XD15Help

©2000-2004 XenoDream Software LLC

XenoDream 1.5 Help

All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without thewritten permission of the publisher.

Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of therespective owners. The publisher and the author make no claim to these trademarks.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume noresponsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this documentor from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and the authorbe liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly orindirectly by this document.

Printed: January 2005 in Xenodreamland, wherever it takes you.

XenoDream v1.5 Help


PublisherSpecial thanks to:

You, for buying XenoDream so we can continue developing it,you, for being creative, you, for telling us how much you like usingit and what you'd like to see, all our beta testers, and and and...

Last and not least, we want to thank EC Software who wrote thisgreat help tool called HELP & MANUAL which printed thisdocument.

Managing Editor

Technical Editors

Cover Designer

XenoDream Software, LLC

Garth Thornton

Me

...

Virginia Sterling

Production

Just kind of happened

Team Coordinator

KAOS

Table of Contents

Foreword 0

Part I Welcome to XenoDream 10

................................................................................................................................... 101 What is XenoDream?

................................................................................................................................... 102 Getting help

................................................................................................................................... 113 What's new in this version

................................................................................................................................... 174 Uninstalling XenoDream

................................................................................................................................... 175 Acknowledgments

Part II Getting started 19

................................................................................................................................... 191 Overview: Getting started

................................................................................................................................... 202 The XenoDream process

................................................................................................................................... 213 XenoDream's object modeling

................................................................................................................................... 244 Types of objects

................................................................................................................................... 275 About 3-D

................................................................................................................................... 286 Tutorials

.......................................................................................................................................................... 28Overview: Tutorials

.......................................................................................................................................................... 30Single holon

.......................................................................................................................................................... 33Spiral shell

.......................................................................................................................................................... 36Layered picture

.......................................................................................................................................................... 39Kaleidoscope

.......................................................................................................................................................... 40Using free holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 42Clouds

.......................................................................................................................................................... 44Creating backgrounds

.......................................................................................................................................................... 45Using picture mapping

.......................................................................................................................................................... 46Lighting effects

.......................................................................................................................................................... 49Filtered noise

.......................................................................................................................................................... 51Exclusive iteration

.......................................................................................................................................................... 52Using extended holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 53Using displacement mapping

.......................................................................................................................................................... 55Using displacement presets

.......................................................................................................................................................... 56Exporting a mesh

................................................................................................................................... 587 Frequently Asked Questions

.......................................................................................................................................................... 58FAQ contents

.......................................................................................................................................................... 59Section 1. General information

.......................................................................................................................................................... 60Section 2: The Main window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 62Section 3: The Picture window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 63Section 4: Lighting

.......................................................................................................................................................... 64Section 5: Other techniques

.......................................................................................................................................................... 66Section 6: Meshes

Part III Main Window 68

................................................................................................................................... 681 Overview: the Main window

................................................................................................................................... 682 Numeric controls

IContents

I


................................................................................................................................... 693 Main menu

.......................................................................................................................................................... 69File menu

.......................................................................................................................................................... 71Options menu

.......................................................................................................................................................... 72Help menu

................................................................................................................................... 724 Toolbars

.......................................................................................................................................................... 72Standard toolbar

.......................................................................................................................................................... 72Render toolbar

................................................................................................................................... 735 Holon window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 73Overview: the Holon window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 73Selecting in the Holon window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 74Dragging in the Holon window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 74Add Holon popup menu

................................................................................................................................... 746 Preview window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 74Overview: the Preview window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 75Preview mode

.......................................................................................................................................................... 75Preview options

................................................................................................................................... 767 Holon toolbar

.......................................................................................................................................................... 76Holon window zoom

.......................................................................................................................................................... 76Object size

.......................................................................................................................................................... 76Undo last drag

.......................................................................................................................................................... 77Active holon control

.......................................................................................................................................................... 77Adding and deleting holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 77Free holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 78Hide holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 78Holon info list

.......................................................................................................................................................... 79Selection controls

................................................................................................................................... 808 File page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 80File information

.......................................................................................................................................................... 80Quick start

................................................................................................................................... 819 View page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 81Overview: the View page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 81Dragging the view

.......................................................................................................................................................... 82Camera position and zoom

.......................................................................................................................................................... 82Clipping planes

.......................................................................................................................................................... 83Rotation controls

.......................................................................................................................................................... 83Fisheye lens

.......................................................................................................................................................... 83Stereo mode

.......................................................................................................................................................... 84View memory spots

................................................................................................................................... 8610 Shape page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 86Overview: the Shape page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 86Holon parameters

.......................................................................................................................................................... 87Holon scale

.......................................................................................................................................................... 87Holon skew

.......................................................................................................................................................... 87Holon rotation

.......................................................................................................................................................... 88Holon position

.......................................................................................................................................................... 88Holon volume and density

.......................................................................................................................................................... 89Shape drag mode

.......................................................................................................................................................... 89Shape drag rotate mode

.......................................................................................................................................................... 90Randomizing holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 90Constraints

.......................................................................................................................................................... 91Align linear

XenoDream v1.5 HelpII


.......................................................................................................................................................... 91Align cyclic

.......................................................................................................................................................... 93Iteration control

.......................................................................................................................................................... 93Extending holons

.......................................................................................................................................................... 95Metamorphs: overview

.......................................................................................................................................................... 95Metamorph styles

.......................................................................................................................................................... 97Metamorph parameters

.......................................................................................................................................................... 97Randomizing metamorphs

.......................................................................................................................................................... 97Shape memory spots

................................................................................................................................... 9911 Color page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 99Overview: the Color page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 99Coloring method

.......................................................................................................................................................... 99Map to

.......................................................................................................................................................... 100Edge and mix

.......................................................................................................................................................... 100Absolute color editing

.......................................................................................................................................................... 100Inherit color

.......................................................................................................................................................... 101Noise

.......................................................................................................................................................... 101Color memory spots

.......................................................................................................................................................... 101Color picker dialog

.......................................................................................................................................................... 103Holon Sequence coloring

......................................................................................................................................................... 103Overview: Holon Sequence coloring

......................................................................................................................................................... 104Bailout, blend and blender

......................................................................................................................................................... 104Color perspective

.......................................................................................................................................................... 105Metamorph coloring

......................................................................................................................................................... 105Overview: Metamorph coloring

......................................................................................................................................................... 106Map from

......................................................................................................................................................... 107Meta pattern

......................................................................................................................................................... 107Meta curve

......................................................................................................................................................... 109Cycle gradient

......................................................................................................................................................... 109Picture mapping

......................................................................................................................................................... 110Background creation

.......................................................................................................................................................... 111Parametric gradients

......................................................................................................................................................... 111Overview: Parametric gradients

......................................................................................................................................................... 111Initial color and modifier

......................................................................................................................................................... 112Global pattern

......................................................................................................................................................... 112Randomize and clear palette

......................................................................................................................................................... 113Gradient rotation

......................................................................................................................................................... 113Color presets

......................................................................................................................................................... 113Color preset window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 114Custom gradients

......................................................................................................................................................... 114Overview: Custom gradients

......................................................................................................................................................... 115Custom gradient editor

......................................................................................................................................................... 117Custom gradient preset window

......................................................................................................................................................... 117Deleting and renaming gradient presets

......................................................................................................................................................... 118Importing and exporting gradient presets

................................................................................................................................... 11912 Rendering page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 119Overview: the Rendering page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 119About rendering

.......................................................................................................................................................... 120Render shadows

.......................................................................................................................................................... 122Holon opacity

.......................................................................................................................................................... 123Render size

.......................................................................................................................................................... 124Rendering method

.......................................................................................................................................................... 124Chaos render

.......................................................................................................................................................... 125Ordered render

IIIContents

III


.......................................................................................................................................................... 125Hybrid render

.......................................................................................................................................................... 126Resolution and bailout

.......................................................................................................................................................... 127Render batch

................................................................................................................................... 12813 Regions page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 128Overview: the Regions page

.......................................................................................................................................................... 128Holon step region method

.......................................................................................................................................................... 128Gradients region method

.......................................................................................................................................................... 129Per holon region method

