http://hebert.kitp.ucsb.edu/studio/algorists.html

Bryce Stephanie Magleby, Fall 2010

Bryce is a three-dimensional computer modeling program that uses fractal geometries to provide lush textural elements. It was named after the fantastic geology of Bryce Canyon, and was first introduced in 1994 as a background generator used primarily to create mountains and coastlines. Gradually the program expanded to include skies, then better light and shadow effects, then trees and finally people. Recent developments include ʻcamera-eyeʼ animation production capabilities. Bryce has been bought and sold and housed under several different company names. It sat dormant on the shelf for a few years after being purchased by Corel in 2001. Since DAZ3D purchased it in 2005 it has seen a resurgence in popularity.

The Creators of Bryce3D are three extraordinary men: Dr. Forest Kenton "Ken" Musgrave (aka Doc Mojo), Eric Wengel and Kai Krause. All three men are innovators whose passions and careers have spanned multiple disciplines. Ken Musgrave studied fractal geometry under Benoit Mandelbrot at Yale University. He brought his understanding and expertise about the fractal nature of nature to the Bryce3D program. He has since gone on to work in several varied professions. In the movie industry, he provided special effects for films like Titanic and Apollo 13. He was a professor at George Washington University. He continues his work with fractals as a fractal artist. Currently he is CEO/CTO of Pandromeda, Inc which is a Bryce3D competitor and . . . he is a real estate agent in West Virginia. His website http://www.kenmusgrave.com/ must be seen to be believed. It is a wild juxtapostion of acid colors and shapes and bucolic vistas of West Virginia. Eric Wengerʼs career has been spent bending the boundaries between computer, art and music. Besides cofounding the Bryce parent company MetaCreations along with Doc Mojo and Kai Krause, Eric also founded The Bryce Forum Gallery and U&I Software LLC. Using U&I software called MetaSynth, Eric has generated two music CDs: Spectrum Scapes and Metatech. The music is created by cybernetically generating textures and forms with Bryce. These spatial algorithms are then are fed into a sound mixer to turn the visual images into music. Kai Krause was born in Dortmund, Germany, and has worked extensively in both the computer programming and music recording industries. He began his

career working with early vocoders and synthesizers and went on to found MetaCreations Corp along with Eric Wenger and Ken Musgrave. He was an early pioneer of such applications as soft shadows, rounded corners and translucency. Applications he has been directly responsible for include Live Picture, KPT Bryce and KPT Convolver, Kaiʼs Power Show/Power Tools/Power Goo/Photo Soap and Poser. Kai currently lives in a 1000-year old castle new Bonn, which he calls Byteburg. His personal website is banned by BYU.

An example of a Bryce application is the Advanced Product Development Laboratory at Brigham Young University. This research lab, headed by Jordan Cox and hosted by the mechanical engineering department, uses Bryce as a repository and showcase for student solid modeling computer projects of all levels. Upon ʻenteringʼ the website, one becomes an avatar, strolling through a gallery complete with futuristic modern art sculptures, a shiny spiral staircase and skylights. Framed ʻpicturesʼ hang on the walls, some of which are themselves 3d models that can be manipulated. There are doorways and alcoves leading off to areas devoted to different classes and semesters. Here are examples of some of the images on the walls.

http://research.et.byu.edu/masscust/Final_Website_Files/ME_172_WEBSITE/172_Museum/Projects2.jpg

Date   Version   Platform   Main  Players   Features  

1994   Bryce  1.0   Macintosh  only  

Specialized  in  mountains  and  coastlines  

1996   Bryce  2.0   Macintosh  only  

Added  light  sourcing,  atmospheres,  better  texture  editor  

1997   Bryce  2.1   First  stable  windows  Platform  

1997  Bryce  3D  3.1   Camera  eye  animation  

1999   Bryce  4.0  

Ken  Musgrave  ,                                        Eric  Wenger                                                                            Kai  Krause    together  formed  

MetaTools  which  merged  with    

Fractal  Design  to  form    

MetaCreations    which  was  restructured  as  

Viewpoint  Corp.  Overall  upgrade  plus  better  import/export  

2000      

2001   Bryce  5.0   Added  Tree  Lab  and  Metaballs  

2001  Bryce  5.01  

Macintosh    and  

Windows  

Owned  by  Corel  Corp.  

Fixed  some  bugs  

2002-­‐2004  

Languished  on  Corel’s    Shelf  

2005   Bryce  5.5  

DAZ|Studio  PlugIn.  Import  capabilities  from  Studio  &  Poser,  Transparencies    (human  figures  now  possible)  

2006   Bryce  6.0  &  6.1  

Animation  import,  random  replication,  advanced  edition,  HDRI    (High  Dynamic  Range  Imaging)  

2007  Bryce  5.5  Freeware    

Sum  2009  

DAZ  Studio  3  

Didn’t  work  with  Bryce  6.1  

Dec  2009  

Bryce  6.3  

Macintosh    and  

Windows  

Stability,  Mac  OS  X  v10.6  support  

2010  

Bryce  7  Trial,  

Standard  &  Pro  versions  

 

Owned  by  DAZ  3D  

DAZ  Studio  Bridge,  Sky  Lab,  clouds