DAZ Productions has announced the release of Bryce 5.5, the latest version of the long-running 3D landscape and scenery generation software. New to this release are workflow improvements, feature enhancements and performance boosts. Bryce 5.5 costs US$99.95; 5.0 owners can get a $20 rebate.
Bryce 5.5 adds the DAZ|Studio character plug-in, which lets you load, edit and import any OBJ model into a Bryce scene. Enhanced OpenGL support lets you see texture maps applied to your objects in real-time; you can pan, zoom and rotate the workspace while seeing a full color preview of the objects while you work. Also new to this release is a rendering speed increase of more than 30 percent on average, according to the developer. Bryce Lightning 2.0, a new version of the network render application, improves rendering speed over networks.
System requirements call for a 500MHz or faster processor, Mac OS X v10.2 or later, 256MB RAM, 100MB free hard disk space and 32-bit graphics.