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Just started to create a new sub-module inside JWildfire which helps to create 3D-meshes from (Pseudo3D-)flame-fractals. Was a rather long time on my todo-list, but yesterday I finally started with it, and it turned out as lot of fun, wtf! :-)
I'm using FIJI to create the model from an image-stack and Bryce to render the model, of course any 3D-package could be used, here are some early examples:

derived from a 3D-Gnarl:
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_pillars.jpg)

derived from a 3D-flower-fractal:
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_stranded.jpg)

derived from a spherical3d-fractal with bubbles (the bubbles form the towers, i. e. are not scaled correctly)
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_towers.jpg)

wow, impressive, how is it done !? point cloud surface extracting or some other method ?! ???

Just creating small slices into z-direction and the rendering them, and then creating the mesh using the FIJI-software from the stack of images.
My part is to create an user-interface which makes it easy to create slices right and to make the creation of those efficient. The mesh-generation is completely done outside of JWildfire, I found in FIJI a good solution, but maybe there are others, I'm new in this field :-)

Yet another great reason to finally learn jwildfire!

Images and text play put it on my list, but this will bump it right to the top   O0

Looking forward to it's release.

Oh, that's very good news!
We are waiting!

Woooooow, cool

Thank you all :-)
An ALPHA version is now available at my site (description in the "hints"-section of the new module), here are some more examples:

"Mercury tower"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_mercury_tower.jpg)

"Bullet"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_bullet.jpg)

"Shipwrecked"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_shipwrecked.jpg)

"Organ pipes"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_organ_pipes.jpg)

Andreas

Just an update: I have started to create my own implementation of the marching cubes algorithm to generate the mesh. So in the final release there will be no need for third-party-software (except for the renderer and maybe some sophisticated mesh-editing-software, of course :-)). Here is a recent example, a mesh generated from a flower-fractal, final image rendered in LightWave 11:

"Brass flower"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_brass_flower.jpg)

Andreas

Another update: Have now finished the implementation of the mesh-generator, it is multi-threaded and has decent speed. Also have added a quick-preview-function because I found out that loading of huge meshes can take much time (e. g. an hour! :D) on some rendering-packages.
Here is the latest example (rendered using LightWave)
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_glass_flower2.jpg)
and here a screenshot of the current interface:
(http://www.andreas-maschke.de/java/tmp/jwf_1.80BETA_preview.jpg)

Official release coming soon,
Andreas

Looking Great!

I have been trying to make a mesh worthy of posting here, but so far all my efforts have been mediocre at best.

Still having difficulty getting a handle on JWildfire.  I can handle the generating of random things, but still can't figure out how to fine tune things to my liking  (like how to reduce noise/grain in an otherwise good flame)  (playing with the settings on each bit really seems to only increase noise for me, not reduce it).

Like all fractal generators, it will take a little time to get good with.  But for some reason, flames have always been tough for me.  I never got anywhere with Apophysis at all!  I'm doing better with JWildfire, but nowhere near good enough for my tastes  (and I did watch a few tutorials).

Looking forward to the mesh preview feature! 

You're doing a great job so far.  Can't wait to see where it ends up   O0

Thanks for your feedback :-)

Regarding the creation of flames with low noise, I agree that this can be a rather challenging task. I think I will try to create a new random generator which will help to create "solid" shapes. The final vision is to have a random generator for 3d-scenes. I. e., it creates a random 3d-shape, generates a mesh, generates some more random textures, and puts all together into a scene ready for rendering, or maybe even renders it. Of course, it will need an insanely powerful computer, but I love the idea :-)

Lol thargor, when tqlking like this you sound like the mad professor

nevertheless, if you need some ideas that need awesome amounts of computing power, in my own formula breeder i once had a fitness function which took a plain image, and the fitness function was the pixel by pixel difference ;) hrhr, this could be an easy finger playing trick to implement in your already available breeder, it could work by just letting the computer run nights or even weeks to find a formula that would fit

in fact the method produced awesome abstract art results that followed really some lines from the image

as simplification just the brightnes could be taken into account instead of rgb values, along with a low resolution image

hehe, just throwing something in the bin

Have finished the first version of a fluent-API to create sunflow-scenes (which means that JWildfire can now both create and render meshes, but rendering is not very accessible yet), and I had to fix the sunflow-renderer, here is the first example:
(http://www.andreas-maschke.de/java/tmp/jwf1.80_mesh.jpg)

Another example, raw mesh rendered in JWildfire using the integrated sunflow-engine:
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_glorious.jpg)
So, the basic workflow is very stable and fast now (takes about 5-10 Minutes) from flame fractal to mesh, some more minutes for the sunflow render.
Next, I have to play with more algorithms to generate meshes, because the models are in general too large. But a good starting point, looking forward to have a fractal flower in bronze in my hands one day :-)

very close already, and you know that those ifses create fantastic shapes in 3d

crancing up the render time for approximating that surface will lead to crazy detailed pictures ;)

reducing the surface somehow is a normal workflow step ;) you might find some ready to use mesh optimizing libraries (that i am not aware of right now)

Right, but this does not satisfy me (yet). I can use MeshLab to smooth and rebuild meshes, of course. But this is only curing of something which did not work right in first place, in my opinion. My goal is to improve mesh quality in the production step. As stated above, I'm new in this field and have not proved if it is possible, but at least I would prefer some adaptive resolution :-)

love that latest image, well done, your programme is getting even cooler :)

Really great progress being made here....I am currently under lock and key to make progress on a stereo 3D movie I have to make for my show in February...but as soon as I get a chance, I'll be playing with this

Thanks for your feedback, again :-)
Just have started to create V1.90 ALPHA which has some experimental options to thicken details.

Here are some renders from recent models I created (meshes generated with JWildfire, smoothed with MeshLab, scenes rendered with LightWave):
"Tray of flowers"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_tray_of_flowers.jpg)

"More flowers" (used the instancing-feature of LightWave to duplicate the meshes)
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_more_flowers.jpg)

"Alien surgery in the desert"
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_alien_surgery_in_the_desert.jpg)

Currently working on the first model which can be printed. Looking forward to see any results.

Andreas

i have to repeat: it is an awesome possibility to create a truly infinite amount of shapes, this is just the beginning, veeeery cool!

An update: I have heard in the meanwhile from some users that the new module works also well to convert M3BD voxelstacks into meshes.
The upcoming release will bring some more smoothing options which helped to create the Mandelbrot shape in the following image:
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_overgrown_mandelbrot.jpg)

An update: My first fractal-flower-mesh, created with JWildfire, printed by Shapeways, maybe one of the first flame-fractals printed ever :-)
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/other-fractals/jwf_flower_printed.jpg)
(sorry for the bad quality, was too dark)

lol, tiny tiny tiny flower ;)

The larger it is, the more expensive it is. And the intention is not to create a cheap plastic thing, but some real solid stuff. But as stated above, it was the first try ever, so I started with a cheap material, the real thing is just in production :-)

Very nice!

I'll have to post some of my initial efforts just so you know there are people trying here!

Update: print of the next model just arrived, also another flower, which is even more small, but made of steel! I love it :D
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/other-fractals/wallpaper_mandelbrot_triangle.jpg)
(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/other-fractals/wallpaper_steel_flower.jpg)

Update: slowly increasing model size :-)

(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_sandstone_flower.jpg)

(http://www.andreas-maschke.com/wp-content/gallery/3dmeshes/wallpaper_rustic_mandelbrot.jpg)
(please note that the irregular shape of the Mandelbrot is intended, actually coded that way :-))

Very cool... sticky now :)