Welcome to Fractal Forums

Hey! My name is Ted and I'm an IT guy with a friend looking for a Fractint command/function.

He's been using Fractint for years and has used it to create fractal outlines, which he then prints and traces onto canvas to fill in the color for the fractal himself. He's now 91 and had his last computer die on him a few years ago. We recently got him set up with an older computer so he could use the version of Fractint he's familiar with, but he recalls the command having something to do with the "B" key on the keyboard to be able to remove the color from a fractint-created fractal.

We've been told that no such command exists, nor has it ever existed as well as being told that he needs to convert to a vector graphic. This man COULDN'T have converted anything to a different form of graphic, the only two programs he's ever used for these projects are A)Fractint and B) MS Paint. So we're thinking that either we're not describing the issue correctly or that perhaps the command does exist.

Any help you could give us would be greatly appreciated, even if you're suggesting a workaround or another option. It's great to see such a vibrant community gather around such a neat program, and we really need your help! You're our last hope Obi-Wan :dink:

THANK YOU

Ted Langley

hi there, we would be glad to help out, but i am not familar with fracting (never came along with the horrible user interface) so, perhaps you need to describe what the mysterious keyboard shortcut "B" does `?

to me it sounds as easy as just export the points actually belonging to the fractal ( e.g. the black center of a mandelbrot )
so, hearing this i believe it is just some kind of color-palette chaning inside fractint, we have some fractint users around here, so perhaps they have a better idea

As he described to me, it sounds like the "B" command. (I'm thinking Alt+B or Ctrl+B or something like it) removed the color from the fractal, leaving only it's outline. He then prints out that outline so he can trace it onto canvass for painting.

here is a command list for fractint:
http://www.nahee.com/spanky/www/fractint/commands.html

the ctrl-a command is available and described as:

[Ctrl-A] Unleash an image-eating ant automaton on current image.   See Ant Automaton.
http://www.nahee.com/spanky/www/fractint/ant_type.html

so, it just comes down finding what he pressed, but best is always a picture, do you have a picture of what the image looks like after pressing that combo !?
i think of a plain edge-tracing filter, or any other simple coloring technique, but when we see an image we can directly say what kind of filter to search for

I'll get a photo of one of the print outs and post it here as soon as I receive it! Thanks SO much for your help! You rock!

Here's a link to one of the images he used. Let me know what you think!

http://imgur.com/kqcCQAy

**BUMP**

Any ideas on this one? My friend is desperate to get back to painting, so any direction you could give me would be VERY appreciated!

Cheers! :beer:

No ideas on how to use Fractint, but I know how to use forums!

Embedding the picture is always preferable to just posting a link.

(http://i.imgur.com/kqcCQAy.png)

Hope that helps generate the response you want.

In the newer Windows port of Fractint (version 20.99), this boundary tracing function no longer works, so if this is the software you're using it can no longer be done.

If you still have an old version of Fractint, the commands you're looking for are in the "x" menu.  Draw any fractal and press the letter "x".  This opens up the "Basic Options" menu.

Under the "Passes" parameter, choose "b" to turn on boundary tracing.  Neither "Inside" nor "Outside" can be = 0.  In normal usage, outside=iter so you don't have to change that.  In normal usage, inside=0, or black with the default colour map (the colour of the Mandelbrot lake).  Change that to any number from 1 to 255.

The final piece to the puzzle is the "Fill Color" parameter near the bottom of the "Basic Options" menu.  Choose any colour number from 1 to 255.  The boundary tracing outline will be done in colour 0 and the insides will be in the Fill Color value.  So, choose a Fill Color number that contrasts well with colour 0 and you should be back in business.

Ryan

Oops, correction needed - the boundary tracing outline is done in the colour corresponding to the iteration band.  So, as the bands get closer together, the image appears normal.

(http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D_UNuHUO2O8/VXydn7WTd8I/AAAAAAAAVWc/_5Tzu1yY2GU/w871-h639-no/Fractint.jpg)

Ryan

I'll be trying this soon. You have NO IDEA how much you've helped! Thank you sooooo much. I owe you a beer. I'll let you know how it goes when I get to his computer and take a look.