Hi Phil,
From memory, converting old .fract files is do-able, except for some issues related to fog and colour. The safe way is to get them working in V1.21 (that is load in V1.21 and see if there are any major problems), then in V2.06 use, File - Import settings from old Mandelbulber (v1.21). This deals with a change in z axis direction that happened with the update from V1.21 to V2.01. Also I think skipping the middle V1.21 step is likely to also work in most, if not all, cases. Give it a try and report back
the information inside the .fract files is quite condensed and give not much insight.
Clarifying, I think the .fract file only shows parameters that have changed from the parameter default settings. If you change all default settings you could then see them all in the .fract file.
Here is a section of fractal_list.hpp from dev V2.07, I think numbers 0 to 58 are what is in V2.06. (not all work). A lot of the formula related source code files are reasonable easy to understand. In V2.07 each formula UI will have "info", including a copy of the formula code
none = 0,
fast_mandelbulb = 1,
mandelbulb = 2,
fast_mandelbulb_power2 = 3,
hypercomplex = 4,
quaternion = 5,
minus_fast_trig = 6,
menger_sponge = 7,
mandelbox = 8,
kaleidoscopicIFS = 10,
xenodreambuie = 11,
hybrid = 12,
mandelbulb2 = 13,
mandelbulb3 = 14,
mandelbulb4 = 15,
boxFoldBulbPow2 = 16,
smoothMandelbox = 17,
mandelboxVaryScale4D = 18,
aexion = 19,
benesi = 20,
bristorbrot = 21,
invertX = 22,
invertY = 23,
invertZ = 24,
invertR = 25,
sphericalFold = 26,
powXYZ = 27,
scaleX = 28,
scaleY = 29,
scaleZ = 30,
offsetX = 31,
offsetY = 32,
offsetZ = 33,
angleMultiplyX = 34,
angleMultiplyY = 35,
angleMultiplyZ = 36,
generalizedFoldBox = 37,
ocl_custom = 38,
ides = 39,
ides2 = 40,
buffalo = 41,
quickdudley = 48,
lkmitch = 49,
makin3d2 = 50,
msltoesym2Mod = 51,
mandelbulb5 = 52,
mandelbox103 = 53,
quaternion104 = 54,
mengerSponge105 = 55,
platonicSolid = 56,
mandelbulb6Beta = 57,
benesiTransforms = 58,
foldBoxMod1 = 59,
aboxModKali = 60,
mengerMod1 = 61,
quaternion3D = 62,
aexionOctopusMod = 63,
aboxMod1 = 64,
mandelbulbMulti = 65,
benesiPineTree = 66,
benesiT1PineTree = 67,
msltoesym3Mod = 68,
msltoesym4Mod = 69,
eiffieMsltoe = 70,
riemannSphereMsltoeV1 = 71,
riemannSphereMsltoe = 72,
amazingSurf = 73,
kalisets1 = 74,
aboxMod2 = 75,
aboxVSIcen1 = 76,
amazingSurfMod1 = 77,
mandelbulbVaryPowerV1 = 78,
quaternion4D = 79,
msltoesym3Mod2 = 80,
msltoesym3Mod3 = 81,
msltoeDonut = 82,
iqBulb = 83,
quickDudleyMod = 84,
transfAdditionConstant = 1001,
transfRotation = 1002,
transfScale = 1003,
transfScale3D = 1004,
transfBoxOffset = 1005,
transfSphericalOffset = 1006,
transfAddCpixel = 1007,
transfAddCpixelAxisSwap = 1008,
transfBenesiT1 = 1009,
transfBenesiT1Mod = 1010,
transfBenesiT2 = 1011,
transfBenesiT3 = 1012,
transfBenesiT4 = 1013,
transfBenesiT5b = 1014,
transfBenesiMagForward = 1015,
transfBenesiMagBackward = 1016,
transfBenesiCubeSphere = 1017,
transfBenesiSphereCube = 1018,
transfAddCpixelPosNeg = 1019,
transfBoxFold = 1020,
transfSphericalFold = 1021,
transfZvectorAxisSwap = 1022,
transfFabsAddConstant = 1023,
transfNegFabsAddConstant = 1024,
transfFabsAddConstantV2 = 1025,
transfMultipleAngle = 1026,
transfRPower = 1027,
transfIterationWeight = 1028,
transfFabsAddMulti = 1029,
transfSphericalPwrFold = 1030,
transfAddCpixelVaryV1 = 1031,
transfScaleVaryV1 = 1032,
transfAdditionConstantVaryV1 = 1033,
transfBoxFoldXYZ = 1034,
transfAddCpixelCxCyAxisSwap = 1035,
transfRotationVaryV1 = 1036,
transfLinCombineCxyz = 1037,
transfSphereInvC = 1038,
transfAdditionConstant4D = 1039,
transfBoxFold4D = 1040,
transfIterationWeight4D = 1041,
transfSphericalFold4D = 1042,
transfScale4D = 1043,
transfFabsAddConstant4D = 1044,
transfFabsAddConstantV24D = 1045
};
};