Mandelbrot Explorer ~ v3.4
OS: Win
author: J. R. Oakley
url: https://www.mandel.org.uk
Mandelbrot Explorer is a simple tool to explore the Mandelbrot set. The module to create the images and modify their parameters is quite simple and comes with only a few options. As such, it won’t let you create stunning artistic pictures, but pure fractal examples. Maybe it’s because I’m not too familiar with the program (and I didn’t read the documentation), but I didn’t like the tool to edit the color palettes (like at all). Otherwise, it’s a nice generator.
Last revision: December 2016
Mandelbrot on Cocoa ~ v3.52
OS: MacOS X
author: SADA
url: http://hp.vector.co.jp (broken)
Mandelbrot on Cocoa is a simple fractal program to generate Mandelbrot-related fractals. It is easy to use, but at the same time too simplistic. I could describe it as an exploration tool, since it lacks the filters and algorithmic routines found on most generators. You can zoom and unzoom at will, and images can be saved at whatever your window size is, so if you want a larger picture, just drag the window border until it is as big as you want it, and then save the pic in PNG format. (Universal binary). Its website is broken or no more, so just do a search to find it somewhere else (it’s still available).
Last revision: 1 January 2006.
ManpWin ~ v6.001
OS: Win
author: Paul de Leeuw
url: http://www.deleeuw.com.au/
Another Windows version of legendary FractInt. It’s an eternal work in progress, but unlike the previous WinFract, this one is a 32 and 64-bit application with true color and animation support. Pictures can be saved as PNG files, GIF for animations, and MPEG for video. FractInt color maps and parameters files seems to be compatible with this program.
Last revision: 09 April 2024.
Neptune & Triton ∼ v1.1.0
OS: Win/Linux
author: Mark R. Eggleston
url: https://element90.wordpress.com
Neptune can render critical point fractal images. Images, called seeds, can be saved as PNG files. Then, you can import the seeds to Triton to create and save larger pictures. I don’t know why these two apps aren’t integrated into a single program, but that’s the way they work (both applications come in one package and install together automatically, so go figure). I do like the fact that fractal parameters are easy to access from a secondary window, that you can open alongside the image window to keep real-time track changes, a nice thing to learn what each variable can do. Extensive documentation available as a PDF file from its parent website.
Last revision: 21 April 2014.
Raimuraito ~ v1.7
OS: Win9x/Me
author: Yasuo Kamei
url: http://www.ab.cyberhome.ne.jp
Raimuraito is a fractal generator that can produce some very unique and interesting pictures. It never left its early stages of development (so it has a few bugs and is quite slow), but is capable of using flowers, fishes, rings and other methods to contour the fractal figures. I wish the developer could have done a little further to this one, but… now it’s probably too late.
Last revision: 11 February 2002.
Saturn & Titan ∼ v4.2.1
OS: Win/Linux
author: Mark R. Eggleston
url: https://element90.wordpress.com
Saturn is the older brother of Neptune (the fractal generator reviewed before), and of course can generate fractal pictures too. Of notice: Don’t judge the program by the screenshot included in here: it’s just a simple shot intended to decorate this page, not to demonstrate Saturn’s full potential. Just visit its website to take a look at much better samples. Saturn can save images, once again called seeds, as PNG files. Then, you can import the seeds to Titan to create and save pictures of even larger sizes. As I said before, I don’t know why these two apps aren’t integrated into a single program, but that’s the way they work (both applications come in one package and install automatically too). I do like the fact that fractal parameters are easy to access from a secondary window, that you can open alongside the image window to keep real-time track changes, a nice thing to learn what each variable can do. Extensive documentation available as a PDF file from the parent website.
Last revision: 2014.
Sterling2 ~ v1
OS: Win
author: Stephen C. Ferguson & Tad Boniecki
url: http://soler7.com
Sterling2 is a derivative work of Stephen C. Ferguson’s Sterling-ware fractal generator, integrating Tad Boniecki’s particular collection of 50 fractal formulas to produce a myriad of different images unique to this program, superimposed –so to speak– over the original software (they feel and look identical). Contrary to Ferguson’s generators of the same name (still freeware but requiring a membership payment to access the collection), this one is freely available from Boniecki’s website.
Last revision: 11 October 1999.
TS Fractal Explorer ~ v3.01 beta
OS: Win9x/NT/Me/XP
author: Sergei Dolgov
url: http://home.onego.ru
This is a fractal generating program that uses the TS Graphics Library v1.0 beta (that’s what the programmer says) to plot its images. It’s pretty simple but slow. Images, which doesn’t look that good anyway, can be saved as BMP files only. May have some secrets deep inside that I haven’t discovered yet. No documentation.
Last revision: 07 June 1998.
Windows Chaos Image Generator ~ v2.00
OS: Win9x/NT/2000
author: Thomas Hövel
url: http://www.th-soft.com
Windows Chaos Image Generator, better known as WinCIG, is another very simple Mandelbrot set generator that is very easy to use. Most of its processes are automated, so users only have to move the mouse around and click to draw a little rectangle to cover the region they want to zoom in. Automatically, a small window with some extra parameters will pop-up, allowing the modification of any value. It also comes with a palette editor for better coloring control. Images can be saved in BMP format.
Last revision: 19 August 2002.
GNU XaoS ~ v4.3.1
OS: Platform Independent
author: Thomas Marsh and Jan Hubicka
url: https://xaos-project.github.io
alt: https://github.com/xaos-project/Xaos
XaoS is a real-time fractal zoomer that can calculate Mandelbrot and other fractals significantly fast and on the go. Supports palette changing, and images can be saved in PNG format. It comas as a platform independent 64- bit package, meaning that it’s the same download for multiple operating systems, specifically: Windows, Mac and Linux (in the past it also said BSD, but it’s not specified more recently). It’s an open source project, so the source code is also available. An online version is also available at https://xaos.app.
Last revision: 08 October 2023.