Bryce Tutorial  creating a sci-fi picture

Spacejetters

The following Bryce tutorials on how to create your own sci-fi prints were produced
using the 3D rendering software
Bryce along with custom made Bryce presets and 3D models
which can be found on the
Spacejetters 3D models page.

After loading up Bryce select ‘start a new document’ size A4 with a render resolution of 1:1.00 (595x842) for users with
screen settings at 1280 x 1024 or 1:05.0 for users with 800 x 600 screens. This will ensure a full view of the image during
the design stages. The final render will be at 1:1.00 for A4 or 1:2.00 for A3 prints.

Step 1

The first step in creating any design is to have an idea. If you prefer, you can roughly sketch out your design first on a plain sheet of paper. Alternatively, you can experiment by importing suitable 3D models and arrange them in various ways. This simple method can often fire your imagination and help you produce some interesting designs through trial and error.

In this tutorial I have imported the X-wing model from the Spacejetters 3D model collection along with a simple building structure. The building was then copied and pasted twice and moved into different positions in the background using the ‘re-position tool’ in the edit palette. This gives the image more depth as each building appears to be receeding into the distance. A quick render (see fig.1) gave me some idea of how the basic composition looks at this stage.

fig.1

Step 2

To make the overall composition more dynamic I used the tilt control and the camera trackball to tilt the horizon and give the scene a lower viewpoint.

Everything so far has been arranged using
the ‘Director’s View’

fig.2

Step 3

In step 2 everything looks a bit flat so some textures were added to the buildings and the spacecraft to improve the overall look of things. For the buildings the standard Bryce texture ‘Office building II’ was used.
For the spacecraft one of my own custom material presets was used.

fig.3

Step 4

The next step changes the scene dramatically.
By experimenting with different sky presets, the overall appearance of the design can be improved quite easily.
In this version I used one of my own sky presets to enhance the design with a cloudy alien sky which adds a slightly eerie feel to the scene.

This was about as far as I went with Bryce, apart from adding the smaller craft in the background.

fig.4

Step 5

After the final render in Bryce I saved the design as a bitmap and opened it in Photoshop to add the finishing touches. These included using the airbrush tool on the rear thrusters and adding some extra detailing on the fuselage. You may also notice that I have increased the contrast of the image to give it more vibrancy.

fig.5

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Using these simple steps it`s relatively easy to come up with some nice looking designs of your own.
All it takes is a little imagination and a good eye for detail and composition.

All images above were produced using Bryce, Adobe Photoshop and various models imported from the
Spacejetters 3D models collection which is currently available download from this website.

Spacejetters

Go to Tutorial 2

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