Digital sci-fi art - which software to use?

3D Models for Bryce users

My personal preference for software used to create digital art is Bryce.

I've been using Bryce for many years now, ever since I purchased Bryce 3D released by Metacreations. Bryce has been updated a number of times sonce then and is currently being released under version 6.3


The thing I like about Bryce is it's simplicity. There are other far superior pieces of 3D software, but most of them have a fairly steep learning curve.

Recently I have started to design my own 3D models for using in Bryce. I use an old version of Lightwave to create the models and then import them into Bryce to add the material textures. These presets I use are generally custom made and added to the preset library for future use.

A lot of the original models I made, for my earlier pictures, did not have the materials added to them, so I would often spend time trying out different materials to see which ones were best suited to the design. I still work this way on many of my pictures, but recently I have been spending more time on building models and applying the best material then saving the model as an .obp model which is Bryce's own file format. The reason for this is mainly to share my 3D models with other Bryce users who don't want to spend time testing out different material presets to see which ones work best. You can still do this of course, if you prefer to change the appearance of the model.

If you're interested in downloading any of my 3D models then go visit http://www.3d-spacemodels.co.uk/
All the models are free to download.

You can see some of the latest models I've added in the picture above.

The Wonders of Science Fiction

Being a big fan of the science-fiction genre, whether it be stories, film or artwork, I've always been interested in the idea of there being life on other worlds.

Which raises a few questions.....

What kind of lifeforms might exist?

How intelligent would they be?

Would they co-exist with other advanced civilisations?

What kind of technology might they have developed?

What type of transport would they use?

What kind of architecture would they live and work in?

Have robots been developed as an aid or as a weapon?

Would they be capable of space travel?

If so, have they colonised other planets?

These are just some of the things I might ponder on when thinking up ideas for design work.

I'm often inspired by the creativity of other artists and concepts used in science fiction films.

What inspires your imagination?