November 2002 - Fractint - mailman.xmission.com

xfractint questions and quirks
by Natalie 14 Nov '02

14 Nov '02

Hi, I've been playing with xfractint 20.2.04 for about a week. (I've used Fractint since version 8.) Here is a list of some (strange) things I've observed. (I *did* read the doc and the man-page. The BUGS-section in the man-page points to the README file for a list of bugs, the README file only says: You will almost certainly need to edit the directories at the top of the makefile! I downloaded the complete mailing-list archives, searched for anything related to xfractint, but didn't find an answer to these problems. I submitted the boundary trace bug to the Fractint Buglist (twice), but so far I teceived no response.) 1. ---------- passes=b does not work, it freezes up xfractint. Sometimes the 'freeze' occurs at the very start, sometimes it draws about three quarters of the fractal, but until now I haven't been able to finish a fractal in boundary tracing mode. All keypresses are useless, both in the fractal xterm-window and in the input/output xterm-window. The windows can be closed by <Alt-F4> or by using the mouse. I started xfractint again, zoomed in on the default mandel and changed passes to tesseral. No problems there. Saved the parameters. Changed passes to boundary tracing, xfractint froze (as expexted). Since I couldn't save the gif in xfractint, I made a screencapture in the Gimp, and saved the file as a gif. Copied the par to an old DOS-only machine. Restored the par in fractint (Version 2002 Patchlevel 4). Saved the parameters for comparison. Changed passes to boundary tracing, no problems, saved the par and saved the gif. I now have a par-file with three entries: - tesseral_linux - tesseral_dos - boundary_dos two giffiles - b_dos.gif (57622 bytes) - b_x.gif ( 8622 bytes) If anyone wants them I can mail them. 2. ---------- Why is the initial colormap different from the DOS-version? It has blues and greens, and white where the default.map has blue. I use xfractint map=default.map to get the old familiar default colors back. 3. ---------- In the DOS version I always had separate directories for par, frm, ifs, l, and map files. In xfractint I have to dump them all in the same dir or they won't be found. Is there no way to use multiple directories in xfractint? 4. ---------- In DOS I could move to another dir or to another drive, xfractint doesn't seem to know there are subdirs in the default dir. 5. ---------- Is it possible to create an xfractint.rc file (like sstools.ini)? I know I can add options on the command-line, but I don't think the command-line is long enough to hold a complete sstools.ini file. 6. ---------- When I use <Page-Up> to call up a zoombox it is not always visible. I tried <Ctrl-Ins> and <Ctrl-Del> to change the colors, no effect whatsoever. I tried <Ctrl-I> and <Ctrl-D> too, still no change of color. When using the mouse, the zoombox is visible. It makes no difference if I use the left or the right button. Manipulating the zoombox while using the mouse seems impossible. As soon as I release the button, the zoom-in is drawn. 7. ---------- Sound doesn't work always. Sometimes it beeps (through the speakers) when an image is completed, sometimes it stays silent. I tried the music pars. Message: Oops. I couldn't understand the argument hertz=220 Any key to continue. 8. ---------- In the Helpscreens: Backspace to get to the Last Topic dooesn't work. The Helpscreens get scrambled after moving from one link to another and after moving around with the cursor-keys. I captured the screen-output in a textfile and added a short description of what I did and what happened. Ths file is also mailable. (5642 bytes) Anyone? But... despite the bug(ette)s, quirks and oddities, I still DO love it! Thanks! Natalie -- Stolen tagline: Linux is like a wigwam, no windows, no gates, apache inside. [ Linux Counter: user 230952 machine: 111180 ]

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FOTD 13-11-02 (Scattered Fractals [6])
by Jim Muth 13 Nov '02

