This was built about a year ago in Florida. Modeled in ArchiCAD. Materials, lights and rendering in Bryce5, post in PaintShop Pro. Using 3ds format works well, much like going to C4D and others.
I have spoken to Corel about the future of Bryce. The new low price is to evaluate the general interest in the program outside the present group of loyal users. If the response warrants it they will continue development. For ~$70 this is a major good deal even if they drop it tomorrow. It is just fun to use. You can get useable results right away. But don't be mislead by the the simple GUI.
PRO:
This program has almost infinite depth and breadth: Terrain modeling which can be used for much more than just mountains; Procedural material editor like no other; Tree lab; Animation; Modeling; DOF; Soft shadows; Sky lab; Water; Renderer can simulate radiosity. Easy and fun.
CON:
A good chance 5 is the last version. With lots of lights and polygons in a scene plan on leaving it to crank over night. While it can be a very useful tool in the hands of the neophite, mastering all it's features will take considerable effort.
Full Disclosure:
I still intend to use Bryce for exterior views and recreationally. For black tie interiors I now have C4D without the radiosity module. The initial design is Jonathan Zimmerman's, see
http://www.zdomes.com/ I did the CDs, renderings, etc.