Part IV Picture Window 131

................................................................................................................................... 1311 Overview: the Picture window

................................................................................................................................... 1312 Pictures and layers

................................................................................................................................... 1323 File menu

................................................................................................................................... 1334 Saving pictures

................................................................................................................................... 1345 Saving depth maps

................................................................................................................................... 1346 Opening pictures

................................................................................................................................... 1357 Opening depth maps

................................................................................................................................... 1358 Edit menu

................................................................................................................................... 1369 View menu

................................................................................................................................... 13610 Effects menu

................................................................................................................................... 13711 Rendering progress

................................................................................................................................... 13812 Selecting layers

................................................................................................................................... 13913 Background mask

................................................................................................................................... 13914 Alphablend

................................................................................................................................... 14015 Layer opacity

................................................................................................................................... 14016 Merge mode

................................................................................................................................... 14017 Copy or merge layers

................................................................................................................................... 14118 Navigation

Part V Lighting Window 143

................................................................................................................................... 1431 Overview: the Lighting window

................................................................................................................................... 1432 Lighting preview

................................................................................................................................... 1443 Apply lighting

................................................................................................................................... 1454 Lighting options

................................................................................................................................... 1455 Copy lit to unlit

................................................................................................................................... 1466 Light sources

................................................................................................................................... 1477 Shadows

................................................................................................................................... 1488 Surface properties

................................................................................................................................... 1499 Depth effects

................................................................................................................................... 15010 Surface cleaning

................................................................................................................................... 15211 Color effects

................................................................................................................................... 15212 Iridescence

XenoDream v1.5 HelpIV


................................................................................................................................... 15313 Reflection and refraction

................................................................................................................................... 15414 Glow effects

................................................................................................................................... 15415 Haze

................................................................................................................................... 15516 Background

................................................................................................................................... 15617 Locking controls

................................................................................................................................... 15618 Shadow angles

................................................................................................................................... 15619 Randomizing lighting

................................................................................................................................... 15720 Lighting memory spots

................................................................................................................................... 15721 Lighting presets

................................................................................................................................... 15822 Lighting regions

................................................................................................................................... 15923 Transparent effects

Part VI Lighting Preset Window 161

................................................................................................................................... 1611 Overview: the Lighting Preset window

................................................................................................................................... 1622 Deleting and renaming presets

................................................................................................................................... 1623 Importing and exporting presets

Part VII Depth Window 165

................................................................................................................................... 1651 Overview: the Depth window

................................................................................................................................... 1652 Depth source

................................................................................................................................... 1663 Add to original

................................................................................................................................... 1664 Mask background

................................................................................................................................... 1675 Conversion parameters

Part VIII Mesh Export Window 169

................................................................................................................................... 1691 Overview: the Mesh Export window

................................................................................................................................... 1702 Mesh export options

................................................................................................................................... 1703 Mesh export rendering

................................................................................................................................... 1724 Triangulating

................................................................................................................................... 1725 Simplifying

................................................................................................................................... 1736 Saving meshes

Part IX Metamorph reference 176

................................................................................................................................... 1761 (None)

................................................................................................................................... 1762 .Balled

................................................................................................................................... 1763 .Boxed

................................................................................................................................... 1764 .Cone

................................................................................................................................... 1765 .Crystal

................................................................................................................................... 1766 .Cube

................................................................................................................................... 1777 .Cylibal

................................................................................................................................... 1778 .Framez

VContents

V


................................................................................................................................... 1779 .Planex

................................................................................................................................... 17710 .Planey

................................................................................................................................... 17711 .Planez

................................................................................................................................... 17712 .Prism

................................................................................................................................... 17813 .Sphere

................................................................................................................................... 17814 .Torus

................................................................................................................................... 17815 Auger

................................................................................................................................... 17816 Cacti

................................................................................................................................... 17817 Clampbb

................................................................................................................................... 17818 Clipbb

................................................................................................................................... 17919 Cosmo

................................................................................................................................... 17920 Crinkle

................................................................................................................................... 17921 Cubist

................................................................................................................................... 17922 Giblet

................................................................................................................................... 17923 Gimble

................................................................................................................................... 17924 Gimper

................................................................................................................................... 17925 Gnarl

................................................................................................................................... 18026 Gnarl3

................................................................................................................................... 18027 Gridcub

................................................................................................................................... 18028 Gridpol

................................................................................................................................... 18029 Gumper

................................................................................................................................... 18030 Gyre

................................................................................................................................... 18031 Horshu

................................................................................................................................... 18032 Mirage

................................................................................................................................... 18033 Mirball

................................................................................................................................... 18134 Mirecho

................................................................................................................................... 18135 Mirkali

................................................................................................................................... 18136 Mirmaze

................................................................................................................................... 18137 Mirrors

................................................................................................................................... 18138 Mirtile

................................................................................................................................... 18139 Mirwarp

................................................................................................................................... 18140 Mome

................................................................................................................................... 18241 Moom

................................................................................................................................... 18242 Nubble

................................................................................................................................... 18243 Ogre

................................................................................................................................... 18244 Popcorn

................................................................................................................................... 18245 Project

................................................................................................................................... 18246 Pyro

................................................................................................................................... 18247 Ribble

XenoDream v1.5 HelpVI


................................................................................................................................... 18248 Ribblet

................................................................................................................................... 18349 Ringoz

................................................................................................................................... 18350 Ripple

................................................................................................................................... 18351 Ripplet

................................................................................................................................... 18352 Rosette

................................................................................................................................... 18353 Shell

................................................................................................................................... 18354 Sine

................................................................................................................................... 18355 Slithy

................................................................................................................................... 18456 Spheric

................................................................................................................................... 18457 Sphynx

................................................................................................................................... 18458 Spikes

................................................................................................................................... 18459 Spinz

................................................................................................................................... 18460 Spirals

................................................................................................................................... 18461 Spiro

................................................................................................................................... 18462 Styro

................................................................................................................................... 18563 Swirlx

................................................................................................................................... 18564 Swirly

................................................................................................................................... 18565 Swirlz

................................................................................................................................... 18566 Tilexy

................................................................................................................................... 18567 Tilexyd

................................................................................................................................... 18568 Toppy

................................................................................................................................... 18669 Toroidz

................................................................................................................................... 18670 Toves

................................................................................................................................... 18671 Tubers

................................................................................................................................... 18672 Tubey

................................................................................................................................... 18673 Twirl

................................................................................................................................... 18674 Twist

................................................................................................................................... 18675 Twistx

................................................................................................................................... 18776 Twisty

................................................................................................................................... 18777 Twistz

................................................................................................................................... 18778 Vortex

................................................................................................................................... 18779 Wabe

................................................................................................................................... 18780 Warble

................................................................................................................................... 18781 Warp

................................................................................................................................... 18782 Waver

................................................................................................................................... 18883 Wheel

................................................................................................................................... 18884 Whirl

................................................................................................................................... 18885 Whorl

................................................................................................................................... 18886 Woob

VIIContents

VII


................................................................................................................................... 18887 Wrap

................................................................................................................................... 18888 Zagzigz

................................................................................................................................... 18889 Zigzagz

................................................................................................................................... 18990 Zinzan

................................................................................................................................... 18991 Zypes

Index 190

XenoDream v1.5 HelpVIII


Welcome to XenoDream

XenoDream Software - transcend your imagination today

Part

I

XenoDream v1.5 Help10


1 Welcome to XenoDream

1.1 What is XenoDream?

XenoDream is a 3-D graphics program that could be described as an artist's workshop, adventureplayground, tool or toy. It is a flexible environment incorporating 3-D object creation, 3-D lighting andfilters, 2-D layering and various other operations. XenoDream's object modeling is unique and verypowerful, combining smooth shapes and 3-D IFS fractal methods. This allows it to cover vast possibilities,from constructing the simplest objects to exploring wild shapescapes. There are no formulas orprogramming to learn; it is entirely interactive. There are many ways to use it, and it will continue to evolve.

· Explore infinite realms of strange and beautiful shapes of every type, familiar or abstract, solid ornebulous, simple or intricate.

· Explore at random, morph interactively or make precise adjustments, in any order you choose, and allwith continuous previews.

