Fractal flame

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Fractal flames are a member of the iterated function system class^[1] of fractals created by Scott Draves in 1992.^[2] Draves' seminal open-source code was later ported into Adobe After Effects graphics software^[3] and translated into the Apophysis fractal flame editor.^[4]

Fractal flames differ from ordinary iterated function systems in three ways:

• Nonlinear functions are iterated instead of affine transforms.
• Log-density display instead of linear or binary (a form of tone mapping)
• Colour by structure (i.e. by the recursive path taken) instead of monochrome or by density.

The tone mapping and colouring are designed to display as much of the detail of the fractal as possible, which generally results in a more aesthetically pleasing image.

[edit] References

1. ^ Mitchell Whitelaw (2004). Metacreation: Art and Artificial Life. MIT Press. pp 155.
2. ^ Information about Apophysis software. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
3. ^ Chris Gehman and Steve Reinke (2005). The Sharpest Point: Animation at the End of Cinema. YYZ Books. pp 269.
4. ^ Information about Apophysis software. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.

[edit] See also

• Apophysis, an open source fractal flame editor for Microsoft Windows
• Electric Sheep, a screen saver which displays fractal flames created with Distributed computing
• GIMP, a free software, multi OS image manipulation program that can generate fractal flames. Filters >> Render >> Fractral Explorer

[edit] External links

• The Fractal Flame AlgorithmPDF (22.5 MB), a paper with a detailed explanation of how and why the fractal flames work
• Oxidizer an open source editor for Mac OS X