Download this project!
Download the 10 sprites and 45 scripts of "Mandelbrot-Zoom v2.0" and open it in Scratch Project Notes
*** Now with faster Zoom feature ***
This is a Mandelbrot fractal generator program with a zoom feature. Instructions are presented to you as you use the program - just wait a while and a reminder will pop up.
When this program is started you are presented with a view of nearly the entire fractal. A "zoom-box" cursor follows your mouse. Using the mouse, select an area you would like to zoom into and click to begin the render process. The new fractal is generated in low-resolution at first, then in increasing resolutions and detail. This is a "preview" version of the fractal and is generated quite quickly, allowing you to choose which areas to zoom into further. You can continue to select new zoom areas even before the preview has completed.
Problem: Scratch uses a round-ended style when drawing using the "pen", a fact I only discovered late during development.
To begin a full-resolution render of the current preview, press the "R" key (which takes some time). The current colour-depth (loop iterations) is fixed at 40. The high-resolution images do not suffer from the round-ended pen-style.
At any time during the preview process, you can press the "S" key to enter slideshow-mode in which several zoomed images of the Mandelbrot set created with this program are presented in sequence. Press "S" again when in slideshow-mode to return to preview-mode.
I have a habit of writing a fractal generator whenever I discover a new programming language and I thought I'd try it in Scratch. I have tried to optimise the program as much as possible for speed, but Scratch still takes a long time to render a complete full-resolution zoom screen. I have tried it on different computers and it does speed up a little on a fast machine (though not as much as I expected).
If you are interested in discovering more about fractals, there are many other free fractal-generators available. If you are wondering what a fractal is and how these beautiful images are created, a good source of information is the Internet.
More Projects by Fractal
-
RocketLander
106 views -
MoonMoth
673 views -
Motorway Racer
207 views -
Entities
479 views
Comments
You need to be logged in to post comments
Add a Comment
awesome
Nice Job! I love fractals and the unique designs each one has. If you would like to, come look at a few of mine that I copy and pasted into Scratch. (link to project)
If the problem is that the pen is round, you could use a rectangular sprite with "stamp"
Wow. Now I realize Scratch can do "anything!" Can't wait to study the code.
WHOOT MATHEMATICAL PATTERNS ROCK! I am happy to be called a nerd or a geek.
Heh that's funny, me too!
The Mandelbrot set is pretty sweet- good Scratch interpretation! Have you heard the Jonathan Coulton song about it? Very clever.
Thanks. I haven't heard that song but I'll dig about for it.
Found something simple and practical to do with fractals! Here: (link to project) Thought you might like it.
!!
its wallpaper creater from a nokia xpress music?
Very nice, and very very fast on my mac :D
Nice one that's good to know.
i dont get it but, WOW!
Read the project notes...and if you just wait a bit, the program helps you out automatically.
ughh. I hate this fractal. ITs so confusing!!!
If you don't uderstand what a Mandelbrot fractal is, there are lots of places online where you can find out. If you have done that and you are still confused, there's not much that can be done for you. ;)
ok. now that is insanely impressive.
are the fractal generators (free ones) complicated and mathematical like im expecting?
nope!
I still have no idea how you got that zoom to work!
It's a case of recalculating the new bounding-box and restarting the "render" process whenever the mouse button is clicked. You can see this in the background scripts. The bounding-box is 1/4 the size of the screen, so each time the mouse is clicked the variable "Scalefactor" has to be divided by 4. The x,y position of the mouse is sampled at the same time. The fractal algorithms of the sprites are then executed and they use the x,y position and the Scalefactor variables.
Thanks for posting your fractal projects in the gallery. They are beautiful.
Nice, very clever
does it have a lot of music or high quality graphics?
It's a fractal. No.
you should make game A video game here's one for an example scratch.mit.edu/projects/dingdong/88409
Dingdong: What do you find confusing?
Ding-dong: confuses me, too! If you wait a little it looks more like a Mandelbrot Fractal.
Fractal, brilliant! About the round-ended pen: you could stamp a square pixel instead.
okay it confuses me
This is quite an involved project. Please take the time to read the instructions. It is a pity that Scratch uses a round-ended pen-style, but you get used to it after a while and the effect is quite artistic.
2007