13 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 13, 2002 (Rating 6) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: With its dull, earthy brown shapes floating before a glowing, celestial blue background, today's fractal has a pronounced 3-D effect. It could be a glimpse of heaven as seen from one of the lower regions, presuming that heaven has blue skies, that is. But it is not. It is a fractal created by combining portions of Z^(-1.77) and Z^(-8.8). The ridiculous escape radius of 10^100 signals that the image is an evaporated one consisting entirely of trapped inside points. The picture consists of spirits of dead outside material made visible by a non-flat inside fill, in this case the < bof61 > fill. I believe this fill colors the inside points according to which iteration comes closest to the origin. I have named the image "Scattered Fractals". I gave it this name when I heard the phrase 'scattered showers' on the weather report on the F.C. radio. It is a true name because, as is the case with most all images, an infinity of smaller fractals is scattered throughout the scene. The rating of 6 might be a bit optimistic for an image with so many dark somber colors in the foreground, but the blue in the background speaks of better things beyond, and justifies the slightly above average rating. The render time of 6 minutes is a bit slow, but regardless of the render time, the completed GIF image can be downloaded in a minute or so from: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or from: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> With the temperature at 50F 10C, the rain fell all day Tuesday here at Fractal Central, and the cats complained all afternoon, running from one door to another, searching futilely for the door that led to a sunny warm day. They never found the sun, and had to settle for treats of tuna and turkey. Today is starting cloudy and brisk. I've got cats to keep happy and work to finish. Until next time, take care, and enjoy your fractals while you have them. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Scattered_Fractals { ; time=0:06:32.66--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=+0.86541769754600720/-0.996176800703903\ 50/1.399805e+010/1/-140/0.000802467486569133359 params=-7.34/-1.77/-1.56/-8.8/0/1e+100 float=y maxiter=400 inside=bof61 outside=tdis periodicity=9 colors=000SLdPOgNQjPZmHVpEYsB_v9ayDbvGbtJcrMcpPcnS\ dlPZmYeh`efcedffbif`lfZicWfaUc_S`XQYVZVTMSQKQOINMF\ KJDHHBEF9BC78A5O83QL10006G58L6UQ8AU9gZBDcDFhEGmGmq\ HwmINiJQeKTaLVZMYVNcROmNPwJQzGRwMPmSOcXMYbLVhJTmIV\ lJXkJZjK`iKbhKdgLffLheLf`KdXJcTIaPH`LGZHFXDEW9DU5C\ T1BS7ERCGRHIQMKPRMPWPO`RNeTNjVMoXMtZTkQZbHdV8aUCZU\ GWTKTTOQSSNSWLSZIRbFRfCQj9Qn6Pr3Pv1Py5Ey84yB8uECqH\ GnKKjMOgPScSV`VZXYbT_fQbjMenJhrFjuCItMiYJgWGeUEcTC\ aRA`Q8ZO6XN4VL2UK0RN9OQHLSPIVXGXdKWaOV_SUXWTV_SScR\ QgQNkPLoOIrNGnPMkQRgSWdT`aUeYWjVXoSYtQfjPn`OvRNtON\ rMNpJNnHNmENkCNi9Ng7Nf5`_NmUdiRffPgbNh_LiWIjTGkPEl\ MCmI9nF7oB5p83q51r94pD7nHAlLDkPFiTIgXLf`OddQbhTalW\ _pZYs`Xtb_udavfcvhfwjhxljxnmypozrqzsswriuq_sqRqpHo\ p8WiBCbEFaCHaBK`AM`8P_7R_6UZ4WZ3YZ2aV3dS3hO3kL3nI3\ rE3uB3x83q68k5De4I_2NU1SO0WP8UPFTPMRPTQP_PPfNPmMPt\ LRrNSpOUnQVlRXjTYhUYGZVJa } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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FOTD 05-11-02 (Creepy-Crawlies [5])
by Jim Muth 13 Nov '02

