December 2002 - Fractint - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Fractint] xfractint questions and quirks
by Natalie 18 Jan '03

18 Jan '03

On Wed, 13 Nov 2002 21:14:49 -0600 Jonathan Osuch <osuchj(a)avalon.net> wrote > > 1. ---------- passes=b does not work, it freezes up xfractint. > Yes, it's broke. ?It is on my list of bugs to fix. Good luck! >?> 2. ---------- Why is the initial colormap different from the > Put map=default.map in an sstools.ini file. ?Now, where to > put the sstools.ini file, I don't have a clue. I'll try to figure out where to put it. >?> 3. ---------- Is there no way to use multiple directories in > > xfractint? > Use sstools.ini to define your subdirectories. As soon as I've found out where to put it ;-) > > 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. > Hmm, somebody should fix that. ?8-)) Would be great. ?> > 5. ---------- Is it possible to create an xfractint.rc file > Yes, use sstools.ini. Yes, as soon as ... ;-) ?> > 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. > Mouse support is not what it should be, yet. ?One of these days > someone will get to working on it. Thank you. And what about the invisible zoombox? And the color changing? ?> > 7. ---------- Sound doesn't work always. Sometimes it beeps > Sound is not implemented in Xfractint. Doesn't really matter. ?> > 8. ---------- In the Helpscreens: Backspace to get to the Last > > Topic dooesn't work. The Helpscreens get scrambled > Other than the top line being scrambled (it's on the list), the help > screens work fine for me. ?Even the backspace works. I've tried another xterm and yes, the Backspace works and the screen does not get scrambled. It seems that the various xterms behave differently. In this xterm the 'image-is-completed' beep uses the internal speaker. In the one I previously used the sound came via the soundcard. Natalie -- Stolen tagline: Linux is like a wigwam, no windows, no gates, apache inside. [ Linux Counter: user 230952 machine: 111180 ]

9 26

FOTD 31-12-02 (So Be It [6])
by Jim Muth 31 Dec '02

31 Dec '02

FOTD -- December 31, 2002 (Rating 6) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: With today's FOTD we end the year by returning to the MandelbrotMix4 formula and visiting the fractal created when 4.1 parts of Z^(-7.5) are added to 7.7 parts of Z^(-1.5). To make things even more interesting, we then add (1/C) rather than just straight C. The resulting fractal consists of a short string of bays with many spurious sub-bays and valleys. Today's scene lies in an unlikely part of a spiral in an unpromising area in the south- west corner of the parent fractal. I found it more by instinct than logic. In fact, I rarely use logic when searching for fractals -- it takes too much of the fun and surprise out of the search. I named the image "So Be It". The name has nothing to do with the appearance of the fractal. It expresses the mood that comes over me every year at this time, when another year passes irretrievably into the past. (which too many have already done) The image consists of a central midget surrounded by a ring of silk ribbons. Beyond the silky ring lies a dark mysterious area filled with somber purplish bows. The whole thing is a bit on the depressing side, and can be rated no higher than a 6. But a 6 is still above average, so the 14 minutes spent rendering the image from the parameter file will not be a total waste of time. And even the 14 minute wait can be avoided by visiting one of the FOTD web sites and downloading the finished image from there. Paul's FOTD web site can be accessed at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> Scott's can be found at: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> Monday brought a repeat of Sunday's weather to F.C., with sun, clouds, light breezes, and a temperature of 44F 6.5C, which was pleasant for humans but not pleasant enough for dynamic fractal cats. The duo's moods turned sulky as the afternoon progressed and the mud in the yard remained undried. As for myself, I expect a pleasant enough day. The non-fractal work is nearly finished, leaving me little to do for the rest of the day but keep my eye on the cats, search for fractals, and finish reading my latest issue of 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine, a publication by skeptics for skeptics, whose purpose is to pro- mote reason and reassure the concerned members of the skeptical community that the paranormal and the supernatural do not exist. Unfortunately for those whose world would come crashing down if the paranormal were shown to be true, things that cannot be ex- plained rationally actually do happen, and have happened to me, (particularly in the week preceding 9-11-01), which is why I no longer consider the articles in SI magazine to be the final word on the subject. But it is still an informative magazine, which is fun to read. And, being party-poopers, the authors are used to being kicked around by those who want to believe. Once again, I have managed to escape the silliness that happens at midnight every year on this date. Instead of going out and acting silly, I'll sit by my fractal TV and watch others act silly. Until next year, which will be here sooner than one might expect, take care, and bide your time with a search for fractals. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ So_Be_It { ; time=0:14:46.39--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=-0.80908348488226210/-1.024832179848169\ 00/7.597656e+008/1/159.999668133916543/0.000292235\ 226264474235 params=7.7/-1.5/4.1/-7.5/0/525 float=y maxiter=2000 inside=0 logmap=310 periodicity=10 colors=00042E63G84HA5JD6LH7NK8PO9QRASVAUY8Wa7Yd6Zh\ 5`k4bo3dr2fu1gq6inAkkFlhJneOoaSqZXrW`tTeuQewNgxMhv\ LhuLesKcrJ`pJZoIWmHUlHRjGPiFMgFKfEHdEFcHE`JEYLDWND\ TQCRSCOUBMWBJZAH`AEb9Cd99f97hE6iJ6jO5kT5lY4nb4og3p\ l3qq2rr2pr6ooAmmDljHjhKieOgbRf`VdYYcWaaTd`QhZOkYLo\ XJrTJoPJmQIkQHiQGgQGeQFcQEaRD_RDYRCXRBURASRA3SE4SE\ 5SI6SH7SM8SL8TO9TOATQBTSCTSDTVDSTHRUKQUNPTQPTTOTWN\ SZMSaLSdLSgKXeJacJfbIk`Ip_HuYHzXGsYFmZFg_Ea`EWaDQb\ DKcCEdC8eB7dB7dB7cB7cB7cB7bA6bA6aA6aA6aA6`A6`A6`HG\ VOQQU_LT`MSaMRbMQbNPcNPdNOeONeOMfOLgPKhPKhPIeQHbQF\ `REYRDVSBTSAQT8OT7LU6IU4GV3DV2BV6HSAMPDRNHWKLaHOfF\ SkCWj9Zz7`t8bt9dsAefBglCirDjqElqEnqFopGqpHsoItoJvn\ KxnLynLvkMshNpeOnbOk_PhYQeVRcSR`PSYMTVKUTHUQEVNBWK\ 8XI6XK9WMCWOFWQIWSLVTOVVRVXUVZXU`_UbbUceUbfWbgXbiY\ bkZbm`boabqbbscbuebwfbxgbyhbzidzbfzXhzQizKgzHezEcz\ Baz9_z6Yz3Wz1Xz3Yz5Zz7_z9 } 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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Best concise definition of fractal ?
by Anna Baron 31 Dec '02

