Fractal Architect 4 Help Index

Whats New in Fractal Architect 4

Applies to:FA 4

New Non-Animation Features

Free Base App With Limitations

• Free Version Limitations
  • CPU Rendering Only
  • Free GPU Trial Rendering - No Size Limit - Limited 16 Fractal Selection
  • 1.23 Square Megapixels Image Size Limit (1280x960)
  • Max Video Frame Size (320x240) - No Time Limit
• In-App Purchase Options
  • Unlock GPU Rendering
  • Unlock Unlimited Image File Size + Unlimited Video Frame Size for Basic Animations
  • Unlock Unlimited Video Frame Size for Complex Animations
• Basic Animations Include:
  • Keyframes Window Animations:
    • Simple Keyframe Morphing Animations
    • Looping + Keyframe Morphing Animations
  • Triangle Editor QuickSpin Animations
    • Single Parameter Animations
  • Cross Breeder Window
    • Morph two Keyframes Animations
• Complex Animations Include:
  • Sequencer with Multiple Animation Tracks and Segments
  • Triangle Editor Custom Animations
  • Cross-Breeder Custom Animations

GPU Trial Rendering

• OpenCL GPU Rendering is now optional In-App purchase
• GPU OpenCL Driver compatibility issues on some Mac models + OS X versions
• Free GPU Trial Rendering
  • You can render a selection of 16 fractals using GPU to any size/quality
  • Performance statistics
  • Risk free way to see if GPU rendering works on your Mac

Super Variants Editor

• Uses Animation Configurator to set parameter value ranges
• As much control as Triangle Editor
• Lots of control - Not as easy as Standard Variants
• As powerful as Lua scripts - but NO scripting required

Variant Editor Improvements

• Transform Visibility & Opacity Variants
• Lua Scripted Variants - Lua Tweak Scripts

Rendering Engine Enhancements

Coloring Related Improvements

• Photo-Editor Like Luminance, Red, Green, and Blue Color Curves
• Smooth Palette Mode for Color Gradients
  • Color Gradient Editor allows editing of:
    • Gradient’s Hue, Saturation, and Luminance Curves
  • Smoothest possible Color Gradients
• Support for irregular spaced Color Stops in Gradient Editor

Variation Group Chain Architecture

• Many new fractal image possibilities
• So Powerful, yet so Easy
  • Random Fractal Generator
  • Triangle Editor
  • Cross Breeder
  • Custom Animations
  • Sequencer
• Variations are grouped into Variation Groups, which are linked together in a Chain
• Each Transform has a Chain of Variation Groups
  • Variation Group’s point Output become Input to next Variation Group
  • Ordinary Variations can now behave like Pre or Post Variations
  • Flexibility of Serial + Parallel Variation Evaluation
    • Inside a Group: Parallel
    • Between Groups: Serial
• Natural Extension to Apophysis/Flam3 Algorithm
  • Transform having 1 Variation Group gives same output as standard Flam3 Transform
  • Complete support for Apophysis Pre/Post Variations
  • Backwards Compatible with FA 3D, Apophysis, Flam3

True 3D Camera

• Fractal Architect Free 3D Camera Mode
  • True 3D Camera Camera
  • Extends the Apophysis 3D Hack Camera Model
    • Camera Postion X/Y/Z
    • Separate Camera Look-At Point
    • Standard 3D or Apophysis Hack Frustum Clipping Modes
    • Camera Field-of-View
  • Supports 3D Fly-Throughs and Orbital Camera
  • True 3D Camera support for Custom Animations and Animation Sequencer

• FA 4 Supports Apophysis 3D Hack, Flam3, and FA Free Camera modes

Lua Scripting

• Create & Change Fractals with Lua Scripts
  • Lua 5.2.3
• Random Generator, Variants Editor, & Super Variants Editor Supports Lua Scripts
• Example scripts ported from Oxidizer, Apophysis, JWildfire
• No Need for Xcode
  • Everything you need is in the App
  • Use the builtin Text Editor or your favorite Text Editor

