DAZ ships Bryce 5.5

DAZ Productions today announced it is shipping , a major upgrade to the 3D design application for landscaping and animation. Version 5.5 software delivers several new features and a simplified workflow. A new DAZ/Studio Character plugin can load, edit, and importt thousands of 3D figures, vehicles, wildlife and more. A newly optimized engine can be up to five times faster than in previous versions, depending on the attributes of the scene being rendered. The company says that on average, render times have been improved by over 30% when compared with version 5.0. Bryce runs on Mac OS X 10.2/10.3; it is available for $100 with a $20 rebate for users of version 5.0.

"Bryce 5.5 is a leap toward true 3D synergy," said President of DAZ Productions Dan Farr. "The ability to add a 3D model or object, complete with textures, transparencies and parented props, seamlessly into any existing Bryce scene is unprecedented. Combining that with significant refinements to an already popular software code has been very exciting for our users."

Workflow within Bryce 5.5 has been improved through the implementation of OpenGL in multiple display styles. Users can pan, zoom, and rotate the workspace while seeing a full color preview of the objects, including ground and water planes, as they work. Version 5.5 has OpenGL support for texture shaded, wireframe, lit wireframe, hidden line, wire shaded, smooth shaded, and wire textured shaded.

The included network rendering tool, Bryce Lightning 2.0, now provides the ability to efficiently render across multiple systems connected via either a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). Utilizing advanced image compression, the stand-alone application can be installed on multiple systems without the need to purchase additional licenses. Version 2.0 also offers greater stability and a more compact client interface for detailed feedback.

by MacNN Staff