· Apply 3-D lighting and other combined filters interactively for diverse lighting, material and artisticeffects. Hundreds of presets are provided.

· Merge pictures with layering options.

· Load other pictures and use XenoDream's unique filtering to process them.

· Export objects as 3-D meshes.

XenoDream requires Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2K/XP, with minimum screen resolution 800x600 smallfonts or 1024x768 large fonts, and at least 16 bit color (65k colors).

See Getting Help for information about support, user groups, FAQ and several ways to use help withinXenoDream.

See What's new in this version for a summary of changes since version 1.2.

See Getting Started to learn about XenoDream and start playing with tutorials.

Visit http://xenodream.com for the latest information.

© 2000-2004 XenoDream Software, LLC. All rights reserved.

1.2 Getting help

Website

The XenoDream website is at http://xenodream.com for information, galleries, updates and purchasingthe program.

Contacting us

You can reach us at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] general help with using the program, we recommend the user groups as other users have a wealth ofexperience and useful tips to share. We welcome any bug reports or suggestions, either directly orthrough the user groups.

User groups

Join the xenodreamers mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xenodreamers for general supportand discussion.

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http://xenodream.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xenodreamers

Welcome to XenoDream 11


Join the xenodreampix mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xenodreampix to share pictures andparameter files.Note: these are likely to change at some time. If these groups are no longer active, details will be foundthere or at our website.

Getting Started

For an introduction to XenoDream we recommend that you read the Getting Started section of thishelp, and do the tutorials that are included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Check the FAQ for more answers, including some useful techniques. Updated versions of the FAQmay be posted in the user groups or on our website between program releases.

Help Contents

You can open this help file from the XenoDream Help icon in the programs menu, or from withinXenoDream. In the Main window, click the Help menu and select Help Contents. In the Lighting window,click the Help Contents button .

Specific Help

To get specific help for any control (except preview windows), right-click on the control and select the"What's This?" menu that appears. You can also press the F1 key to get help on the control or menu itemthat currently has the focus.

Metamorph Styles

To get popup help about any metamorph style, right-click on the style name in the Style List.

Mouse-over Hints

XenoDream controls may have two levels of mouse-over hints. Short hints show the name of controls thataren't otherwise fully labeled. Full hints show more information about the control. To switch between shortand full hints, check or uncheck the Full Hints option in the Main window Options menu. Not all controlshave hints in this version.

1.3 What's new in this version

Version 1.5 contains a few major features (3-D mesh export, custom color gradients, automatedstereograms) and many minor improvements. This list is only a summary, and some trivial items havebeen omitted. For full details refer to the relevant Help topics. The list is organized in sections, with bugfixes last in each section.

General

Replaced the Windows color dialog with a custom design. It offers a choice of color modes, standard andcustom color squares, an eyedropper that works over the whole screen, and live update of the programwhile the color dialog is open.

Screensavers are now disabled while rendering, to prevent display problems that can occur with OpenGLscreensavers under NT, 2K and XP at least.

Numeric controls no longer beep when pressing the spacebar to set them to zero, or pressing the Enter

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key.

Changed the color of memory spots to cream for empty and blue for full.

Improved scaling behaviour for font settings other than 'small fonts'.

Fixed a bug where the Confirm Render New preference was not being saved.

Fixed a bug with some memory spots where clicking did not always choose the closest memory spot.

The Main window - general

Toolbars can now be moved within their control band.

Added a File menu item and toolbar button for Save, with automatic incrementing suffix if the parameterfile exists.

Added a File menu item for Save Holon, to save only the active holon in an xep file.

The File Open dialog now remembers the last position on screen instead of moving to a fixed position.

File Append now has its own remembered location instead of sharing with Save and Open.

File Append no longer adds the file to the recently used list.

Moved the Show Full Hints option from the toolbar to the Options menu.

Now you can select and drag holons in a single action in the Holon window.

The Holon window now has a popup menu to add a holon where you click. The menu includes a standardholon and 25 constructor shapes.

In the Preview, picture mapping now has bilinear interpolation for the same quality as rendering.

Dragging in the Preview window now adjusts camera angle instead of camera position, so appearance ispreserved.

Fixed a bug where Undo Last Drag button was not always disabled after opening a new file.

Fixed a bug where the palette preview would get shaded preview superimposed after the window wascovered if shaded preview was enabled.

Fixed a bug in the shaded preview that caused objects to appear flatter than they should.

Fixed a bug where clicking or releasing the Free Holon button did not rebalance holondensity/probabilities.

Fixed a bug where opening files with small values of camera zoom or object size caused invalid floatingpoint errors.

Fixed a bug where selecting all holons and clicking the Delete button caused an access violation.

Fixed a bug where File New followed by opening files with certain shadow combinations could cause anaccess violation error.



The Main window - File page

The Random Parameter File button can now select files in the base folder instead of always going up onelevel if any subfolders exist.

When opening files, the full path is now shown at the bottom of the File page.

In any field, pressing the Enter key opens the Save As dialog.

The Main window - View page

The state of the View Drag Mode and Rotate By controls are now remembered.

Added buttons to set Clip Front to the closest point, and set Clip Back to the furthest point, forconvenience when adjusting clipping planes.

Added angle controls for display and direct adjustment of object angles.

Added a Stereogram button, with Stereo Depth and Distance controls, for automatic and interactivecreation of stereograms for cross-eyed viewing.

Increased the number of View memory spots to 20.

The Main window - Shape page

The Align Cyclic dialog is more powerful and easier to use, with new Range and Center controls,randomize buttons, and dynamic variation of the number of holons. It has a button to recall the last valuesused.

Removed the New Geometric Layout button.

Increased the number of Shape Memory Spots to 20.

Shape memory spots now include fisheye and clipping parameters when the View is recalled.

The state of the Include View and Include Color checkboxes are now remembered.

Changed preference options for Shape Drag and Drag Rotate modes to remember or not.

Added a Max Iteration control for each holon, for limiting consecutive iterations.

Added Exclusive iteration controls, for limiting iterations in some circumstances.

Added two new metamorph styles; a Prism constructor for a wide range of prism shapes, and Warble forsharp radial spikes.

For metamorphs, Reposition is now checked by default.

Added Extend Holon controls to allow use of another holon for extra metamorphing or displacementmapping.

Moved the Holon Info List button to the Holon toolbar. In the Holon Info list, changed the Free indicatorfrom = to f, and changed the Hidden indicator from * to h.



Fixed a minor bug in randomizing the first metamorph, where Sync did not always apply to Amount forconstructors.

Fixed a bug with the .Sphere metamorph having a tiny hole in the top and bottom.

The Main window - Color page

Reorganized the Color page for more logical flow and less clutter. Previous gradient controls have beenmoved to a new Parametric Gradient window.

Implemented powerful custom gradients for ease and flexibility in designing gradients. They have theirown editor and preset windows.

Added a Map To dropdown list to choose between Parametric Gradient, Custom Gradient or BackgroundPicture (Metamorph coloring only) for each holon. The default is now Custom Gradient.

Added a gradient strip to show the active holon's gradient.

An Edit Gradient button opens the appropriate gradient editor window to edit the current gradient.

The Open Preset button opens the appropriate preset window depending on the Map To control.

In the Preview window in Palette mode, drag and drop between holons supports both parametric andcustom gradients.

Renamed Skip Color to Inherit Color.

Increased the number of Color Memory Spots to 20.

For Metamorph Coloring mode:

Moved the Use Style control to below the Coloring Method selector and renamed it to Map From, andrenamed the options to be more explanatory.

The first Meta Pattern now defaults to 3.0

Added a new Map From option for Flame coloring.

Added five new options to the Curve controls.

Fixed a bug where opening files with Metamorph coloring could set Cycle to 200 for holon 1 if it wasn't theactive holon.

Fixed a bug in Metamorph coloring causing erratic Meta pattern behavior when using Other holon withpopcorn, gnarl, gnarl3, sphynx or spinz styles.

Fixed a bug that could cause floating point overflow errors in some cases with Metamorph coloring andany Curve parameter set to Tanh.