Custom Variations

• Create Your Variation Types from Scratch
  • Hack Existing Variation Types to Create New Ones
  • Does Require C Programming Skill and Knowledge of Computer Graphics
• Send Your New Variation Types to Friends
• No Need for Xcode
  • Everything you need is in the App
  • Use the builtin Text Editor or your favorite Text Editor
  • OpenCL Compiler gives instant feedback
  • Convert Apophysis Variation Source Code to OpenCL C

New Image File Output Format

• 16 bit PNG

Other Improvements

• New Builtin Variation Types:
  • target, circlize2, squares, lazyTravis, squish
  • uni, julia3Dx, curl_sp, sph3D, julian3
• QuickSpin
  • Fine Control Slider - for very slight changes
• Random Fractal Generator
  • Pre, Normal, & Post Variation Group Categories
  • Lua Tweak Scripts can be applied to all random fractals
• Triangle Editor changes
  • Duplicate as new Keyframe & Add to Stash buttons
  • Variation Group Chain and variation instancing
  • Color Curves Popover RGB(Luminance)/Red/Green/Blue curves
  • Custom Animations - multiple parameter animations
  • Fine & Very Fine Triangle Editing - for extremely small precise changes
• Preview Window
  • 3D Fly-Throughs and Orbital Camera Playground
• Fractal Info and XML Viewers
  • New Text Search Field
  • Support for European Number Formatting (Info Viewer)
• Cross Breeder
  • Cross-Breeding Permutations - many morph combinations
  • Variation Group Chain & Variation Instancing and morphs
  • Custom Animations - multiple parameter animations

FA 4 - a Flame Fractal Animation Product Is Born

• Fastest Integrated Production Flame Fractal Renderer Available Today
  • Multiple GPU Rendering for Mac Pro’s
  • OpenCL rendering on either GPUs (if available and compatible) or CPU
• Render to Video with Pause/Resume Render
  • Quit App & Resume Render Later where you stopped at before
  • Savable Movie Rendering State
• Audio Integration
• Virtually every parameter is animatable

Animation Clip Creation Possibilities Everywhere

• Triangle Editor
  • QuickSpin Popovers (Basic)
  • Custom Animations (Complex)
• Cross Breeder
  • Simple Keyframe Morphs (Basic)
  • Custom Animations (Complex)
• Keyframes Arranger Window - Animation Panel
  • Simple Keyframe Morphing Animations (Basic)
  • Looping + Keyframe Morphing Animations (Basic)
• Animation Sequencer (Complex)

Build Keyframe Collections Quickly

• Keyframes are the basis for all fractal animations.
• To create a good animation, you first build a collection of keyframes.
• Add extra keyframes all over the app.

• You can also add fractals to the Stash (a tool for easy culling and comparison).

  Where you can add keyframes

• Triangle Editor
  • QuickSpin Popovers
• Color Gradient Editor
• Preview Window
• Drag and Drop from other fractal files & Mac Finder
• Variant and Super-Variant Editors (Add to Stash Only)
• Cross-Breeder

Cross-Breeder Animation Clips

• 11 Animation Curve Types - Each can be Flipped and/or Mirrored
  • Each curve instance can have different curve parameters
  • B-Spline, NURBS, and Catmull-Rom curve editors for complex curves
  • Spline curves can be Open or Closed
• Easy Animation Previews
  • Drag a Slider and Watch thumbnail
  • Create set of thumbnails or thumbnail video
• Production renders to Video, Image File Sequences, or Both
  • Target Render to Web, DVD, or BlueRay
• New - Many, many different unique cross-breeding combinations
  • Each combination looks different !!

Cross-Breeder Custom Animations

The ultimate in control allowing you to do a basic cross-breed animation along with animating many other properties at the same time.

