Hey fractal people. First, I just want to thank the very few people who have commented on my two fractal images (I'm mostly a Poser/Bryce/Terragen user). What got me interested in fractals was simply just curiosity and I ended up browsing the fractal galleries. I was struck. Some fractals are absolutly beautiful. So, I got Fractal ViZion. I had a few others, but they confused me more than FVZ, so I stuck with it. Ok, here's my questions: What is a fractal? What are all those mathamatical equations and what do they do? What are the "Julia" variables such as cr, ci, cj, ck, hj, and hk? What are Iterations and Z Limit? What effect does all that cause on the outcome? Obviously, I know pratically nothing about math. Does that affect my ability or does it not really matter?

That's really about all I can think of right now. lol. I hope someone can help me and if not, then thanks for at least reading my post. Also, if anyone knows of a FVZ tutorial, or a tutorial similar to it, please let me know! I really would like to learn more about fractals. Again, thanks.

Jay

P.S. I know there's a help file for Fractal ViZion, but it confuses me and I get irritaded because I don't understand it. :-

Hee hee, you sound like me. :) Sorry I can't be of much help as far as the math goes, all I know is that its some geometry mixed up with some imaginary numbers. You learn what shapes the different formulas make after a while, but I don't think the "monkey at the keyboard/mouse" approach tremendously impairs your ability to produce something really cool (speaking from personal experience, as it seems to work just fine for me). I CAN at least tell you what my definition of a fractal is~ its an equation that produces an image, such that when you "zoom in" on the image you notice a similar pattern, which is present no matter how close you look and goes on into infinity (except in some cases where your computer just isn't able to handle it anymore and gives you a very nasty insufficient memory error message). Different formulas produce different patterns, and in many cases one fractal will have several different areas that have different patterns. You really won't ever get the exact same image twice, that's what makes it so much fun. Anyways, I'll shut up now and let someone who knows what they're talking about more than I do answer your question. Hope to see you around, and good luck! Elizabeth

Well, I'm not exactly the person to answer that question. A fractal is a graphical representation of a mathmetical formula. That is a broad defination. A fractal replicates itself over and over. Don't worry about the math, you'll pick that up as you go along. Most people don't understand the math behind fractals anyway. One example that really made me realize the magnitude of the fractals, was when I read that a mandelbrot of about 400 x 400 pixels, after 16 zooms would be large enough to reach from Earth to Jupiter! We also use FV and have never seen any tuts on it. Just keep experimenting with it and youll eventually get the hang of it. If not try a different program. Some people work better with certain programs than do other people. You might want to check out Stephen Fergusen's page, there are some great free programs there!

Fractals (to me):

Graphic representations of mathematical formulas. Yup, that's the basics of it, but there are several things that also characterize fractal images:
Self-similarity which means that the larger image contains, within itself, smaller pieces which look the same (but not exactly the same--which leads to the look of randomness at times.)
Reiteration: inputting the equations' results back into the equation again causes a sort of 'growth' at times--imitating the forces of nature..? Small inital changes lead to huge final variation----the 'butterfly's wings' theory at play.

Artistically: Enjoy the odd harmony of chaotic and orderly forces working together.

Mathematically: don't worry about it unless you're really into math---you'll begin to recognize/anticipate the effects of a given math function after a while, but the exploration can keep you busy for years!

Wow. This is all very interesting. I was afraid that because I didn't understand the math behind it that I wouldn't be any good at it. :-D That's really great to know that it doesn't really matter. What you've all said has just made me want to keep messing with fractals, and just make it fun, which it is. :-) Earlier today I downloaded the trial version of Fractal eXtreme. Let's just say wow...I love this program!! If I have the money, I will totally buy it! To me, it makes more sence than FV, and a WHOLE LOT FASTER too!! My latest fractal picture "Ripple" was created using FX and took only about 10 minutes at the most to finish remdering, though, I had to cut a lot off so I could post it here, but that's ok. :-) Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply, you really did help me. :-D

Jay

Welcome to the Fractal Forum Jay - we look forward to your future Fractal Gallery image postings :) ladynimue