So, I never did try out Bryce 5.5 before upgrading to 6.
Bryce 6 does seem like a good program, my order came with a coupon for a free tutorial, I opted for a city block tutorial. Though the interface is completely different it somehow reminds me of the editor for Morrowind. (Sad to say I used the editor for Morrowind more than I played the game itself, it just did not grab me - but the editor was a lot of fun).
I am having fun with it, not producing anything like a masterpiece, and on my current computer rendering is ssllooww... but still faster than I expected. If I can get to the point where I actually think what I am making looks good then I may well end up getting some of the art packs for this, not a lot, but some of the packs that might fit what I am doing at the time.
I think what I was expecting was a 3D modeler, rather this is a scene maker for the most part, many of the same functions, but the emphasis is entirely different.
The Auld Grump
