fractal desktop
February 26, 2006 5:03 PM   Subscribe

Here are some nice fractal desktop pictures.
posted by obeygiant (36 comments total)
 
I will see you (or even +c you) and raise you one tour of the Quaternion Julia Sets.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:08 PM on February 26, 2006


These are also rather nice.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:09 PM on February 26, 2006


I like these, personally.
posted by Afroblanco at 5:10 PM on February 26, 2006


Whoa, those are some really nice ties.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:11 PM on February 26, 2006


The showcase gallery section of Ultra Fractal's website has some nice images (and UF rocks, here's some stuff I've done with the program) -- enjoy.
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:16 PM on February 26, 2006


some of those 3D ultra fractals are wicked
i'd post the link but i'm stupid.
posted by obeygiant at 5:21 PM on February 26, 2006


These don't look anything like my desktop.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 5:25 PM on February 26, 2006


Some more here.
posted by Gyan at 5:36 PM on February 26, 2006


I remember (back in the day) setting a 386SX/16 to generate a fractal image and then turning off the monitor. When we'd get up in the morning, if we were lucky, it was complete ... and oh, how pretty!

Sadly, these didn't affect me in quite the same way.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:41 PM on February 26, 2006


Groovy!
posted by Drexen at 5:49 PM on February 26, 2006


Does Ultra Fractal or any other program let you zoom into fractals (forever)? Cuz I miss doing that on some Photoshop plugin I don't remember the name of.
posted by MarkO at 5:50 PM on February 26, 2006


The Best of 2004

It only took 2 years to get to MeFi!
posted by milnak at 5:57 PM on February 26, 2006


If I wanted to go blind in front of my computer, I'd just look for porn.
posted by pmbuko at 6:18 PM on February 26, 2006


Fractals for dummies.
posted by leftcoastbob at 6:44 PM on February 26, 2006


Does Ultra Fractal or any other program let you zoom into fractals (forever)?

fractint?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:13 PM on February 26, 2006


MarkO : "Does Ultra Fractal or any other program let you zoom into fractals (forever)?"

Yes. Ultrafractal is pretty sophisticated, and a PS-style workspace (layers, masks..etc). Download the trial and join the mailing list.
posted by Gyan at 7:57 PM on February 26, 2006


Last time I tried, the UltraFractal trial version was very annoying in that it put their name all over the fractal. Fair enough, to protect their interests I suppose. I just made my own program, which gave me perfect control for painting the fractals. Much fun.

These are okay, I'd appreciate them more if they gave the numbers to show their location.
posted by Goofyy at 9:05 PM on February 26, 2006


Dude, I'm peaking!

I see it too, man!
posted by ori at 9:10 PM on February 26, 2006


Hello, Kitty! — interesting how similar they are to Louis Wain's increasingly schizophrenic cat paintings.
posted by cenoxo at 9:17 PM on February 26, 2006


My eyes! My eyes!
posted by Tablecrumbs at 9:25 PM on February 26, 2006


I don't like how they call Louis Wain schizophrenic, just because he did some trippy cat paintings. Who the frak do "they" think they are?
posted by obeygiant at 9:41 PM on February 26, 2006


Does Ultra Fractal or any other program let you zoom into fractals (forever)? Cuz I miss doing that on some Photoshop plugin I don't remember the name of.
posted by MarkO at 7:50 PM CST on February 26 [!]


It was one of Kai's power tools if I remember correctly.

Fractals are one of those things that make me wish I was smarter so I understood them better. I mean, REALLY understood them.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:50 PM on February 26, 2006


ARRRR! Wake up, dogs! All hands! Prepare for orbit transfer and iteration shift-folding! Tighten up that focal plane, ye scurvy! You want to slip us into that attractor? We be slipping towards countertwist with that slush! Steady! Like as not we'd end up scattered cross a thousand bailout manifolds twisted through n-space like blasted pixel dust with ye slop!

Aye, there be the transfer, look lively. Bring us around nice an easy now! There be treasure, but just the edge. Up 'er two clicks or so now, ease up the transform a bit, scale it. Bring us in, Ensign. Don't need no stinkin' sensors to tell true that be a rich one, hanging there all crenulated-like and glittery. Aye, open the scoops, lads, let em wake up. They'll be stiff from that slumber, but lively sniffing at all that fine sup. Makes 'em tricky! Bear off and forward, gently now, let the scoops slot it as they like.

Not too slappy, that. Good vein, more then we could ever hope to translate out. I'll make miners out of you scrawny, smoke-eyed knee-gnawing twiddlers yet. Fire up the still! Triple rations tonight!
posted by loquacious at 9:55 PM on February 26, 2006


Louis Wain's cat drawings were the first thing I thought of when I saw them too, especially that one called "hidden curse". I was about to go look them up again.
posted by srs at 11:28 PM on February 26, 2006


Sometimes you just wish you were high.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:05 AM on February 27, 2006


The Photoshop plug was indeed part of the KPT package, called "FraxPlorer". Cute but limited.

The ultimate animated Fractal generator today, exclusively on the Mac, is the awesome ArtMatic Pro, by the inimitable Eric Wenger. Fractals are only one of the goodies in this largely unknown animation treasure.
posted by dbiedny at 12:29 AM on February 27, 2006


Have you ever really looked at your hands? I mean, REALLY looked, you know, at your hands?

Ooh! Fireworks! I like the black one!
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:07 AM on February 27, 2006


obeygiant, I was under the impression that Louis Wain was deemed schizophrenic due to other indications, and the cat paintings were seen to follow along.

Interesting how his work become so much cooler after mental illness set in.
posted by JHarris at 2:14 AM on February 27, 2006


Why have they all been coloured in such a fugly way?
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:29 AM on February 27, 2006


very nice. I'm gonna be sporting one soon.

/er, on my desktop. The fractal that is. I'll stop now.
posted by Smedleyman at 7:22 AM on February 27, 2006


Some nice ones in there, if perhaps a bit tame. Thanks!
posted by squirrel at 8:38 AM on February 27, 2006


...just because he did some trippy cat paintings.


(More catfracts here.)

Poor Louis was merely a puppet — why do you think they now like computers so much?
posted by cenoxo at 8:54 AM on February 27, 2006


Here is my shameless self plug... My images are too small for most desktops but I also have animations and zoomable images.
posted by jockc at 10:07 AM on February 27, 2006


absolutely beautiful.
thanks for the post.
posted by Hesychia at 1:51 PM on February 27, 2006


the schizophrenic cat paintings by wain were the first things that came to my mind when i saw these.
posted by chowder at 1:55 PM on February 27, 2006


without doubt the bestest fractal making program is Apophysis. It's free, and the results you can get from it are fairly outrageous. So yeah, its crap, don't use it.
posted by 6am at 5:54 PM on February 27, 2006


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