Real World Bryce 4 (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

by Susan A. Kitchens (Author), Victor Gavenda (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Bryce, thanks mostly to its unique user interface, always elicits a powerful reaction from users--sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but rarely indifferent. What can't be denied, though, is the amazing quality and variety of images that Bryce can produce in the hands of an experienced user. The problem, then, is acquiring that experience.

Real World Bryce 4 is a massive and insightful tome that manages to pierce through that obscure and uncommon interface and reveal the power of the underlying tool. Written by a pair of veteran Bryce users and seasoned writers, this book is the source of that sought-after experience--a virtual fountain of information from which to drink deeply.

Bryce 4 is a rich and varied program, with options and controls over just about everything, and the 17 chapters and nearly 1,000 pages of text reflect this. Starting with a brief history of 3-D graphics, and a history of Bryce, the authors take us step by step through the program, from interface basics through modeling, texturing, and rendering.

There is much more to Bryce than meets the eye (if you can believe that). Chapter 5 is dedicated to streamlining and optimizing the interface and the workflow, from display controls to batch management to setting up your default scene. Complex modeling using Booleans, multiple objects, terrains, and lattices is covered in chapters 7 and 8.

The heart of Bryce is procedural materials, and chapters 9 through 11 are devoted to using materials and the materials lab. This portion of the book spans nearly 200 pages and covers everything from the water and rocks below to the skies and clouds above. These are arguably the most valuable chapters in the book.

Bryce isn't often thought of as an application worthy of a book, especially a book of this size. Considered a consumer application by many professionals, it's nice to see a top-notch publisher like Peachpit give it the attention it deserves. A solid application, and a terrific book. --Mike Caputo

Product Description
Corel's Bryce 4 puts the power to create breathtakingly realistic three-dimensional worlds at your fingertips. Mountains, plains, oceans, and abstract landscapes spring to life with incredibly detailed natural textures, special effects, and animation. Home users and professional animators alike choose Bryce for its ease of use, reasonable price, and fabulous results. Real World Bryce 4 is the natural choice for those who want to exploit the limitless artistic potential of the program.

Taking up where the manual leaves off, Real World Bryce 4 covers all the program's features, including the little-documented Deep Texture Editor, the heart of Bryce's natural-looking textures. The industrial-strength tips and techniques address your day-to-day production needs, giving you the best working approach for getting the most out of Bryce. Updated from the previous award-winning edition, the book features stunning full-color illustrations and a CD-ROM of samples, tutorial files, and a gallery of 3D artwork.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1072 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 3 edition (November 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201354381
• ISBN-13: 978-0201354386
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #670,259 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whether Novice Or Expert, You'll Want To Have This Book, November 25, 2000

By	Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

The manual that accompanies this newest version of Bryce is barely useful, full of errors and inconsistencies bound to mislead and, in particular, frustrate the beginner. Fortunately, there is a place where you can turn to learn the intricacies of the program, "Real World Bryce 4." Comprehensive and, for the beginner, daunting in the sheer scope of its information, I suspect that this will become the Bible for Brycers everywhere, whether just starting out or already familiar with earlier versions.

With such praise, why have I given it only four stars? Because not all the chapters are written with the same clarity as others (for example, Chapter 3 on Camera and Scene), and at times it is apparent in the exposition that a presumption exists that the reader has used earlier versions of Bryce, or has some familiarity with other 3D programs. This assumption at times makes the description of working within 3D space, various tools and instructions less than immediately accessible for the beginner, and is bound to lead to some temporary confusion on the part of the first time user. One might wish there was a 3D reference that learned from the example of Adobe's "Classroom in a Book" series, and provided more comprehensive tutorials and instruction. Though the latter are provided here, it is doubtful they are extensive enough to satisfy the needs of those just beginning to use the program. Fortunately, there are a large number of websites maintained by Bryce enthusiasts who are willing to share their knowledge and experience, and the authors themselves maintain such a site where additional tips are provided. My final quibble is that before I was even halfway through the book the binding had begun to fall apart, and as I suspect anyone purchasing this book will find themselves referring to it time and again, if for no other reason than that it is impossible to assimilate all the information present in a single reading, you may want to set aside some sturdy tape.

Nonetheless, this is an important resource for anyone intending to use Bryce, and, as I noted earlier, will surely set the standard of reference for anyone wishing to explore or use this extraordinary program.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, November 9, 2000

By	Len Kaltman "lenkaltman" (West Chester, OH USA) - See all my reviews

I've been a Bryce user for about a year, and have loved the program from day one. However, I always felt that the Bryce documentation glossed over certain areas, and another book I've read on Bryce was not very good.

I received Real World Bryce three days ago, and haven't put it down since. It's very well organized, has a lot of really good examples and TONS of useful information. I've been reading it non-stop, (it's 900 pages!) sitting at my computer with the book on my lap, and I have a whole new appreciation for what Bryce can do.

The accompanying cd-rom and website are great. You can view a ton of QT movies that let you see changes take place in front of you. And the animation examples are mind-blowers.

This is a great book.

Len Kaltman

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than Bryce 4 User's Guide but very lengthy., September 28, 2001

By	Lonewolf Astronomer "a fellow reader and life... (Trevor, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

The best way of describing "Real World Bryce 4: Industrial-Strength 3D World Creation Techniques" is in this fashion:

If you need to lookup how something is used in Bryce 4, use the delivered User's Guide. If however, you want to really learn how to use Bryce 4, "Real World Bryce 4" is the only way to go.

Susan and Victor do an excellent job of taking you step by step through the use of the tools and discussions of objects in the Brycean world. The book contains caveats about things that are suppose to work but don't as expected, and tips and tricks to help the new user optimize design and render times. It is absolutely, an indespensible resource for all things Bryce. It's only shortcoming is it's extreme length. The reader is often times forced to wade through sideline commentaries that are scattered throughout the book. One wonder if this is to add more pulp since some of it was little real value in boosting one up the Bryce 4 learning curve. It's a small nit, but one that kept me from giving the book a perfect 5.

The buyer should also be aware that Corel released Bryce 5 in July 2001. The Sky and Materials Labs interface has changed from that in Bryce 4 ... some may say for the better, other seasoned Bryce may oppose. Additionally, there is a new Light Lab, Tree Objects, and Metaballs objects that are new to Bryce 5 that are obviously not in this book. Not withstanding the software differences, "Real World Bryce 4: Industrial-Strength 3D World Creation Techniques" is still a good starting point for learning even Bryce 5. I hope Susan and Victor are on the heels and currently working on a new book.