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