I would dearly love to know how many Fractal Artists here on Renderosity are working with Fractal Explorer.  Is there a way of finding out without trawling through years of images?  I seem to be seeing more FE images posted recently, which of course I am delighted about.  There are untapped depths to this programme.

Well, asking like this should help. :-)

I use a lot of programs and FE is one of them.
Corrie

I use fractals in all most of my compositions. However since i also design shapes in Photoshop and color them in kai's Power tools and reflect paintings into many of the images and montage all my elements in Photoshop I have been listing my works in MIXED MEDIUM / ABSTRACT.

But I am missing the Fractal artists who don't go to mixed medium to see other works.

If I list in Fractals then I am not really representing all the other techniques I use to create my final image.

How can I reach both audiences??

Thankyou Corrie and FantasticFractals.  I don't really know if it will help but it will maybe confirm what I think and that is more and more people are realising that FE has more possibilities than at first glance.  There is so much more to FE than just discovering patterns. 

As for decidiing which Gallery ...I definitely get your point.   I was having this problem because I like to incorporate photographs as background into some of my fractals, which is so easy to do in FE's own Textures by importing an image to a fractal of the same size but I had confirmation from a few fellow Artists that because it was done in FE, although postwork is always done in PI or PSP, it is ok to post in the Fractals Gallery.  Maybe a query to Tresamie and Dream Warrioir would confirm?

Not everyone has time or inclination to visit the Forums, so maybe I am flogging a dead horse. Time will tell I suppose.

FE  is  one  of my fave,too:)

Thankyou very much for responding Alida. I have seen some of your wonderful work with this programme:-)

As for in what forum to post:

A far as I know, the program you render your image with is the one you can post in.
I see a lot of images in  Bryce, for example, that have used a lot of imported stuff.
But, because it's rendered in Bryce, it's counted as a Bryce image.
Does that help?

Corrie

This makes sense!  Thanks very much Corrie:-)

You know I use FE, it was the first Fractal App I ever used and started me on the Fractal journey, still use it frequently but not as much lately.

Yes, I do know Len, and gosh you are extracting more than magic out of Mandelbulb, but nevertheless it's good to have your input.  Thankyou.

I use fe, as well as xenodream, ultrafractal, apophysis, and I am trying mandelbulb

juliette

Thankyou very much for replying Juliette.  I appreciate your time:-)

For me Ultra Fractal is my main tool, but sometimes, when my inspiration in UF is over, I change to Fractal Explorer for some time.  It works refreshing and after some time my feelings for UF are back again.  The further development  of FE has been stopped, that's a very pity.  I know there are so many possibilities but there also wishes (e.g. easier rotation, application of layers).  I don't know if the FE-code is free now, according to the FE site we have to pay a lot of money for it.  This, together with the rights, prevents further development by others.  One of my question marks is: what can be the reason that the results when using the same formulas (e.g. Talis var.1) are so different in FE and UF?  I'm not the only one who wonders, Toby Marshall also does.

I was thinking FE was open source, thought I remembered seeing the source code was available for downloading on the download page.  Maybe that was Apo I was thinking of, anyway I just went to where I got FE and it's no longer there, very strange.

http://www.eclectasy.com/Fractal-Explorer/

This to Ed, ........but ARE the results so different?  Titia was having a good poke around for I know she was very intrigued.

To Len - you are right - checked the link --gone without a puff of smoke.  I'm going to nurse my copy very carefully.

The Users Group is still there

http://feusers.fractalfairy.com/links.html

as well as the Free Spots

http://gratis.fractalfairy.com/spots.php

Wonder what happened?

Part of natural decay after Arthur decided he wasn't going to work on FE any more? I'm surprized it was there for so long.

Like Doc Mojo and MojoWowld, Pandromeda is still there but since the Doc stopped further development on it years ago it's become an orphaned application.

It's a great great loss and such  pity.

i use Ultra Fractal exclusively, I still have so much to learn about it, i will likely stay with it for a while yet.  I have to say though i love the fractals i have seen credited to both FE and APO.  Both those programs seem to turn out wonderous works.  Mandelbulb seems to be a favorite of many artists on the site and i have to say i am almost always impressed with the MB3D images.  I guess i am only saying here, I think there is more than enough room for all these programs here, and i can fully appreciate all of them and i am also very happy to see them posted.  I almost forgot, there is a few folks using Xenodream, those pictures are without fail some of the clearest 3D images i've seen.

  Sorry to hear that your FE program sounds like it has been orphaned, maybe someone will create a new version of it. 