The Main window - Rendering page



The Shadow ball appearance is improved with more antialiased drawing.

The prompt to keep or close the alpha channel when rendering with 100% opacity is no longer followed bya confirmation to close the alpha channel.

Fixed bugs in Hybrid and Ordered methods where shadows were not rendered or could cause errors.

Fixed a bug in Hybrid render with Metamorph coloring where Use Style set to Skip All produced randomnoise in many cases.

Fixed a bug in Hybrid render where regions with Per Holon method could cause access violations.

Fixed a bug where a shadow at position 0,0 could cause floating point errors in lighting.

Fixed a bug where deleting a shadow did not update the Horz and Vert controls for the active shadow.

The Main window - Regions page

The default Region Method is now Per Holon.

Added a button for the Per Holon method to assign each holon to its own region.

Added an option to the Per Holon method for the holon to inherit regions from other holons.

Fixed a bug where rendering with regions then changing the number of regions (other than to 1 or from 1)then doing Render New would not update the number of regions available for lighting.

Fixed a bug where changing Region Method to Per Holon did not update the Number of Regions value.

The Picture window

The Picture window toolbars are now movable within the control band.

The File menu now has a single item for Open Picture. After you select a file, a dialog opens for choosingthe destination. The Lit picture is now also an option.

The File menu now has a Reopen Picture choice with a submenu of recently used pictures. After choosinga file, the destination dialog opens.

The Edit menu now has a Clear option. It clears the active picture by filling it with the background color.

Saving pictures in JPG format now automatically combines layers, so what you see is what will be saved,and there is no longer a warning to copy/merge before saving.

Saving and opening Depth maps now have their own remembered location, instead of sharing with thePicture location.

Added a Render More button and changed the Render button to Render New without a menu. Note: ifthis causes problems with old habits, you may want to set the Confirmation for Render New option inPreferences. There is still a popup menu in the picture area that works as before.

Fixed a bug in repainting the background of the Picture window when the picture window is smaller thanthe window.



Fixed a bug where viewing the Background picture while rendering left the Unlit pic button up althoughrendering was shown, and hovering the mouse so that hints covered the picture would cause flashingbetween the background and rendering pictures.

The Lighting window

Changed the default lighting parameters to a more useful effect.

Dragging in the Lighting Preview now refreshes better.

Pressing the Enter key now clicks the Apply button.

The Lighting ball appearance is improved with more antialiased drawing.

Increased the number of Lighting Memory Spots to 20.

Added 10 Region Lighting Memory Spots, and changed the layout of region controls. These memoryspots store lighting for all regions and the global parameters.

Fixed a bug where deleting a light other than the highest did not update the parameters.

Fixed a bug where applying lighting with Glow 0 then changing Glow (directly or by opening presets etc)before lighting had finished would cause an access violation.

Fixed a bug where enabling or adding a shadow when no rendered shadows were available would causethe light to jump to an unrendered shadow's position if one existed.

Fixed a bug where stopping lighting before it finished left the mouse cursor in the hourglass state.

Fixed a bug with lighting preview scrollbars getting stuck or messed up when the preview scrollbars arethe first thing you touch after choosing a lighting preset or working in the Depth window, while thosewindows remain open.

The Lighting Preset window

There are now separate panes for categories and presets. Removed the 'all' and 'none' category options.Any presets that had no category are given category '0'. The preset listbox now adjusts to fit the width ofthe window as well as the height when the window is resized. Exporting is now restricted to one categoryat a time. You can drag and drop presets to a different category in the category list. The category isrememembered from last time the window was opened.

Pressing the Enter key now clicks the OK button in the Lighting preset window.

Fixed a bug where renaming a lighting preset would cause an access violation if you had not previouslyadded a lighting preset in this session.

Fixed a bug where Import caused an invalid floating point error for locations with decimal separators set tocomma.

The Depth window

Add to Original is now correctly scaled for uniformity.



The Mesh Export window

Implemented 3D mesh export with a range of generation options. Meshes can be saved in OBJ, PLY andPOVRay INC formats.

1.4 Uninstalling XenoDream

If you want to remove XenoDream from your computer, follow these steps (exact details may vary betweenWindows versions):

1. In the Control Panel, start 'Add/Remove Programs'.2. Locate XenoDream in the list of installed programs and select it.3. Click the 'Change/Remove' button, then confirm removing it from your computer.

The XenoDream folder will still exist in Program Files\Sterling Thornton, or wherever you elected to installit, along with any data or picture files you saved there. You may delete or keep these as you wish.

1.5 Acknowledgments

Our sincere thanks go to:

Anne du Bois, Bryan A. Smith, Christina Bartsch, Dennis Ginley, Eleny, Fawn, George Phillips, JosephPresley, Juliette Gribnau, Lein, Linda McCarthy, Paul N. Lee, Sharon Shultz, Skydancer, Stan Hood,Zelda K.

All our beta testers, and everyone who has given us feedback.

Most bitmap management was based on Gordy's Fastlib graphics library (not recently available).

Mesh export uses an isosurface extraction method and volume filling method by Dave Eberly (www.wild-magic.com).

The mesh simplification was partly based on the Polychop demo by Stan Melax.

This documentation was produced with Help & Manual (http://www.helpandmanual.com).

The installer for v1.5 is built with Inno Setup.

Getting started


Part

II

Getting started 19


2 Getting started

2.1 Overview: Getting started

This section introduces you to XenoDream: how you work with it, how the shapes are constructed andsome of the kinds of shapes you can make. We describe what may be familiar and what is different fromother programs. Most importantly, you get to start playing.

The XenoDream process describes how the program is organized and typical workflows. Two aspectsthat may be new to you are:· 2-D fractal programs set the colors directly or with gradients. 3-D programs such as XenoDream

calculate final colors from the interaction of object colors, material properties and lighting.· In both 3-D and fractal programs, rendering usually produces a finished picture. In XenoDream,

rendering generates the essential data and 3-D lighting is added afterwards. This is necessary becauseof the way the shapes are generated, and also has some advantages (experimenting with lighting ismuch faster than having to render each time, and it also allows complex sequential effects.) However,any shadows must be calculated during the render.

XenoDream's object modeling explains the unique method of constructing shapes.

Types of objects illustrate some categories of objects that you can create.

About 3-D reviews the ideas of 3-D modeling, and what XenoDream does.

Tutorials present 15 exercises that guide you through the basics and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions provides some answers and techniques.

See also Getting Help

Note: You may need to resize some of the windows when they first open, especially if your screenresolution is set to use large fonts or a custom font size. The size and position of most windows areremembered between sessions.

About the sample files...

There are two types of parameter files included with XenoDream:1. In the File menu, Starter Shapes... provides a list of generic shapes as a convenient way to start,

without any color or lighting.2. The regular File Open method lets you browse various folders and open files with the full range of

parameters.

We have provided a small number of starters and 270 sample parameter files, sorted into categories.They were selected mainly to demonstrate a variety of shapes, styles and purposes, and the includedlighting varies from good to non-existent. We encourage you to use these files in whatever way youchoose, whether it's learning about their construction, as starting points for your own creations, or usingthem as is. You can very quickly modify a shape beyond recognition, and you'll soon see how infinite thevariations are. Morphing or metamorphing existing shapes is also a great way to spark creativity if you findyourself otherwise stuck for ideas.

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2.2 The XenoDream process

The usual process is to create or edit 3-D objects, render them, apply 3-D lighting and save the result.There are other possibilities, such as combining picture layers, applying multiple lighting, processing otherpictures or exporting 3-D meshes. The following diagram shows how the program is organized.

The Main window

You use the Main window to work with 3-D objects. You design the shape and coloring of the object. As itis 3-D, you can set the camera to view it from any direction, distance and zoom. You can set loweropacities for some transparency. You can set regions of the object that can have different lighting ormaterial properties.

Rendering

The rendering process calculates 3-D points in random or other sequences, but cannot calculate them inpixel order for reasons explained in the next topic. It generates a very large number of points that areaccreted into a more or less solid 3-D object. We have to calculate all the points to know the shape of theobject in detail, so we can't calculate how the surface will respond to lighting until afterwards. Renderingcalculates the distance from the camera to each pixel (the Depth Map), the inherent color of each pixel(the Unlit Picture), shadow maps for each light that can cast a shadow, and if required, the opacity of eachpixel (the Alpha Channel).

