Misc Picture VA001 - The First Fractal I SawI've always been fascinated with fractals since I read the cover article "Exploring the Mandelbrot Set" in the August 1985 issue of Scientific American. I knew nothing about fractals at the time so this article was kind of a revelation to me. I assimilated the underlying math and quickly wrote a program for the HP-150 Touchscreen computer in Turbo Pascal, which could render the Mandelbrot set in 9 ersatz shades as well as zoom into it. Then Windows 3 was introduced and I wrote a Windows program in C which did the same, but it was a real chore as I had to work at a very low level, calling the Windows API for everything (message processing, etc) in a pure text environment, no GUI for the C editor/compiler. Then VB was released and I wondered if using it would make a difference.
It did. The VB program ran 7x slower but developing it was 7x faster and much easier and convenient, real fun instead of real chore. That was it back then but 30 years later (2016) I found the VB program in an old HDD and tried it on my Windows XP. It ran, but it was extremely limited, rendering just the original Mandelbrot set in 16 colors with minimal zoom capabilities and that's it. I then decided it would be fun to try and relive the old times by writing a new, more capable fractal program just for my own use, and using the very same 30-year old, 16-bit programming language and 20-year old, 32-bit OS absolutely from scratch, beginning from a blank form and nothing else. The result is FractVal 1.0, which follows these guidelines:
A simple formula, a simple palette and a simple rendering algorithm.
And that's it. The images FractVal produces can be described and recreated with few parameters because they do not depend on artistic choices or techniques, they're renderings of mathematical objects mostly independent of who's generating them: the palette may be specified, it may be rendered with one simple algorithm or another but the resulting image will essentially depend on the fractal object itself. Last but not least, they're indefinitely explorable and you'll actually feel The Call of Discovery: "To eagerly find amazing locations no one has ever seen before". Literally (and if you don't record their parameters no one will ever explore them again. Literally.). Misc Picture VA001 - The First Fractal I Saw
This is an approximate FractVal rendition (from memory) of the very first fractal image I saw in the cover of the August 1985 issue of Scientific American. The palette and framing will surely be a little different from the original cover but the impression it made on me is the same, a sheer feeling of awe and fervent desire to do my own exploring of it.
The SA's article itself, "Exploring the Mandelbrot Set", was a fantastically enthralling read (look for it, it's freely available on the net), which gave lots of useful explanations that helped me to soon after write my very own program to render this most fascinating set. It was very primitive but it was a beginning and FractVal is just the latest step so far.
Misc Picture VA002 - Sample - Multiverse
Misc Picture VA010 - Sample - Fiery Maelstrom
Misc Picture VA013 - Sample - Dodging the Black Hole
Misc Picture VA017 - Sample - Salvaging Titanic
Misc Picture VA018 - Sample - Snow Crystals
Misc Picture VA020 - Sample - Greyscale Palette
Misc Picture VA040 - Sample Mandel Types Mosaic
Misc Picture VA042 - Sample Mandel Type
Misc Picture VA044 - Sample Mandel Type
Misc Picture VA045 - Sample Mandel Type
Misc Picture VA050 - Sample Julia Type
Misc Picture VA051 - Sample Julia Type
Misc Picture VA052 - Sample Monochromatic Palette
Misc Picture VA054 - Sample Trichromatic Palette
Misc Picture VA055 - Sample Palettes Mosaic
Misc Picture VA056 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA057 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA058 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA059 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA060 - Sample Zoom Mosaic
Misc Picture VA062 - Sample Zoom Mosaic
Misc Picture VA063 - Sample Overlaid Julia Mapping
Misc Picture VA064 - Sample Julia Mapping
Misc Picture VA066 - Sample Overlaid Julia Mapping
Misc Picture VA068 - Sample Julia Mosaic
Misc Picture VA072 - Sample Julia Mosaic
Misc Picture VA074 - Sample Overlaid Julia Mosaic
Misc Picture VA078 - Sample No Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA079 - Sample With Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA080 - Sample No Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA081 - Sample With Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA086 - Sample Translucent Layers
Misc Picture VA091 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA093 - Sample Textured Traps
Misc Picture VA094 - Sample Video - Cellular Genesis 
This is not an image but an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate. Many fractal programs can generate videos, but usually they are of what I call the "static" kind, i.e: (I) the video will zoom into/out of the fractal object or it will pan from one part to another, or a combination of both, or (II) they will also generate videos where the palette is cycled or altered in some way or another, making the fractal object change colors or lighting continuously or after some other fashion.
