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Mandelbulber 1.02 - for Linux x86, Linux x64 and Win32 (will be also for MacOS)

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/

User manual: http://sites.google.com/site/mandelbulber/user-manual
Tutorial for creating animations: http://sites.google.com/site/mandelbulber/getting-started

New features in version 1.02:

- added volumetric light effect

example images:
http://krzysztofmarczak.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3gdqsx
http://krzysztofmarczak.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3geh8g
http://krzysztofmarczak.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3gn3ln
http://krzysztofmarczak.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3gtzbg

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/

Before first run please use install script

Because of some questions how to set-up volumetric light I'm writing some advices:

- before start, reduce glow, ambient occlusion and lights visibility to 0 and background color set to black.
- set some interesting position of lights. For main light source it is interesting to place it in opposite side of camera (horizontal angle form 160 to 200, vertical angle from -20 to 20). For auxiliary light is the best to put them in some place with holes (e.g. using placement by mouse) or completely inside some object and enable "Penetrating lights" option (when it is enable the lights can penetrate fractal body).
- set very low image resolution (e.g. 320x200)
- enable effect for selected light sources (check-boxes on the right sides of intensity values)
- next try to find optimal value for "Intensity for the main light" or "L #1..4" (for predefined lights 1-4). Try to render image. If lights are not visible multiply intensity by 10. If everything is completely white then divide intensity of effect by ten. Then render image again and correct intensity until you get properly visible lights
- during looking for interesting effect you can decrease quality of the effect to about 1.0 - 3.0
- colour of visible lights is defined by light colours

When everything is almost prepared, set some higher image resolution and better effect quality (5.0 - 15.0) and render image (rendering time is very long)

After rendering it is possible to change a little volumetric light effect intensity using "Effect intensity (post tunning)" and "Apply changes" (from shaders tab)

I hope it will help you

Yeahzzze! i was in holidays for a week, but i'll give it a try this weekend. thanks for the start up advices!

taurus