The Picture window

You monitor the rendering progress in the Picture window, which always shows the Unlit picture whilerendering. This is where you work with picture layers and 2-D filters. One of the layers, the Lit picture, iscreated when you apply 3-D lighting. The Lit picture is usually the one you want, either directly or withadditional layering or effects. You save the pictures from this window, and you can also save the depthmap for importing into other 3-D applications as a terrain, and open depth maps saved in XenoDream orother applications.

The Lighting window

This is where the Unlit picture, depth map, shadow maps and alpha channel are combined with 3-Dlighting to create the result, which is stored as the Lit picture. You can preview lighting while you are stillrendering, and the quality will improve as the render approaches completion. You need to stop renderingto apply lighting. You can resume rendering for better detail if necessary (if using the default "chaos"method.) Because lighting does not change any of the source data, you can apply different lighting

Getting started 21


without needing to undo first. However there are some options such as reflection that can createinteractions between successive lighting, requiring more care.

The Depth window

You can create or modify the depth map according to the colors in any one of the pictures. This allows youto apply 3-D lighting effects to any picture that you open in the Picture window, or to add bump mappingeffects to an object. This is not necessary for lighting a rendered object, because rendering produces thecorrect depth map for the object.

Saving

Pictures are saved to file from the Picture window. You can also save depth maps.You can save the current settings as a XenoDream parameter file (.xep) at any time. The .xep files arevery small, typically one or two kilobytes, and contain all the shape, color, view and lighting parameters.They do not currently include any details of bitmaps, layers or previously used lighting or objectparameters. Parameter files are saved from the Main window, and you are also prompted to save theparameter file after saving a picture if you haven't already.Exporting a 3-D mesh is a separate process in the Mesh Export window.

The Mesh Export window

You can export the object in the Main window by opening the Mesh Export window. There you can renderthe object for export, triangulate it into a mesh, simplify the mesh to reduce the polygon count and filesize, and save it in OBJ or POV format.

2.3 XenoDream's object modeling

Most 3-D programs work by assembling independent objects, which may be standard shapes such asspheres, cylinders, cubes etc (sometimes called primitives), or various kinds of meshes.

XenoDream's model uses building blocks that are often interdependent, inheriting each other's shapes.To distinguish them from ordinary objects we have called them holons. Hungarian philosopher ArthurKoestler coined the word "holon" to describe something that is both a whole and an identifiable part of alarger whole. Just a few holons can produce a huge variety of shapes with rich detail. We will refer to theoverall shape as the object.

To see how holons work, we will need to combine several concepts: constructors, transformation,inheritance and iteration.

Constructors

Constructors are standard shapes that can be assigned to holons. XenoDream has a selection ofstandard shapes (cube, cone, cylinder, sphere, crystal, torus, plane, frame) and each has variations. Hereare some of the variations of the two cube constructors.

Figure 1.



The shape of constructor holons is not affected by other holons.

Transformation

Transformation means modifying an existing shape. The simplest kind is called linear because anystraight line is mapped to another straight line. Linear transformations can change scales, orientation,position, and also skew. (Skew is a rotation of one direction relative to others, and at 180 degrees itproduces a reflection.) These are essential for specifying objects in 3-D. Every holon has a lineartransformation. If we draw the holons as cubes, their sizes, orientations and positions are different as aresult of those transformations.

Any other transformation is non-linear. We have called them metamorphs. Each holon can have up totwo metamorphs, selected from a list. At present they are pre-programmed, and each has threeparameters to adjust the effects. Here are some examples of metamorphs applied to a cube.

Figure 2.

The result of a metamorph depends on the shape it is applied to. (However, we have actuallyimplemented constructors as a special type of metamorph that creates a specific shape regardless of theinput shape.)

Inheritance and iteration

So far, holons seem fairly simple, though some metamorphs can get a bit wild. Where does thecomplexity come in? It comes from inheritance. Holons need to have something to transform. So theyinherit the shapes of ALL holons (including themselves) and transform those shapes, to get the holon'sown shape. The shape of each holon therefore depends on all the holons. (Constructors break thisdependence by overriding the shapes they inherit).

If holons can depend on themselves and each other, how do they know what shape to be? To understandthe answer, we can start by looking at the kind of shapes that result. The first example has two holons.One is a cube constructor, rotated slightly for effect, shown in yellow. The other is a simple holon thatreduces size to 93% and rotates 30 degrees counterclockwise. You can think of this holon as having twoparts. One part inherits the other holon (the yellow cube), shrinks it and rotates it, to make the largest graycube in the spiral. The other part inherits itself, which has the effect of iterating that gray cube into acomplete spiral. Holons that are not constructors will generally create iterated structures.

Getting started 23


Figure 3.

The next example uses the same holons, but neither is a constructor. Each holon inherits and iterates theother and itself. The large holon iterates in a spiral shape. The small holon iterates by shrinking to 36%and moving to the right. The combined result is spirals of spirals of spirals etc.

Figure 4.

Shapes with some kind of self-similarity (variations of the same shape are repeated at different scales) arecalled fractals. There are many types of fractals, and this particular type is a 3-D Iterated Function System(IFS). If you have encountered these before, the "holons" were probably called transforms or functions.We wanted a name that is less overloaded, so you can play with these strange building blocks withoutbeing distracted by mathematics or other word meanings. The IFS method (as explained below) is used togenerate all objects in XenoDream, even though constructors allow you to make shapes that may nothave any fractal characteristics.

How is the shape actually made from the holons?

We have shown how holons produce iterated shapes. Iteration is also the process used to generate theshapes. One point is calculated at each step. Starting with any point in the shape, each holon inherits thatpoint and transforms it to a new point. Two holons produce two new points. Repeating this process withthose two points produces four more points. Repeating enough times would produce millions of points,each with a different sequence of holon inheritance. The number of points necessary to fill in the shapedepends on the size of the picture, and on the density of the shape, which depends on the scale factors ofeach holon. Longer sequences would not produce any new points.

There are several methods of calculating the sequences of points. Some of them go through all thesequences in order; but that has some major disadvantages, depending on which order is used. Theother method chooses them at random, and for this reason we call it the chaos method. At each step aholon is chosen at random, and it inherits and transforms the previous point, creating one long random



sequence. This works because a sufficiently long random sequence contains all the different shortcombinations. One advantage of this method is that by filling in the shape randomly, the whole shape isvisible quite quickly, though the fine details take longer to accumulate. Therefore we use it for previews aswell as the default method for the full size picture.

How does the program find a starting point that is in the shape? It just starts with a point that is probablynot in the shape, and with each iteration the point converges towards the shape. This happens becauseholons are not allowed to have scales that expand. The shape is sometimes called the attractor for the setof holons. So XenoDream ignores the first thousand points in the random sequence to be fairly sure thatthe points are in the shape before it starts plotting them.

2.4 Types of objects

Holons and metamorphs are so versatile that categorization is difficult. Some general types of objects canbe described, labeled by either the holon characteristics or the resulting shapes.

· Single holon

A single holon must be a constructor to produce a shape (though there are some rare exceptions). It canbe modified by a second metamorph. The resulting shape is usually relatively smooth. It is not a fractal.The chaos method must be used to render it. These two examples use the Sphere constructor modifiedby Spikes, and the Cube constructor modified by Gridpol. See Figures 1 and 2 inXenoDream's object modeling for more examples.

· Two or more holons, all constructors

All holons are independent; essentially a collection of single holons. This is like the conventional way ofconstructing objects.

· Two or more holons, no constructors

All holons affect each other, resulting in a fractal with fine details that increase in complexity as you zoomin or render larger. With no metamorphs, or only subtle ones, the shape will be self-similar; with strongermetamorphs this can be obscured. Adjusting any holon changes the whole shape. The largest holonshave most influence over the shape, while the smaller holons affect the detail. It is easy to produce junkwith arbitrary assortments of this type.