This is all very well and very nice, and of course FractVal can also generate those kinds of videos, but notice something important: the fractal object is static, it does not vary at all while the video runs. You see different parts of it at different zoom levels and/or with different palettes but the fractal object does not essentially change, it might be distorted or a false perspective might be added but it stays put, it doesn't evolve, it's absolutely static, frozen in time for the video's duration.
ValFract, on the other hand, can generate a Type III kind of video, where the fractal object itself isn't static but evolves as the video goes on, it doesn't remain the same, it changes or moves on its own, it's alive. While other fractal programs show you just pretty pictures of an instant in the life of a fractal, static pictures, FracVal allows you to explore The Secret Life of a Fractal and see what it does and what happens to it. And of course, you can mix this fractal activity with zooms, pans, palette changes and whatever for incredibly beautiful and truly amazing results.
In this particular Sample Video, titled "Cellular Genesis", you can watch a few scattered figments of DNA beginning to slowly evolve, to combine and form ever-complex cells, true evolution in a mathematical fractal universe. And remember, each frame is a static image which can be indefinitely zoomed, potentially having all the infinite detail of the fractal object it renders.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 16 times smaller than the original I made, and it runs at 10 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations, but it will certainly give you a very good idea of what's possible. Video details: 12.8 Mbytes, 40 seconds long, 320x240 frames at 10 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA095 - Sample Video Type I - Zoom
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type I, the variant where the video features a fractal object being zoomed-in or out at some speed. In this particular video the original Mandelbrot fractal is zoomed-in at a very fast speed.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made and it runs at 20 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations which affect quality, but it will give you a good idea of what's possible. Video details: 5.08 Mbytes, 12 seconds long, 640x480 frames at 20 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA096 - Sample Video Type II - Palette
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type II, the variant where the video features a fractal object whose palette is being rotated or altered in some way at a certain speed to generate a number of effects, such as ever-changing lighting and such. In this particular example a cute denizen of the fractal universe changes looks fast.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made and it runs at 14 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations which affect quality, but nevertheless it will give you a decent idea of what's possible. Video details: 3.3 Mbytes, 16 seconds long, 640x480 frames at 14 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA097- Sample Video Type II - Lighting
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type II, the variant where the video features a fractal object whose palette is being rotated or altered in some way at a certain speed to generate a number of effects, such as ever-changing lighting and such. In this particular example a fractal tunnel undergoes fast rotating lighting.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made and it runs at 16 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations which affect quality, but it will give you a fair idea of what's possible. Video details: 1.06 Mbytes, just 4 seconds long (blink and you'll miss it!), 640x384 frames at 16 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA098 - Sample Video Type III - Evolution
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type III, the variant where the video features a fractal object which isn't static but actually evolves as the video goes on, it doesn't remain the same, it changes or moves on its own, it's alive ! (well, sort of).
In this particular example, you can watch a number of scattered sprouts in a hazy fog which quickly coalesces to evolve into a frog-like being, which continues evolving further into an octopus-like being that eventually separates into a big brain and a host of smaller bodies, with a hint of additional subdivision by the time the video ends.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made, and it runs at 10 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations, but it will give you a nice idea of what's possible. Video details: 4.76 Mbytes, 40 seconds long, 640x480 frames at 10 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA099 - Sample Video Type III - Unstable
Another nice example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, again a Type III where the fractal object itself isn't static but changes as the video goes on, it doesn't remain the same, as if it were alive.
