Even more advantageously, Bryce is available on both the Mac and PC. And it's affordable. And it has great documentation.

The newest incarnation, Bryce 4, takes all the good from the earlier Bryce 3D and makes everything better. The excellent manual is bigger, a whole slew of new library files are added, there are new textures, and the animation is much improved. Rather than being an annual excuse for a new marketing campaign, this new edition is definitely a worthwhile and exciting upgrade for those already using an earlier Bryce version.

The new Sky Lab continues the Bryce tradition of creating stunning atmospheric vistas, with enhanced tools like the cloud editor. For those who have requested the ability to import professional U.S. Geological Survey maps (.DEM format), now you can. This allows you to create truly realistic areas in your scenes based on "real world" rather than virtual data. It also now supports U.S. Geological Survey SDTS files. If you're building nonterrestrial worlds, Bryce 4 now provides more than 20 new fractal creation models. The program also now supports exporting your world files to almost any other application, such as a more robust animation package.

Animation is a huge improvement, and fixes a few problems I used to have with setting key frames. A nifty preview window lets you see your animation without having to render it, and you can create your animation via a very visual storyboard interface. Additional object libraries give you the ability to start moving a variety of objects around without having to either import them, or build them from shapes.

However, one element still missing in Bryce is any information on using typography or logos within Bryce as 3D objects. Although the application does not support type (there are no type or font dialogs), you can import bitmaps of letters, words, and logos. I had to go to an online private tutorial Web site to learn how to do this.

On that subject, it is worth mentioning that Bryce is one of the few applications other than Photoshop that has developed a loyal legion of followers who have created Internet-based resources for Bryce. One of the neat functions of Bryce 4 is a BryceTalk menu, with which you can create Internet bookmarks for Bryce Web sites and communicate with others online who share your interest in learning and/or using Bryce.

There are many more improvements than we have space to cover, but some of the highlights include enhanced rendering with 48-bit dithering for better gradations, and enhanced lighting with a fall-off mode, and new material shading for self-shadowing of objects. All of the editing windows are improved, with thumbnail previews and more options. Control of 2D backgrounds, image maps, textures, and the like can be modified directly within Bryce 4 with support for Photoshop plug-ins. For example, you can create and edit alien textures within Bryce with KPT 5.

For Web developers, Bryce includes built-in support for export to RealMedia format (.RM) sometimes called RealVideo or RealMovie. Bryce will also export 3D scenes with image map hot spots and related HTML file(s). Bryce can also now directly export QuickTime VR panorama movies. It offers some support for MetaCreations' own Metastream format, but the documentation doesn't provide much information on the topic (not even an index listing).

For the price, MetaCreations should be applauded for providing the kind of package that many of us miss in these days of electronic software distribution. In addition to the wonderfully informative, well-organized 500+ page manual, a six-panel full-color Quick Reference Card gives you a fast start to Bryce functions. Two CD-ROMs include applications and content for both Macintosh- and Windows-compatible systems.

Bryce 4 is an excellent introduction to 3D for any 2D artist, and is a very fun, yet truly productive tool for creating final works for print or electronic media.

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