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Getting started 25


· Several holons, some constructors

The relative numbers and sizes of the constructors and other holons determine the balance betweensmooth shapes and replication. If only one holon is not a constructor, it will replicate all constructor holons.If more than one are not constructors, the structure will be more complex.

· Spirals

One large holon acts as the anchor, controlling the spiral with its scales, rotation and position. Anymetamorphs on this holon will distort or destroy the spiral. One or more smaller holons provide the detailthat is iterated around the spiral. They can have constructors or other metamorphs.

· Kaleidoscopes and rings

Similar to a spiral but the anchor holon has all scales 100, positions 0. Because it does not shrink thescales, any rotation will iterate the other holons around a circle. If the angle of rotation is a factor of 360 ora multiple, the iterations will be evenly spaced. For example, an angle of 60 will give six copies around thecircle. If the angle does not divide evenly, the iterations will be closely spaced or smeared together into acontinuous ring. This can be used for vases, lampshades or other objects with rotational symmetry.



· Free holons

If one or more holons are Free, they don't interact with the others (they are not inherited). They inherit the"parent shape" formed by the holons that are not free. This is useful for two purposes. One is to applymore metamorphs than the two that are available per holon. If one holon is a constructor with anadditional metamorph, a free holon inherits that shape and allows two more metamorphs. The first holoncan be hidden with the Hide Parent Shape button. The other purpose is to make several copies of anyshape without affecting that shape. Each copy can be metamorphed. The example below has four holonsmaking a pyramid, and four free holons that inherit the pyramid and metamorph it.

· Explosions

Some combinations of holons and metamorphs can diverge or explode way beyond the view. They mayappear to be messy in the solid preview, but the transparent preview can reveal interesting patterns thatlook even better in a transparent render (opacity between 5 and 20). If the preview overflow indicatorcomes on you'll need to adjust the holons or metamorphs to less sensitive values. One clue to look for inthe solid preview is some hint of patterns or traces in the first second of preview before chaos obliterates it.

Getting started 27


Modeling vs exploring

To maximize control of the objects, especially if you are trying to make something specific, use all ormostly constructors. Use fewer or no constructors for more exploratory creation. Starting from scratch iseasier when using constructors, but requires patience when exploring, especially with pure fractals.Interesting fractal shapes tend to cluster together in parameter space, so you can get good results bystarting with an interesting shape and trying variations of holons and metamorphs. Random fractals aremostly junk, so exploring variations of junk is likely to produce more junk. By analogy, if you were exploringspace looking for planets, you would look near the stars. For quick results, explore many variations ofexisting shapes. If you head far out into the unknown, pay attention to patterns, looking for things thatimprove the result one at a time, rather than random or aimless changes that can lead to frustration.

2.5 About 3-D

This topic reviews the ideas of 3-D modeling, and what XenoDream does.

Objects are modeled in three dimensions.

· You can rotate them and view them from any distance and direction, just as you can turn a solid objectin your hands to see it from any side, and move it closer or further away from your eyes.

· The view that you choose is projected onto a flat screen (the camera).

· The object is projected in perspective (this means that closer parts appear larger than more distantparts.)

The colors you see depend on various factors related to light and materials.

· The natural (intrinsic) color at each point on the surface of the object (and internal colors if the objecthas some transparency).

· The intensity, color and type of light illuminating the object. This may include ambient light (which hasno direction) and light sources, which can have any direction in 3-D and can cast shadows.

· The material properties of the object. These determine how light responds to the surface, for examplehow shiny or smooth, how it reflects or refracts different colors, or glows or iridesces.

XenoDream implements many aspects of 3-D objects and lighting but also takes some shortcuts.

· Because it was designed to handle only one object at a time, object position is only defined relative tothe camera.

· Light angles are defined relative to the camera rather than the object.· Light sources are point sources, as if they are very distant. Spotlights are not implemented.These make it slightly simpler, but less suitable for advanced purposes such as animation.



· XenoDream blurs the distinction between materials, lights and 2-D filters, to achieve integrated post-processing effects. As a result, "realistic" appearances depend on the combinations you choose.

· Some effects such as transparency, reflection and refraction are approximations because accuracywould require knowing the full shape before rendering, or storing more information than would fit inmemory.

The complex and unfamiliar shapes of some objects, especially pure fractals, can make it harder to findlighting that helps the eye to see the 3-D shape unambiguously.

2.6 Tutorials

2.6.1 Overview: Tutorials

These tutorials will guide you through the basic processes of creating objects and pictures. You will createmost of the types of objects previously described, and also explore some more powerful techniques.

We recommend that you take time to play with what you learn from each tutorial before doing the nextone. Most tutorials are worth repeating any number of times with different choices.If you are upgrading from a previous version you will find that some of the familiar tutorials have beenrevised to illustrate some of the improvements.

Single Holon : the simplest type of object. This tutorial includes the shape, coloring, rendering, lightingand saving the picture and parameter file.

Spiral Shell : this classic shape is both a spiral and a pure fractal (no constructors). The tutorial coversthe shape, camera view, coloring, rendering and lighting.

Layered Picture : this tutorial covers layers, transparent rendering, filter effects, objects with someconstructors, coloring, rendering and lighting.

Kaleidoscope : experiment with kaleidoscope shapes.

Using Free Holons : examples of two uses of free holons.

Clouds : a routine for making an endless variety of clouds, rendering them transparently and combininglayers.

Creating Backgrounds : the essentials of the Background Creation Mode, to quickly create smooth orcomplex background pictures from metamorph coloring.

Using Picture Mapping : how to open a picture and map it onto an object; in this example mapping it toa cube and replicating it around a spiral.

Lighting Effects : three advanced lighting methods. First creating a single holon object, renderingtransparently and some examples of glassy lighting. Then exploring glazed surface effects, and finallymultiple lighting (applying one filter after another).

Filtered Noise : generating noise with Background Creation Mode and applying sequences of filters forvarious effects. The resulting textures could be used for picture mapping or as backgrounds.

Exclusive Iteration : a simple demonstration of these shape controls.

Using Extended Holons : how to get two extra metamorphs by extending a holon.

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Getting started 29


Using Displacement Mapping : how to extend a holon with displacement mapping (a kind of radialmetamorphing), and also adding a background surface with shadows and using Other Holon coloring.

Using Displacement Presets : how to append displacer holons from parameter files.

Exporting a Mesh : procedures for creating a 3-D mesh file from an object in the Main window. Themesh can be imported into most 3-D modeling or rendering programs.

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2.6.2 Single holon

First, make sure you are starting from scratch. If you just started XenoDream, you're ready to begin;

otherwise click the File New button in the Standard toolbar.

First things first

We will set the Creator name to be included when you save your files.

1. If the File page isn't already showing, click the File tab to go to the File page. (The File page is one ofthe tabbed pages at the bottom of the window).

2. Edit the text in the Creator field; perhaps your name or alias.3. Click the Set Default button. This will be the default Creator when you start XenoDream, start a new

file, or click the Get Default button.

Making the shape

For this exercise we are using only one holon, which is already there. We don't need to change any of thebasic holon parameters, only the metamorph parameters on the right side of the Shape page. There aretwo metamorphs and we will set the first to a crystal constructor shape and the second to a radial patternon the crystal surface.

1. Click the Shape tab to go to the Shape page.2. Click the first (leftmost) Style button (the caption is '(None)' initially). It stays down, and the Style List

opens.3. Select .Crystal from the Style List.4. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 100, to make the crystal style a pure constructor.5. Reduce Scale to 6.0 to set the size. Note: you can either type the numbers or drag them with the

mouse.6. Set Special to 4.0 to set the number of faces to 6 (it is the value of Special plus 2).7. Click the second Style button and select Giblet from the style list.8. Right-click on Giblet in the style list to see popup help about it. All styles have this quick reference for

what the parameters do.9. Set the second style's Amount to 1.0, Scale to 15 and Special to 10.

Usually you will use larger values of Amount to change the shapes. Here the giblet pattern is only abump on the crystal surface.

Setting the colors

1. Click the Color tab to go to the Color page. The preview changes to color preview mode.2. In the Coloring Method dropdown box, choose Metamorph. You need to use this method for single

holons. Notice the additional controls that appear below the Method control.3. Set the first Meta pattern parameter to 1.8 and the second to 1.0.

