Description:
Bryce 4 is one of those extraordinary and powerful 3D rendering applications that allows a user to create stunning environments and panoramas. The problem with Bryce, though, has always been its obscure interface. Bryce 4 F/X and Design is a step in the right direction for anyone wanting to master this rendering engine. Bryce 4's most powerful feature, its materials editor, deserves deeper coverage than the chapter allocated in the book. The materials editor has a remarkable depth of functionality, and the number of presets and parameters that are found in each material allows for enormous complexity and subtlety. Unfortunately, chapter 3 in the book barely goes deeper than what the user can find in the software manual or by experimenting. The strongest sections of the book are its color pictures and the images included in chapter 6, "The Color Plates." There are 31 color plates, and the accompanying chapter is made up of tutorials written by artists describing the techniques used and the thought process behind each picture. Watching someone work is always an enlightening experience. Bryce 4 F/X and Design is a good reference book for new and intermediate users of Bryce 4. Advanced users may not find as much useful information, although there is some good stuff here. The additional files on the CD-ROM--sky presets, materials, models, background images--are in themselves worth the price of the book. --Mike Caputo
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