Bryce and Poser

This article is about the scenery generation software. For the Alabama hospital, see Bryce State Mental Hospital.

Bryce is a texture based rendering and ray tracing program ideal for creating 3D landscapes, space scenes, buildings and other objects. The name is taken from Bryce Canyon - a rugged region with many of the same landscapes that were first simulated with the software.

History

The original Bryce software arose from work with fractal geometry to create realistic computer images of mountain ranges and coastlines. An initial set of fractal based programs were developed by Ken Musgrave, who later created MojoWorld, a student of Benoit Mandelbrot, and extended by Eric Wenger. Wenger later met and worked with software artist Kai Krause to design a basic user interface. The first commercial version, Bryce 1.0, appeared in 1994 for the Macintosh.

Bryce 2.0, shipped in 1996, included much beyond the original notion of creating a realistic mountain range. These included independent light sources, complex atmospheric effects, the addition of primitive forms with Boolean methods to combine them, and a revamped Texture Editor. Bryce 2.0 was also ported to the Windows platform, although the first stable version, 2.1, was not released until 1997.

The ability to animate a scene was added (in a stable form) with the cross-platform Bryce 3D (version 3.1) in 1997. A "camera object" unseen in the final image acted as the observer. The camera can be held in one place for a single image, or sent on a trajectory with images being rendered at many locations. The collection of images created along the camera's trajectory are combined to create a realistic animation simulating a journey through a dynamic world.

Bryce was used to create the very first full length motion picture created on desktop computers, Planetary Traveler, as well as its sequel, Infinity's Child. It was created by a small group of artists, who collaborated via the Internet to put it together.

Bryce interface in version 5.5, showing the wireframe view of a complex Bryce scene.

In 1999 Bryce 4.0 was released with major improvements in the handling of atmospheres and skies, textures and also in the import/export of objects. But in 2000 Bryce was purchased by Corel Corporation.

In 2001 Corel released version 5 of Bryce, which included several new features, like Tree Lab and metaballs. Soon followed a patch to version 5.01, which fixed some bugs and added a few undocumented features. Unfortunately, that was all Corel did with Bryce, leaving it on shelves and ignoring the requests for new features. To the growing consternation of users, Bryce was apparently dead.

However, in 2004 the software was sold again, to DAZ Productions.

In 2005, DAZ finally released the eagerly awaited Bryce 5.5 which included the DAZ|Studio Character plugin. This integration between DAZ's application for the manipulation of 3D models, DAZ|Studio, and Bryce allowed users to import content from Studio and Poser, complete with all materials including transparencies, directly into Bryce thus making it easier to have human figures in Bryce scenes.

Basic Features

This section is not a tutorial but describes the basic objects and object characteristics used within Bryce.

"Encounter" an example of an image created within Bryce 4.0

Primitives

An object in Bryce begins as one or more “primitives.” These are a collection of basic shapes, such as a sphere, torus, cylinder and cones. The size, relative dimensions and orientation of primitives can be adjusted, and they can be combined to create more complex objects.

For example one can start with three cylinders and create two wheels and an axle by making one cylinder (the axle) thin and long, and two others (the wheels) wide and short. An inverted cone and a long, thin cylinder can be used to make a simple pine tree.

Bryce allows objects to be combined using one of several Boolean operations. Addition is one method, as shown by the examples in the previous paragraph. Objects can also be subtracted from one another. With this method one object is denoted as “positive” the other “negative.” When they are combined the negative object – and all portions of the positive object enclosed by the negative object – vanish. Bryce treats the removed material as if it were empty space.

More sophisticated objects are also available as primitives, including mountains and boulders. Unlike other primitives these first appear in slightly different forms. Fractal methods are used to ensure that each mountain and rock is slightly different from all others. Editing tools supply an abundance of ways to modify these and maintain their realistic fractal nature.

These more complex primitives can also be combined like any other. For example a mountain can be made “positive” and combined with a “negative” cylinder to create a tunnel through the mountain.

Textures and Materials

Textures are mapped or painted onto the surface of an object. These can be as simple as a single color or very sophisticated patterns to create an alien world out of a sphere, a metallic sheen to turn simple cylinders into pipes, or snow for the peaks of mountains.