31 Dec '02

I'm curious to discover a really good explanation, in layman's terms, of what a *fractal* is - just a couple of sentences and no technical jargon. I don't know much about fractals myself: all I do is play around with Fractint a bit but formulas are a mystery to me. I've occasionally been asked what on earth these fractals are that grab part of my time, and I'm aware that whatever brief answer I've come up with was far from enlightening. I've no doubt any of you could do much better so I'd love to hear if anyone has a particularly good definition up his sleeve. A happy New Year to one and all! Anna __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com

5 4

FOTD 30-12-02 (The Power [4])
by Jim Muth 30 Dec '02

30 Dec '02

FOTD -- December 30, 2002 (Rating 4) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: When I first saw today's scene, which lies deep in the Mandelbrot set, it reminded me of something that I could not place. Then I noticed the eight straight sword-like features radiating from the central midget, and thought of the power- swords of the 'Star Wars' series. In a moment of inspiration I named the image "The Power". As I recall, the actual swords glowed greenish and didn't appear until they were needed for combat. But today's image comes just barely close enough to justify the name. Since it is merely another scene in the M-set, and something that has been seen many times before, I could rate it no higher than a 4. Hope- fully, tomorrow's FOTD will close the year in a better manner. The render time of 17 minutes can be avoided by downloading the pre-rendered GIF file from: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or from: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> I see in the news that claims of the birth of the first human clone are circulating. The questions that are raised by the possibility are truly interesting, and will give me much philofractal material to ponder in the days to come. The weather here at Fractal Central on Sunday was of the fractal variety -- some sun, some clouds, little breeze, and a tempera- ture of 46F 8C, which is somewhat above normal. The cats were somewhat happy with the conditions in the yard, especially with the drying mud, but it's still quite muddy down in the holly thicket, so they avoided that area. For me, it's back to normal work today, but I will always manage to find time for fractals. Until next FOTD, which will appear in 24 hours, take care, and life is never dull as long as the world has fractals and clones in it. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START PARAMETER FILE======================================= The_Power { ; time=0:17:50.12--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=mandel passes=1 center-mag=-0.5060745485994828105/0.69278139119482\ 1783/3.686536e+014/1/-140/3.88578058618804789e-016 params=0/0 float=y maxiter=1500 inside=0 colors=000zk_wj`ujarjbpicmickidhiefhfchgahgZghXgiU\ gjSgjRehQcfPadP_bOZ`NX_NVYMTWLSUKQSKORJMPILNIJLHHJ\ GFIFEGFCEEACD8AD79F6BH6CI6DK6FM6GN6HP5IQ5KS5LU5MV5\ NX5PY4Q_4Ra4Sb4Ud4Vf4Wg3Xi3Zj3_l3`n3ao3cq2dr2et2fv\ 2hw2iy2jz2ky4ly6ly8myAmyCmyEnxGnxIoxJoxLoxNpxPpxRp\ wTqwVqwXrwZrw_rwasvcsvetvgtvitvkuvmuvnutnsrnrpnqon\ pmnoknninlhnkfnjdnicnhang_neYndXncVnbTnaSn`QnZOnYM\ nXLnWJnVHnUGnTHmUHmUImUIlVJlVJlVKlVKkWLkWLkWMjXMjX\ NjXNjXNiYOiYOiYPhZPhZQhZQhZRg_Rg_Sg_Sf`Tf`Tf`Tf`Rf\ _QeYPeXNeWMdULdTJdRIcQGcOFcNEbLCbKBbJAaH8aG7aE6`D4\ `B3`A2`96Y8AW8DT7HR7KP6OM6SK5VH5ZF4aD4aBHa9Ta7ea6q\ b7nc7ld8id8ge9df9bf9_gAYhAVhBTiBRjBOjCMkCJlDHlDEmD\ CnE9nE7oF4pF2pF0nG3mG6kH9jHChHFgIIeILdIObJRaJU`JXZ\ K_YKbWKeVLhTLkSLnQMqPMtOMwPNuPNsPOqPOoPPnPPlPPjPQh\ PQgPRePRcPSaPS`PSZPTXPTVPUUPUSPVQPVOPVNOWNNXNNYNMY\ NMZNL_NL`NK`NKaNJbNJbNIcN } END PARAMETER FILE=========================================

