Great questions. Some have complicated answers but I will give it a shot.
• Does it also support .MAP files for the color palettes??
Yes .MAP are completely supported. To get .MAP files you will have to download a copy of Fractint. If I can get permission, I would like to include the common .MAP files with Fracton in the future.
• Since you handle .PAR files, are there any problems with the numerous settings?? Does the image look the same as if rendered with the DOS version of FractInt??
My goal was to have Fracton generate the exact same image as the DOS version of FractInt. As of today, I would say about 75% of the images are perfect. The most common problems are coloring methods, a few unsupported built in fractal types, and some math overflow issues. As you will see over the coming months, I will be posting some problem files that will help me debug the remaining problems. I am hoping the FractInt community will be able to help me in a few areas where I am currently stuck. If you would like to see a daily running history of what parameter files work and which don't, you can look on the fracton website at http://www.fracton.org/testing.html. I have a table for the latest Fractal Of The Day and Max Iter's Fractal Follies test results.
• I assume that all of the .FRM files work the same as within FractInt??
It should work as long as a single formula is imbedded within a .PAR file. The approach I took with Fracton was to support the new type of .PAR file that has the parameters and the formula in the same file. There is a built in tool within Fracton that can batch convert a .PAR collection type file and a .FRM file into a folder full of individual .PAR files. I should also note that the internal language in Fracton is more "C" like than FractInt. When a parameter file is imported, the FractInt language is converted to Fracton's language. I think every FractInt construct is supported except for one or two rarely used built-in variables. Exporting .PAR files converts the formula back to FractInt language and appears to work, but I had no way to test them with FractInt. That will be the first thing I plan to test that will need the help of the Fractint community.
• Does it also handle the .IFS and .L parameter type files??
No, but I would like to add those sometime in the future.
• What file formats are those "3D models" exported to??
The Export Model... command exports .DXF files. The 3D model is a height field based on the number of iterations. Fracton tries to simplify the model by combining triangles but this still ends up generating huge files. This is the oldest part of Fracton and I am hoping to add much much more in the 3D area. Even if you don't have a Mac, you can download Fracton and read the PDF documentation. There is a language guide, manual, and a tutorial document. The Fracton website has a few screenshots as well. Thanks for the questions.