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Description
The world of fractals is a vast place full of beauty and potential. Here are some resources originating from around the fractal community which might prove helpful, ranging from software so you can get started, to fractal tutorials & techniques. This was originally a journal/profile page feature, thanks for your patience as it's easier to format here.

Note that this covers mostly IFS flame fractals and some 3d mandelbrot/bulbs. If you are interested in orbit trap check out Ultrafractal. For mandelbrot/zooming type, come join the Discord server and hit us up for resources.

With a little practice, fractaling can become a really cool and intuitive process, and it's very, very rewarding. You can discover new things just by having fun and experimenting. Eventually the numbers become abstracted and it's just like playing with clouds or smoke, or marbleizing paint; you just happen to be using the software as a medium as opposed to paint, etc.

Save your work often! I often revisit my works-in-progress and make entirely new fractals later.

TUTORIALS

Apo/Chaotica:
Tutorials by PugnaciousOne

Fantastic and Formative Fractal Tutorials - a library of fractal tutorials compiled into one convenient place by technochroma this has been updated with correct links as of 9/17/2022
Tutorials by C-91
Tutorials by tatasz

If you're starting in Apo or Chaotica for the very first time, try Spherical Plants !

Mandelbulb:
Mandelbulb.com downloads For the official new MB3D website, see mb3d.overwhale.com
Mandelbulb.com tutorials
www.julius-horsthuis.com/tutorials

Mandelbulb3d Master Training Resource Guide at the Fractal Institute

Mandelbulb3d Master Training Resource Guide by DsyneGrafix

COMMUNITY

Fractal Discord Chat invite link
Stop in to the Discord chat anytime! The fractal community with its origin from the Aposhack chat on DeviantArt and elsewhere is extremely supportive. Many members are both open to questions and freely give advice, instruction and feedback.

Fractal Resources Group on DeviantArt
Fractalforums.org , the Fractalforums community
Mandelbulb Maniacs group on Facebook

CHAOTICA 2
Download the latest version, accessible via the Chaotica forums. GPU/OpenCL support.

Another awesome fractal flame editor which renders your fractal as you work. Apophysis users can easily transition to Chaotica. Multiple antialiasing settings allow for crisp, pixel-dense, beautiful fractals at landmark rendering speeds. You can paste many Apophysis parameters directly into Chaotica. Chaotica does not currently support 3D, but you can still produce some 3D-like effects. Most plugins are preloaded (Chaotica 2) but you can add more if you like (see below for chaotica plugins). PC, Mac and Linux support.

CHAOTICA PLUGINS

This is a tutorial on installing the custom transforms created by Crystalize Crystalize . Installation can be accomplished using git, or using a flat file copy. User transforms are transforms written in the winter xml format and stored in the user_transforms folder.

This folder is located at %appdata%\Chaotica\user_transforms
NOTE: the %appdata% environment variable points to C:\Users\\Appdata\Roaming

If this folder doesn’t exist, simply create it. Further instructions in the link.

CHAOSHELPER by triptychaos

Chaotica gradient/coloring tool. Chaoshelper is an app used in tandem with Chaotica that allows you to work with gradients more effectively. Copy your Chaotica xml, paste into Chaoshelper, choose a gradient pack and gradient, edit if you wish, copy again and paste back into Chaotica. Easy!

FRACTORIUM

Via official fractorium.com site. A GPU-Accelerated Fractal Flame Editor. Windows, Linux and Mac

APOPHYSIS
Apophysis 7x16 Flame fractal program download. I believe this is version D (stable)

Legacy version downloads:
Older Apo 7x
Apophysis 3D Hack
Apophysis 2.09

Apophysis is a great fractal flame editor. You can make fractals in Apophysis and then render them to images. Many versions have been released over the years. You can start in the latest version, but if you’re new to fractals, my humble advice is to spend a little time playing around with 2.09 first as it’s very responsive to beginners. There are base plugins, but why not have more? You can use the Aposhack Plugin Pack or the Beginner's Plugin Pack, both below. PC support.

APOPHYSIS PLUGINS
The Aposhack Plugin Pack
Beginner's Plugin Pack

Instructions:

Create a new folder named "Plugins" in your Apophysis directory. If a "Plugins" folder already exists, use that folder. You can then add individual plugins as needed from this or any other Apophysis-based plugin pack. Don't add all of the plugins/plugin packs at once, or Apophysis may not run. Apophysis can only "see" about 100 plugins at once, and the more plugins you have active, the slower Apophysis will run.

You can use 64-bit or 32-bit plugins if you have a 64-bit version of Windows. Only use 32-bit plugins if you have a 32-bit version of Windows.

If Apophysis does not list the plugins, try going to the options and make sure the "path" or directory for the plugins is the same as your plugin folder. You may have to manually edit this to make it work.