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Re: [Fractint] Best concise definition of fractal ?
by BillatNY＠aol.com 30 Dec '02

30 Dec '02

Anna, Tim Wegner's book, "Fractals for Windows", says: " A fractal is a mathematical object that has detailed structure no matter how closely you look at it, no matter how great the magnification." I hope this helps. Bill Rossi <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/billatny">http://members.aol.com/billatny</A> <A HREF="http://www.arts4u.org/rossi">http://www.arts4u.org/rossi</A>

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Re: [Fractint] Best concise definition of fractal ?
by Jim Muth 29 Dec '02

29 Dec '02

At 06:29 PM 12/29/02 +0000, Anna Baron wrote: >I'm curious to discover a really good explanation, in >layman's terms, of what a *fractal* is - just a couple >of sentences and no technical jargon. I quote from the book "Fractal Creations": Fractals are beautiful, fascinating designs of infinite structure and complexity -- the sort of intricate patterns that capture attention and evoke a sense of childlike wonder. A fractal is a *MATHEMATICAL OBJECT* that has detailed structure no matter how closely it is looked at, no matter how great the magnification. And also from the book: So what are fractals? As you make your way through this book, we will present ample evidence of the diversity of the universe of fractals and the multiplicity of ways of answering that simple question. I might add: fractals are graphs of reiterated mathematical functions. Fractals are pictures of the things numbers do. But even that is not really satisfactory. In truth, fractals are kind of a mystery, inhabiting as they do a world halfway between the objective and subjective. No one really knows why such simple mathematical expressions must lead to such complex results. Jim M.

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investigations#2
by jos hendriks 29 Dec '02

