Fractal Architect 5 includes Lua scripting support for the creation and tweaking a fractals. FA has an embedded Lua v 5.2.3 interpreter.
FA Lua scripting is compatible with Lua scripts written for the Oxidizer app. (Oxidizer pioneered the usage of Lua scripting for fractal creation.)
We are planning to create a public GitHub repository for Fractal Architect Lua scripts in the near future. This will be a great way to make potentially thousands of scripts available to the FA community. If you create some great scripts, this repository lets you share those scipts with the world.
Create brand new fractals using Lua scripts. Enjoy some fine scripts included in the app or write your own.
FA 5 now includes:
In FA, you can create a Lua Script List which is a list of Lua scripts + all their input parameters.
Since FA 2, Fractal Architect included a Make New Random Fractal window on the Home Page. Sometimes you might find a combination of settings that make a lot of great looking fractals.
Now those settings can be saved a a new Main random fractal Lua script.
In fact, this release of FA includes a lot of new Main random fractal scripts created using this same feature !
With Fractal Architect you have unparalleled productivity creating exciting new fractals
Lua Scripts can be either a fixed value or a Lua expression that is "late evaluated".
Late evaluation is important with Lua expressions that generate random value ranges, so each created fractal does not have the same input parameter value.
The GUI has a popover that lets you specify the script's parameter values.
These scripts randomly embed new variation instances into the fractal's transforms.
They can be embedded into the normal, pre or post variation groups.
These scripts have special input parameters called varpars, that specify which variation type to insert, its random weight range, and random parameter value ranges.
You can specify one or more variation instances using any variation type.
These scripts are powerful, simple, and flexible.
Any fractal can now be saved as a new Main Lua script.
Why would you want to do that?
See the next new feature.
The Splicing and Sub-flames scripts all need "another" fractal to do their magic.
So those scripts can call another Main random fractal creation script to create the "other" fractal.
The "other" script defaults to "simil3.lua", but can be any script. The script input parameter tells these scripts which "other" script to use.
So if you saved a fractal as a new Lua script, you can invoke it here.
The GUI popover for setting up script input parameters has 2 buttons to make specifying the "other" script easy.
So Easy - So Fun - So Trivial to Use
Lua Tweak Scripts are SO USEFUL. It is amazing how great the fractals are when created by tweaking a fractal with a Tweak script.
Lua Tweak Scripts are supported by both the Lua Scripted and Legacy Random Generators. Both Standard and Super Variants Editors support them too.
Lua Modules are libraries of reusable Lua functions. FA includes a couple that are easy to use from tweak scripts.
This repository holds both Factory and My Scripts Lua scripts compatible with FA and are licensed with GNU Public License version 3.
This repository is intended to be a community supported repository. So as you create new scripts or port scripts from either Apophysis or JWildfire, they can be added to this repository if you like. That way the entire community can enjoy your scripts, (as pioneered by the DeviantArt community for Apophysis).
Factory scripts are shipped with the app and subject to change with future app updates. (The app does not allow you to edit them.) You can copy them to the My Scripts folder and edit them there with your own changes.
The My Scripts folder in the repository contains a handful of ported Apophysis scripts. They are useful examples on how to port Apophysis scripts to Lua.
There are some great scripts out there written for other fractal apps. Rewriting them as Lua scripts is straight forward.
Even though Apophysis 7X no longer has scripting support, there are so many nice scripts available for older Apophysis versions.
Porting scripts from Apophysis Pascal to Lua is easy and you will get the same output on FA as you would from Apophysis.
JWildfire scripts are written in Java and can be ported to Lua. FA includes several scripts from JWildfire as examples on how to port them to Lua.
Oxidizer scripts are already written in Lua. Ralf Flicker's outstanding simil3 and simil4 scripts have been tweaked for FA and are included in the app.
FA has a builtin editor allowing you to edit Lua scripts. OR You can use your own favorite editor to edit them.
The app segregates the builtin "factory" scripts from your own script folder. That way we won't accidentally overwrite your custom scripts from app updates. All factory scripts are treated as read only, but you can copy them into your script folder and tweak them as much as you like there.