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Walnut Creek CDROM and Lee H Skinner proudly present Fractal Frenzy. ============================================================================= To use this disc, change drives to your CD-ROM drive and type VIEW in the root directory of the CD-ROM drive. The VIEW program will then display a listing of the subdirectories on the disc. Use the cursor keys to move the highlight bar, and press ENTER to change into that subdirectory. The VIEW program will then display a list of files within that subdirectory. To view a text or a graphics file, simply move the highlight bar to the file you wish to view and press ENTER. If you wish to run a slide show of a subdirectory, simply enter the subdirectory you wish to view, then press the F3 key. To pause the slide show, press the SPACE bar. To exit the slide show, press the ESC key twice. To copy files, move the highlight bar to the file you wish to copy and press the 'C' key on your keyboard. Have fun! :-) ============================================================================= Introduction This CDROM represents my explorations of Fractals during the last three years using the freeware program Fractint. I started out on an IBM-286 and worked up through a 386-25 to a 486-25 DX2. The latest version of the program which generated these fractals is also included, but it only runs on a PC, however, other viewers are included for other platforms such as MacIntoshes, Amigas, NeXT, and Sun Sparc. The Fractint program also generates many other fractal types that are not represented in my explorations, so this is not to be a demonstration of the capabilities of the Fractint program. As a young grade school student, my favorite subject was math. I felt a kind of security in a subject which gave exact answers to any problem - regardless of any opinions the teacher felt - if the rules were known and followed, the one and only one correct answer was mine to find. If I mastered the techniques, then I could be assured of getting perfect scores. (I have learned since then that math, as well as life, can never be that simple!) Later, proving Euclid's theorems made geometry fun and exciting. I sought out library books on math and geometry, including the many-dimensional-geometry books of Coxeter and Sommerfield. I devoured Abbott's Flatland. In college, I also independently rediscovered a mathematical formula known as the Ackerman Generalized Exponential which unites the arithmetic operations of addition, multiplication, exponentiation and tetration. But there were other sides to me as well. While growing up, my parents gave me a deep respect for nature and wildness. We went on hikes and visited National Parks across the country. I studied everything in nature from Astronomy to coral reefs. I collected and grew tropical plants in my Florida garden. Later I collected many of the coffee-table books of nature such as those published by the Sierra Club. I started collecting all kinds of maps that showed the physical world. I massed thousands of topographic maps of interesting areas. This hobby expanded into collecting USGS orthophotomaps, NASA maps of the planets, shaded-relief maps, raised plastic maps, and even hundreds of aerial photographs and landsat photos showing various terrains and landforms. I had also started cave exploring, pursuing the underground darkness in inticate mazes of various sized passages to discover new rooms where the beautifully decorated formations that I found were to see photons for the first time - from my own light. All of these seemingly disconnected parts of my background came clashing together in a way that I could not possibly foresee. One day I received in the mail my copy of Scientific American with what at first glance at the cover appeared to be some aspect of a solar corona. Instead, it was a fractal image of part of part of the Mandelbrot set. When I then read the article and saw that this beautiful picture (and others in the issue) was calculculated by iterating with complex arithmetic on an absurdly simple formula (z squared + c), I felt stunned, dumbfounded, flabbergasted - that such richly decoritive beauty of such intricate complexity could itself develop out of such a simple formula and algorithm. And, this was not some chemical or physical crystal, some network of biological growth, or some human's artistic design. No! This was pure mathematics based on pure arithmetic. Using the same calculations, a being in some distant galaxy could re-create the exact same image down to the finest detail - chaotic, yet repeatable. Though fascinated about the subject, I didn't really begin playing around with fractals until I discovered Fractint 12.0. I had already played around with half a dozen other PC programs such as Fractal Magic and Fractools, but mostly just to look at images made by others. Over the next three years I generated over 2000 images with Fractint. When I started, I had no artistic talent (as my earlier images will clearly demonstrate). But as I continued, I gradually developed the skills and techniques to make good pictures. