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Hi,

I've become fascinated with  thinking about fractals and how exactly the equations translate into shapes, especially of the 3D Mandelbulb variety, and want to find good books about it.  Plugging in variables just to see what happens is fun in its own way, but it also feels like stumbling around the dark.  I would think that having a better understanding would help me arrive at the specific shapes I want sooner, even though I'm aware that chaos isn't completely predictable!  

I do not have college training in mathematics.  (I did get an A in AP calc BC in High School. Unfortuately I've forgotten most of it, but am willing to re-learn what I need to in order to gain understanding.)

I'm pretty good at learning/visualizing abstract mathematical concepts, though.  So I think/hope I could learn what I need to with books alone.  I also know the (very) basic theory of 2D fractals already, I just don't understand things like the various formulas in the dropdowns, things like Mandelbox, etc...

If it's better to start with foundations in other areas before moving into fractal specific books, does anyone have a list of topics to learn, starting from the high school level?

My list would be to (re)learn:
--Basic trig (sin, cos, etc...)
--Polar coordinates
--Complex numbers
--Triplex algebra (should I learn general matrix algebra first?)

(Not sure if this is a good start or in the right order.)

----------------------------

I've just started this book:  http://www.amazon.com/Fractals-Space-Continuum-Michael-Peragine-ebook/dp/B0072SN3AM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416772158&sr=8-1&keywords=fractals+in+a+space+time+continuum
Though I'm not sure it's the best one to start with, though it seems like it's more about the world reflects 3D fractals and how they can be used as tools than basic theory for the layman.  It doesn't seem to be organized/edited well.  Anyone have opinions on it?

I haven't found much on 3D fractals specifically.  Just this:  http://www.amazon.com/Fractal-3D-Magic-Clifford-Pickover/dp/1454912634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416772721&sr=8-1&keywords=3d+fractals  But it doesn't mention Mandelbulb anywhere in the description, just fractal flames.

I heard "Chaos:  The Making of a New Science" is good.  Is it outdated though?  Or does that not matter for getting the foundations of 3D fractals?

(If the creators of Mandelbulb 3D and Mandelbulber could write a book on 3D fractals, that would be greeeat!)




Any other suggestions, or ideally a reading order, would be appreciated!  

~Z

Hey folks, I am new to this forum and was looking for resources on 3d fractals. This thread
is a few years old now, are there any new books or resources out now on understanding 3d fractals?


Thanks,
Anthony