pagetop 
June 5, 1997: Splattered Amoeba June 4 June 6 1997 FOTD Home

amoeba

Fractal visionaries:

Today's fractal is one of my TowerExp series, based on the formula Z^(-Z+n).  Though the Z^Z formulas usually are filled with discontinuities and disconnected fragments, this fractal has very little chaos.  It appears as round tubes dividing ever finer as they near the limit.  Like so many of my pictures, it appears to be illuminated from within by a pale peach-colored light.  This gives it somewhat of a three-dimensional effect.

Much is being said nowadays about three-dimensional fractals, with high-tech methods such as ray tracing and PHC being discussed as though everyone can actually understand the discussion.  To me, these methods are interesting, but I still prefer to achieve my three-dimensional effects by carefully chosen coloring.

My method of coloring is quite simple.  I try various combinations of colors, then set the fractal program to slowly flow the colors and sit back to watch.  Sometimes it takes longer to find the proper color palette than it did to draw the image; at other times I find the right colors almost at once.

Today's picture is a good example.  It took 50 seconds to draw and 13 minutes for me to find the colors.  Even now, I feel that the colors are not the best possible -- but then, colors never are.

For tomorrow's fractal I hope to have found something worthwhile with a formula I just wrote, which uses the new if-else commands in Fractint version 19.6.  But that's not a promise, because I've found nothing yet worth showing.

Jim Muth
jamth@mindspring.com


START PARAMETER-FORMULA FILE FOR 19.6======================

Splatted_Amoeba    { ; time=0:00:08.40-SF5 on P4-2000
  reset=1960 type=formula formulafile=basicer.frm
  formulaname=TowerMinExp01 passes=1 symmetry=xaxis
  center-mag=0.0110378/0/1.141865 params=7/0/0.25/0\
  /0.02/0 float=y maxiter=512 inside=bof61 logmap=yes
  colors=000000007KFJRJUYRVdUWzrzvjpsbjjWjeUpaEvcJqd\
  OkfTfgZ`icWjhQlmLejRZgXTdbMahFZn8WtCYpF_mJbiMdeQfb\
  ThZThZV_VUhZUhZUgZUgYUgYUgYUfYUfYVfXVeXVeXVeXVeXVd\
  WVdWVdWVcWVcWVcWVbVVbVVbVVbVVaVWaUWaUW`UW`UW`UW`TW\
  _TW_TFAdFBdGBcGCcHCcHDcHEbIEbIFbIFbJGaJHaKHaKI`KI`\
  LJ`LJ`MK_ML_ML_NM_NMZONZOOZOOYPPYPPYPQYQRXQRXRSXRS\
  XRTWSUWSUWTVVTVVTWVUWVUXUUYUVYUVZUWZTW_TPz2Pz3Pz3P\
  z4Qz4Qz5Qz5Qz6Qz6Qz7Qz7Qz8Ry8Ry9Rx9RwARwARvBRuBSuC\
  StCSsDSsDSrESqESqFTpGToGToHTnHTmITmITlJTkJUkKUjKUi\
  LUiLUhMUhMUgNVfNVfOVeOVdPVdPVcQVbQVbRWaRW`SW`SW_T3\
  Vz3Vz4Vy4Vy4Vy4Vx5Vx5Vx5Vw5Ww6Ww6Wv6Wv7Wv7Wu7Wu7Wu\
  8Wu8Wt8Wt9Wt9Ws9Ws9WsAWrAWrAWrAXqBXqBXqBXpCXpCXpCX\
  oCXoDXoDXnDXnDXnEXmEXmEXmFXlFXlFYlFYlGYkGYkGYkHYjH\
  YjHYjHYiIYiIYiIYhIYhJYhJYgJYgKYgKZfKZfKZfLZeLZeLZe\
  LZdMZdMZdMZcNZcNZcNZcNZbOZbOZbOZaPZaP_aP_`P_`Q_`Q_\
  _Q__Q__R_ZR_ZFRbDP_AOW8MT }

frm:TowerMinExp01 {; Jim Muth
z=pixel, c=p2+(p3*pixel):
z=z^(-z+p1)+c,
|z| <= 100 }

END PARAMETER-FORMULA FILE FOR 19.6========================