Fractal Architect 5 Help Index
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Fractal Variants Creation Page


Applies to:FA 5

Fractal Architect can create many different fractal variations off of existing fractals.

Reference: Fractal Variants Tutorial

Lua: Using Lua to create Fractals

Lua: Lua Variant Script Catalog

Opening the Variant Creator page

Variant Creator is accessible from almost all fractal thumbnails in the Fractal Architect

The thumbnail’s context menu have a View Selected Frame Variants… menu item. (Open the context menu by right mouse clicking on the thumbnail.)
Select it to open the Variants Creation page.
(Or you can use the Command-Option-V key combination to open the Variants page for the selected fractal.)

  1. Fractal Preview window.
  2. Gallery fractal thumbnails.
  3. Recently opened fractal thumbnails.
  4. Make New random fractal thumbnails.
  5. Variant thumbnails.

Fractal Variants Creator Page

The Variants Creator shows a group of fractals that are random variants of the base fractal.
It provides an easy way to create randomized variants of a main fractal them. You can control what types of variants are created and the big the random variant changes are.

The Original Fractal
The Original Fractal
Some Variants
Some Variants
Different Variants
Different Variants

Top of the Window Button Commands

Along the top of the window are several buttons.

Choose Lua Script
Select an optional Lua Tweak Script to apply.
Set Variant Options
Sets variant options. See: Variant Change Type Parameters Pane
Roll Dice
Create a new batch of variant fractals.
Add Transform
Add a new blank transform to the original. You can then use Mix-in variants to set its variants.
Copy Animations
Copies the Keyframe Delta Animation Segment, corresponding to the delta between the original fractal and the variant fractal, to the Pasteboard. Next you can paste this into the Sequencer.
Variant Targets
Allows you to select which layers and transforms are affected by the variant creation process.
Render Mode
Allows you to play with fractal transparency and layering it over different background colors /images.
Original Fractal Thumbnail
Shows the original fractal from which the variants are created from.

Variant Targets

Some Variant types affect the output fractals’ transforms. You can select which transforms are targeted by the variant creation process.

Variant Transform Targeting
Variant Transform Targeting

The Variant Target popover allows you to specify which transforms are affected. By default all layers’ transforms are affected.

Using a Tweak Lua Script

Click the Optional Tweak Script button and select either a Factory or My Scripts Lua script. Important: Also make Lua Script is selected in the variant options bar.

Lua Tweak Script Selector
Lua Tweak Script Selector

Variant Change Types

Variants Modes Selector
Variants Modes Selector

These are the basic change classes you can apply to a base fractal to make a Variants batch:

  1. Change colors.
  2. Change Color Shifts
  3. Change Background
  4. Change fractal symmetry
  5. Change final mastering parameters
  6. Tweak 3D camera.
  7. Enable/Disable Tweak Lua Script.
  8. Modify Transform weights.
  9. Change Variation Weights
  10. Change Variation Parameter values
  11. Mix-in other transform variation types.
  12. Add Final Transform
  13. Change Xaos values
  14. Change Transform Colors
  15. Change Matrix
  16. Do Crazy Matrix changes
  17. Randomly select a Transform to hide (opacity = 0%)
  18. Randomly modify a Transform’s Opacity.

Note: You can apply more than one type of change type at a time by clicking on multiple change types with the mouse.

Variant Change Type Parameters Pane

This pane holds the parameters for the different Variant change types. Open it by pressing this button.

Set Variant Options Button
Set Variant Options Button

Color Gradient Variants

Color gradient variants are changed from the original fractal by creating a new color gradient with a random number of colors.
The number of colors is a random value that ranges between the specified minimum and maximum values.

Minimum
Minimum number of colors in the color map.
Maximum
Maximum number of colors in the color map.
Color Variants
Color Variants

Background Color Variants

Background color variants are changed from the original fractal by randomizing the background colors’ hue, saturation, and/or brightness.

Fixed Hue
If selected, sets the background color’s hue.
Fixed Saturation
If selected, sets the background color’s saturation.
Fixed Brightness
If selected, sets the background color’s brightness.
Background Variants
Background Variants

Color Shift Variants

Color shift variants are changed from the original fractal by randomizing the original colors’ hue, saturation, and/or brightness.

Randomize Hue
Randomize colors’ hues.
Randomize Saturation
Randomize the colors’ saturation.
Randomize Brightness
Randomize the colors’ brightness.
Color Variants
Color Variants

Transform Color Variants

Transform variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s weight, symmetry, color index, and/or variation weight values.

Color Speed
Sets the magnitude of the random transform color speed adjustment.
Transform Color Index
Sets the magnitude of the random transform color index adjustment.
Transform Color Variants
Transform Color Variants

Transform Weight Variants

Transform variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s weight, symmetry, color index, and/or variation weight values.

