A few days ago , returning from her Apophysis break, asked me to tell her what's going on lately with Apophysis and what updates there has been. I thought of posting it here, in case for anyone hasn't been touching Apophysis since 2.05 beta 2 (around early last year).

...Can't think of a suitable journal title.

What's What currently

There are now 2 branches of Apophysis. The latest _official_ version is, "Apophysis 2.07 beta".

The other branch is "Apophysis 2.06 3D Hack". The word "hack" doesn't always mean bad; as in this case, this version has been modified by one of the main developers of Apophysis. As the name suggests, this version is capable of 3D.

So far, the GUI/the interface of the 3D Hack hasn't been modified. This means you have to edit a 3D fractal using a 2D interface. In other words, this means that editing in 3D is a bit hard to learn, but if you give it some time, proficiency in 3D editing is very handy.

Which version to get?

Now I will talk about which version to get. The main reason the developers release 2.07 beta is to implement the features introduced in 2.06 3D Hack, except the 3D. In other words 2.07 beta is equal to 2.06 3D Hack, minus the 3D.

So, which to get? I say, get both. Use 2.06 3D Hack for 3D editing, and for everything else, use 2.07 beta. 2.07 beta is slightly faster, and there's another reason it's better to use them separately - I'll tell you later.


What's new?

What's new? I assume the version you used last is Apophysis 2.05 beta 2, so I'll start with that.

The new things in 2.06 are "minor changes & bugfixes", according to the Apo project head, Zueuk, "...except... The long awaited variation plugin system!" The plugin system is made so that there will be no more unofficial versions made just for the extra plugins. (Up till 2.05 beta 2 there are at least 3 popular "hacks" - gygrazok's Z+, cyberxaos's C++, and JoelFaber's hack.)

What's new - the plugin system

What is the plugin system? This system allows you to add new variations to Apophysis. Just create a new folder named "Plugins" in the folder containing Apophysis. For example, if your Apophysis program is located in C:\Program Files\Apophysis, create the Plugins folder so that the folder path would be C:\Program Files\Apophysis\Plugins .

There is a downside to this plugin feature - you will notice a slight to moderate increase in rendering time.


What's new in Apo 2.07 beta?

What's new in Apophysis 2.07 beta? According to Zueuk's journal,

"What's new in the version 2.07 beta:

+ in Adjust: preview panning (a-la 3D hack)
+ in Scripter: variables enumeration (there was one in 3D hack)
+ in Plugin system: duplicate variation checking (that's from 3D hack too)
+ in Renderer: "pre_" and "post_" variation support (again, like in 3D hack)
+ somewhere else: small bug-fixes (...)"


Preview Panning

All of these changes are less significant or not that important to us, except the first one. Preview panning is a new feature fist seen in the 3D hack, also available in 2.07 beta. It allows you to change the camera position of the fractal using the preview window. In other words... open the "Adjust" window, it's the window that allows you to change the X, Y, Zoom, and Rotation of the fractal. You should see a preview of the fractal. Use your mouse, click on the preview, and drag it. Try it, it sounds complicated but it is a major time-saver, especially on the 3D Hack version.


More on Plugins

Apophysis 2.06 3D Hack also saw the removal of some of the less-used variations such as "power, cosine, exponential" (which I rarely use anyway and they are troublesome to use) and "heart, julia, fisheye, handkerchief, bent, ex" aka the original variations found in Apophysis 2.02 (which I use). Sure, you can still add them as plugins, but I miss them T_T

Enclosed here are links to two plugin packs I found useful:

[link] - These plugins cover the "unofficial" plugins made by JoelFaber, Gygrazok, CyberXaos, all in their Apophysis "hacks" version, plus some plugins made by Lu-kout. Compatible with all versions of Apophysis with the plugins system.

[link] - These plugins are the "old" variations, mentioned earlier. Compatible only in Apophysis 2.06 3D Hack, because these variations are found in 2.07 beta.


Where to get Apophysis?

[link] - You can get BOTH versions of Apophysis here. Easy and neat. : )


Examples of 3D Apo in usage, images by Zueuk

[link] - This is a fractal from the pre-3D era. It's called a "JuliaN fractal" because it makes heavy use of the variation JuliaN. Now, prepare to see what the 3D can do to a similar JuliaN...

[link] - See? 3D Apo in usage. 3D Apo is more like a 3D rendering program now. You change the "Z coordinates" to extend the fractal into the third dimension, and you pan the camera position, effectively changing the point-of-view.


Final Notes

-Apophysis is still, sadly, a Windows program. It is still not available for other Operating Systems yet. EDIT: Check out ~Apophysis-J @ [link] . It can run on any OS that supports Java. Very nice!

-Watch [link] for the latest news concerning Apophysis's development. After all, zueuk -is- the head of the Apophysis Development Team.

-You can always get the latest versions of Apophysis at [link] .

-To ensure the plugin folder works, do not pin Apophysis to your Start Menu's bar... Wait, I'll get a screenshot.

[link] - Where Apophysis shouldn't be. Why? Because, if you pin Apophysis to that portion of the Start Menu, when you run Apophysis, Apophysis will run in the Start Menu folder. In other words, Apophysis may not detect the plugins.

[link] - Anywhere else in the Start Menu is good.

[link] - This is how I run Apophysis. I would click the Shortcut to Apophysis's folder. I then choose which version of Apo to run. I can choose whether to move the "Plugins" folder into Apo's folder, thereby determining if Apophysis will run with or without the plugins.

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I'm reaching 10,000... breaking the fifth digit barrier now. Won't be doing the kiriban thing, but it makes me feel better after a bad day.