If your Windows sees the plugin DLL files as a threat, you can create an exception in Windows Defender for the plugin directory. Windows is known to delete plugin files randomly so if one or two or several go missing, check your plugin folder against the plugins in this directory. Do NOT create an exception for all DLLs in Windows Defender because this is potentially unsafe.

(I will add some recommendations soon here on common plugins that folks add, like flux, the glynns, etc.)

APO PLUGINS FULL ARCHIVES:
32-bit Plugin Archive
64-bit Plugin Archive

OTHER COOL PLUGINS:
zy0rg's plugins (The Blur package is especialy useful)
dark-beam plugins
Includes jacobi, scrambly, plusrecip, bwrands and a few others.
Blur plugins by tatasz
Includes depth_blur, depth_sine, depth_ngon and depth_gaussian

Mandelbulb3D V1.99.35
Mandelbulb 3D website. All recent versions of Mandelbulb3D released as well as features, news, and support can be found here. Mandelbulb is a unique fractal program that focuses on three-dimensional structures within the Mandelbrot set. PC (and Linux, I believe.) OpenCL support of MC batch rendering.

Mandelbulb 3D for Mac, v199

Premade app including Wine emulator and Windows binary files, via Google Drive

Latest Mandebulb formulas (2015 set) via dsynegrafixdigitalarts.com.
Once you download the zip file, use it to overwrite your existing formulas. Mandelbulb 3D Custom formulas & transforms.

MANDELBULBER
Mandelbulber v2 is another 3D fractal program that focuses on structures within the trigonometric, hyper-complex, Mandelbox, IFS, and many other 3D fractal sets. GPU/OpenCL support.

JWILDFIRE V5.60
Official JWildfire site. JWildfire is a free and user-friendly image-processing software, mostly known for its sophisticated flame-fractal-generator. It is Java-based, open-source and runs on any major computer-plattform. There is also a special Android-version for mobile devices.

Linkback: jwildfire-and-the-new-website-and-update

ULTRAFRACTAL via ultrafractal.com
Download for Windows, 32- and 64-bit

With Ultra Fractal, you can choose from thousands of fractal types and coloring algorithms, zoom in as far as you want, use gradients to add color, and apply multiple layers to combine different fractals in one image.

After installing, Ultra Fractal will run as a free trial version for 30 days. If you already have purchased a license key, simply enter it when Ultra Fractal starts to unlock full functionality.

Description
The world of fractals is a vast place full of beauty and potential. Here are some resources originating from around the fractal community which might prove helpful, ranging from software so you can get started, to fractal tutorials & techniques. This was originally a journal/profile page feature, thanks for your patience as it's easier to format here.

Note that this covers mostly IFS flame fractals and some 3d mandelbrot/bulbs. If you are interested in orbit trap check out Ultrafractal. For mandelbrot/zooming type, come join the Discord server and hit us up for resources.

With a little practice, fractaling can become a really cool and intuitive process, and it's very, very rewarding. You can discover new things just by having fun and experimenting. Eventually the numbers become abstracted and it's just like playing with clouds or smoke, or marbleizing paint; you just happen to be using the software as a medium as opposed to paint, etc.

Save your work often! I often revisit my works-in-progress and make entirely new fractals later.

TUTORIALS

Apo/Chaotica:
Tutorials by PugnaciousOne

Fantastic and Formative Fractal Tutorials - a library of fractal tutorials compiled into one convenient place by technochroma this has been updated with correct links as of 9/17/2022
Tutorials by C-91
Tutorials by tatasz

If you're starting in Apo or Chaotica for the very first time, try Spherical Plants !

Mandelbulb:
Mandelbulb.com downloads For the official new MB3D website, see mb3d.overwhale.com
Mandelbulb.com tutorials
www.julius-horsthuis.com/tutorials

Mandelbulb3d Master Training Resource Guide at the Fractal Institute

Mandelbulb3d Master Training Resource Guide by DsyneGrafix

COMMUNITY

Fractal Discord Chat invite link
Stop in to the Discord chat anytime! The fractal community with its origin from the Aposhack chat on DeviantArt and elsewhere is extremely supportive. Many members are both open to questions and freely give advice, instruction and feedback.

Fractal Resources Group on DeviantArt
Fractalforums.org , the Fractalforums community
Mandelbulb Maniacs group on Facebook

CHAOTICA 2
Download the latest version, accessible via the Chaotica forums. GPU/OpenCL support.

Another awesome fractal flame editor which renders your fractal as you work. Apophysis users can easily transition to Chaotica. Multiple antialiasing settings allow for crisp, pixel-dense, beautiful fractals at landmark rendering speeds. You can paste many Apophysis parameters directly into Chaotica. Chaotica does not currently support 3D, but you can still produce some 3D-like effects. Most plugins are preloaded (Chaotica 2) but you can add more if you like (see below for chaotica plugins). PC, Mac and Linux support.