13 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 05, 2002 (Rating 5) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: True, it's a few days past Halloween, but today's image has something creepy about it. With its somber dark blue color palette and its eight objects that could be taken as leeches, it might serve as an adequate cover for a paperback horror novel with a title such as "The Leeches that Sucked the World Dry". (Yes, I could be thinking of certain local politicians running for office. It's election day here in Fractal Central country.) Not wanting to name the image after something as unappealing as a dish of leeches, I gave it the more childish name "Creepy- Crawlies". The parent fractal is a grossly bloated Mandeloid rotated 180 degrees and on the verge of turning inside-out. The main period-2 bud, which is on the east side of the large bay has been totally obliterated by the ballooning bay itself. The bay has expanded so far that instead of the period-2 bud being the most prominent, buds with a periodicity around 30 or 40 are most prominent. Today's scene lies in the northern chaos that has accumulated as the whole fractal has expanded. I am sometimes asked how I find these midgets in unfamiliar areas of unfamiliar fractals. I'm not entirely sure how I do it. My attention is often attracted by elements that appear to have two-way symmetry. Then I simply get a feeling that a midget lies deep down at that spot, and when I go look, I am right as often as wrong. The route I took to today's midget can be retraced in reverse by turning off the logmap and outzooming. The trip back out will go faster if the passes is reset to <g> and thumbnail-sized images are calculated. Today's image, which was calculated in the basic default manner, with equal iteration bands on the outside and blank black on the inside, rates a 5. This is an average rating; the image is an average fractal. The 11-minute render time from the parameter file is somewhat excessive, but relief is always at hand at Paul's web site: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or at Scott's site: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> where the finished GIF image will soon be posted. The weather on Monday was uneventful here at Fractal Central. The partly cloudy skies, light winds, and temperature of 54F 12C made for a pleasant enough afternoon as the dynamic ones checked and explored the yard, finding nothing out of the ordinary in the process. It's now Tuesday morning and sun is once again illuminating the area. I've got a bit of work to accomplish before I can call it a day, so until tomorrow and the next FOTD, take care, and has anyone considered a fractal chess set? Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Creepy-Crawlies { ; time=0:11:21.35--SF5 on a p200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=-92.74890492054568000/+85.5641322949149\ 1000/1519072/1/-70/1.46619012066709353e-005 params=0.6/-1.8/0.6/1.8/0/0 float=y maxiter=1200 inside=0 logmap=198 periodicity=40 colors=000GQIHRHISHJTGKUFLVFMWENXEOYDPYDQYCMYCKYBH\ YBEYDFYEHYFJYGLYHNYIPXJRWKTVLVVMXUNZTOYSPXROVQNTPM\ ROLONKMMKJLJHKIEJHCIGAHGBGICFJCELDGMDINEKPFMQFORGQ\ TGSUHUVIWXIYYJ__Ja`KcaLecLgdMieMkgNmhNniPmjQkkSikT\ glVemWcmXanZ_o_YoaWpbUqdSqeQrfOshMsiKtkIulGunEvoCw\ pAwlEviHveKvbNv_QvWTuTWuPZuMauJduKbsLaqL`oM_mNZlNY\ jOXhOWfPVeQUcQSaRR_SQZSPXTOVTNTUMSVLQVKOWJMWILZGJa\ EHdDFfBDi9Bl89o67q55n68l6Ai6Cg7Ed7Gb7I`7LY8NW8PT8R\ R8TO9VM9YK9_H9aFAcCAeAAg8Ai99g99f99eA9dA9cA8bB8aB8\ `B8_C8ZC8YC7XD7WD7VD7UE7TE6SE6RF6QF6PF6OF6NE7ME8LD\ 9KDAKCBJCCIBDHBDHBEGAFFAGE9HE9ID8JC8KB8KB7LA7M96N8\ 6O85P75Q65Q69S9CTBFUEIVGLXJOYLSZOV_QYaT`bVccYfd_ie\ akaclZemWfnThoQipNkqKmrHnsEptBqu8sv5to8mhBfaE`VHUO\ KNHNHAQA3S45T66U87UA9VCAWEBWGDXIEZKF`MHaOIcQJeSKgU\ MiWNkYOm_QoaRqcSseUugVwiWxkXylZzj`zhbzfdzefzchzajz\ _kzZmzXozVqzTszS7zJ7zJ7zI } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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twin graphics card problem
by Richard 13 Nov '02

13 Nov '02

Hi, I haven't posted much here, but I love the whole fractal thing since I found Fractint 19.1 on a CDROM. I have a problem, which I will detail below. I am running a desktop pc (duh) with a new Pentium 4 1.8ghz, with 2 graphics cards : the main is an NVidia Geforce 4 MX440 64mb, and the other is my aging Ati 3DCharger 2mb. What I would like to know is this : Can I run Fractint in DOS on my ATI Card's monitor at 800x600 fullscreen yet continue to run normal windows operations on my NVidia's monitor? If you need any more info, please ask, but I hope someone can help here. Richard. PS - How do you get the par files in a text format? --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com) Version: 6.0.393 / Virus Database: 223 - Release Date: 30/09/02

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FOTD 12-11-02 (Solar Wind [7])
by Jim Muth 12 Nov '02