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using Fractint If you have a PC (386 or greater), create a directory called Fractint, and copy the program FRAIN18.EXE into it. This is a self-extracting zipped file. Executing FRAINT18 will create all of the necessary files to run Fractint. Fractint has a large documentation file and plenty of on-line help. Further explanation is available in the book "Fractal Creations", published by the Waite Group Press. Skills must be developed over time - there is no substitute - but some of the techniques I use can be passed along in the way of helpful hints. FRACTINT is a powerful number cruncher. The more powerful PC you have, the faster you can generate images. The higher screen resolution you have, the more beautiful your images will be. You will also need lots of disk storage if you intend to generate and keep at hand a lot of images. You will find FRACTINT complex, but easy to use. Although the on-line help is nice, I strongly recommend that you do the command FRACTINT MAKEDOC to generate a complete documentation file. Then print it, read it all the way through to get some understanding about the capabilities (you won't retain it all of course), and then keep it by your computer (or on your disk) for a quick reference. On your printed copy, make margin notes, highlight items you want to come back to, then start playing with those features that interest you or peak your curiosity the most. Take the time to really dive in and immerse yourself in the program until you get a good enough handle to do those things you chose automatically without referring to the documentation. Learn specifically how to use the zoombox, random color pallettes and the color pallette editor, parameter files, formula files, batch mode, saving and restoring the screen during image generation, and how to configure your preferences in the SSTOOLS.INI initialization file. Learn how to use the windows accessed by the tab, t, x, y, and z keys and how they may be used to access or modify parameters. These are basics - FRACTINT has many other features. When you can comfortably use these basics, it is time to develop your own capabilities and artistic talents to make your own spectacular images. They will reflect yourself and will have a unique style - no two fractal artist think alike. You can do it! Ask ten different people what they see when they look at a fractal image, and you'll probably get ten different answers. Our perceptions of pictures (if any) within an image are shaped by a multitude of factors: our imagination, our outlook on life, previous experiences in life, what shapes we most easily identify with, which colors are background, which colors are foreground, scale, perceived textures, shading and contrasts in different regions and what they may evoke in our imaginations, whole image verses a colage of multiple ones, where the boundaries are between our perceived regions, and so on and so forth. Often a 2-dimensional image will look 3-dimensional. It may have what appear to be rolling or bending surfaces with textures that may look smooth, velvety, or even very rough and scaly. What your mind first sees in an image may determine a scale and/or an environment where your mind interprets nearby objects or designs to fit together or conform to some plausible reality. We try to "make sense" of what we see, and by the time our mind has tied it all together, so to speak, we see our own interpretation of reality in something abstract. Even seeing the same image months later may invoke entirely different interpretations. Even the brightness control on the PC, lighting in the room, or distance from the screen (close detail verses overall view) can modify what you perceive in a fractal image. Is it any wonder that no two people see the same thing in a fractal image? I see an indian village complete with wigwams across a stream, while you perceive a beautifully banded and tuffed caterpiller. In fact, once we have imprinted what we see upon our minds, it is often difficult to see what someone else sees no matter how hard they try to point it out or explain it. Earlier, I explained part of my personal life because all of these things influence what I see in an image. They influence what I zoom in on, how I add color, and how I have named things. (Later I began using numbering methods to name my .GIF files when I discovered the names often didn't have the same meaning to others.) When you develop your own skills in zooming and coloring, your images will also reflect your own personal style - a uniqueness based own your own perceptions of what you see. This is why fractal generation (although deterministic) is art as well as a science of discovery. As in nature photography, you determine the picture composition. And you choose the colors that will enhance those features your mind sees in the chaos. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This CDROM contains many programs, images and text files. To make navigating around this CDROM easier, there are several files located within the root directory. 1024\ - 1024x768 images 640\ - 640x480 images utils\ - Executable files used by batch files programs\ - Fractint for MSDOS/Windows/X and map/par files for Fractint viewers\ - GIF viewers for various platforms vpic\ - VPIC (GIF Viewer for MSDOS) v_inst.bat - Hard Drive Installation script for VPIC v_uninst.bat - Hard Drive UN-Installation script for VPIC 00_index.txt - Descriptions of all the files. dirs.lst - Listing of directories with descriptions. go.bat - Will Automatically Display the READ.ME file. readme.txt - The file you are reading now. view.exe - A text file viewing program that can be used to display any text file. To view the DIRS.LST in the root directory of the CDROM drive and typing VIEW DIRS.LST. When run without any parameters this program automatically walks you through all the directories on the CDROM disc. It has options for viewing text files, unzipping program files, and viewing image files. