New to Fractals - Best advice?

[mkbrouse]

Hello everyone,

I'm a newb to fractals and found Apophysis and Mandelbulb through Deviant Art. I have been able to create some neat wings, with help from a tutorial on Apophysis, and a couple neat ones from a tutorial for Mandelbulb. Thanks so much to the folks who take the time to make tutorials for new people like us to play with! 

Since I'm new to all this, are there any good tips for newbs? The mathematical stuff kills me - and everything seems so hard to understand right now. I'm not a programmer - just a "digital artist" and I use that term loosely. 

Mostly what I want to do is create my own really neat background stock to use for other projects. Fractals have me totally fascinated however, and I can see this little adventure chewing up an awful lot of time! Soooo fun!!!

Thanks!
Michelle

[bib]

Hi Michelle and welcome to FF!

Besides tutorials, if you'd like to explore Mandelbulb3D, you can check out this thread which is loaded with sample params: http://www.fractalforums.com/mandelbulb-3d/mandelbulb-3d-parameters-list/

There is no particular tip that comes to my mind other than spend time experimenting several programs, and each button, slider, checkbox, dropdown, etc...

Have fun and feel free to ask questions.

[mkbrouse]

Thank you Bib! I shall be playing, there is no doubt. 

Thank you for the link, I will check it out now.

[Pangaea]

Best advice huh? .. well i can give you some advice, although Im far from an expert on them myself, I have had a good deal of experience working with them (not at the math level).. so personaly speaking sitting down infront of a fractal program with something clear and specific in mind  always ends in frustration or disaster.. my advice, especially with fractals, and like fractals themselves is to learn a few basic steps then let the fractals carry you through evolved learning and creativity, rather then trying to force something into something specific. The 3 e`s spring to mind, Exploration --> Experimentation --> Enjoyment... in that order 


anyway best of luck on your journey

regards
pan

[mkbrouse]

Thank you Pan,

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I took Bib's advice, and played quite a bit. I took all of the parameters and loaded them to see what I got. Then I tried to figure out how to edit them enough to be able to call it a fractal of my own. Definitely "The 3 e`s spring to mind, Exploration --> Experimentation --> Enjoyment... in that order" in a big way.

So far I'm loving the journey. Wish I could put more time into it, but right now I play when I can - and try to understand what the heck I am doing. I'm getting there. Still very thankful for the tutorials that others post.

Thanks!
Michelle