4. Click the Gradient Presets button to open the Custom Gradient Preset window. Select the"Basic" category on the left, and choose the "Christmas wrap" preset. Click OK to close the window.

Getting started 31


Rendering the picture

1. Click the Render New button on the toolbar. The Picture window appears and the object fills inrapidly.

On the toolbar, notice the Stop Render button , the Render More button and the number thatis updated every second. This is the number of new pixels plotted each second, which starts off large andreduces as the object surface is filled in. Note: the number can jump around a bit and varies with thecomputer speed, so numbers given in the tutorials are only suggestions.

2. Let it render until the progress indicator is down to about 600, then click the Stop Render button.

Rendering stops and the button changes to the Render New button .

The object doesn't look finished, because depth and lighting haven't been incorporated yet.

Applying lighting

1. Click the Lighting button on the Picture window toolbar to open the Lighting window. You may needto resize it to show all the controls.

2. Scroll the Lighting Preview until the crystal is visible.

The fastest way to get started is with Lighting presets.

3. Click the Lighting Presets button to open the Lighting Preset window.4. Drag the Lighting Preset window by its title bar so that it doesn't cover the Lighting Preview. You may

also need to move the Lighting window to find a convenient layout.5. The lighting preset categories are listed on the left. Click on the "Metal" category.6. Click on a preset name and notice the effect in the Lighting Preview window. You can scroll the

Lighting Preview window around to see how the rest of the crystal looks, while the Lighting Presetwindow remains open.

7. Try out some of the metal presets and choose one that suits this object, eg "Foil detail".8. Click the OK button to close the Lighting Preset window.9. Click the Apply button in the Lighting window to apply the lighting to the object. The Picture window

now shows the Lit picture.

Saving the results

First we'll save the Lit picture to a Jpeg file.

1. In the Picture window, click the File menu and choose Save Picture...2. Create a folder for your pictures by clicking the button for New Folder, and name it anything you like.3. Open the folder you just created.4. Type a filename (eg Xmas wrap tut) into the Filename field and click the OK button.

Note: If you wanted to load this picture into another graphics program, instead of saving it in JPG formatyou would choose either Bitmap or Photoshop format, or copy it to the clipboard and paste it into the otherprogram.

Saving a picture does not save the parameters to recreate the fractal picture. Next we'll save theparameters in a XenoDream Parameter file, which has extension .xep. After saving the picture, you areprompted to save the parameters.

5. When prompted to save the parameter file, click Yes.6. In the Save dialog, open the Data folder.7. Create a folder for your own parameter files by clicking the New Folder button and typing a folder



name.8. Type a name for the file in the Filename field (eg Xmas wrap tut).9. Click the OK button to save the parameter file.

Note: you can save the current settings as a parameter file at any time by clicking the Save As button

in the Main window Standard toolbar.

Getting started 33


2.6.3 Spiral shell


otherwise click the File New button on the toolbar.

Making the shape

1. Click the Shape tab to go to the Shape page. The holon parameter controls are in three columnsheaded X, Y and Z.

2. Adjust any one of the three Scale parameters to 95.

3. Click the Sync Scales button to make the scales equal.4. Adjust the Z Rotation to 30.5. Adjust the Z Position to 7.6. Click the Add Holon button in the Holon toolbar to add a new holon. A second holon appears in the

Holon window and is yellow to show it is now the active holon.7. Adjust the X Position to 100.8. Adjust the X and Y Scales to 40, and Z Scale to 30.9. Adjust the Y Rotation to 330 and the Z Rotation to 180.10. Check the Optimize option, and notice that the preview fills in faster, so keep this option checked.You should now have a spiral shell in the Preview window:

Changing the view

Now we want to rotate the shell to a different viewing angle.

1. Click the View tab to go to the View page.2. Set the Rotate By control to 20.3. Click the Roll Right button.4. Click the Rotate Up button.5. Click the Rotate Left button.6. Adjust the X Position to -0.10 to center the shell horizontally.7. Adjust the Y Position to -0.12 to center it vertically.

Note: Other ways to rotate the object are to set the View Drag Mode to Object Angle and drag in theHolon window, or to adjust the Angle controls.

Coloring the shell

The shell does not use constructor metamorphs so we will use Holon Sequence coloring to provide finedetails, and Parametric Gradients so we can randomize both holon gradients together.

1. Click the Color tab to go to the Color page.



2. Click the Select All button in the Holon toolbar to select both holons.3. In the Map To dropdown box, choose Parametric Gradient.

4. Click the Edit Gradient button to open the Parametric Gradient Editor window. Drag it to aconvenient position, which will depend on your screen resolution, making sure you can see the ColorMemory Spots on the Color page.

5. In the Parametric Gradient Editor, set the Gain to 10.

6. Click the Randomize Gradients button (uppermost ) and wait a few seconds to see how thepreview looks. If you don't like the colors, repeat until some acceptable colors appear.

7. To get some spiral color variation, adjust the Blend control up or down (leave Blender set to 1).8. Click on one of the Color Memory Spots (the grid of 20 cream squares on the Color page) to

temporarily save the color scheme. It turns blue to show that it's in use.9. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until you have several color schemes saved.10. Now click on each of the blue memory spots in turn to compare the color schemes, and choose one.Here's an example:

Rendering the shell

The first step is to select which shadows you might want.1. Click the Rendering tab to go to the Rendering page.2. In the Shadows section on the left, set the Shadow Preset control to 5. This sets up four lights that

can cast shadows.3. To start the render, click the Render New button in the Render toolbar at the top of the Main window.4. The Picture window appears and you should see the object taking shape.5. Wait until the progress indicator number falls below about 600, then click the Stop Render button

.

The fractal doesn't look finished, because depth and lighting haven't been incorporated yet.

Lighting the shell

1. Click the Lighting button on the Picture window toolbar to open the Lighting window.2. Scroll the Lighting Preview to show and interesting part of the shell.

3. Click the Lighting Presets button to open the Lighting Preset window.4. In the Category list click "1st", and in the Preset list click "Soft 1".5. Click the OK button to close the Lighting Preset window.6. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting to the whole shell.

Getting started 35




2.6.4 Layered picture

First we make a sky using some transparency and filtering, then we make a foreground object.

Making a sky background

1. We'll use one of the parameter files provided with XenoDream to make a cloudy sky.

2. Click the File Open button on the toolbar.3. Open the Data folder. (If you recently opened a sample parameter file, going up one level should take

you back to the Data folder.)4. Open the Atmospheric folder.5. Select the file named "Afternoon high cloud.xep" and click OK.

The preview shows a rather solid shape.

1. Click the Transparent Preview button in the Preview toolbar to get a better idea of how theclouds should look (though the preview shows them against a black background.)

2. Go to the Rendering page. The Holon Opacity control is already set to 6, a suitably low value for therender.

3. Click the Render New button on the toolbar. With such low opacity it will take a while for the cloudsto appear.

4. When the progress indicator falls to 3000, click the Stop Render button .

The clouds would look better with some blurring. First we need to merge the clouds and background colortogether.

1. Notice that the Picture window title bar caption says "Unlit picture + Back color".

2. Click the Copy/Merge button on the toolbar. The Copy/Merge window opens, and the defaultdestination is the Background picture, which is what we want.

3. Click OK to merge the layers.4. Notice that the Picture window caption now says we're looking at the Background picture, so we're

ready to apply blur.5. Click the Effects menu and choose Gaussian blur...6. Set the Width to 6, Amount to 100 and Lighten to 4. You can scroll the preview to see more of the

blurred clouds.7. Click OK to apply the blur effect.

We can enhance the realism by blending some of the unblurred clouds back in.

1. Click the Unlit Picture button on the toolbar to show the Unlit picture (the rendered clouds).

2. Click the Alphablend button on the toolbar to re-engage the alpha channel opacity.3. Adjust the Layer Opacity down to about 40.4. Click the Copy/Merge button.5. Click OK to merge the layers into the Background picture.

Now the sky background is done, we'll make an object for the foreground.