Materials are mathematical descriptions of how an object behaves in the Bryce environment. Settings are available to control the amount of light is naturally given off by an object, the amount that is reflected, details of the reflection, transparency and much more. Materials can be dealt with as surface quantities or the more computationally expensive volume properties. The latter are appropriate for complex translucent materials such as the smoke rising from a chimney.

Bryce includes an enormous number of controls on in the Deep Texture Editor and the Materials Lab to change or modify these properties.

Oceans and Atmosphere

An infinite plane represents a special primitive for Bryce. These can be used to create the ground or water, as well as to create the atmosphere. The complete range of textures and materials are available. In a standard scene one may want a lower plane to look like a calm sea, while a higher plane has the texture of wispy clouds. But these can be easily changed, for example adding the texture of a distant city to the plane and of a rough ocean to a higher plane can be used to simulate a mechanized, underwater landscape.

Bryce includes a Sky Lab for the fine tuning of atmospheric effects. Ground fogs can be added, a distant haze, the Sun, or Stars put in the sky.

Lights

The objects within a Bryce scene respond to the light in the environment. Light can come evenly from everywhere on an imaginary sphere surrounding the objects (the “sky dome”) or from a single bright distant source such as the Sun or the Moon.

Independent lights can also be added. Primitive shapes, including the sphere and cone are available to create new light sources. The light sources can be visible themselves, such as a sphere acting as a round light bulb, or they can be invisible light sources.

The sample image "Encounter" with the main features labeled.

Basic Capabilities

This section is not a tutorial but a description of some of what Bryce can do. These functions are also available, in one form or another, with other high-end rendering and ray tracing programs.

To illustrate these capabilities the sample image “Encounter” will be used. “Encounter” includes three major objects which we will call the Open Earth, Flying Mountain, and the Island, as well as the Ocean and Sky environment.

Applying Textures

The Open Earth is started by taking a 2D image and mapping it over a sphere with Bryce.

One of the best ways to develop a superb 3D scene is to start with a bitmap editing program such as Adobe PhotoShop or the equivalent. The 2D images created in these programs can be applied to the surface of a primative object within Bryce. The “open Earth” requires a 2D map of the Earth’s surface. For optimum use on a sphere within Bryce the flat map has a width twice the size of the height.

The “open Earth” begins as a simple sphere. The 2D image is then imported into the program. Bryce maps the image onto the primitive and in this case create a rather convincing (but cloudless) Earth.

Open Earth is created by taking the Earth-textured sphere and a cube primitive and combining them. The cube is set as a negative object and the enclosed portions of the cube and sphere vanish,becoming blank space.

Combining Primitive Objects

Primitive objects can be combined in several different ways. Two objects which are next to each other can be added in order to create a seamless blend that appears as a single more complex object. Objects can also be subtracted, the process used to create the “open Earth.”

A cube primitive is created that is comparable in size to the textured sphere. Within Bryce the cube is designated as a negative object and the sphere as a positive object. By itself this does nothing, even when the cube is placed so that it intersects with the Earth sphere. However when the objects are combined the “negative” portions – in this case the cube and all portions of the sphere enclosed by the cube – vanish. Bryce treats these portions as if they are empty space.

The result is that original sphere is now a series of six circular, lens shaped segments each with a portion of the Earth’s surface. The interior portions (because of the selection of texture for the cube) are reflective.

With Bryce the creation of the “open Earth” effect is quite easy. Much more complex shapes, representing realistic or surrealistic elements are possible with more time and skill.

The Flying Mountain is created with a combination of texture and material properties, with an independent light source directed at the flat surface underneath.

Lighting Effects

Objects in the Bryce environment can be illuminated in a number of ways. Sources of light include a Sun and Moon effect, and also the Sky Dome, an imaginary half sphere that enclosed the Bryce scene. The Sky Dome is useful for creating daylight scenes, or to have reflected illumination where there is no direct sunlight.

But there are many other options for light as well. In addition to a texture an object in Bryce has a “material” for which 14 properties can be adjusted. Among these are the amount of light an object reflect and the amount of light an object creates. Bryce includes primitive objects which take this to an extreme: light objects.

The use of a light object is shown with the Flying Mountain object in the sample image. The initial mountain is created, in this case by subtracting a flat cube from a craggy, rocky object. The initial texture is a flat gray, material reflects some light but create none. The complexity of this new texture allows it to set the material to emit light in a few locations. The Flying Mountain glows as if from torches or windows.