CHAOTICA PLUGINS

This is a tutorial on installing the custom transforms created by Crystalize Crystalize . Installation can be accomplished using git, or using a flat file copy. User transforms are transforms written in the winter xml format and stored in the user_transforms folder.

This folder is located at %appdata%\Chaotica\user_transforms
NOTE: the %appdata% environment variable points to C:\Users\\Appdata\Roaming

If this folder doesn’t exist, simply create it. Further instructions in the link.

CHAOSHELPER by triptychaos

Chaotica gradient/coloring tool. Chaoshelper is an app used in tandem with Chaotica that allows you to work with gradients more effectively. Copy your Chaotica xml, paste into Chaoshelper, choose a gradient pack and gradient, edit if you wish, copy again and paste back into Chaotica. Easy!

FRACTORIUM

Via official fractorium.com site. A GPU-Accelerated Fractal Flame Editor. Windows, Linux and Mac

APOPHYSIS
Apophysis 7x16 Flame fractal program download. I believe this is version D (stable)

Legacy version downloads:
Older Apo 7x
Apophysis 3D Hack
Apophysis 2.09

Apophysis is a great fractal flame editor. You can make fractals in Apophysis and then render them to images. Many versions have been released over the years. You can start in the latest version, but if you’re new to fractals, my humble advice is to spend a little time playing around with 2.09 first as it’s very responsive to beginners. There are base plugins, but why not have more? You can use the Aposhack Plugin Pack or the Beginner's Plugin Pack, both below. PC support.

APOPHYSIS PLUGINS
The Aposhack Plugin Pack
Beginner's Plugin Pack

Instructions:

Create a new folder named "Plugins" in your Apophysis directory. If a "Plugins" folder already exists, use that folder. You can then add individual plugins as needed from this or any other Apophysis-based plugin pack. Don't add all of the plugins/plugin packs at once, or Apophysis may not run. Apophysis can only "see" about 100 plugins at once, and the more plugins you have active, the slower Apophysis will run.

You can use 64-bit or 32-bit plugins if you have a 64-bit version of Windows. Only use 32-bit plugins if you have a 32-bit version of Windows.

If Apophysis does not list the plugins, try going to the options and make sure the "path" or directory for the plugins is the same as your plugin folder. You may have to manually edit this to make it work.

If your Windows sees the plugin DLL files as a threat, you can create an exception in Windows Defender for the plugin directory. Windows is known to delete plugin files randomly so if one or two or several go missing, check your plugin folder against the plugins in this directory. Do NOT create an exception for all DLLs in Windows Defender because this is potentially unsafe.

(I will add some recommendations soon here on common plugins that folks add, like flux, the glynns, etc.)

APO PLUGINS FULL ARCHIVES:
32-bit Plugin Archive
64-bit Plugin Archive

OTHER COOL PLUGINS:
zy0rg's plugins (The Blur package is especialy useful)
dark-beam plugins
Includes jacobi, scrambly, plusrecip, bwrands and a few others.
Blur plugins by tatasz
Includes depth_blur, depth_sine, depth_ngon and depth_gaussian

Mandelbulb3D V1.99.35
Mandelbulb 3D website. All recent versions of Mandelbulb3D released as well as features, news, and support can be found here. Mandelbulb is a unique fractal program that focuses on three-dimensional structures within the Mandelbrot set. PC (and Linux, I believe.) OpenCL support of MC batch rendering.

Mandelbulb 3D for Mac, v199

Premade app including Wine emulator and Windows binary files, via Google Drive

Latest Mandebulb formulas (2015 set) via dsynegrafixdigitalarts.com.
Once you download the zip file, use it to overwrite your existing formulas. Mandelbulb 3D Custom formulas & transforms.

MANDELBULBER
Mandelbulber v2 is another 3D fractal program that focuses on structures within the trigonometric, hyper-complex, Mandelbox, IFS, and many other 3D fractal sets. GPU/OpenCL support.

JWILDFIRE V5.60
Official JWildfire site. JWildfire is a free and user-friendly image-processing software, mostly known for its sophisticated flame-fractal-generator. It is Java-based, open-source and runs on any major computer-plattform. There is also a special Android-version for mobile devices.

Linkback: jwildfire-and-the-new-website-and-update

ULTRAFRACTAL via ultrafractal.com
Download for Windows, 32- and 64-bit

With Ultra Fractal, you can choose from thousands of fractal types and coloring algorithms, zoom in as far as you want, use gradients to add color, and apply multiple layers to combine different fractals in one image.

After installing, Ultra Fractal will run as a free trial version for 30 days. If you already have purchased a license key, simply enter it when Ultra Fractal starts to unlock full functionality.