Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

• The story of the software’s creation
• Why Bryce is named “Bryce”
• general introductory comments about the rest of the book

Chapter 2–System Requirements for Using Bryce

• The types of computers that can run Bryce
• How you can modify your computer so that it will run Bryce
• Bryce file formats and why there are two files for each Bryce scene

Chapter 3–Camera and Scene

• A brief introduction to all of the working pieces of Bryce
• Three-dimensional space, the virtual world and the two-dimensional camera
• The camera controls on Bryce’s Master Palette
• How to better work with the Bryce camera

Chapter 4–Streamline Bryce Working

• The best ways to set up scenes
• efficient ways of working with objects an material settings
• effective rendering and batch rendering
• tips on working with Bryce Dialog boxes
• how to deal with Bryce anomalies
• Preferences set up
• Other general things about Bryce that are good to know in the interest of speed and efficiency

Chapter 5–Selecting and Editing Controls

• All the different ways to select objects
• What it takes to resize, rotate, move, group, flip align and ground Brycean objects
• Bryce’s internal grid
• Grouping and ungrouping objects

Chapter 6–Skies and Light

• Changing cloud shape and color
• Positioning the sun and moon in your Brycean sky using the Light source control
• Fog and haze–controlling water moisture in Bryce
• All about color–how each Color setting or Sky & Fog affects your Bryce scene
• Freestanding clouds and fog
• Making glowing objects using primitives

Chapter 7–Terrains, Terrains, Terrains

• How to work with the Terrain Editor controls to make terrains
• how to make clipped terrains for waterfalls and special effects
• How to work with Photoshop or other image editing applications and the Terrain Editor
• How to create unusual terrain forms–words and images
• How to create terrains using United States Geological Survey (USGS) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)

Chapter 8–Material World

• The Material Editor interface and general organization of the Editor
• A deeper explanation of each part
• Discussion of some basic approaches to working in the Materials Editor
• 2D Pict textures–description, how-to’s and pointers
• 3D solid textures and the two editors to work with them
• The deep texture editor–what each thing does
• Building a couple of material settings form the ground up

Chapter 9–Superlative Nature Imagery

• At the feet of the Master–dissect some scenes by Eric Wenger, Bryce’s creator
• Specific tips for certain nature effects
• Geology 101-how earth formations occur and how to do them in Bryce
• Undersea worlds
• Rainy weather conditions

Chapter 10–Multiple Object Construction

• Simple ways to make complex shapes and non-nature object using multiple primitives and multiple terrains
• Architectural objects: castles and towers
• Circular objects, such a s spiral staircases, gears and waterwheels
• Merging scenes

Chapter 11–Brycing Out of This World

• Outer space images–planetary and ringed planets
• Lunar spheres in Brycean skies
• Abstract Brycean images
• More suggestions for using 2D Pict textures
• Using Bryce with other 3D applications

Chapter 12–Render Unto Bryce

• How rendering works with grouped objects
• Tips and tricks for rendering while you are working on your scene and rendering at the conclusion of work on your scene
• Batch rendering
• Large format rendering
• 360-degree rendering
• Distance rendering
• Mask rendering
• Semi anti-aliasing tricks

Chapter 13–Printing Bryce images

• All about resolution and printing
• Different categories of printers
• A strategy for working in Bryce an image resolution
• Conversion from RGB to CMYK
• Strategies for Bryce for Grayscale and color

Chapter 14–What’s Wrong with This Picture?

• How to tell that terrain resolution is okay
• How to tell when to adjust the noise rotation for your scene
• How to get rid of “grids” in your materials
• How to find a scene by establishing a credible sense of scale
• How to fix Ambient problems
• When to reduce a too-bumped bump gain