In this particular Sample Video, titled "Unstable", you can watch a slowly-descending section of a fractal undergoing splitting and recombination while a stream of incandescent "lava" steadily flows upwards till it reaches the surface and burns everything on its way, turning black portions of the fractal into bright, curling smoke. And again remember, each frame is a static image which can be indefinitely zoomed, potentially having all the infinite detail of the fractal object it renders.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 2.5 times smaller than the original I made and runs at 15 fps instead of 25 fps, plus it's been heavily compressed but all the same it will give you a good idea of what's possible.
Misc Picture VA100 - The One and Only
Misc Picture VA101 - Bottomless Pit
Misc Picture VA102 - Mandel Nursery
Misc Picture VA103 - Mandel Burst
Misc Picture VA104 - Cataclysm
Misc Picture VA105 - Infernal Galaxies
Misc Picture VA106 - Burning Armada
Misc Picture VA107 - Jovian Storm
Misc Picture VA108 - Black Hole Merger
Misc Picture VA109 - The Starry Night
Misc Picture VA110 - Corcovado
Misc Picture VA112 - Aztec City Guardians
Misc Picture VA113 - Splitting
Misc Picture VA114 - Mandel Fireworks
Misc Picture VA115 - Mandel Fireworks Detail
Misc Picture VA116 - Worshipping
Misc Picture VA117 - Sacred Scarab
Old Egypt's Sacred Scarab. The resemblance is uncanny.
Misc Picture VA118 - Maasai Shield
Misc Picture VA119 - Narya The Ring of Fire
Misc Picture VA120 - Ground Zero
Misc Picture VA121 - Centrifugal Fury
Misc Picture VA122 - Orographic Winds
Misc Picture VA123 - Eye Candy
Misc Picture VA124 - Chameleon
Misc Picture VA125 - Tentacle
Misc Picture VA126 - Alien Priest
Misc Picture VA127 - Alien Venus
Misc Picture VA128 - Filigree Jewelry
Misc Picture VA129 - Warp Speed
Misc Picture VA130 - Mandel Nest
Misc Picture VA131 - Blast Furnace
Misc Picture VA132 - Burning Web
Misc Picture VA133 - Colorful Petals
Misc Picture VA134 - Zen Brooch
Misc Picture VA135 - Clockwork Gear
Misc Picture VA136 - Clockwork Gears
Misc Picture VA137 - Lava Scorpion
Misc Picture VA138 - Burning Niagara
Misc Picture VA140 - Krakatoa Exploding
In 1883 Krakatoa volcano's eruption utterly destroyed more than 70% of the island of Krakatoa and other islands in the nearby archipelago. The eruption was so violent that it essentially sent cubic kilometers of debris to the stratosphere, and was heard as far as nearly 3,000 miles away as the pressure wave circled the whole planet more than three times.