12 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 12, 2002 (Rating 7) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: In yesterday's fractal I colored the outside with the < real > option. In today's image I color the inside with the < epsiloncross > option. This option assigns colors to trapped points if they come within a certain 'proximity' distance of the X or Y axes. As far as I can remember, this is the first time I have used this option in an FOTD image. In today's image, the option creates the dark parabolic shapes in the foreground. The brilliantly colored arms consist of normal outside material. The parent fractal, which is created by combining portions of Z^(-1.85) and Z^(-5.5), was found with Fractint's evolver feature. It consists of an indescribable mass of various shaped bays surrounded by equally indescribable outside material. A ring of non-critical debris lies off the screen in the far distant southeast suburbs, but this ring does not figure in today's image, which is located in a valley at the tip of a filament extending from a bud in a small critical area at the northern end of the main body of bays. After studying today's image a few minutes, I was reminded of the solar corona. The name "Solar Wind" soon followed. The problem of rating the image was to decide between a 6 or a 7. In the end, I decided to flatter myself with a rating of 7. The render time of 11 minutes can be avoided by downloading the completed image from one of the FOTD web sites. Paul's site is at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> Scott's site can be found at: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> Monday morning brought heavy thunder-storms to F.C., but the rain ended by noon, leading to a warm breezy afternoon that, by 3:30pm, dried the grass just enough for the dynamic duo to have a brief romp in the yard. The temperature of 70F 21C made up for any left-over dampness. This morning is once again starting rainy. It remains to be seen how well the fractal duo will handle the fresh dampness. As for me, I've got some work to handle. And the best way to handle the work is to do it. When the work is behind me, I'll start the search for tomorrow's fractal. Until next FOTD, take care, and bomb the enemy with fractals -- they are a lot less damaging. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Solar_Wind { ; time=0:11:11.63--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=+0.88504964147477720/-0.010818060826707\ 56/2895828/1/70/1.64751498554771558e-009 params=6.\ 78/-1.85/6.035/-5.5/0/0 float=y maxiter=1200 inside=epsiloncross proximity=0.006 logmap=140 periodicity=10 colors=0000008UcAVdDWeGZgI_hK`jNclPdkR`gUVjWUj`UY`\ UU`UQ`UU`UY`W`YadVfgRlkOqoNsqLvr0zp2zm5yk7wh9ugCre\ EpcHmaJj_LgYOeWPcUR`RUZQWWOZTL`QKcOIeLGgJEjHClE9l8\ 9mC8oE8pH8qK8rN8sP8sR7uV7vY7w_7xa7ye7yg6zj6zl6zp6z\ r6zu6zw6zqAylEwgIucLrYPpTTmOWkJ_hDcf8fd3ja0mc0oc0o\ d1pd1pd1pe2qe2qf2rf3rf3rg3sg5sh5uh5uh6uj6vj6vk7wk7\ wk7wg7sd7p`7lY7hU7eQ7aU6_W5YZ3V`3Tc2Qe1Oh1Nk0Km0Ip\ 0Gr0Du0Ax08w09w0Av0Cv0Du0Eu0Eu0Gs0Hs1Ir1Jr2Jr2Kq3L\ q3Np5Op5Pp6Po6Qo7Rm7Tm8Up3Wm8UkDTjIRgNQeROdWNa`L`e\ KZjIWoHVsGTxERzDPyCOwANu9Ls8Kq7Jo6Im5Hk3Gh2Eg2Hh5J\ h7Kj9NjCPjEQkHTkJUkLTgNReORaOQ_PPYPPUQORQOORNLRLJT\ LGUKDUK9VJ7VI5WI1WH0YH0YJ0UK3QL7NOAKPEHQIDTLAUP7VT\ 3WW1UY5TY7QYAPYDNZGLZJJZLIZPHZRE_UD_YA__9_c7`e6`g3\ `k2`m1`p3al5cj6df7ed8ea9fZCgWDhTEjQGjOHkKIlIJmELoC\ No9Op6Pq3Qr0Rs0Ts0Ul7UeJVZV_6Gc6Ge6Gc8I`9JZCLYDNVE\ OTHQQIRPJTNLVKNWJOYDLVER` } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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FOTD 11-11-02 (Something_Fernny [8])
by Jim Muth 11 Nov '02