Jim (aka Greyone)

I have tried FE, going back to it again and again, but I just can't seem to handle the way the color palette works.  When I started using UF, it seemed very intuitive and easy for me to get the color the way I want it.  I am always amazed at your images, Jenny.  You certainly get incredible color out of them.

~Viv

I'm elated to see an open (and lengthy, lively) exchange about FE. Of course, you all know that it's my primary fractal love. Personally, FE still feels inexplicably organic somehow to me, which is such a draw. I've tried others, but always come back to it. Jenny, we've known each other long enough that I know you completely understand the feeling. There are still depths to plumb with FE, as Jenn, Merren, Alida, and many others, prove time and time again. And I particularly like seeing folks who are drop dead proficient in XD, UF, and others, revisit. The idea that it's now totally orphaned, may actually be technical, I think. I bought a new laptop about 2 years ago, and when I went searching for the program download online, unable to salvage it from my defunct hard drive, it seems I'd read Titia's and others' posts about Arthur not only having little time to devote to  it, but that there were some major technical reasons in the source code, or some other such thing, that prevented compatability with XP and particularly with Vista. I agree, Jenn...in nursing our copies with care. Viv, as for not getting colors that you want from FE, guess I'm a bit surprised to hear that. Perhaps because that seems to be one aspect of the program I've always felt so at ease with. And when I can't get where I want via FE ,  image adjustment hue and saturation in Photoshop generally get me to the hues I'm seeking.  And, Ed? I've wonder the same. If ever anyone turns up with an explanation for this, I'd be interested to try to understand. :)

So good to see you all! :)

And btw, guys...please don't hold me to my attempt at the technical description on exactly what the compatability issues were/are. A techie, I'm definitely not. But, I think that's what I'd read..or something similar to it. :)

Actually I'm using FE on XP-Pro SP3 running the .net framework 3.5 right now with zero problems whatsoever, I also used it on my HP LapTop running Vista Home Premium SP2 without problems. Compatibility issues were not a problem with FE, it wasn't compatability with Windows OS, I think it was a compatibility problem with other Fractal applications, most now days can easily interchange  formulas between them, not sure with FE. Plus the Fractal world moved into the true 3D realm and that would have meant Wholesale revamping of the FE source code to accomplish that. FE is still the best 2d Fractal app going IMHO, I have an original ZIP copy saved on an external HDD if anyone ever needs one just holler and I shoot a copy to ya.

len

I'm trying to find the thread, Len. But, hey, it's late and I'm old. If I can locate, I'll post here. Thanks so much, for the generous offer! :)

What a lovely group of Fractal Artists you are. It is so good to get your point of view.

Jim -thanks so much for speaking to us.  It really is wonderful to hear that , you do appreciate and enjoy FE images.  OF course, there is room for everyone in fractalland - it is infinite after all.  I also appreciate and enjoy looking at what others do with their own special programmes. I'd just very much like to see more people using FE.

Viv - To me the palette is a marvellous thing.  I steal them off all my friends. If you would like palettes I can send you all of mine.  I hope FE has not lost you forever....  Nancy...yes, a bit technical for me really too.   I'd be devastated if there were no Fractal Explorer, like someone cutting my left hand off.  (yes I am kaggy handed). Yes - I know how you feel about it too.

Regarding the 3D thing - sometimes FE gives you one, but imho no other 2D programme can offer anything to touch it, and I think I have tried them all.. 

Len what a kind thing to offer the zip.  I've used several  O.S's over the past 10 years and no compatibility problems for me.  FE tends to crash if I ask too much of it, but I try and make sure I don't have more than a couple of windows open, or try to do something else whist rendering a 4000x4000 and he seems quite happy with that. Thank you too.

Found it! This was a post from Titia at a DA forum from 2008, requesting programmer help for someone to step in and attempt keeping FE alive. I'm very relieved to have finally found it, and to have read it again, to assure myself I wasn't altogether losing it here. :)

Len, as I suspected, this wasn't solely an FE compatability with other Fractal apps issue (Yes, I realize that others interchange formulas whereas FE is limited in this capacity, and others). The only reason I knew for sure that wasn't the issue, was that when purchasing my new laptop here, I had to go digging for info online as to why FE suddenly wasn't playing nicely with Vista and couldn't run effectively on a new, much better, pc. I now run Vista here too, but the initial computer I'd purchased (much better machine than I actually wound up with because of the FE handling) had huge problems with FE, so I actually returned it. As you can see from the post, it was a very sporadic stability issue. Some Vista users had issues, while others found that it worked just fine. It was very sporadic, but maddening for some of us. I had suddenly gone from an older pc that rendered FE images in a flash, to a brand new pc that wouldn't allow me to open it sometimes, and at others, would render painfully slowly, IF it would even render at all, and it would also produce tons of vertical artifact. I actually returned the other machine, and the decision on which laptop I chose became, for me,  contingent on how a new machine would handle FE (recall someone also mentioning a problem with some newer, faster machines today having a bit less front end bus, I think? Again, too much tech for me, so can't swear by the accuracy of that.) Anyway, the thread's posted for you guys in another comment. Hope it at least helps clarify. Happy Sunday, and happy fractaling, all! :)

