write down the serial number from there, should be under your name.

Now install the Install version from the Daz site. When you try to run it it'll say the serial number is wrong. Use the serial number you wrote down from before. Bingo it works, you have the online help and the manual.

BTW, this thing is very usefull. Managed to create text mapped to a surface and animate it in minutes, renders out to an uncompresed avi, Haven't sorted out how to get an alpha background as yet but a quick CK in Vegas will do for now.

Bob.