• Animate one to many fractal parameters in parallel
• Same Preview/Rendering Features as Basic Animation Clips

Triangle Editor Custom Animations

The ultimate in control allowing you to animate many parameters at the same time.

• Animate one to many fractal parameters in parallel
• Same Preview/Rendering Features as Basic Animation Clips

Simple Keyframe Animations

• New - Keyframe Morphing (Basic Cross-Breeding Animations)
  • New - Easy Creation of extra Keyframes by tweaking one keyframe and spinning variants
  • 4 Animation Curves in Fractal Architect 4
  • Each keyframe’s morph duration can be different
• Flam3 like Looping & Keyframe Morphing
  • Simple but limited options

Video Rendering Enhancements

• Pause & Resume Video Rendering
  • Resume the Video Render days later
• Other enhancements
  • Simplified Motion Blur
  • More Accurate Render Time Estimate
  • Real-time Render Performance Feedback

What Is a Animation Segment?

• A container that holds one to many different animations
• Animations all of have their own animation curve and From/To values
• Animations all begin and end together
• If you can tweak the parameter, you can animate it
  • 62 parameter categories
  • 15 parameter datatypes
  • 11 animation curve types
• A typical fractal has up to 300 parameters which can all be animated

What Parameters are Animatable - Ultra Flexible

You can pick several out of hundreds of possible parameters and animate each property simultaneously with unique animation properties. There is no limit to the number of parameters that can be animated in parallel !

Animation Segment Configurator

• Configures all of the animations in a single animation segment
• Provides 9 built-in animation curve shapes + 2 editable spline curve types
• Supports 2D and 3D spline paths for camera
• 3D Camera Orientation/Position animations
  • 3D Fly-throughs
  • 3D Orbital Camera
  • Spherical interpolation for Camera Orientation
• Animation video animation previews
• Can edit the keyframes and From/To Endpoints with the Triangle Editor
• Can drag fractals from Variants Editor and Drop them on Configurator
  • Captures the difference between 2 fractals as an animation

Audio Integration

• Audio track clipping and alignment with video track
• Display of Audio Track in Sequencer
• Can add audio tracks to all video animations

Built-in Movie Utilities

• Convert Image File Sequence to Movie
  • Can add Audio Track at the same time
• Splice Movies

Extended Image Sequence File Type Support

• Rendering an Image Sequence can now output the following file types:
  • PNG (8 or 16 bit)
  • JPEG
  • TIFF
  • JPEG2000
  • BMP
  • EXR (a 16 bit HDR file format)
• You can choose to create a movie or PDF from any of these types of files.

Fractal Animation Sequencer

Video Clips versus Long Complex Animations

• Tool of choice for building long complex animation sequences.
• Perfect for creating long Music Video animations.
• Add Beat Pulsing animations to your videos.
• Add Camera animations to your videos.

Long Complex Animations - Sequencer

• Song Properties
• All of the features in Cross-Breeder
• Multiple Animation Segments can chained together

Take Total Control of Your Animations

• Multiple track Animation Sequencer
  • Can control each parameter’s animation separately
    • Separate Animation curves for each animation
  • Groups of animations can be bundled together into Segments
  • Optional Beat Pulse curve track for animating to music
  • Camera Animations
  • Audio Track - can see/listen to audio
  • Import animations from Variant Editor

Layered Animations

• Multiple Animation Tracks
  • Animation Pour-Down - Simple way to add new effects
• Makes it easy to add animation pulsing to a music beat - separates the pulsing from other animations
• Easy to add extended Camera animations
• Animation Pulsing - Fill Animation Track with Pulse Pattern
• Sequencer View - similar to GarageBand or other Music sequencers
• Grid View - single animation segment or track view
• Animation curve plotting for either single animation segment or entire track view

Animatable Parameters

Transform Parameters

Each transform’s parameters in the fractal can be animated independently (and in parallel).

Non-Transform Parameters

Color Parameters