How Difficult is it to Learn to Use Bryce
Fauvist
Posts: 2,219
I have Bryce 7. What is the learning curve like?
Thanks
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Well ... I used a tutorial that is gone, unfortunately.
I like basic tutorials that show me what button does what and then guides me to create my first picture ...
This looks good:
http://www.pxleyes.com/tutorial/bryce/1218/Absolute-Beginners-Guide-to-Bryce.html
or here:
http://mulawa.net/tutorials/bryce5/index.html
(Ignore that they are for Bryce5 - Bryce still looks the same, there are just more advanced options which you can learn later)
I don't like video tutorials ... somebody else may have different links.
super info here - videos
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bryce+7+pro+tutorial
I can't really say what the learning curve is like as I started using Bryce so long ago ( as soon as there was a PC version in fact)
However the truth is going to be that it very much depends on the individual. Some people find it easy from the word go, and some people struggle with it, just like many other programs when used for the first time.
As people are recommending tutorials, I think that for an absolute beginner with Bryce the Robin Wood's tutorials are really good, as they start from basics. http://www.robinwood.com/Catalog/Technical/BryceTuts/BrycePages/Bryce1Start.html Again they are for Bryce 5, but will get you up and going with the basics, you can move on to the more advanced features once you have that part under your belt.
Thanks for the links. I started the Bryce program and it takes up the full screen. Is there some way to make it run in a floating window. It's impossable for me to use it if I don't have access to the rest of my computer while it's running.
Bryce likes to use the whole screen, afaik there is no way to persuade it to do anything else. It either runs minimised or full screen.
One of the best resources for Bryce was Susan Kitchen's "Real World Bryce 4" - while its a bit out of date given Bryce is currently at v7, its still a great learning tool.. Amazon usually has a few used (and sometimes new) copies available..
It always runs minimized for me...and I've run it on 4-5 different computers over the years. Even in full screen, you should be able to Alt-Tab out if you need something else on the computer, as that should just minimize it to the taskbar.
As for learning curve..? Well, I started with Bryce. I really like modeling with boolean operations (positive/negative objects). The render engine is very powerful, which means it has a lot of complicated options and interactions. You also have full control of material settings, you can make your own materials, bump/displacement maps, model objects and landscapes... You can make the most of HDRI's and use the background/sky for lighting, etc. Bryce is VERY versatile, and with versatility comes complexity, so yeah I guess there can be a bit of a learning curve.
Really tho, it depends on what you're doing with the program. You learn the elements you need to use, and get a more limited understanding of the things you don't use. David Brinnen and Horo have some excellent tutorials out there, and I highly recommend looking them up.
I heartily endorse that, I think every Brycer who bought Susan Kitchen's book has learned from it, and many (if not most) still have their copy.
I personally have always thought Bryce to be much easier to learn than other similar programs. The interface is much easier to get around, and it's quite easy to start using. I have some free tutorials for beginners you might like to check out (links in my signature). There are quite a few links to various tutorials here on the forums too: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/2839/
I have tried Daz Studio, Carrara, Blender and Hexagon all at some point or other and still love Bryce the best:) I found it by far the easiest to learn.
I have honestly never been able to get the hang of it. I find the interface to be wholly non-intuitive and the results of what seem to be simple and obvious settings never turn out even remotely like I expect when I do a render. It also seems to be a much bigger resource hog than DAZ.
DAZ and even Blender I have been able to grasp on a very intuitive level very quickly. Bryce... honestly after a few days of trying and failing to understand the logic of how the program works, I abandoned it.
That demonstrates the point I made in my first post to this thread. Like Eva I found Bryce easy to pick up. I taught myself to use Bryce 2 from a 2½ page article in a computer magazine. By the time I purchased Bryce 3 (1997) I was going strong. And that was without the internet and the resources for help and tutorials we have nowadays.
Well - my Windows task bar is not obliterated by Bryce nowadays - so you should be able to go where you want to go?
Well - my Windows task bar is not obliterated by Bryce nowadays - so you should be able to go where you want to go?
It can be a problem if you have your task bar on auto hide (specially if you have Skype running to receive text messages)