With the release of Bryce 6, I have since decided to revisit my old Bryce 4 projects, and give them all a much-needed facelift. The image you see here is the first of many I hope to revisit, and I have managed to produce a dramatic improvement over the old image (preview and link at right).

First, I updated the stonework textures from the plain-looking grey/white limestone, to a more detailed and realistic brownstone on the keep walls. The entrance archway now features a more detailed (and colorful) granite pattern. Next, I added stone trim around the door and window frames, and gave them a dirty limestone block texture. I even altered the texture on the curved trim so that the block seams appear correctly positioned.

The ground now features a more robust dirt texture for the paths, and I have added grass meshes for the previously flat-looking grassy areas. Even the barrel and wagon feature rougher, more rugged texturing to make them look more weathered.

The final touch was bringing the power of Bryce's updated shadow rendering to bear. This gives the inside corners of the shadowed areas more depth, and more like natural outdoor lighting.

Now THIS is more like what a medieval keep should look like!