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Text File  |  1999-03-29  |  8KB  |  177 lines
  1.                             FRAKTOOL
  2.                                                           
  3.                                                         
  4.                           by B.J.HILLS                
  5.                                                             
  6.                                                             
  7.                  an easy to use fractal generator         
  8.                                                             
  9.                    (programmed in Blitz2 Basic)
  10.  
  11.         THE MANUAL............                    
  12.  
  13.  
  14.         (Right Mouse For Menu's)
  15.  
  16.         Project - Load IFF  (from disk,those with Blitz2 Basic
  17.                              can change the path and recompile
  18.                              if,for instance,using from hard disk.)
  19.                   Save IFF  (to disk,ditto)
  20.                   Info      (show plot parameters)
  21.                   About     (Me etc.)
  22.                   Quit      (leave program)
  23.  
  24.                                                            
  25.  
  26.         Plot -    Reset     - unzoom plot to default size
  27.                   Replot    - redo plot from beginning
  28.                   Set Mand  - set to plot Mandelbrot set
  29.                   Set Julia - set to plot Julia set,
  30.                      also, immediately position
  31.                      mouse pointer to anywhere in Mand.set
  32.                      and click on Replot to generate the
  33.                      Julia set corresponding to position clicked on.
  34.                      If you have zoomed in, and omit to click
  35.                      on Reset also, you get the equivalent zoom
  36.                      for the Julia set.
  37.                                                                    
  38.                   Preview   - this provides a quick look
  39.                      at an area, and plots every other
  40.                      x,y point.
  41.                                                                  
  42.                   Plot      - start plotting, stop
  43.                      plotting by clicking right mouse
  44.                      button, subsequently clicking 'plot'
  45.                      will start again from the same scan line.
  46.                      This enables one to stop and alter say,
  47.                      the palette, or iteration value, etc.
  48.                                                                 
  49.                   Zoomin    - clicking here allows you to
  50.                      position mouse pointer to the top left
  51.                      of an interesting area, and drag out
  52.                      (top left to bottom right) a 'rubber
  53.                      box' to define an area to enlarge then
  54.                      click on 'Replot' to plot.
  55.  
  56.                              
  57.                   Zoomout - to zoom out a bit, click this.
  58.                             will take multiple clicks.
  59.                             (not very accurate!)
  60.  
  61.                   ClrScrn - clear the window.
  62.  
  63.                   Invert  - ah, now it's fun time!
  64.                             turns your plot inside out
  65.                             (try it with Incol and/or Outcol selected
  66.                              from Palette menu)
  67.  
  68.  
  69.         Pspace -  (provides variation in outside colours,
  70.                    various formulae, load Fraktool.bbs
  71.                    into Blitz2 Basic to examine code)
  72.  
  73.  
  74.  
  75.         Function - Actual formulae for mandelbrot set/julia set
  76.                    plus variations.
  77.  
  78.  
  79.  
  80.         Iter's -  1 to 1000.  Selects the max. number of
  81.                       calculations that are carried out per
  82.                       pixel, this will be at the maximum you 
  83.                       have chosen in the 'sea' at the center
  84.                       of the Mandelbrot set, which will be
  85.                       apparent from the speed of the plot.
  86.                       The more calculation's, the longer it
  87.                       takes, but the more detail!
  88.                                 
  89.          PlotSize - Small, Medium, Large.
  90.                       Small is quickest when looking for good
  91.                       bits, Medium gives a better idea what a
  92.                       full screen might look like, and Large
  93.                       gives you the final Big Screen!
  94.                                                               
  95.          Spread   - x0.5 to x32 - this controls the spread
  96.                       of colours, x0.5 is the smoothest,
  97.                       and spreads the colours over a wide
  98.                       range, x32 is coarsest, and compresses
  99.                       the colour range.
  100.                                                                    
  101.          Palette - Setup - the AGA Palette Requestor.
  102.                       This needs some explanation, as it is
  103.                       my own design. (and took ages to do!)
  104.                       Can be moved around to view the plot
  105.                       behind it.
  106.                       Click on any colour box, move sliders
  107.                       to change the colour for that register.
  108.                       The leftmost vertical column of colour
  109.                       boxes are special, in that selecting
  110.                       one of these performs a smooth graduation
  111.                       of colours across sixteen registers, and
  112.                       it is easy to create a graduation
  113.                       across the entire 256!
  114.                       This use of the leftmost column of
  115.                       registers can be turned off by clicking
  116.                       on 'Autoshade', when all colours can
  117.                       be set individually. Reclick 'Autoshade'
  118.                       to turn Autoshading back on.
  119.                       The Random gadget was added because I
  120.                       am a lazy sort, so continual clicking
  121.                       on this can produce a good palette.
  122.                       Sometimes you can lose the readability
  123.                       of the screen text, just keep mouse
  124.                       pointer poised over Random!
  125.                       (I'm not convinced that the Random function
  126.                       is set up correctly, probably my flaky
  127.                       programming of Blitz!)
  128.                       Strange things happen if you call Palette
  129.                       Requestor a lot, it takes longer to
  130.                       initialize and settle down, possibly
  131.                       something to do with the way it is
  132.                       coded?
  133.                                                                    
  134.           LoadPalet - Bring up the Requestor, and will load
  135.                       a palette from any IFF. Those with
  136.                       Blitz2 Basic can change the path within
  137.                       the routine and recompile.
  138.                
  139.           InColour  - Select this to plot the internal area
  140.                       according to inbuilt formulae (derived
  141.                       from the fractal generating formulae).
  142.                       Aesthetic only! but looks nice.
  143.                              
  144.           OutColour - Similar for the outer regions of a plot
  145.                       both this and above better when
  146.                       iterations are at the low end i.e. 20 or so.
  147.  
  148.           Cycle -     Slow, Medium, Fast, Stop.
  149.                       This only works once first time used!
  150.                       Anyone know why?
  151.                       Took ages to get it to work at all.
  152.                       Also cannot cycle more than 32 colours!
  153.                       Maybe latest release of Blitz2 add on
  154.                       libs will do 256 colours?
  155.  
  156.                                                
  157.       
  158.   This program is not intended to be of any use whatever,
  159.   - IS TOTALLY FREEWARE -
  160.   and was merely written to make use of the AGA capability
  161.   of the A1200 computer, and as an exercise in Blitz2 Basic.
  162.   If any one wants to improve it, change it, delete it,
  163.   feel free, but whatever happens to it, I would prefer
  164.   that readme's, original IFF's etc. stay together.
  165.  
  166.          comments - flames - praise - rude things,
  167.          lottery winnings etc. to:                               
  168.  
  169.                                                              
  170.                              email: brian@bjhills.freeserve.co.uk
  171.                                                            
  172.                              phone: 01273-553443
  173.   
  174.   
  175.   
  176.   
  177.