Variation Types
JWildfire makes it simple to experiment with different variations of a fractal flame in real time. All of them have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, which vary based on the type of design for which they are intended, but there are hundreds of various methods to construct them. This page contains descriptions of some of the most frequent types or groupings of variations, as well as cross-references to additional resources that will assist you in learning more about them.
Rick Sidwell is always to be thanked for all of the information that he has given us.
Stamps
Variations that create colored stamps with interesting designs. They are all blur variations (they ignore their inputs) and by default use true color (they set specific red, green, and blue values) though there is an option to use the gradient (direct color).
Polar Shapes
Variations that generate specific shapes using polar coordinates. Unlike normal blurs, which ignore the input point, these variations are half blurs that take the angle of the input point (theta) and compute a random distance (rho) within the shape. This allows some flexibility in coloring. They can be substituted for normal blurs in many flames; if it doesn’t work, try adding some pre_blur to the transform to generate random angles (this is done for the examples here).
Line Shapes
Shape variations made from lines. Like all shape variations, they ignore the input. Some are generated using parametric equations. Others use algorithmic techniques.
Disc
Variations that use polar coordinates and swap the ρ and θ values. This converts wedges centered at the origin to half-rings and vice versa.
L-Systems
Variations that use L-Systems to generate shapes. These are all “blur” variations that ignore their input and just generate a random point on the shape for each iteration.