11 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 11, 2002 (Rating 8) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: State-of-the-art hi-tech is great, but it can also be quite annoying. One of its more annoying aspects is the constant need to 'upgrade'. Hardly a week passes where I fail to receive a file in a format that I cannot use. It is most annoying to try to load a file saved in super-publisher-36.2 format into version 36.1 of the same program and get nothing but an error message. Usually, a call to the customer only makes things worse, when I find that the document contains features that only version 36.2 can produce. Then I am faced with the choice of telling the customer that I cannot handle the document unless he makes changes, which he usually does not want to do, or spending several hundred dollars to 'upgrade' to the latest version of the super-publisher program. It must be a plot of the forces of evil -- most likely an invasion of off-world aliens set on bankrupting us so that we will be unable to resist the coming takeover. But I'm not concerned. We'll probably be better off once we have been taken over. ;-) Today's fractal is certainly not bankrupt. And I believe it is the first time I have colored an image with the outside coloring option set to < real >. This option does nothing but add the real part to the iteration count when a point escapes. But at least in today's case, it makes a surprising image. I named the picture "Something Fernny" when I had the impression of ferns growing on a forest floor. The iterated expression subtracts Z^(1.1) from Z^(-1.2) and adds (1/C). The resulting fractal consists of several large open areas, only one of which is an obvious Mandeloid. This Mandeloid is rotated -90 degrees so that its main bud points south and its East Valley lies on its north side. Today's scene is located in a small area of cut-off debris in the interior of this East Valley. I have rated the image at an 8. I was undecided on a 7 or an 8. Since the image appears somewhat different from my usual fare, and because of its 'illuminated from behind' effect, I finally decided on the rating of 8. The render time of under 2 minutes is surprisingly fast for the scene. The potential viewer may become an actual viewer by running the attached parameter file and enjoying the gradual appearance of the image, or by downloading the completed image from: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or from: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> and missing some of the enjoyment. The Sunday weather was quite mild here at F.C., but heavy clouds obscured the afternoon sun, and a few sprinkles of rain dampened the grass enough to make things a bit unpleasant for the fractal duo. Being courageous cats, they endured their displeasure stoically, taking their comfort in the temperature of 71F 22C. Today is starting cloudy again, and to make things worse, it is raining and there is a tornado watch in effect. I have a fresh supply of work that could keep me busy until nightfall if I don't get busy on it. Since I would like to be finished before nightfall, I had best get started. As for the cats, they will have to shift for themselves. Until next FOTD in 24 hours, take iterative care, and keep iterating. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Something_Fernny { ; time=0:01:42.55--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=+0.03617038931021874/+0.347379738557890\ 50/182456.1 params=1/-1.2/-1/1.1/0/0 float=y maxiter=1200 inside=0 outside=real periodicity=10 colors=000zzozzkzzjzzizzhzzgyzfxzewzdvzcuzbtzasy`r\ x_qwZpvWptTorQopNnnKnlHmjEmhCngAog9pf8qf7re6se5td4\ td3ra2qZ2oW2nT2mQ2kN2jK2iH2gE2fB2e82d75b77`79Z6BX6\ DU6FS8EQAEOBENDDNFDMGDMIDLKCLLCKNCKPCJQBJSBIUBIVBI\ XBJ_AJb9Jd8Kg8Kj7Kl6Ko5Lr5Lt4Lw3Ly3Kt5Jp7Il9HhBGdD\ F`FEXHHZJJ_LL`NNaPPbQRcSTdUVeWYgX_hZai`cjbekcgleim\ gknimojllgkiekgbjd`iaZi_WhXUgUSgSPfPNeMLeKIdHGdFEe\ GHeHJfHLfINfIPgJRgKTgKVhLXhLZhM`iNbiNdiOfjOhjPjjQl\ kQnkRpkRrkPokNlkLikJfkHckF`kEYkCVkASk8Pk6Mk4Jk3HSD\ 98N19O4AO7BOACODDOFEOIFOLGOOHORHPTIPWJPZKPaLPdMPfN\ PiOPlPPoPPqaS4ZXBWaHTeNQjTNnZKsdHwjIslJpmKlnLioMep\ NbqOZrPWsQStQPuUOtYOsaOscTpdXme`kgdhhifimckqaluZmy\ XkuYirZhoZfl_eh_ce`bb``_a_WaYTbXQbVNcUKcYL_`MWcNTf\ OPiPMlQIoQFpPHpOJqOKqNMrNNrMPsLQsLStKTtKVtJWuIYuI_\ vH`vHbwGcwFexFfxEhyEiyDkyDll`Y`xKawJavIauIatHasGar\ GbqFbpEboEbnDbmCblCckBcjA } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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FOTD 10-11-02 (The Jaggies [5])
by Jim Muth 10 Nov '02

