Help w/ Outside > Browsing

Hi!

I am a newbie using Ultra Fractal 6.01 Extended Edition running under Windows 7 Pro, 64-bit, Service Pack 1.

To learn Ultra Fractal, I am following the Tutorials. When applying color (Layer Properties > Outside > Browse), whatever I select will change the color parameters but not the pattern. Am I right?

Thank you!

Dr. T

Hi Dr.T and welcome to the fantastic world of Ultra Fractal!

At it's simplest your statement above is correct, yes. A fractal image is a marriage of the formula and the colouring. Both are mathematical algorithms that affect the appearance of the fractal and both are equally important in my view. Just different.

So yes, the formula is the basic structure on which to build your image. The colouring can produce a range of different shapes and textures. Shapes can be further manipulated on the Outside tab to move around the image plane in various ways but will almost always be tied in to the underlying structure in some way.

I usually start my images with a formula and a simple colouring with which I am familiar (I often use one of the Orbit Trap style of colourings). This enables me to see the formula structure a bit more clearly and work out what my formula parameter changes are doing. After tweaking the formula params for a bit and finding a pleasing structure I then move to the Outside tab where I can do a little decorative work. Browsing the colourings is a good way to find some interesting shapes and textures that can be applied. The gradient also plays a part in the overall look too, of course. In time you can learn how to use a number of layers to increase the detail and interest in a piece if you so wish. The possibilities are literally infinite!

Here is an example of a 4 layer fractal. If you look at the formula it is exactly the same on all 4 layers so the underlying structure is common to all. The colouring, however, is different on each layer, giving some very different effects. In addition the Orbs and Texture layers have some transparent areas in the gradient. Together the four layers make an nice image. Feel free to save these parameters and to have a nose around and tweak them however you wish. Change the colourings if you feel like seeing what else can be done or just tweak the various parameters to see what happens. Playing with stuff like this can really help fix some of the concepts in your mind!

Copy and paste all of the following into a fractal window:

Fractal1 {
; Free for anyone to tweak.
::5AEjuhn2tnZQvtOuRA47BI/HM8pWsNJizIZJvF6QePg9QRL2Cs79FMS02sRWSPS5kX2f9dIl
  kFlFpd6hC0CsP8OINkzwhDnZ+UM3p4Fd8qf8+7WtqT2VJyX/T9iYrX9uss7Q+2ooVHEy9H6y
  ToHr4fIU684VKhup6UnspOHiiMGoQJKld681f9gSq7k1iHeuue1/gron/rM4Jg+fELb993Zt
  idVL4tWbs+XFfv7kSseVTLvQ29Rec8qjC1exxmSR+Buqsy4EksuDNl5HPV1Jb5at11V8adLX
  Jq7y/QQiOybbl177XBSqQlH9YUUSKAQc2T0zsNZb3mgboFhvvOn9YCmgY893trRR2mbV9I/7
  SjumNerQVcQU8aezudr2JrE18jU46X641lkz94pdHXviWK1H5r/bnqk81GL0+bahoM/B2jxZ
  Q2mt0SDpsNJ0AtNvTmGeiM9v9CXW1cqLnJYZ3fnsWLLF/45d2Oae1N1iVUEXWmHDpZALB2SR
  dSplzlroTwa6EqVw7INPrX2GKAgZgj/3c8xTFVWfdw5/nV8f/o8V5ayv+JdOZ96O6xd0ZUVz
  +V6vpMj0C5Pk8I59Pux8GmH9UU/GuNlimmNVbGF0H2psRZNvD5Q/jx5s7vbviXKpVwuDqk1v
  SRL6Icl+YTDl9ROvqpjbTReIjtSWXK+ee0qimqGVObTaaKFKGEnkZPvtDFNIDR4CJPgM/qjZ
  sJ9RWSWEldMozoKmQef+p1hvhXOmKDJTuorQjJmczlz24qLlS+5ZpRTm4hZS9Uh9zqX0TlXM
  Kn+yap/PoQK6xt0JGyI3PhWeMKhFlCRZ/3tiiSMFc1nriq84/CvsmyI7BK+L7+VFvVbKgEfn
  CEd2mbvw1yCSUnZs3o2rmjLMaoeyIt7jWReRVjWo7GE1nPWSNa51FCXh7+yRtoLftRwqnXPZ
  lxRtLaNd8wrMjcgalfopqkOZBTY0u36Nfdzk28qKzZoNLnayTvua691jufH1t3kiM8u9UnRv
  PZH9ryWroze1JKbjN8G7dLrZ3p6i8nnUCcE/lBZojsvOIzQMo8VIf9RZ9f65/yX+zO7/xB5v
  oNnhzEis8nvQCk/DL0FxzL/ok48f4CJJ5fdSRm+AnO8abk1jHdMx+9aBVm13xgdOUYGgy00a
  TjTHTw1dqGZZf+N1xd2/SPH54vJOKVqGl2mc7Yg9KZp9UvUy33U3fubGYnS8tTi6iPYuuB/Y
  LdWfqUYl6Yn2DcNJc6wbyAgXDA5RLNA4agWB91G0HUMJpzcqajCxz09AVCSxhu84kpJbFql/
  uwd57F+q4dqKamJ46WRRn7UpAC1FUomtpGFep3LrpqzOqyliu1zMT/IUHNTlX0TThHOF0nbE
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  M9e6rPc82ZT4cwPkFmimX6eUSoQtwztSXEhOPQHfvIXe8I9XBw7EVfMX5+wPBdyVCznnun+2
  Alz4TlEz1z369ikrn1EichzV2X4zXmBOKzQm8krPuiDDlcpaW5Y6M71Q7HT5IO3ODfOyspqr
  oMzFBWrUHig5TsiYXOh+tCG5RXRl4teVxFrmnsWYJTCCxkgzMpZdjhPFTCCzkgQMJwLTCCxk
  gFMJwLTCcYSeMgLTCWwkgAMJwHTC8xkgQMJYBTC8xkgAMJIITCCwkglMJwLTC8wkAlgaQQND
  l20E3EZYR7EwLrCOzqc0dAX586FsKYkV5mF7grm8P/sKIMrC8zqgrwqgrxqgwsK46sK4msK4
  KsK4GsKIArC8zqggsK4TwqmPn34KpdR36WmGimFyKLOhCQz8sHGBaOynTzmrjfgmzE8SzmbD
  P1TLpZgDN7CXYRbBP0M460MIANDCRzA/0MwDND8SzgbRzgw0M4K0M4K0McJNDDRzQ/0M8TRz
  ww0MMEND9SzwQ0McBND9SzwQ0McBNDXQzwA0M0HND9RzwQ0McRaL6jmhBoZYQaGGgmhLpZoX
  aG6hmhhpZ4CaG6lmheoZ4caGukmhLpZoHaGGimhhpZofaGeFaGeNaGGmmhXnmh3kmhXhmh3g
  mhBoZofaGGkmhfCaGeTaG+JoZ4VpZ4NpZYAaGeFaGeLaGebaG6jmheoZoXaG6jmheoZ41pZY
  AaGGimh+pZoHaG6lmh3imhhpZ4VoZoHa2/JXESa61vIE22pLygFxQMNObYo0xrDJLFw0xrqI
  N5yLJx5qQ+E35hjDt8+KYb9fnHp+uyDyTOfLGf2L24v300u4mNGv5wS5Oq1jw8bkv8qD/jr3
  ovvczeHXt61+7Ec0LVNaxD0U3LewcDAmfq/x8WWvvbHs/6iJfmEYTceh0ti+wqV2iDja8ihO
  AvUkj2Hc7V8y4vpTxJ1bipjjn6le+X0cWlinsRGMk4Ev5is6stXUvMlMuN1f9CLOxXBDwcKQ
  ms2NqTi3O6Zb9k6vJwdDmuxXRFk6Taa6cb4pa5L2bb6XsendDcSRlAX/iB/jKlh5q/mq7aX+
  3kzP/CA7D3rD6bwnIveqLLgj3SdcWGGfu35YO8ms44NJxTpQskxhSw0UW25OrbTOnDHHnBJj
  lOPkBT53JRbyoc//HM9+fzQFZCL=
}

This is what you should see:

I hope this helps... I certainly had fun just concocting this little experiment for you.

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your detailed reply.

Although I am not a mathematician (my degree is in business), I do understand that, simply stated, fractal images are created by (1) formulas that generate numerical outputs and (2) rules for coloring the outputs.

For clarification, when one applies different coloring rules (using Layer Properties > Outside > Browsing), the original numerical outputs do not change. Am I right?

Dr. T

Yes, that's right.

As I said above: try some different colourings with this image and see what happens when they are loaded and when you tweak the parameters. Providing you do not touch the Formula tab you can see for yourself how the formula always keeps the same settings throughout, regardless of what you do on the Outside tab.

Likewise you can make changes to the formula tab and the colouring params will remain the same whatever you do. The visual result may not be quite as you expect or be downright ugly if you go too far with your formula tweaks but that is another matter entirely.

I am not a mathematician either and confess to not knowing much about the mechanics of what goes on "under the hood". The beauty of UF, however, is that it can be used on a purely visual basis. Most people I know who use UF are the same though there are a small number of users who are adept enough to write new formulas for us to use. I am so glad that they do because it's not something I could ever do and it makes life more interesting!