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Mandelbulber 0.99 - for Linux x86, Linux x64 and Win32

Open source program (GNU GPL) for rendering photo-realistic 3D fractals

Free download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mandelbulber/

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/mandelbulber/

New features in version 0.99:

- added equirectangular projection for making 360 degree panoramic views
    examples:
    http://www.dermandar.com/p/cyFCvT/mandelbox
    http://www.dermandar.com/p/bmAvAq/mandelbox-2
- much improved function "Init 3D navigator". It checks real size of fractal and moves the camera according to actual rotation angle and FOV. In result there will be visible whole fractal. The function was renamed to "Reset view"
- position of auxiliary lights can be set using mouse pointer
   example image: http://krzysztofmarczak.deviantart.com/#/d3aihl3
- added possibility of rendering flying light sources in keyframe animation mode
- fixed bug: possible to change visibility of lightsources after rendering. Lights didn't disappear after pressing "Apply changes" button
- fixed bug: in Windows version default folder was renamed from ".mandelbulber" to "mandelbulber". There was problem with dot in file name under Windows 7 (please test it and give me some feedback)

Before first run please use install script

SVN repository: http://mandelbulber.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/
This repository is available from Google Code: http://code.google.com/p/mandelbulber/

My gallery with images created using Mandelbulber: http://krzysztofmarczak.deviantart.com/gallery/

Thanks! for the new release  :flowers:. Please allow me to make a few constructive observations.

I'm a long time Windows user and sometimes Ubuntu user:

Most windows programs use an installer. This places the executable program in a particular location, creates a desktop Icon, as well as an uninstall procedure, and some programs also make use of the windows registry. I like programs that don't need to be installed. So I'm not asking for, nor defending the use of a windows installer. However you do use the old DOS based Bat file to install all the components to a particular location on the HDD.

Why are you using an install bat file? I'm not a programmer, but would it not be possible to simply run the program, from wherever the user extracts Mandelbulber-win32-0.99.zip to? I think this would make using Mandelbulber a lot easier, It would also allow me to evaluate a previous version along side the current version, since each version would run from its own version folder.

your thoughts!

Sweet! I'll take it for a run as soon as my computer is done rendering :)

Hello

I have Windows 7 Prof 64bits and in version 0.98 I had no problems with the ".mandelbulber". So "mandelbulber" works also fine now here.
Talking about default folder: how can I change that? If I change folders with the "Select file paths"-button in the main Mandelbulber window, then that only will change for that session. If I start Mandelbulber the next time, the default folder is back to the Users folder on Windows7 disc. So is it possible to set the default folder to another partition? So not C:\Users\....  but for example E:\Programs\Fractals\.... ?

Menno

The problem with v98 was, while the install bat file could create a .mundelbulber directory, you cannot make a directory starting with a "."  (DOT) in Win 7.
While you can rename .mundelbulber to mundelbulber you could not rename it back to .mundelbulber.

As far as I know, your not able to run mundelbulber.exe from any other location or HDD at the moment. It would be nice. But we have not had any response from
the author yet.  :sad1:

Ah ok, understood about the "dot" :)
And my experience is otherwise: I can run Mandelbulber from whatever local disc I want (like now it is on my F-disc), it's the default directories for storing files and so on it creates on the C:\ disc that can not be changed.

Menno

you should observe I was referring to v98 in my example.
In v98 if you renamed the dir .mundelbulber to mundelbulber, mandelbulber.exe would not run.

the install.bat which is written is MS DOS has also changed:

the v98 version was: xcopy .mandelbulber "%USERPROFILE%\.mandelbulber\" /e

the v99 version is: ren "%USERPROFILE%\.mandelbulber" mandelbulber
                               xcopy mandelbulber "%USERPROFILE%\mandelbulber\" /e

the v99 version install.bat does the following: renames any .mandelbulber dir to mandelbulber then copies all the files there.
I have made my own install bat file. But this still can't get around to having the saved files residing at the new location.
What would solve this is in the Windows OS is an .ini file. An .ini file stores the information where the users installs the program.

Hi

I'm sorry for delayed answer but last week I couldn't answer any email.

About installer for Windows, first of all it is only Windows port of this program. Program originally is created for Linux. If somebody is interested in creating some better installer for Windows, I'm really open for this (it is an open source program). I don't want to do this by own, because I don't have any knowledge about creating installers for Windows (this installer has to work on any version and configuration of Windows), and I doesn't have any tools for creating installers (most are not for free). If you are thinking, that something has to be changed inside the program to make it more flexible on Windows, please give me detailed description. Please tell me where you want to have default files or have some additional configuration files (*.ini files).

Now you can start the program from any location (from the place where you unpack the files) but default directory for all config and texture files is still %USERPROFILE%\.mandelbulber\. Of course you can save images and settings files and load textures from any directory.