10 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 10, 2002 (Rating 5) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Take one negative portion of Z^(-8.5), add to it eight negative portions of Z^(-1.5), then add (1/C), iterate one-thousand times and display a critical plane. What do you get? You get the parent fractal of today's image. This parent is beyond verbal description. It is filled with a larger variety of fractal features than a fractal cat has tricks. Basically, this fractal is a large multi-lobed Mandeloid surrounded by scattered smaller disconnected Mandeloids. Today's image is located near the tip of a filament extending from a bud of the northernmost bay of the main Mandeloid. The filament itself has a curiously jagged nature. This jaggedness is reflected in the filaments surrounding the midget in today's image. The whole image appears to have a case of the jaggies, which inspired (if it can be called inspiration) the name "The Jaggies". There is also a vaguely sinister and threatening aura about the image, which creates a feeling of unease suitable for the design of a cover for a paperback horror novel. The image is of average quality; I rated it at a 5. The render time of 6 minutes is a bit slow for a merely average image. A download of the completed image from: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or from: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> is the better choice. As a brief off-topic comment, I have noticed the nature of sounds being discussed on the Fractint list recently. The question arose of what is the shortest sound duration in which a definite pitch or frequency can be discerned. The question has been tossed around a bit, but to my knowledge no one has yet mentioned the reverberation aspect. A sound must have a duration of at least one cycle (hertz) for the concept of frequency to make sense. But even a sound burst of one cycle will produce reverberations lasting many cycles. It is these reverberations that give the effect of pitch to sounds such as the tapping of a pencil on a desk. The ear tends to ignore these reverberations and notice only the initial impact, but if the tapping is recorded on tape and played backward, the importance of the reverberations to the perceived sound of the tapping is immediately obvious. The closest we can come to a sound without reverberation is an electronically produced and recorded sound heard through an earphone headset, but even here, the ear and headset itself create some echo. A pure one-cycle tone heard without echo appears to be an unreachable ideal. The Saturday weather here at F.C. featured no sharp sound transients, which would have scared the cats, but it did feature lots of sunshine, which pleased them. The temperature of 64F 18C pleased them even more. Since happy cats make for a happy day, it was a better-than-average day. Today is starting with less sun, but it is still warm. How the cats will take these conditions remains to be seen. Until next time, which will arrive with little fanfare in 24 hours, take care, and keep the fractal faith. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ The_Jaggies { ; time=0:05:54.44--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=+0.87811921245282280/+1.494945544689796\ 00/4.508265e+011/1/45/-0.00608343082262642609 params=-1/-8.5/-8/-1.5/0/0 float=y maxiter=1000 inside=0 logmap=124 periodicity=10 colors=000JQhNTmRYnVZsYaq`cpbfoehngkmjmlloktwoV__M\ TUIQULT`MVeQZmR`zRavO`vL`jI`mG`ZD`hA`N8`cFaLLaORbQ\ XbTccWicYod`udbphWlkQgnKcqDZt7Vw1Rv9NvGKvNGvUCua9u\ t5uo2zzPbbjKJhVOfeSdpWfgUh_TjSRlKQ`AYQ1dT6cVAcXFbZ\ JbaOacSaeX`g``cXb_TdWPfTLhPHjLDlH9nE5oQ7qa9smBuyDv\ rGwlIwfLx`NxUPyOSyIUzCWzESqGOhIL_KHRMEIOA9P70OG7OP\ EOYLOfROn0Yb4fS8pHCy6FrDIlKKeQN_XPTcSNiUGpXAvZCrYD\ oXEkWFhWJbRNYMRTIVODYJ9SHKMGUGEdADn5Cx6Iq6Nj6Sc6XX\ 6aQ6fJ6kD9bRBYXDTaFOfHPkSQmbRndSmfTlhUljVklWknXjoY\ jjZhe_f``d_a`ZbYZcVYdSYeOXfLWgIWhFViBVj8Uk5Ul2Rm5P\ n8NoBLpDJqGHrJFsLDtOBuR9vTXwcsxnoymlzlizkfzjbzi_zh\ XzhUzgRzfNzeKzdHzcEzbBzbGzdLzeRzgWzh`zjezkkzmpznuz\ pzzqmzf`zW2zUPzLCzAkzYgzVdzT`zQYzOUzLRzJOzHKzEHzCD\ z9Az76z43z2ezS`zOWzLSzINzFIzCEz99z64z3kzPgzNczL_zJ\ XzHTzFPzDMzBIz9Ez7Bz57z33z1WzbSzYOzTKzOGzJCzE8z94z\ 4kzKgzIdzHazGZzEWzDSzCEzY } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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FOTD 09-11-02 (Intaglio [6])
by Jim Muth 09 Nov '02

