Reducing scene file size

Last updated: 08.05.2002

As your Bryce scene file grows, it will take more space both on disk and in memory. Large files load and save more slowly. Very large scenes are slow to work with, may cause Bryce to crash if it runs out of memory, and may render slowly (particularly if lack of memory forces Bryce to use disk-based virtual memory during rendering). This section shows how to reduce the size of your scene files.

Use picture objects
Render complex objects separately, and then reimport them as picture objects.
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Use level-of-detail tricks
Create simplified copies of complex objects that can be used further from the camera.
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Use bump and transparency maps
Use bump and transparency maps to give the impression of surface detail, rather than modelling that detail as real geometry.
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Use Booleans rather than lattices
For some forms, it may be more efficient to construct a complex object from primitives and Boolean operations than to use symmetric lattices. The grayscale-to-height maps required for the lattice are memory hogs, particularly for high-resolution lattices (see the table of object sizes for more information).

Keep 2D image texture maps small
If you use 2D images as texture maps, keep them small if possible. Particularly on distant objects where fine detail may not show up, you simply waste memory by using larger maps.

Use lower-resolution terrains
If you can reduce the resolution of your terrains, this will also lead to important savings. Foreground terrains and large background terrains often need to be high-resolution, but where the terrain is blurred by haze or fog you may be able to reduce the resolution of the terrain without affecting the image.

Delete invisible objects
You may find yourself creating objects that are invisible in the final view, either because they're outside the camera's view or because they're occluded by other objects. If you know that you'll only want to render the scene from one angle, you can save memory by deleting any objects that can't be seen (but keep a backup of the full scene).