Misc Picture VA141 - Firestorm
Misc Picture VA142 - King of the Dark Sea
Misc Picture VA143 - CPU Blueprint
Misc Picture VA144 - CPU Generations
Misc Picture VA146 - CPU Disassembly
Misc Picture VA147 - Lava Falls
Misc Picture VA148 - Sunset UFOs
Misc Picture VA149 - Cosmic Pacifiers
Misc Picture VA150 - Neurons
Misc Picture VA151 - Whith Vader
Misc Picture VA152 - Supergalaxy
Misc Picture VA154 - Agate Cameo
Misc Picture VA155 - Inexpugnable Fortress
Misc Picture VA156 - Monolith 2019
Misc Picture VA157 - Gateway
Misc Picture VA158 - Nanodigger
Misc Picture VA159 - Mining Field
Misc Picture VA160 - Fractal-powered Rotor
Misc Picture VA162 - Embroidery Factory
Misc Picture VA163 - Seaside Landing Strip
Misc Picture VA164 - Erythrocytes
Misc Picture VA165 - Dyson Galaxy
Misc Picture VA166 - Amazon River Cities
Misc Picture VA168 - Abyssal Creatures
Misc Picture VA169 - Frosted Glass
Misc Picture VA170 - Fracturtle
Misc Picture VA172 - Alien Sowers
Misc Picture VA174 - Strawberries
Misc Picture VA176 - Blood Nanomachines
Misc Picture VA177 - Fractal Bugs in Fractal Amber
Misc Picture VA178 - Ivory and Ebony
Misc Picture VA179 - Mother and Child
Misc Picture VA180 - Gold Leaf
Misc Picture VA181 - Copper Shield
Misc Picture VA182 - Perched Birds
Misc Picture VA183 - Dissolving
Misc Picture VA184 - Flowing in the Wind
Misc Picture VA185 - Kernel Universes
Misc Picture VA186 - Soundwaves
Misc Picture VA187 - Curtains
Misc Picture VA188 - Bass Guitar
Misc Picture VA189 - Space Prison
Misc Picture VA190 - Omaha Beach Bunker
Bunker at Omaha Beach on D-Day, firing and being fired at.
Misc Picture VA191 - Brainy Mitochondrion
Misc Picture VA192 - 20000 Fathoms Family
Dad, Mom and three children merrily hanging around in the depths of the ocean.
Misc Picture VA193 - Brainy Cell
Misc Picture VA194 - Silver Jewelry
Some nice silver jewelry, filigree style.
Misc Picture VA195 - Black Hole Galaxy
Misc Picture VA196 - Tibetan Highway at Night
Misc Picture VA197 - Hatching
Misc Picture VA200 - Family Ties
Notice both a Mandelbrot and a Mandelbar (aka Tricorn) visible at the same time in this picture.
Misc Picture VA205 - Tablecloths
Misc Picture VA207 - Bow and Arrow
Misc Picture VA208 - Paramecia
Misc Picture VA209 - Atmospheric Reentry
Misc Picture VA211 - Interference
Misc Picture VA212 - Distorting Spacetime
Misc Picture VA213 - Fiery Plow
Misc Picture VA216 - Neutrino Nanotrap
Misc Picture VA220 - Highway to Heaven
Misc Picture VA221 - Magnetic Dipole
Misc Picture VA224 - Eating and Eaten
Misc Picture VA226 - Flame
Misc Picture VA230 - Icy Clouds
Misc Picture VA232 - Derelict
Misc Picture VA239 - Millennium Falcon
Misc Picture VA242 - Star Trek Nexus
A cosmic string travelling across the Universe at the speed of light.
Misc Picture VA250 - 3D Coronavirus
Misc Picture VA251 - Ivory Spiral
Misc Picture VA253 - Infinity Pearls
Misc Picture VA254 - Day Jungle
Luxurious fractal jungle in daylight. Same geometry as VA255 but different color palette.
Misc Picture VA255 - Night Jungle
Luxurious fractal jungle at night. Same geometry as VA254 but different color palette.
Misc Picture VA256 - Chained Tusks
Misc Picture VA259 - Iridescent Sea Life
Great iridescent bubbles in the midst of the ocean.
Misc Picture VA268 - Plastic Lifeforms
Misc Picture VA280 - Stucco Painting
Misc Picture VA284 - Space Wasps
Misc Picture VA288 - Striving for Light
Misc Picture VA292 - Linked Universe
These articles, programs, pictures, their descriptions and other materials created by me are (c) Valentin Albillo, and can be used freely for non-profit purposes as long as (1) the contents aren't modified in any way and (2) the copyright is acknowledged.
In plain words, you can download them and use them for non-profit purposes but do not include them in any media and/or site for which you're asking money, do not tamper with their contents and do not say or imply that you created them or that you don't know who created them, you must always give due credit to the copyright holder (that's me).