29 Dec '02

Dear reader Sierpinski With the if-else feature of the formula parser it's easy to write a escape time formula for the Sierpinski triangle. I suppose someone have done that before. Nevertheless here is mine: formula#5 Jhsierpinski {;Jos Hendriks,2002 z=Pixel: IF (real(z)<.5 && imag(z)>.5) z=2*z-(0,1) ELSEIF(real(z)>.5) z=2*z-(1,0) ELSE z=2*z ENDIF |z|<p1 } I know pictures made with this algorithm. For instance there are some in "Fractals everywhere" (Barnsley). These pictures show the layers due to how long it takes for the orbits to escape. The Sierpinski triangle itself isn't really visible. I was curious if a better picture was possible. It turned out that 3 parameters were important: number of iterations, bail-out value and the colormap. Below is a parfile with an example witch gives a quite good impression of the triangle. With the possibilities of fractint there are with the formula another kind of pictures possible. I'm always eager to find "texture" like pictures. Pictures that has a kind of repetition, but doesn't reveal more details when zooming in. Below are two pars with examples. I wrote another formula, based upon those creating the Sierpinski triangle. You could call it a lambdaSierpinski formula: formula#6 Jhsierpinskim { z=Pixel: IF (real(z)<.5 && imag(z)>.5) z=(2*z-(0,1))*Pixel ELSEIF(real(z)>.5) z=(2*z-(1,0))*Pixel ELSE z=2*z*Pixel ENDIF |z|<p1 } The linearity of the formula gives parts of the plane, edged by straight lines. Some unlinearity( spirals etc) slips in cause of lambda. Below 2 parfiles as examples. For simplicity I put the frm's and pars below together. So it's easier to transport them together. All the pars take just a few seconds to render. p.s: When I rerendered the images from some of the pars below, the parser gives:can't understand the parameter color=etc. Nevertheless fractint shows the image, but it may use an other colormap then I intended. Because I created the pars in the usual way, I can't understand what went wrong. Anybody knows? frm:Jhsierpinski {;Jos Hendriks,2002 z=Pixel: IF (real(z)<.5 && imag(z)>.5) z=2*z-(0,1) ELSEIF(real(z)>.5) z=2*z-(1,0) ELSE z=2*z ENDIF |z|<p1 } frm:Jhsierpinskim { z=Pixel: IF (real(z)<.5 && imag(z)>.5) z=(2*z-(0,1))*Pixel ELSEIF(real(z)>.5) z=(2*z-(1,0))*Pixel ELSE z=2*z*Pixel ENDIF |z|<p1 } jhsiertriangle {;Jos Hendriks,2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=Jhsierpinski passes=1 center-mag=0.475632/0.48248/1.850399 params=10000/0 float=y maxiter=100 colors=000<8>000000000<3>000zzz<88>zzz<4>zzzccc<143>ccc } lambdasier1 { ; Jos Hendriks, 2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=alle.frm formulaname=Jhsierpinskim passes=1 center-mag=+0.54606658322903670/+0.12909227378964890/946.2815 params=10/0 float=y colors=000z02<15>j02<2>g02f02f02f02<55>O02O02N02<3>M020z2<15>0j2<2>0g20f\ 20f20f2<55>0O20O20N2<3>0M200t<15>00d<2>00a00`00`00`<61>00G } lambdasier2 { ; Jos Hendriks, 2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=alle.frm formulaname=Jhsierpinskim passes=1 center-mag=+0.54887713642052600/+0.10850051419031680/445.3089 