On the Internet, I am a reclusive hobbit called Hamfast, who likes potatoes, all green growing things and playing with Bryce, Hexagon and who has a consuming passion for JRR Tolkien. In reality I am a retired medical illustrator who has drifted into the dubious job of manager/network guru/computer security advisor and general IT "expert" of the Faulty of Health Sciences for a local university. I am reclusive in nature – like my Internet alter-ego, and prefer spending time in my garden, with my wife and our only child, Christopher, who is almost 11 years old. Playing with computers is a hobby, as is my artwork, but that is all laid out in detail on my website on Bryce-Alive.org.
So forgive my paranoid nature by enforcing registration before you can comment on the BryceBlog. With the latest update to WordPress, I have a lot more protection from spammer comments and thus I have elected for now to reduce the security level for the blog to allow you all to comment. Let us keep an eye on it and see what transpires. At the first sign of the Blog becoming a comment spam target, I will put other measures in place.
On a more exciting note, if you would like to become a "real" contributor to the Blog and post you own articles on our beloved software – Bryce – then please contact me and we can set up something. We already have the famous Bryce enthusiast – Rosemary Regan – and I have had some interesting mail from others with all sorts of comments and suggestions. These will be integrated into the blog as soon as I have obtained permission to post them.
An addition to this blog entry, care of Mark (aka Lakotariver), via Rosemaryr.
A few clarifications on the instructions given within Bryce itself: ———————————— 1. Locate the file “Bryce6 Links” in your Bryce folder*. *(Usually located under the main Bryce6 folder on your computer. Example: “C:\Program Files\DAZ\Bryce6.1\Bryce6 Links.txt” , or wherever you put your own folders and files for Bryce).
2. Open this folder** with a text editor. **[should read “file”, ie. “Bryce6 Links.txt”]
3. Type in a (new) link name as you want to see it in the menu, followed by a comma (,) and two spaces, then on the same line type the URL in quotation marks such as “http://www.daz3d.com”
4. To place a separator between links, type a dash between quotation marks (”-”)
5. Save the file to replace the existing one.
You can replace the links that are there, or add new ones. ————————————
Now, *why* go to all this trouble?
There are a number of tutorial sites or packages which you may likely wish to access while you are using Bryce. This opens such in a new window which can be constantly referred to as you work. The links you create do not necessarily *have* to be to the Internet…you can also access tutorials which you have saved to your own computer. Just use the file location path as the link URL. Simple. For those who do not have high-speed connections, this is a way to view those tutorials that you have saved to your computer. Some of these tutorials come as a package along with full Bryce scenes, for you to work with and explore: DAZ sells the “Bryce Masters’ Series” which includes “Smoke and Mirrors”, “Cloud City”, “the Block” and “Great Hall”. Other tutorials are also available on the web.
Thanks to Mark (aka Lakotariver) for high-lighting this little used function of Bryce 6 in the discussion forums at DAZ.
————————————–
And here are some informational and tutorial links to try out:
"When did you start with Bryce?", I have been asked a few time – often by people who are curious about my images. When I actually come to think about it, I can't remember many of the details, but here are a few.
My best friend, and ex-business partner (we are still best friends but no longer business partners) brought a CD home one day with a whole collection of programs on it. It was from some or other computer magazine and had an evaluation version of Bryce3d on that had just been released that year. (1997 – I think) I recall having seen Bryce on the Apple Macintosh and marvelled at the images that were created.
I borrowed the CD and took it home and installed it on my computer. The evaluation version was fully functional and wouldn't expire but it put a nice watermark all over the rendered images. I played with it for a few weeks and loved every moment as I recall.
Of course I was a total klutz with the program. There was no manual to speak of and the help file was – dare I say? – not very helpful. I didn't know all the shortcuts and "hidden" features of the program. You see, Bryce was, and still is, a quirky program whose creators seemed to like the idea of hiding vital functions in rather obscure ways, often using the Ctrl key or buried under tiny little arrows.
Nevertheless I became attached to it and soon realised that I had found a program that suited me and that I could easily get to do what I wanted it to do without a manual or a degree in computer science. So I went to my employer and asked for a budget to be able to purchase this program, I certainly couldn't afford it. He of course asked me what I needed it for – and I lied (well didn't tell him the complete truth) and said that it was a 3d graphics program that could render things in 3D. He seemed happy with the explanation and asked if it did human figures as it would be useful for the medical environment. (where I was currently working)
I had seen some images where human figures had featured so in ignorance I said "yes", and my boss approved the purchase.
When the package was ordered I realised that it could not do human figures, but I had to show something to my boss. A visit to the Bryce website (owned by Metacreations) revealed that Metacreations had just acquired a new program called Poser that did…guess what… human figures… so I added Poser to the order and got the programs delivered after about 3 weeks.
Now I had a manual, and a program that didn't watermark everything and another program that could do human figures…
A good start to my life with Bryce.
Now you know as well why the human figure features so much in my Bryce artwork too!
On the Internet, I am a reclusive hobbit called Hamfast, who likes potatoes, all green growing things and playing with Bryce, Hexagon and who has a consuming passion for JRR Tolkien. In reality I am a retired medical illustrator who has drifted into the dubious job of manager/network guru/computer security advisor and general IT "expert" of the Faulty of Health Sciences for a local university. I am reclusive in nature – like my Internet alter-ego, and prefer spending time in my garden, with my wife and our only child, Christopher, who is almost 11 years old. Playing with computers is a hobby, as is my artwork, but that is all laid out in detail on my website on Bryce-Alive.org.
Recent Comments