Transform weights
Sets the magnitude of the random transform weight adjustment.
Transform Weight Variants
Transform Weight Variants

Variation Weight Variants

Transform variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s weight, symmetry, color index, and/or variation weight values.

Variation Weights
Sets the magnitude of the random variation weight adjustment.
Variation Weight Variants
Variation Weight Variants

Matrix Variants

Matrix variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying the scale, rotation, and/or translation of each transform by a random amount.

Operation Order
sets the order the applied order of the scale, rotation, and translation operations.
Rotate Origin
sets whether the transform is rotated about the triangle or the world.
Scale Origin
sets whether the transform is scaled about the triangle or the world.
Rotate
Maximum random adjustment for the rotate operation.
Scale
Maximum random adjustment for the scale operation.
X
Maximum random adjustment for the x-translation operation.
Y
Maximum random adjustment for the y-translation operation.
**Rotation strength **
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the rotation operation.
**Scale strength **
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the scale operation.
**Rotation strength **
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the translation operations.
Matrices Affected
Determines whether pre, and/or post matrices are affected.
Transforms Affected
Determines which of the fractal transforms are modified by this variant class.
3D Matrix Variants

3D matrixes have several other parameters.

Yaw
Maximum random adjustment for the yaw angle.
Pitch
Maximum random adjustment for the pitch angle.
Z
Maximum random adjustment for the z-translation operation.
**Yaw strength **
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the yaw operation.
**Pitch strength **
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the pitch operation.
Matrix Variants
Matrix Variants

Crazy Matrix Variants

Crazy matrix variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s pre and post matrix coefficients by a random amount.

Pre Rotate/Scale
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the pre matrix’s a,b, d, and e coefficients.
Pre Translate
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the pre matrix’s c and f coefficients.
Post Rotate/Scale
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the post matrix’s a,b, d, and e coefficients.
Post Translate
Magnitude of the random adjustment for the post matrix’s c and f coefficients.
Transforms Affected
Determines which of the fractal transforms are modified by this variant class.
Matrix Variants
Matrix Variants

Mix-In Other Variation Types Variants

Mix-in variants are changed from the original fractal by adding random mix-in transform variations to the selected transforms.

Variation Name & Weights
Sets the magnitude of the mix-in variations’ weight adjustments.
Variation Use
Unless checked, that particular mix-in variation will not be added to the fractal.
Master Mixin Amplitude
Sets the overall magnitude multiplier that is applied to all mix-in variation weights.
Transforms Affected
Determines which of the fractal transforms can be modified by mix-in variations.
Mixins Variants
Mixins Variants

Variation Parameter Value Variants

Variation parameter value variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s variation parameter values.

Variation Parameter Min/Max
Sets the minimum and maximum parameter values for the specific named variation.
Variation Parameter Change Weight
Sets the magnitude of the random variation parameter value adjustment.
Variation Weight Variants
Variation Weight Variants

Add a Final Transform with a set of Variants

A final transform is added to the original fractal having random variation weights selected from the variations you choose. Each variation has a slider that represents the maximum possible variation weight. The range of each slider is 0 to 1, with 1 being on the far right end.

Variation Name & Weights
Sets the magnitude of the final transform’s variations’ random weights.
Variation Use
Unless checked, that particular variation will not be added to the final transform.
Final Xform Variants
Final Xform Variants

Xaos Variants

Xaos variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s xaos values.

Decay Rate
Sets the maximum possible magnitude of the Xaos value changes.
Variation Weight Variants
Variation Weight Variants

Symmetry Variants

Symmetry variants are changed from the original fractal by adding reflective and/or rotational symmetry to the original fractal.

Symmetry Range
Set the range of symmetries that can be randomly chosen. Negative values have both reflective and rotation symmetry, while positive values are only rotational symmetry.

Mastering Variants

Xaos variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected transform’s xaos values.

Gamma
Sets the magnitude of the gamma value changes.
Gamma Threshold
Sets the magnitude of the gamma threshold value changes.
Vibrancy
Sets the magnitude of the vibrancy value changes.
Brightness
Sets the magnitude of the brightness value changes.
Variation Weight Variants
Variation Weight Variants

3D Camera Variants

3D Camera variants are changed from the original fractal by modifying selected 3D Camera view parameters.

Fixed Pitch
If selected, sets the camera pitch.
Fixed Yaw
If selected, sets the camera yaw.
Fixed Roll
If selected, sets the camera yaw.
Fixed Perspective
If selected, sets the camera perspective.
Fixed DOF
If selected, sets the camera depth-of-field.
Fixed Height
If selected, sets the camera Z-position or height.
Variation Weight Variants
Variation Weight Variants