09 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 09, 2002 (Rating 6) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: With today's much improved image we rise out of the abysmal depths of yesterday's failed attempt to find fractal worth. Today's image rates a 6, which is actually a bit above average. It's not too great a jump, but it's better than nothing. I named the picture "Intaglio". I can give no definite reason for choosing such a name. The word simply came to mind when I studied the image, which actually resembles thinly stretched blueish cloths more than a carved image. The iterated expression that drew the image combines some Z^(-2.5) with about one-tenth as much Z^3, then adds (1/C). The parent fractal is a bloated Mandeloid with its nose to the east, on the verge of exploding and turning inside-out. The numbers catch the parent at a point where its sides have ballooned out to grotesque proportions, leaving the 'main' period-2 bud with its straight stem virtually invisible. Though the stem is small, it is there however, and scattered fractal debris lies beyond its tip. Today's midget lies near a larger midget that lies in this debris, just beyond the tip of the stem of its parent. When rendered with my usual outside=equal-iteration-band method, today's scene has little to note. But in today's image I have set the outside to < tdis >, a method that colors the points according to how far they have travelled before escaping. This, along with some serendipitous coloring, raised the ordinarily humdrum scene from a rating of 5 to one of 6. The render time of today's image on my P200 machine ranges from 1min 7sec with a clean boot to 1min 25sec with all the peripheral drivers loaded. Either way it's a fast render. The download of the completed image is just as fast however, and may be found on the internet at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> and at: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> The Friday weather was sunny and mild, with a cat-pleasing temperature of 61F 16C. Accordingly, the cats were pleased. The aging ones spent several hours in the yard, attempting to romp, but actually spending more time sleeping, occasionally waking only long enough to shift position to follow the ever- moving patches of sunlight. I spent the day wrapping up another week's work. Today is starting sunny and even warmer, and for a change I have no work waiting. It should be an interesting day. To see how interesting, check back in 24 hours for the next FOTD. Until then, take care, and keep your fractal side up. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Intaglio { ; time=0:01:24.91--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=-0.35372493402194550/+0.155106779433557\ 40/1.5027e+007/1/90/-1.23373533611470521e-014 params=2.75/-2.5/0.22/3/0/0 float=y maxiter=282 inside=0 outside=tdis periodicity=10 colors=000xJ9xH7xF4xM8xRBrYFlbIdhKYmOQtRKyUJb8L`EN\ `JP`OQ`ST`YU_bX_gY_k`_pa_uc_y``xYbwWcuTdtQfsOgsLhq\ JjpFknDlmAmm7nl6pk6qj6sh6th6uk6ul6um7unAupDuqFusHu\ tKwuNwwPwxSwyUwzXwz_wzgSz_tzYszXqxWpwUotTmuSlpSknY\ bx``z_ZzXWxUUtSRpPQmNNjKKfHIbEH_6KZAMYEOWJQUNRSQUR\ UVOYYNaZMe_Kc`Na`O_bQYbRWcUUcVSdWQdYPf_Nf`LgbJgcHh\ fEhgDjhBjjO`lYUmiMnuEpz5qz0sz5fzEU_MILU46_0Ab0Dc8F\ dFJfNLgVOh`QjhTknWmqYpt_swauxdxzezzhzzizzjzzjzzjzz\ jzzjzxjzwlyulxtlxqlwplunlumOfR6S36NDEJMNFVUBca7li3\ uq0zn4zl9wiEsfJpdNlaSh_YfX`bUfZSjWYk_clcimgnnktpnx\ qsxswxsynfdq_gsVhvQjxKkxFlx9mx4nx7pw8prBpnDqiEqeHq\ `IqXKsSMsONsJQsERt9Ut6Vt6Wt6Yp9YlDYjHYfLYcPY_TYWXY\ U`YQdYNhYJlYHmVMmURmSWnR_nQdnOjpNmpMspKxpJzsQswWkx\ bbxhVxnNxz`xjsxMznbnasVPz9OzDNzENxFLuILqJKmKKjNJgO\ PBVHcQH_SFWUFUVEQYEMZDI_6h56d96`E6ZH7VK9SOAORBMVDI\ ZmzmjxlxZQxWNxUKxRIxOFxMD } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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Watcom and Fractint
by Tim Wegner 09 Nov '02