params=10/0 float=y colors=00000e0e00eee00e0eeL0eeeLLLLLzLzLLzzzLLzLzzzLzzz000555<3>HHHKKKOO\ O<3>ccchhhmmmssszzz00z<3>z0z<3>z00<3>zz0<3>0z0<3>0zz<2>0GzVVz<3>zVz<3>zV\ V<3>zzV<3>VzV<3>Vzz<2>Vbzhhz<3>zhz<3>zhh<3>zzh<3>hzh<3>hzz<2>hlz00S<3>S0\ S<3>S00<3>SS0<3>0S0<3>0SS<2>07SEES<3>SES<3>SEE<3>SSE<3>ESE<3>ESS<2>EHSKK\ S<2>QKSSKSSKQSKOSKMSKK<2>SQKSSKQSKOSKMSKKSK<2>KSQKSSKQSKOSKMS00G<3>G0G<3\ >G00<3>GG0<3>0G0<3>0GG<2>04G88G<2>E8GG8GG8EG8CG8AG88<2>GE8GG8EG8CG8AG88G\ 8<2>8GE8GG8EG8CG8AGBBG<2>FBGGBGGBFGBDGBCGBB<2>GFBGGBFGBDGBCGBBGB<2>BGFBG\ GBFGBDGBCG000<6>000 } sier1 { ; Jos Hendriks, 2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=alle.frm formulaname=Jhsierpinski passes=1 center-mag=0.488878/0.841371/0.7771474 params=100/0 float=y outside=imag colors=000zzz<5>ttz<3>ppzpoypnxpmwplv<3>mhrlgqkfo<3>gbgfaed_caX_<2>PKPKG\ HGBNC9TD6ZC6`D6bD6dF5fF5hG5jH3lH3nH3pJ3rJ3tL1vJ3xH6zG9wFCvDFsCHrAKo9Nm7P\ l6Si5Vh3Ye2`d1ba0e`0fZ6ZSDRLKKGSC9Z53e000zOLR7l00k00i00h00f20e50d70dC0<3\ >ZN0YP0YS0XX1<3>Rf3Pi3Pm5<2>Lv6Ky7Jz7Kz5Jz7Hz9HyCGvDGsGFpHDmJDkLChNCePAb\ R9`S9YV7XX7UZ6R`5Oa5Ld3Je3Gh<2>17m05o02r00s00z00t20p52l93hD6dG7`KAXOCSRF\ OVGKzm0mY6YHGL0NJ0OH2PG6RFARDFSCJU9NV7RV<2>3bZ9VL5XJ2eZ0zm0to1mo6foAaoFV\ oKOpOJpUCpY5pZ1sa0pd0oe0mh0lk0il0ho0fr0es0bv0ay0`z0fz0Z<2>m0Di06e00b00d0\ 0e10f32h75iC9kFClJFmLHoPLpUOrXRs`UtdYvf`wkbymezrizvlzyozzrzztzzrwwpttopp\ lmmkkiifefdbeaZdzlK<2>KOlezp6Gv9JsCKrDNpGOmJPlKSkNUiPVfRYeUZdX`bYb``dZbe\ YdhXfiU<2>moPppNrsLttKzzKHzKGzLAzH<5>Zz`bzdfzfkziozm } sier2 { ; Jos Hendriks, 2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=alle.frm formulaname=Jhsierpinski passes=1 center-mag=0.529848/1.20584/3.72083 params=100/0 float=y outside=atan colors=000zzz<5>ttz<3>ppzpoypnxpmwplv<3>mhrlgqkfo<3>gbgfaed_caX_<2>PKPKG\ HGBNC9TD6ZC6`D6bD6dF5fF5hG5jH3lH3nH3pJ3rJ3tL1vJ3xH6zG9wFCvDFsCHrAKo9Nm7P\ l6Si5Vh3Ye2`d1ba0e`0fZ6ZSDRLKKGSC9Z53e000zOLR7l00k00i00h00f20e50d70dC0<3\ >ZN0YP0YS0XX1<3>Rf3Pi3Pm5<2>Lv6Ky7Jz7Kz5Jz7Hz9HyCGvDGsGFpHDmJDkLChNCePAb\ R9`S9YV7XX7UZ6R`5Oa5Ld3Je3Gh<2>17m05o02r00s00z00t20p52l93hD6dG7`KAXOCSRF\ OVGKzm0mY6YHGL0NJ0OH2PG6RFARDFSCJU9NV7RV<2>3bZ9VL5XJ2eZ0zm0to1mo6foAaoFV\ oKOpOJpUCpY5pZ1sa0pd0oe0mh0lk0il0ho0fr0es0bv0ay0`z0fz0Z<2>m0Di06e00b00d0\ 0e10f32h75iC9kFClJFmLHoPLpUOrXRs`UtdYvf`wkbymezrizvlzyozzrzztzzrwwpttopp\ lmmkkiifefdbeaZdzlK<2>KOlezp6Gv9JsCKrDNpGOmJPlKSkNUiPVfRYeUZdX`bYb``dZbe\ YdhXfiU<2>moPppNrsLttKzzKHzKGzLAzH<5>Zz`bzdfzfkziozm } sier3 { ; Jos Hendriks, 2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=alle.frm formulaname=Jhsierpinski passes=1 center-mag=0.527529/-0.153234/7.771474 params=100/0 float=y outside=atan colors=000<3>00n00z0C0<3>0Cn0Cz0P0<3>0Pn0Pz0a0<3>0an0az0n0<3>0nn0nz0z0<3\ >0zn0zzC00<3>C0nC0zCC0<3>CCnCCzCP0<3>CPnCPzCa0<3>CanCazCn0<3>CnnCnzCz0<3\ >CznCzzP00<3>P0nP0zPC0<3>PCnPCzPP0<3>PPnPPzPa0<3>PanPazPn0<3>PnnPnzPz0<3\ >PznPzza00<3>a0na0zaC0<3>aCnaCzaP0<3>aPnaPzaa0<3>aanaazan0<3>annanzaz0<3\ >aznazzn00<3>n0nn0znC0<3>nCnnCznP0<3>nPnnPzna0<3>nannaznn0<3>nnnnnznz0<3\ >nznnzzz00<3>z0nz0zzC0<3>zCnzCzzP0<3>zPnzPzza0<3>zanzazzn0<3>znnznzzz0<3\ >zznzzz000<12>fffiiimmm<3>zzz000<18>000 }

