Samuel Monnier Inspiration

Hello! I have been inspired by Samuel Monnier's work for many years; I am ready to take a deep dive into programming in UltraFractal in order to create my own artwork.

But since I don't know what I don't know, I could use some initial pointers regarding where I should begin my journey.

So far, I understand that there are several layers, each carry some graphic 'elements'. What would those 'elements' be?

Are there some programming examples that have the basic structure? I suppose that Mr. Monnier's formulas are not public; are there some similar ones that I could use for study?

Thank you in advance for any guidance that you can offer.

Cheers!!

-- Jorge.

Some of Monnier's formulas are public. They are in Formulas/Public, all the entries starting with "sam".

Reading your post, it sounds like you are just beginning with Ultra Fractal. The first thing to do is learn the basics of the program. I recommend going through the tutorials that come with Ultra Fractal; select Tutorials from the Help menu to find them.

The term "programming" refers to coding the formulas and coloring algorithms used to create images, which is a fairly advanced activity. But you don't need to program to make images with Ultra Fractal. Start by learning to use the many formulas that others (including Samuel) have already written to create your own images.

Hello Jorge, one of the best ways to learn UF is to study parameter files and pick apart the various layers to see how others compose their fractal artwork. There is a lot to it, from gradients, trap shapes and masking to wonderful textures, backgrounds and frames. I'm always curious to see how the "pros" do it!

There are a lot of params available in the formula database collection, files with '.upr' at the end. While most of these are copyright protected it is fun to open them up in a fractal window to see what they look like.

As for Sam Monnier, I found his parameter files on an old site called p-gallery.net. Apparently it is not updated anymore but there is a wealth of information readily available at this link:
Just remember about the Copyright Protection element.

http://www.p-gallery.net/help/parameters.htm

Here is Sam's current site:
http://www.algorithmic-worlds.net/index.php