09 Nov '02

Does anyone recall a Watcom version of Fractint? I vaguely recall that this existed once. I'm looking for an old Watcom make file. The watcom compiler is available for free at www.openwatcom.org. If anyone is interested in trying to port Fractint to Watcom let me know. This likely doesn't involve changing (much) code, mostly the make files etc. Tim

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FOTD 08-11-02 (Patchwork Minibrot [3])
by Jim Muth 08 Nov '02

08 Nov '02

FOTD -- November 08, 2002 (Rating 3) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Today's below-average effort has the appearance of a patchwork quilt about it. But it is not a quilt; it is a picture of a Minibrot. I could not name it "Patchwork Quilt", so I named it "Patchwork Minibrot". Rather than being seen as a quality fractal image, today's picture is best seen as a sample of what exists in the places that I normally pass over in my fractal explorations. As the image shows, there is a good reason that I put so little effort into these areas. The parent fractal consists of a large double-lobed Mandeloid, with a smaller double-lobed Mandeloid not far to the east, and a more conventional M-set still farther to the east. Today's scene is located in the large eastern valley of the center Mandeloid. The image, with its rating of 3, will bring no cheers from the FOTD viewers. The render time of 52 minutes will lure few but Paul and Scott to run the parameter file. But Paul and Scott will post the image to their web sites when they finish rendering it, where it may be seen with minimum effort. Paul's site is at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> Scott's is at: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> Thursday here at Fractal Central was brisk, bright and breezy. The temperature of 52F 11C chilled the noses of the fractal cats, but they braved the outdoors for over an hour in the afternoon. It's now Friday morning at F.C., and if I can finish the modicum of work that sits on the shelf, I might find myself with nothing to do all week-end but take it easy and search for that lost perfect fractal. Whether I find it or not, I'll return in 24 hours with at least a better fractal. Until that astounding moment arrives, take care, and the quest is the quest. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Patchwork_Minibrot { ; time=0:52:03.61--SF5 on a p200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=+2.183112382749034/+0.00087429539942716\ /290051.1/1/67.5/6.4161715107591277e-009 params=-1\ /-9.5/-6/-1.5/0/0 float=y maxiter=12000 inside=fmod logmap=-624 periodicity=10 colors=000000UQLVLHXFDYA9Z55_01Z19Y2HX3OW3WV4bU5jU\ 5qWCiYJa_QVaXNccGej8fp1kr6ptAtvEkoCbhBUb9LW8DQ7IO9\ NMBSKDWIF`GHeEJjCLnBNUD6NT2o2qpjFdjEUjEJjD8jDBZOEO\ ZHDiJ2sQ2oW2la2hh2en2at2ZVCM6LAGNKQPUZRchTmqUwpWoo\ XgnZ_n_TcY`UXhKWoQ_dWcVafKgjAlm0ZjBLgM8dWE`OKXGQT8\ VQ1RV3O_5Lc7Ih9FmBCqDEnIGkMIiRKfVMc_OacRdbTgbVjbXm\ bZpb`sbbvbdxbav__uXXsUVrSTpPQoMOmJMlHRdHWYH_QHdJHh\ CHrGoiOjaWeUc`MkWEsR6zNBrMGkLKcLPXKUQJYIJbBIf4IXFJ\ OPKEZL5hM7iK9iIBiHCiFEiDGiCIiAJi9De68a4IY8RVB`REiO\ HrLKlSMfZO`ePVlRPsTKyUPvXUs_Zqbcnehlhmikqgme`cVUUK\ NK9GABKHDNNEQTGT_IWeJZkCQEKKJRENY8Sd2W_6RWAMSEINID\ JM8FP4GKIHFVIAgI6tGBqEFoDKlBOj9Th8Xe6ac5eaEYZNQWWI\ TcBQUNLKZHAjC1u8sztryurxuqwuqvuquvptvpsvpsvgiuZ_uQ\ QuYNOlQdjOeiMehKfgJffHgeFgdDhcChYEfTGdOHbJJ`EK_DMZ\ CNYBPXAQX9RW8TV7UU7VU8ZV8bW8fX8jY8nZ8r_8v`8zaHo`Pe\ _YVZeLYnAXv0Wr3co6jl9qTVP } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2), g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j, k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel): z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c, |z| < l } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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