Finally a directed light source is created directly under the Flying Mountain. This applies a great deal of illumination to the underside of the object, but none to the top and none to the other objects in the scene. The material at the bottom of the Flying Mountain reflects this light and appears much brighter. The result is this part of the object glows, creating the appearance of an engine holding the mountain aloft.

Wire frame image of the Island with the camera's field of view.

Wire Frame and Camera View

It is equally important for a good image to have the camera object well located. Bryce creates a true three dimension world and the camera must be able to capture what is best.

Links

• Pixel2Life Bryce Tutorials
• TutorialPod Bryce Tutorials
• Hilltop Design: Bryce-rendered images, Bryce tutorials.
• Brycetech Tutorials
• Peter Sharpe's Bryce Tutorials
• Bryce-Board - German Bryce Community: Community, Tutorials, Downloads and more.
• Bryce-Contest - Monthly Bryce-Competition: with prizes to win

For the 3D modelling and animation software, see Poser (software).

Poseur (Americanized as poser) is a derogatory label for an individual who seeks to identify with a particular subculture, not because they have taken on its shared values but because they seek to gain social status within the culture, or to gain the status associated with it. Posers are often seen as preppies (preps) or jocks that want all groups to accept them, so they "strike poses". Another result of "poserism" is absorption into the mainstream pop culture (example: hearing The Ramones once and labeling oneself punk); a poser would come to believe that punk, goth or emo are all types of fashion or music, but they all have their own sets of idealism and rules, similar to that of a religion. This can also include the famous image of Che Guevara being taken on by teenagers or adults with little or no actual interest in (or knowledge of) the Communist cause. Even though subcultures are not just based on music, some of their roots are developed from musical genres. Not all mainstream music is accepted by subcultures due to not realizing the culture idealism, thus why MTV is highly controversial amongst subcultures. Posers may be identified by frequent changes in style of clothing and interests, often within the span of a few months.

A poser may be seen as an individual who conforms to the standards of a given subculture and absorbs its ideals and practices exclusively for the sake of acceptance by a social group, rather than acutally identifying with the idealisms from personal belief and experience: One may zealously preach the ideals without actually understanding their relevance in the bigger picture. Affectation and aspiration to recognition are what define a poser. A poser often attempts to adopt every aspect of style and lifestyle for a given subculture without actually realizing their original and/or actual significance. Often, this definition is reversed, as one social group will tend to view someone who does not attempt to absorb every aspect of the culture as a poser, even if they have not declared themselves to be part of a group but have a similar style and/or lifestyle, yet without complete imitation of that group.

Race

In recent years the term poseur has been applied to Caucasian individuals who wear similar clothes and act like stereotypical African Americans. For this reason the term wigger has become quite popular. African Americans generally say that the term, which sounds extremely similar to the racial slur "nigger" or "nigga", is not offensive. These so called "wiggers" are generally made fun of by their white peers. A similar type of wigger is the (commonly used derogatory term in Australia) 'chigger', or an Asian (in this case, referring to a Chinese person) who expresses traits of a stereotypical African American like the 'wigger'.

Another racial poser label is an person or a Caucasian who considers to be Asian, despite being white on the outside, eggs state that on the inside, they are yellow like the inside of an egg. This type of poser is common in the otaku communities (primarily North America), but there are more 'Wapanese' or Caucasians who only learn Japanese in order to comprehend with import anime DVDs, videogames (normally RPGs) and J-Pop songs, they consider themselves (and wish) to be Japanese. Both eggs and Wapanese are considered as very offensive to the Asians, considering that is what they are not; the labelling is considered offensive and even somewhat inflammatory at times.

Similar to the term "egg", a common derogatory name for an asian who is considered to be "white on the inside" by his peers (such as with ABCs, American Born Chinese) is "banana". "Coconut" is often used as a similar insults for indians.

Music

The term "Poser" is rarely used outside the context of musical and high school based subcultures, and many people consider the term and the obsession with authenticity as it pertains to a particular group to be highly juvenile. Despite this, it has some instances outside of this area, such as the band Simple Plan (for example) who are seen by most who do not like them, as posers. This is said because of their apparent lack of "creativity, talent, musicianship, or depth" (quoted from Simple Plan article).