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Viewers are included for several different systems. They are located in the directory ``viewers''. If you have an MSDOS system with a graphics display, you can run the program ``view.exe'' and use your cursor to select images to view. Due to the large number of incompatible video cards, most viewers will not work on all systems. So if a particular viewer doesn't work with your system, try another. Viewers will work better and offer more colors if you install them for your video card. You'll need to copy the files to your hard disk and select the correct initialization file for your video card. See the VPIC documentation. For your convenience, a batch file called "v_inst.bat" has been included in the root directory of the disc. If you execute it, the batch file will automatically copy the contents of the VPIC directory from the CD-ROM onto your C:\VPIC directory. After copying, the batch file will display the configuration document for VPIC. If for any reason you wish to wipe out the entire C:\VPIC directory from your hard drive, run the "v_uninst.bat" from the CD-ROM. We can not be held responsible for video cards which may not work properly with VPIC. If you require assistance in configuring VPIC, please consult the documentation file within the VPIC directory, or contact Bob Montgomerry at 543 Via Fontana #203; Altamonte Springs, FL 32714-3172, or 73357,3140 on Compuserve. As an alternative to using VPIC, we suggest trying GDS which is also on the CD-ROM in the \viewers\msdos directory. Also, if you have a favorite viewer with which you wish to use the View program, simply rename it to be "VPIC.EXE," then copy it and any auxiliary files it may use to C:\VPIC. Mac users can use the installed viewers in viewer\mac\... The source code and documentation for unzip.exe is in \viewers\msdos\unz51p1.exe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Directory Structure The images on this CDROM are categorized mainly by fractal type, as described in the file DIRDESCR.LIS. The fractal types are either (1) From the Fractint internal type menu (2) Described in the file Fractint.frm (which comes with Fractint) or (3) Described in the file Skinner.frm (my formula collection) 492 images are included that were generated with the ZEXPE formula, which is based on Z^e, as opposed to Mandelbrot which is based on Z^2. To keep from having so many images in one directory, they were split into 3 directories: ZEXPE-F, ZEXPG-H, and ZEXPI. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Files The text files 640x480.LIS and 1024x768.LIS list the image files for each resolution. The 1024x768.LIS file includes a column labeled ANCESTER. This refers to another image from which this image was generated through either a transform or a zoom. In most directories, you can use this feature to trace yourself all the way out, sometimes zooming outward up to 14 times. Only two image files were not created directly with Fractint: (1) 15COMB16.GIF was created using PICLAB. It illustrates a technique used to overlay the color black (inside=0) of one image (116K5L16.GIF) with corresponding pixels of another image (1M1K0L16.GIF). (2) The only file which is not mine on this CDROM: ANIMATE.GIF (in the \special directory) is actually 544x476/256. This image was created by Craig Ginn with the Dr. Halo program. It is not a true fractal and is included only because it is so beautiful when it is color cycled with Fractint. Craig gladly contributed this little jewel for the CDROM. (It would make a good screen saver!) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Microsoft EXCEL today, I added up the computation time of the 1024x768 images. It comes to 19049.97 hrs or 19049 hrs + 58 mins, rounded to 19,050 hrs! Thats 793.7 days of number crunching the fractals, (2.17 yrs!). That does not include the time to look for the images by zooming, or the time to color them appropriately, etc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their parts in steering my course in the direction it took: Joe Germann for getting me interested in personal computers. Roger Stevens for telling me about FRACTINT. Tim Wegner, Bert Tyler, Mark Peterson, Pieter Branderhorst, Ethan Nagel, Jonothan Osuch, Marc Reinig, Scott Taylor, Dan Farmer and all the other FRACTINT programmers. Neal Maser and Louis Abeyta for helping me organize my fractals into a data base. Duke McMullan and Jim Evatt for various support in my fractal projects, including the use of their computers. Charlie Dodge for having faith enough in my art to help me get my first true quality slides and prints. Bob Bruce and Susan Weeks of Walnut Creek CDROM. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prints and Slides Professional quality photographically reproduced prints and slide sets are available from the artist. 16" x 20" prints are $50.00 each, $60.00 if signed by the artist. Three sets (A, B and C) of 20 slides each are currently available at $25.00 each. Prints of any image on the CDROM may be ordered, but higher resolution images will look better close-up. For prints at other sizes, please contact the artist for quotes. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. No credit card orders. Add $5.00 per order for shipping and handling. New Mexico orders add 5.831% sales tax. Lee H. Skinner P. O. Box 14944 Albuquerque NM 87191 USA Walnut Creek CDROM Suite 260 1547 Palos Verdes Mall Walnut Creek CA 94596 USA --------------------------------------------------------------------- The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) specification is owned and copyrighted by CompuServe, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many of the programs on this disc are shareware, and require separate payment to the author of the program for continued use. You are free to try shareware programs for a limited amount of time. If you continue to use the program, you are expected to register the program by sending a specified amount of money directly to the author of the program. In many cases the author will send you the most up to date version of the program and a printed manual. Please check individual files for conditions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walnut Creek CDROM is an approved vendor and associate member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. --------------------------------------------------------------------------