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FOTD 29-12-02 (Pink Lemonade [5])
by Jim Muth 29 Dec '02

29 Dec '02

FOTD -- December 29, 2002 (Rating 5) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: For today's glorious image we travel to East Valley of a midget in the East Valley of a larger midget in the East Valley of a still larger midget in the East Valley of the midget at -1.75 on the stem of the M-set. All these East Valleys add up to a lot of East-Valley-type fractal elements surrounding the as-yet-un- seen midget at the center of today's rather deep lying image. When working with deep images such as today's, it is sometimes difficult to find the best place to crop the scene. As I study the image, I can see areas deeper down which, if cropped there, might make even better images. I also notice that today's image could have been better if I had backed farther out to avoid the cut-off elements. This problem exists at every level of the immense basin surrounding the midget. The only thing to do in such a case is to find an acceptable cropping and stick with it. The resulting picture does not equal the quality rating of 9 that yesterday's image earned, there was little chance that any image could, but its rating of 5 is at least in the average range. Its render time of one hour however is well above average, which is actually below average for convenience. The name I gave the image -- "Pink Lemonade" -- refers to the lemonade-like colors in the ring of cut-off elements. The GIF image will soon be available, completely rendered, on Paul's web site at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> and on Scott's site at: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> The weather was fair enough here at F.C. on Saturday, with warm sun, light winds, and a temperature of 43F 6C. But the yard is still snow-covered, and the melting snow made conditions too sloppy for the sensitive paws of the dynamic fractal cats, who passed the day wishing spring would arrive. I passed the day being dragged around, looking for bargains and grumbling under my breath. Today is another day however, and maybe I can spend it doing something far more useful such as reading the latest issue of 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine, which even after 20 years of showing the scientific way, has failed to cure me of my gullibility, credulity and superstitious beliefs. So look for me, still credulous and fractaling, at this same place in another 24 or so hours. Until that golden moment, take care, and when the going gets tough, the tough get fractaling. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START PARAMETER FILE======================================= Pink_Lemonade { ; time-2:06:49.00--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=mandel passes=1 center-mag=-1.7489\ 4044400572637463915314611/0/2.00623e+025/1/2.49824\ 874304504526e-043/3.88578058618804789e-016 params=0/0 float=y maxiter=7500 symmetry=xaxis colors=000VuIYuG_vFbvDewBhxAkx8ny6py5qx8qxBqxErwHr\ wKrwNswQsvTsvWtvZtvatuduuguujuumvtpvtsvtvvtyrrwnqv\ kptgnscmq`lpXknTimQhkMgjJfiHdfGbcF``EZYDYVCWSBUPAS\ M9QJ8PGASFCUFEWEGZEI`EKbDMeDOgCQiCRkCVhFYeH`cKc`Mf\ ZOjWRmTTpRWsOYvM_wO`wP`wQawRawSbxTbxUcxVcxWdxXdxYd\ yZey_ey`fyafybgzcgzdhzehzfizgizhiwbjtXkqSlnMlkHmhB\ ne6ndBlcFkbJiaNh`Rf_VeZ_cYcbXg`Wk_VoYVsXUrYTqZSp_R\ o_Qn`PmaOlbOkbNjcMidLidKheJgfIfgIegHdhGciFbjEajD`k\ C_lC_lDXmDVmDTmDQmDOmDMmDOoDQpDSqDUrDWsDYtD_uDavDc\ wDexDgyCdxBawAZwAWv9Tv8QuTMiTLjSKjRIjQHjPGjOFjNDjM\ CjMBkLAkK9kJ7kI6kH5kG4kG3kH6hH9eIBbIE_IHXJJUJMRJOO\ FUICZC8d65i09f3Cd6Fb9I`BLZEOXHRVKUTMXRP_PSbNUeLXhJ\ _kHbnFdqDgtBjw9lsjboeala`iX_fTZcPY`KXYGWVCWXGUYKSZ\ NR_RPaUNbYMcaKddIfhHgkFhoDirChnBgjBffAfbAeZ9dV9cR8\ cN8bJ7aF7`B6`76_B5ZE5YH5XK5WO4VR4UU4UX4T`3Sc3Rf3Qi\ 3Pm2Op2Ns2Nv2Ow4Ow5Ow7Pw8 } END PARAMETER FILE=========================================

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FOTD 28-12-02 (Cascade of Bubbles [9])
by Jim Muth 28 Dec '02