From the thread I mentioned, and Arthur's prior responses to Titia's inquiries to him: Programmers: help asked !*titiavanbeugen reports, May 20, 2008

For many years now I have a lot of fun with the freeware fractalprogram Fractal Explorer... and many people more.
Fractal Explorer has proven to be an excellent fractalprogram.
But there is a problem now...

Arthur, the creator of Fractal Explorer hasn't got the time anymore to update the program.
It has to be made compatible for Vista (and later). Some people can still use it, some can't, or there are problems.
I asked Arthur about updating it. He wrote:

"Probably it is impossible. Or may be very difficult...
FE was created with Delphi 3, which was released in 1997 or 1998 year...
It was not simple to get compatibility with Win 2000/XP because
Delphi 3 not have some declarations for this OS...
To get compatibility with Vista FE needs much never compiler. May be
Delphi 7 (at least), may by more never...

But moving from Delphi 3 to another version is very difficult, because
FE uses many additional components and controls. And some from it
has no compatible versions for never versions of Delphi.
So, it needed to rewrite at least 60-70% of UI code and design..."

I don't understand all this, but I understand I and many others soon can't play with this toy anymore.
Is there anyone around here that is able to update Fractal Explorer for the future?

I was writing a tutorial, but the motivation is gone now, because probably there is no FE anymore to play with.

@ Gaiadriel.

You say
"I was writing a tutorial, but the motivation is gone now, because probably there is no FE anymore to play with.".
Why?
As you can see here there are still plenty of people that have and use FE.
Maybe they like tutorials?
I for one love doing tuts!

Corrie

as long as one can keep windows xp on ones computer, we can play with FE

juliette

I use it with windows 7!

Corrie

I agree Jim and Jen, there is enough room in the Fractalverse for all, the app doesn't matter it's the Vision that counts.

Gaiadriel
I understand what Arthur is saying about the code levels of Delphi and trying to update them but that's only a part of the problem. I'm not a Coder but I am a Technician and the thing that changed more with the technology of PCs was Hardware not Software. Late XP, XP-Pro, Vista, and now Se7en systems are mostly Multicore Systems (ie P4 HT, Dual core, Quadcore) and some running 64 bit platforms not 32 bit, that's where the conflifts can really bite you. Older applications like FE, MojoWorld that were never upgraded for Multithreading OS can have some quirks when running on them. Actually if you are running a 64 bit platform the app may not even open and run, just not compatible at all, that's why I will not upgrade to a 64 bit platform yet, too many programs I use are not 64 bit friendly. The Multicore 32 bit problems are easier to remedy with OS settings when running them, for FE and MojoWorld (apps which don't allow setting Threadcounts) when I'm using them I just open the Windows Task Manager and set the CPU Affinity to just one Processor to eleminate any conflicts and they Run just fine.

len

Corrie, those aren't my words, love. That whole post was Titia's, from back when she was trying to find a programmer to consider writing a compatible FE for newer OS' and she was willing to mediate correspondences between FE's authors and anyone who might be able to willing to step up and keep it going.

It really is much more stable on XP, Juliette, I agree.  :)

Oops.
Sorry about that!

Corrie

..... but where do we find the program.

i tried to download it about a year ago, and was unable to find it!

can anyone help?

monica

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Graphic-Others/Fractal-Explorer.shtml

http://fractal.ow2.org/fractalexplorer/index.html

I have enjoyed reading this post.  What suprises me is that the program/website is no longer available.  I went to it earlier in this year to check to see if there was another version out.  I am sorry that it is no longer available.  As for using FE, it is my primary program.  I love what it does.  It is truthfully the only program I can honestly say that I know how to make specific forms.  Even after 8 years of working on it, I know I still have much to learn.  I have also had my share of issues with FE since I bought a new computer four years ago.  The program gets touchie if I ask to much of it.

