Have just bought the current version of UF and can't seem to get anywhere with it at the moment so thought I would import some of my Apo flames and see what I could do with them instead. Can anyone tell me how to do this? The UF site tells you it can be done, but not how to do it - very helpful!

Attached Link: Apo/UF Tutorial

Thanks for the link - looks a bit complicated for me but I'll give it a go.

Hi Mags - All you have to do is click "File/Export Upr" then browse to your UF parameters folder and give it a "File Name" like "C:Ultrafractal3DateParametersFLAMES.upr" - give the flame a "Title" in the box below that will let you know what it's name is in Apo and you're done. Real easy. You can save LOTS of your flames to this same "File Name" with different titles and when you open that .upr file in UF, it will have a list of all of your flames and you can select which you want. You can even have different .upr files with different names in UF to categorize your flames. Like C:UFxxxxxxxCIRCULAR FLAMES.upr or C:UFxxxxxxxxFLAMES THAT LOOK LIKE MY WIFE WHEN SHE'S PISSED - lol Apo was originally written as a plug-in for UF. IMO, it's the only way to go if you want to make compositions of multiple flames or flames with straight UF layers because it's so easy to re-size, rotate and re-zoom flames in the UF environment. Check out my gallery and you'll see some stuff that's possible to do with flames in UF. You can also tweak the gradients on your flames in UF and point your Apo gradient browser to your UF gradients folder and be able to use any UF ".ugr" gradient you want in Apo. c-ya! Rick

Lots of thankyous Rick - even I can probably manage that even if I can't get to grips with UF itself, although I will persevere. Would really like to see the flames that look like your wife when she's pissed!! Are there any in your gallery? lol.

Hi Rykk - Have followed your instructions - you were right, really easy. If I go to Programme Files/UF/Parameters, there are the flames sure enough. However, if I open the Parameters folder in UF, all that shows up - even with 'all files' selected - is the Examples file which comes with UF - no flames - so now I'm really confused again. Sorry to trouble you again but any ideas?

Hey, if you figure it out, come to my house and show me how to do it. I've had UF for a year and I'm one of those show me's and don't tell me's. I am green with envy at the ones who use it!!! I have seen the most beautiful work and it taunts me and laughs at me. Making fun of me for being so dumb. LOL Sorry about that, it just drives me crazy!!! Good luck. :) ;P

Hi Patti Yeh, I though well, if I can handle FE, Tierazon and Apophysis, then UF will be much the same - wrong!! I've been using Photoshop for about 3 years so don't have a problem with the layers aspect of UF - just can't seem to make any pretty fractals to start with - so not much use really! Like you I'm a 'show me' person and where I live (in the north of England) they are still in the dark ages and regard computer art with great suspicion so no courses to go on. Nice to know there's someone in the same boat as me - everyone else seems so gooooood at everything.

Hi Mags.... once you exported a flame into UF, did you save them? You need to either save the fractal file, and/or the parameter for the file you exported. Then you should see that flame parameter when you click on the browse icon and find your flame folder, whatever you named it. UF can't open a flame from the apo program, you have to save it as a UF file to open it again in uf. Hope this helps. :)

Hi Maria Not quite sure what you mean by did I save them I had to click on a save button to export the files (I have tried twice) and I appear to have saved them because they are in the Parameters folder but when I open up the Parameters folder in UF they are not there - the only file that is there is the one that comes with UF. I think I might be going mad!! I wonder if I have a glitch in the actual programme because it doesn't seem to make any sense. Anyway, thanks for trying to help.

That's odd. I generally copy and paste before saving. Try this. Fist make sure that you have clicked on options in UF and updated all the public formulas. Then try to right click on the flame and click then on 'save as upr'. Open UF and either right click and paste, or use the paste icon in the toolbar. UF will show you a window that says it is looking for a possible match, ... be patient a moment and allow it to find the sdc+enr-flame-a in uf. Then click on 'use the formula selected above' and allow the flame to paste in. Then if it shows up right, click on save, to save the file within UF, or click on the icon for 'save parameters'. That's the way I do it. I'm sure Rick has explain further about how he does it. Good luck! Once you finally get it , you'll see it's a piece of cake. :)

I have one thought - Rykk uses the location c:/UF/..... to store his uprs. The default location for UF3 to store parameters is in your "My Documents/Ultra Fractal 3/Parameters" folder. When you browse for UPRs, that's where UF will look unless you've told it otherwise. The reason UF3 stores formulas, gradients, parameters, etc. in the My Documents folder is so that if you ever have to reinstall, your files will be preserved:)

Hi Panny Yes, that's where the files are it's just that I can't access them using UF because when I open up that folder in UF they are not there but when I open up the folder in Programme Files, etc, they ARE there - mystery to me! However, I have now found a different way to get the files in UF thanks to Cavalier Lady - see above. This seems to work so will carry on with this for now. Thanks for trying to help - I need all I can get!

Hi Mags - It depends on where your UF browser is pointed to when you "File/Browse - parameter files" in UF. Where it is going for your parameters is where you need to point Apo to export them. You could try saving just any old fractal in UF as C:xxxxxxFlames.upr and then pointing Apo to that file to export to. Panny's right about where my par's are saved - Frederik says that's a no-no but I haven't had a problem in 2 years. Of course I'm still running 3.02 and haven't seen a need to update. Just point your Apo to the place where your UF is looking for upr's. The copy/paste thing works but is a LOT of work. You have to copy in Apo then open UF, paste each flame into UF, wait for it to draw itself and then save parameters. Doing it all from Apo means you can just push polygons merrily and save them to UF without even having UF open. A big help if you want multiple colorings of the same flame. It DOES make for some pretty big flame upr files because you might save 20 in each session - lol. I like this method, too, because then you don't have 500 separate upr files to search thru to find a certain flame. Just click your flame upr and they're all listed by the titles you gave them in Apo. From your message I wonder - are you using the "File - Browse - parameter files" with UF open or trying to browse to those folders with Explorer and opening? Use the function built into UF to find your files. And use the function built into Apo to export them. Oh, and as to how to save your images in UF: "Save As" gives you a parameter file that opens MUCH faster than using "Save Parameters" but it also creates a file orders of magnitude larger than the save par's. Only a concern if you're worried about disk space. Just make sure to note that it is saving to your "Fractals" folder and not the last one Windows opened. I tend to only save that way if it's one of my 100 layer fiascos because opening the parameter file takes FOREVER on that kind. Spent a lot of years with a 1.2mb hard drive so even with 60gb I'm a piker - lol c-ya! Rick

Thanks everyone for all your help - I've lots to go at now. Still can't make head nor tail of UF but I'll keep trying.

There are tutorials in the UF Help. They are probably the best tutorials I have ever seen in software. As with most tutorials, unless you are really lucky, you generally have to do them a couple of times before they become clear. There is also the UF mailing list (warning, they generate lots of mail!) which is full of mostly friendly and helpful folks. Good luck!

Hi! Ok, I gave the "trial" version of UF a go, and really am frustrated enough with it to NOT want to purchase a license to use it. Yes, one BIG frustration was solved when it became apperent that it installed itself TWICE on my computer. One full install in c:programe files (default with the install) and another in c:my documents!!! Needless to say, this caused a fair bit of confusion for a week untill I finnally SAW the pathway (rather than the ole glance and it looks right looks). I am using Apophysis. Fun programe, even if it has its little annoyances. I've NO idea at all how people get feathers and mesh (other than my shear accident) from Apo, I seam to get actuall pictures of things like bicycles lol. So, ah, ya, Hi! :D