28 Dec '02

FOTD -- December 28, 2002 (Rating 9) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Somehow, I once again survived the first and biggest of the two seasonal holidays. (Is it politically correct to use the word 'Christmas'?) The tree was lovely, the turkey dinner delicious, the presents were exchanged peacefully, the conversation was not controversial, and most importantly, the fractal cats concealed their bad moods. All this pleasantness left me in a highly- charged fractal-finding mode. (Fractals are really not hard to find.) The fractal I found appears as today's FOTD image. The formula I used is an old one, which has been lying dormant for many years and which for some forgotten reason I had named 'cascade'. As is the case with most of these old formulae, I have totally forgotten what it was originally intended to do. (Why do I neglect to add comments?) The formula appears to have some vague relation to the mysterious 'Ikenaga' function, though I wrote it at least one year before I began working with the 'Ikenaga' function. The image that I found, with its rating of a very impressive 9, is one of the best of the year. Like so many works of art that unfold in time, the 2002 series of FOTD images has reached its peak near its end. I named the image "Cascade of Bubbles". I chose this name when I noticed that the bof60 bubbles appear to be cascading down into the depths of the picture. This cascading effect might be what inspired the original name of the formula, which, unlike most of my formulae, has no variable parameters. There are as many holly leaves as bubbles in the image, all cascading downward, but bubbles are more poetic, so I chose the bubbles. The image renders in exactly 4 minutes on my machine, accurate to 1/100 of a second. There is nothing unusual in this time. It is simply a coincidence. After all, a time of exactly 4 minutes has just as much chance of coming up as a time such as 0:04:16.37. The 4-minute render-time wait can be cut by more than half by downloading the finished GIF image from Paul's web site at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or from Scott's site at: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> It was a cold week here at Fractal Central, with 4 inches of snow on Christmas day giving the first white Christmas in 33 years. Needless to say, the dynamic duo of fractal cats disapproved of such conditions and needed several treats of left-over turkey to soothe their ruffled tempers. As for me, I somehow have managed to get almost all the work caught up, and find myself with little to do but search for the next fractal, which will appear in 24 hours. It will be hard to find one that equals or exceeds today's image, but I'll try. Check tomorrow to see if I succeed. Until then, take care and relax. Jim Muth jamth(a)mindspring.com jimmuth(a)aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ Cascade_of_Bubbles { ; time=0:04:00.00--SF5 on a P200 reset=1950 type=formula formulafile=jim.frm formulaname=cascade passes=1 center-mag=+0.2605319\ 14765418/+0.9301176063963406/890.8654/1/162.5/-3.6\ 0000224075562869e-012 float=y maxiter=250 bailout=100 inside=bof60 logmap=yes periodicity=0 colors=000zzzzmmwcUqX0mTHkPOjLMiJLhHKgFIfDHeBGd9Fc\ 7Db5C`3BZ4CX5CU5DR6DO6EJ7EJ7EUUtUUtUUoUUoqaapaaoba\ obanbambalcakcajcajcaidahdaafZUpVNtSFoO8nL8nN8nQzq\ SpnVmnXdn_anabmdamfcmiclkckndjpehsgftidzkbzn`zqZzu\ QztCprEhpGbnHSkJViLXgN_ePacQdaSf_UiYWkVYnTZpR`sPbu\ U_nZWgbT_gPTlMMjPMhSMfVMdYLb`L`cL_fLYhLWkLUnLSqKQt\ KOwKMzKKxLJuMHsMGqNEnOClPBjP9hQ7eR6cS4aS3ZT1XU4ZS6\ `R9bPBdOEfMGhKJkJLmHOoFQqETsCVuBYw9_y8`t9ap9bl9chA\ ddAe`AfXAgTAhPAiLBjHBkDBk9BnKJqVRtdYrdVpeSnePlfMkf\ JifFggCeg9ch6ah3`h0Zj3Yl6Xm9VoBUpETrHSsKQuMPvP7hh6\ ce5Zb4U_3PX2KU1FR3WP5mMt8jbFeLN_LUaL_bLfdLleLsgMzi\ KveIraFnXDjTAfP8bK5ZG9aICcLGfNMTRSEVY0ZZ1Z`2Ya4Yb5\ Yd6Xe7Xa8VY9TUAQRCONDMJEKFFHBGFDJDENCGQAIT8JW6L_5M\ b3Oe1Ri9TmGWqOYuV`ybXuaUp_QlZMhYIcWF_VBVT7RS7SO6TK\ 6UH5VD5W9Cz5gOjjadhKolUnocmsmleLpeWqdfrdqsiAhn9`_J\ nUSkN`iHiffPrgctirwb9o_8n } frm:cascade {; Jim Muth z=c=pixel: a=sqr(z)+(c-1)*z-c b=3*sqr(z)+c-1 z=z-2*a/b, .000000000000000000000000000001 <= |a| } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================

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investigations#1
by jos hendriks 28 Dec '02