The term in the punk culture means a band that considers themselves "punk" and release their debut album on a prosperous record label. In other terms, these bands are known as "sellouts". A band that is labeled "poser" normally is just in the opinion of the listener(s), yet some aspects that are not recognised in the band's music may not be what is expected of the subculture that they had labeled themselves; an example is a band (not giving genre, due to dispute), Good Charlotte that has been infamous by subcultures for being posers because of seriously considering themselves punk, but are seen by critics and subcultures as pop since the original punk themes are not recognised, the fans consist mostly of teenage girls, the music is family friendly (low amounts of explicit content & language), releasing their debut on a prosperous label, and unoriginality in music. NOTE: A band that is "officially" in the status of 'poser' considers their music from a certain subculture, but listeners and critics disagree. Another type of poser in the musical culture would be a group that plays music, but technically enhances it to cover up their original (usually terrible) playing; or a singer who lip-syncs--besides this, the remainder of the term is opinion-based and largely subjective.

Many rappers could also be considered posers as well because of lyrics often included in rap; money problems, drug selling, living on the street, etc. This is because, despite not having any of these problems, rappers often talk about them in their "music." This does not, however, apply to all rap, because not all rap deals with these themes. An excellent example of this type of poser is rapper Vanilla Ice.

Pop-punk VS Punk

Popular music considered punk (pop-punk), has been considered a poser label for years. Being popular was what punk rock was meant to rebel against; to melt the music industry. Green Day, Blink-182, Bowling for Soup, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Relient K, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, and the All-American Rejects are all considered pop-punk groups or bands with a punkish fashion and musical style, but content and production quality are what have been the most provable barriers between pop-punk and punk. The original quality of punk music ranges from fair to poor, while pop-punk has a very clean and friendly sound. The content in pop-punk may have remnants of punk, but there are plenty of slow and love oriented songs in the genre that really separate the two different genres. It is not considered real punk, making people consider the genre a poser genre.

Geeks & Napoleon Dynamite

Many people complain that the teen movie, Napoleon Dynamite, has made being a geek seem "cool", but in more situations humorous; it's the same situation as punks/rebelling being "cool", when in fact, punks were considered evil and bratty by many people and received excruciatingly poor treatment, that is the same basic meaning for the geek situation. Geeks were considered obsessive, anti-social, fools, and even autistic, and now teens are starting to mimic their way of speaking and interest, which is taken in as an insult to people who are actually considered 'geeky'; they believe that this movie pokes fun at their lifestyles, and some problems that geeks have (example: Asperger's Syndrome) cannot be helped.

Ditzy Girls

Throughout youth subcultures, there have been numerous adolescent girls that act 'ditzy' or 'naive' to attract males. In its own way, the type of behaviour has been considered "poserish", for some cannot tell the difference between the girl acting and a mentally inept person. Instructors, psychiatrists, and counsellors have found this trait to be 'dangerous' or 'contagious' among teenage girls; by being demonstrated by many female teen idols, it is interpreted as 'cute' by followers.

Anime

Japanese anime has spread around the world into the mainstream, and in effect, causing non-Japanese (European and North American) companies to produce cartoons in resemblence to art and story-telling style. This has been considered 'poser anime' because of the lack of authenticity (or not being Japanese) or originality; a few of the 'poser anime' series have dispute and accusations for plagiarism or piracy. Some examples of European and North American produced "poser animes" are:

• Totally Spies (French)
• Code Lyoko (French)
• Teen Titans (American)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (American)
• The Winx Club (Italian)
• The Boondocks (American)
• Powerpuff Girls (American)
• Reign: The Conqueror (American; not anime art style, but liscensed by an American anime distribution company)

There isn't much bias towards the term because it means basically "Not Japanese".

See also

Look up poser in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Fashion and status
• Mall Goth
• Punk
• Emo
• Prep
• Rap
• Mainstream
• Pop culture
• Adolescence
• Youth culture
• Teen idol
• Tweens
• Generation Y
• Otaku
• Ethnic slurs
• Chigger
• Wigger
• Wapanese
• Hot Topic
• Mansonite
• Pop punk
• Napoleon Dynamite
• Anime

External links

• http://www.koukeisha.net/p-hatelisting