Reinstalling Bryce on New PC
sandmanmax
Posts: 992
Got a new rig - whoo hoo!! Power! Memory! zippy speedy... so I find my Bryce download but there are several versions listed. First off, the restore of my old C-drive went belly-up and Windows 7 had to be reinstalled, so I don't have any old versions installed. Do I need to install every version since 5.0? Also there are two versions listed the my version 7.5 Pro downloads.
I've attached a screen shot of what's showing up in my Product Library. (Content is no problem, it was on another drive.)
Thanks for your help.
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Comments
No just install 7 Pro and the enter the 7 Pro serial number will be enough.
No you don't need to install any but the bottom one: Bryce_7.1.0.109_Win32.exe
The one above is the Mac version so you don't need that, the next two up are the Bryce Content which you say you've managed to hang on to from last time, the next two up are the Bryce Lightning network renderer so you can download the Win/.exe version if you are thinking of setting up a computer network so you can have all computers on the network working on the longer renders. If you aren't thinking of doing that you don't need to download it as Bryce runs fine without it.
Then the top two are more content packs which you also maybe still have.
Hope this helps.
You don't need to install any other version than Bryce 7 pro, but I still have Bryce 5 installed on my computer. I often find I still will do a lot of the prelim work in Bryce 5 and then only open it in Bryce 7 when it comes to tweaking it for the final render.
Bryce 7 will open Bryce files right back to Bryce 2 (and possibly further back if you are on a mac)
I agree with chohole. Though Bryce 7.1.0.109 is the latest version, I have still all versions from 4 up installed - but I have them installed in different folders.
Ah yes I forgot that bit.
Hmmmm... now you've given something to think about. I have the old Real World Bryce 4 book by Susan Kitchens. Has the interface changed enough to warrant installing ver 5 (the earliest version I own) in order to make the most sense out of the book or will I be able to muddle through it with ver 7?
I'm not sure you'd have a problem. I started with Bryce 4 back in the day and had Bryce 5. I never upgraded to Bryce 5.5 or Bryce 6 (even though I bought them), but as far as I remember, the UI of Bryce 7 looks pretty much the same as Bryce 5 did. I haven't used Bryce in a number of years and just installed it on this newish (1 yr. old) laptop I now have, and I'm finding my way around it without a problem.
The only difference I found when I upgraded from ver. 4 to ver. 5 was the then new tree lab, which ver. 4 didn't have. Bryce 7 is more powerful (as is this laptop), but the basic look of the UI, and where you'll find things, is pretty much the same. As I said, it's been a number of years since I used ver. 5, and I had no problem finding anything in Bryce 7 when I installed it a couple/three months ago.
Essentially, Bryce 5 brought the tree lab and the meta balls, Bryce 5.5 the bridge to DAZ Studio, Bryce 6 image based light, Bryce 7 the instancing lab. From Bryce 6 onward, the libraries list the content wider and we also got a Sky Library which can be organised as the objects, materials and texture libraries. The Light lab has been hugely improved, so has the IBL tab and some other parts in the Sky lab. There are other changes like anisotropy in the mat lab or curvature in the DTE.
Nevertheless, Susan Kitchens Real World Bryce 4 is still fully valid. Its just the new thingies that are not covered. The differences in the GUI, labs and libraries are small and won't be a hindrance in applying what was thought for Bryce 4 in Bryce 7.
Thanks Horo for the specific updates from version to version. I was just remembering the look and feel of the UI. Since I never upgraded Bryce 5 to ver. 5.5 or ver. 6, even though I had them (I had stopped using Bryce at Ver. 5), I didn't remember the other additions. I remembered the Tree Lab because I had used both versions 4 and 5.
Now that I'm back to using Bryce, I really need to play with the newer goodies I didn't play with during the several year hiatus I took between versions 5 and 7. ;-)
@sandman: Horo beat me to it, in saying that book is valid with Bryce 7.1 Pro. Or any version from 4-7.1. It really is a book that should have been sold with every version of Bryce. I've learned quite a bit from that book, and have used it in creating a few things using 7.1.