28 Dec '02

Dear reader Intro About three or four years ago I downloaded fractint and winfract. Since then, every year, during wintertime I'm playing with those programs. It's the formula parser that has my main interest. I can subdivide this in three things: 1. What are the possibilities of the parser? 2. Do I understand what it is doing? 3. Can I produce pictures, which are somehow interesting and/or beautiful? Now I feel the need to show some of my "investigations" to people who are interested. I'm not sure this list is the right place, because emails I read are mainly about implementation-problems. Well, we will see. Quit normal, during my investigations, a lot of questions pop up. Questions I couldn't answer. Maybe someone can. Short formulas and graphs of real valued functions This first time I like to show is that you can make really short formulas. Here's one: formula#1 jhline { : |Imag(Pixel)|<p1 } I like it: there is no initiation, nothing in the looping part, there is only a criteria to stop. The formula draws the x-as. The thickness of the line depends on the parameter p1. So I ask myself: "What is the shortest, meaningful formula possible". I came with this: formula#2 jhshortest { : Pixel<0 } This formula divides the plane in two half-planes. Apart from the name there are 10 symbols. Naturally this gives my first question: question#1 Is there a shorter formula possible? Does anybody know a shorter one? Because Pixel=( , ) is a complex number or otherwise interpreted a point of the plain, the statement Pixel<0 has mathematical spoken no meaning: there is no ordering in Z or R2. Nevertheless the generator interprets the statement. So question#2 How interprets the formulagenerator things like z<1? For sure these formulas have nothing to do with fractals. But they have to do with fractint. And the first one gave me a marvellous idea (at least that's what I think): you can use the formulagenerator for drawing the graph of real valued functions in a rather simple way. Here are two formulas doing that. The first draws a parabola, the second draws the graphs of functions of the form f(x)=(ax+b)/(cx^2+dx+e) formula#3 jhparabola {;Jos Hendriks,2002 : |real(Pixel)^2-imag(Pixel)-1.25|<p1 } formula#4 jhgraphs1 {;Jos Hendriks,2002 ;graph of y= (a1*x+a2*x)/(a3*x^2+a4*x+a5)\ ;imag(p3) gives the thickness : |(real(p1)*real(Pixel)+imag(p1))/\ (real(p2)*real(Pixel)^2+imag(p2)*\ real(Pixel)+real(p3))-imag(Pixel)|<imag(p3)||\ |real(Pixel)|<.001|||imag(Pixel)|<.001 } In these formulas is the amount of typework not greater then in a "math-program". The rendering time is not too long: a few seconds or less. Moreover, and I think the most interesting part: The unusual way fractint draws the graph (it's scanning if a point belongs to the graph or not) makes a graph a quite elegant drawing because the thickness of the line is not everywhere the same. So you can create elegant curves. About this maybe another time. For convenience I have included some parameter files, because some picture parameters are important. For instance maxiter=2. I have the frms also repeated. In this way you can transport all at once into a par file. p.s:don't blame me for mistakes I make in writing English: it's not my native language frm:jhline { ;Jos Hendriks,2002 ;draws the line y=0, p1 gives the thickness of the line ;watch out: only two colors are used ;take for instance maxiter=2, inside=0, outside=iter : |Imag(Pixel)|<p1 } x-as {;Jos Hendriks,2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulaname=jhline center-mag=0/0/0.6666667 params=0.001/0 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 colors=00000e } frm:jhparabola{ ;Jos Hendriks,2002, ;draws a parabola. Thickness depends on p1. ;use maxiter=2,inside color=0, outside=iter : |real(Pixel)^2-imag(Pixel)-1.25|<p1 } jhparabola1 {;Jos Hendriks,2002 reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=jhparabola center-mag=0.0301786/0.369842/0.4959278 params=0.1/0 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 colors=00000e } frm:jhgraphs1 { ;Jos Hendriks,2002 ;graph of y= (a1*x+a2*x)/(a3*x^2+a4*x+a5)\ ;imag(p3) gives the thickness ;also the x- and y-axes are drawn : |(real(p1)*real(Pixel)+imag(p1))/\ (real(p2)*real(Pixel)^2+imag(p2)*\ real(Pixel)+real(p3))-imag(Pixel)|<imag(p3)||\ |real(Pixel)|<.001|||imag(Pixel)|<.001 { graph1 { ;Jos Hendriks,2002, broken polynomial function ; also x- en y-axes are visible reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=jhgraphs1 passes=1 center-mag=-0.791138/1.96774/0.2142747 params=0/5/-1/2/1/0.02 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 cyclerange=1/1 colors=00000e } graph2 { ; Jos Hendriks,2002, broken polynomial function ; also x- en y-as are visible reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=jhgraphs1 passes=1 center-mag=-0.791138/1.96774/0.2142747 params=0/5/1/-2/-3/0.05 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 cyclerange=1/1 colors=00000e } graph3 { ; Jos Hendriks,2002, broken polynomial function ; also x- en y-axes are visible reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=jhgraphs1 passes=1 center-mag=-0.791138/1.96774/0.2142747 params=0/5/1/0/1/0.05 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 cyclerange=1/1 colors=00000e } graph4 { ; Jos Hendriks,2002, broken polynomial function ; also x- en y-as are visible reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=jhgraphs1 passes=1 center-mag=-0.791138/1.96774/0.2142747 params=-5/5/1/0/1/0.05 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 cyclerange=1/1 colors=00000e } graph5 { ; Jos Hendriks,2002, ;with correct choosen parameters graph of linear f: a line ; also x- en y-axes are visible reset=2000 type=formula formulafile=sier.frm formulaname=jhgraphs1 passes=1 center-mag=-0.791138/1.96774/0.2142747 params=1/3/0/0/1/0.05 float=y maxiter=2 inside=0 cyclerange=1/1 colors=00000e }

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