When I first started, Titia and Arend were kind enough to share some of their files.  Over the years I have been saving spotfiles and gradients for people to use, I just was not sure anyone would be interested.  So if anyone is, please let me know.  Thank you for the thread as I was not sure how many actually used FE and for the links to where one would find the program itself!

There's another program using the name, "Fracta Explorer". It's the 2nd one listed by Juliette.

Lynn

Also not all versions of FE, even when downloaded from the original site were complete with The Sterlingware Formulas and the necessary DLL to use them (some versions had them some didn't, depended who you downloaded from) and the Compiler for altering and making your own formilas which was a seperate download.

Actually, you can use FE on Windows 7, but a lot of things in it don't work. You can't make the changes you want to make, so it's pretty much pointless.

@Lenord. Hmm...must be why it won't run right for me. I'll have to try that. Thanks.

Monica, were you able to download from Juliette's first link? Thanks, Juliette! I was searching for her, and came up with zilch. I'm also tucking this away for future reference.

Hey Lynn! What a blast to see you post. You've made my day to find you here. Hope all's well in Denmark, and that you're doing okay these days. Hi to Kalli, too. 

Good to know, Weezy.

Len, thanks for the info about setting CPU affinity in task manager for my older 32 bit proggies on dual core processors. I'd honestly not previously tried that. But, I definitely will. Very helpful. :)

If,  as Arthur had indicated in his mail to Titia, to begin with there simply aren't any compatible versions for the newer versions of Delphi where some of the particular components and controls that FE actually requires are concerned, well.... At any rate, he and Olga designed FE, so he'd surely know its issues, whatever they may be. I'm just thrilled mine now works, because as kroggy hand across the big pond from me has indicated...(lol...you'd better be smiling, Jenn!)...it would be a bit like lopping off a limb at this point, to lose it. Seems we got increased processing power and new OS' with time (not that anyone would consider Vista any sort of technological advancement, mind you), while FE ,in turn, got only multiple dilemnas out of the deal.

Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer...tsk, tsk...now just look what you started... Wonderful stuff indeed. :)

And Newpy...thank you for the spot and gradient offer. I just may take you up on that at some point. Though, I have to admit,  I've never once imported a gradient, or even saved one of my own, as ridiculous as that must seem.

I say thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to respond to my  first post here.  It's just so great to see that FE is being used by so many and how much interest is still being generated by the desire for it to stay and work with us. 

Nancy!  No need to save a palette do you, if we share our spot files -  voila!and yes I am smiling......partly because I don't understand the technical ins and outs, so I am glad you all do.

hi,

 no i was unable to download from the first link of juliette, it's not available, the second one is not opening well, and now i'm confused; are there more then one fe programs?

monica

can I email you the program ???

please send your personal email to : j.gribnau@upcmail.nl  and I will send the zipped program

(no registration needed)

juliette

Here is a link where you can download FE 202 and some spots, too:

http://feusers.fractalfairy.com/fefiles/index.html

Corrie

I hope you've managed to finally get it one way or another, Monica. Have you? Anything more anyone can do to help? If the link Corrie's posted doesn't work for you either, I hope you opt for just having Juliette email it to you. And, no, there is only one Fractal Explorer. As Lynn said earlier, there is another program with a very similar name, but it's not the same thing. I'll certainly enjoy seeing what you do with it when you finally manage to get your hands on it. I suspect your results with FE will be as beautiful as the rest of your work.

Oh, about the palettes/gradients. That's very true, Jenn!  But, I really somehow always enjoy roughing it, and the added sense of accomplishment I seem to feel with finally getting to the hues I'm seeking by going them from scratch. It's just a self-imposed thing with me, I realize. :)

Thanks again, for the discussion, everyone. I, too, really enjoy seeing interest in FE, and also like seeing the forum this active, too!

Corrie' should be good because the FE users Group is still alive and well, at least I think so I keep getting email updates from them although it's been a loooong time since I visited. I went looking on my external Drive for my Zip of the original and it seems to have gone missing. I did Zip-up a full functioning copy of FE with Compiler and the Landscape stuff (which I've never tried) along with some additional Spots also. Since FE didn't need Installation to start with(Just unzip to a Folder and go) it should work fine for anyone. If anyone needs I will send it no problem.

Len, I tried landscape in FE...not very successfully I must admit...in fact I kept drowning what bit of land I had. Attractors and Orbites and Quarternions never appealed to me either. (probably because I was rubbish at working them)hehe 

I have several years worth of spots if anyone would like some. just email me..my early attempts were dreadful, but I still kept them.

jennyisme@blueyonder.co.uk

Any questions about FE that I can help with, just let me know.