And this further illustrates the importance of keeping anything you want to keep the absolute hell away from the C: drive.
The C: drive should be for the operating system only (plus maybe any programs, like MS Office, that tie themselves into a particular Windows installation so tightly that they don't function without it). The C: drive should be regarded as a vulnerable area that can be totally hosed at any time. Having important stuff on the C: drive is like storing your expensive camera kit on the back seat of your car, or writing a lengthy post on the DAZ forums and not copying it before clicking "Submit Post".
Stand-alone programs and data should be on a separate drive, preferably a seperate physical drive (i.e. on another hard disk or SSD). This stuff should be backed up at least once a week; and if it's really important - backed up at a separate location. Your house may burn down but it would be a real tragedy to lose your fifteen years of Bryce works.
Thus endeth the sermon for today.
Perception: I don't remember much in the way of Bryce5 improvements.
[JARRING CHORD, Cardinals burst in]
Cardinal Reality: NOBODY remembers the Bryce5 Improvements! Our chief improvement was the tree lab ... the tree lab and metaballs ... metaballs and the tree lab. Our two improvements were metaballs and the tree lab ... and network rendering. Our three improvements were metaballs, the tree lab and network rendering ... and an almost functional development of True Ambience. Our four ... no. Amongst our improvements... Amongst our improvements ... were such elements as metaballs, the tree lab ...
- I'll come in again.
Perception: I don't remember much in the way of Bryce5 improvements.
[JARRING CHORD]
Reality: NOBODY remembers the Bryce5 Improvements! Amongst our improvements were such diverse elements as metaballs, the tree lab, network rendering, an almost functional development of True Ambience ... and a nice blue GUI - Oh damn!
[to Cardinal Riggles] I can't say it - you'll have to say it.
Riggles: What?
Reality: You'll have to say the bit about 'Our chief improvements were...'
Riggles: I couldn't do that...
[Cardinals rush outside]
Perception: I don't remember much in the way of Bryce5 improvements.
[JARRING CHORD]
Riggles: Er ... nobody ... um...
Reality: Remembers...
Riggles: Remembers... Nobody remembers the, um... the Bryce5... um...
Reality: Improvements.
Riggles: I know, I know! Nobody remembers the Bryce5 Improvements. In fact, those who do remember -
Reality: Our chief improvements were...
Riggles: Our chief improvements were ... um ... er...
Reality: The tree lab...
Riggles: The tree lab and -
Reality: Okay, stop. Stop. Stop there. Stop. Phew! Ah! ... Our Chief improvements were the tree lab, metaballs, network rendering, an almost functional development of True Ambience, a nice blue GUI, blah, soft shadows, blah, blurry transmission, blah, blurry reflection, blah, depth of field, blah, light lab, blah, upgraded terrain editor, blah, upgraded skylab, blah, premium effects rendering, blah, blah, blah. Cardinal, read the charges.
Thankless: You are hereby charged that you did on diverse dates commit heresy against the Holy Bryce. 'My old man said follow the -'
Reality: That's enough!
[to perception] Now, how do you plead?
Perception: We're innocent.
Reality: Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
[DIABOLICAL LAUGHTER]
Oh, there were quite a couple of improvements from 4 to 5 and Bryce Talk got lost on the way.
This is less an issue of forgetting but rather one of never ever having been aware of. When we were young and wise, we only clicked where we knew what happened. With age, we got a bit silly and do strange things and get overloaded with options - many of which were there for quite a while. The DTE is the heart of Bryce and has been there for all the time (though there were some improvements) and how many have ever ventured into it?
And yes, never ever install anything on C. There are reasons why a drive can be partitioned and there are also reasons why more than one drive can be installed and why network drives can be added to the system. And why posts should be written in a text editor and copied into the reply field when done.