Making a foreground object

1. Click the Main button to return to the Main window.

2. Click the File New button on the toolbar, to begin a new object. Click OK to proceed without

Getting started 37


saving.3. Release the Transparent Preview button if it is still down.4. Go to the Shape page.5. Set the X, Y and Z Scales to 96.6. Set the X Position to -8.7. Click the Add Holon button.8. Click the Preview Mode button to set the preview to Gray mode. This is faster for making shapes and

shows what the active holon is doing.9. Set the X, Y and Z Scales to 40.10. Click the first Style button, and select .Cone from the Style List.11. Check Reorient. This will allow the cone to be reoriented by the holon rotation parameters.12. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 25, Scale to -9 and Special to 8.13. Release the Style button to hide the Style List.14. Click the Add Holon button.15. Set the X, Y and Z Scales to 33.16. Click on an empty (cream) Shape Memory Spot to store this starting shape.

Now we will experiment to find interesting shapes.Note: To select a holon, adjust the Active Holon control in the Holon toolbar. (You can also select holonsby clicking in the Holon window. The nearest holon to the pointer is shown in red, to indicate which holonwill become active when you click.)

1. Select holon 1.2. Change the X and Y Skews and X and Y Rotations by small amounts (between about -10 and 10).

You want a combination that keeps the whole shape within the preview.3. Select holon 2.4. Change the position and rotation parameters. You can also change the position by dragging the

holon in the Holon window, after making sure Drag Mode is set to Position.5. Select holon 3.6. Change the position and rotation parameters.7. Repeat any of the above adjustments in any order. Store promising shapes to empty Shape Memory

Spots, and restore from full (blue) spots to work with them again.

When you've chosen the final shape:

1. Click the Preview with Background button in the Holon toolbar, to show the sky background inthe preview.

2. Adjust the Object Size for a good composition.

Now we will assign colors, using Metamorph coloring and inheriting the pattern from the spiral cone.

1. Go to the Color page.2. Set the Coloring Method to Metamorph.3. Select holon 1.4. Set Map From to Inherit all, and check Inherit Color.5. Select holon 3.6. Set Map From to Inherit all, and check Inherit Color.7. Select holon 2.

8. Click the Edit Gradient button to open the Custom Gradient Editor (because Map To is set toCustom Gradient).

9. Click once in the middle of the gradient box to add another node.

10. Click the Randomize All Parameters button until you like the results.11. Click OK to close the Custom Gradient Editor window.



12. Experiment with the three Meta Pattern controls.

Now to render the object.

1. Click the Render New button in the Render toolbar.2. When asked if you want to keep the old Alpha Channel, click No.3. When the progress indicator falls to below 300, click the Stop Render button.4. Click the Lighting button on the toolbar to open the Lighting window.5. Scroll the Lighting preview to show part of the object.

6. Click the Lighting Presets button .7. In the Category list click "1st", and in the Preset list click "Cloudy day", and click OK to close the

Lighting Presets window.8. In the Depth panel, uncheck Extra and check Fine.9. In the Light Sources panel, select Light #1, click the Sync button, and adjust Diffuse% to 60. Set

Intensity to 65.10. In the Glow, Haze and Background panel, the Background Source button is beside the

Background Color rectangle and has the caption "Color". Click it until the caption is "Back picture".11. Set Glow to 4.12. Click Apply to apply the lighting.

Here is an example:

Getting started 39


2.6.5 Kaleidoscope

A holon with maximum scale and some rotation creates rotational symmetry. When the angle dividesevenly into 360 degrees you get repeating copies of the other holons. Here we will use 45 degrees for aneight way cycle.



1. Click the Shape tab to go to the Shape page.2. Set the X Scale to 100.

3. Click the Sync Scales button to make the scales equal.4. Set the Z Rotation to 45.5. Right-click in the Holon window near the end of the red line (X axis) and choose Holon from the

popup menu. This is a convenient way to position new holons.6. Set the X Scale to 35 and click the Sync Scales button.7. Right-click in the Holon window near the middle of the green line and choose Sphere from the popup

menu.8. Set the X Scale to 25 and click the Sync Scales button.9. Set the Sphere metamorph's Amount to about 1.0 to make it smaller.10. Right-click in the Holon window half way to the top right corner and choose Cone | Shell from the

popup menu.11. Set the X Scale to 25 and click the Sync Scales button.12. Set the Cone metamorph's Amount to about -2.0.13. Now experiment with the rotations of holon 2, and the positions of all three small holons. You can

drag the holons around in the holon window after making sure the Drag Mode is set to Position.15. For additional experiments, add more or different constructor holons, or add second metamorphs to

them.

Note: if you use Metamorph coloring for kaleidoscopes, best results usually come from setting the firstholon to both Inherit Color and Map From to Inherit All, so it replicates the coloring of the smallerholons.



2.6.6 Using free holons



One use of Free holons is to allow extra metamorphs. (Note: with v1.5, Extended holons provide a moreflexible method for this.)

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Sphere from the Style List.3. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 100 and Scale to 13.4. Click the second Style button, and select Spikes from the Style List.5. Set the second metamorph's Amount to 60.6. Click the Add Holon button in the Holon toolbar.

7. Click the Free Holon button . This holon is now a smaller copy of the first.

8. Click the Hide Parent Shape button . Now only the free holon is visible.9. Click the first Style button, and select Zagzigz from the Style List. Release the Style button.10. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 7 and Scale to 20.

The other use is to make independent copies of the main object, which can be further modified.

1. In the File menu, choose Starter Shapes... and click OK to proceed without saving. Select"Octahedron 1" from the list. Click OK to close the dialog.

2. Reduce Object Size (in the Holon toolbar) to 35.3. Click the Add Holon button.

4. Click the Free Holon button .5. Set the holon's X Position to -100 and Y Position to 75.6. Click the Clone Holons button. The new holon is also free.7. Set the holon's X Position to 100.8. Click the Clone Holons button.9. Set the holon's X Position to 100 and Y Position to -75.10. Click the Clone Holons button.11. Set the holon's X Position to -100. There are now four free holons arranged around the central

"Parent shape".12. Click the Metamorphs button to enable metamorphs.13. Click the first Style button, and select .Cube from the Style List.14. Set the first metamorph's Scale to 2.0. Any changes you make to a free holon don't affect the parent

shape or other free holons.15. Release the Free Holon button to see what happens if this holon is part of the parent shape.

The preview after step 14 , and after step 15:

Getting started 41


16. Click the Free Holon button again.17. Select holon 6 (the one at the bottom of the parent shape).

18. Click the Hide Holon button . This hides the holon without removing its influence on the parentshape. The free holons inherit the parent shape accordingly. (The cube holon is a constructor so isindependent of the shape it inherits.)

19. Click the Hide Parent Shape button . This is independent of hiding holons, so the free holonsstill have a piece missing from the octahedron.

The preview after step 18, and after step 19:



2.6.7 Clouds



1. Click the Add Holon button seven times, for a total of eight holons.

2. Click the Select All button , to select all the holons.

3. Click the Preview Mode button to set it to Color mode instead of Gray mode.

4. Click the Transparent Preview button to make the preview transparent.5. Go to the Shape page.6. Set the X, Y and Z Scale parameters to about 50.7. Set the Drag Mode to Rotate.

8. Click the Random Sequence button to randomize the rotations.9. Set the Drag Mode to Position.10. Click the Random Sequence button to randomize the positions. Optionally click the Center Holons

button , or adjust the holon Position parameters.11. Repeat any of the previous four steps to make different cloud shapes. It is easiest to try out a number

of random rotations, then a number of random positions, etc.12. Experiment with higher or lower Scale parameters, either keeping the three values equal or varying

them.13. Save the best cloud shapes to Shape Memory Spots.

Rendering the clouds

1. Go to the Rendering page.2. Set Holon Opacity to between 5 and 10.3. Click the Picture button on the toolbar to show the Picture window.4. Click on the Background Color rectangle on the toolbar, and choose a suitable sky blue from the

color picker dialog.

5. Click the Render New button .

6. When the clouds look thick enough, click the Stop Render button .

Adding layers of clouds

By making new clouds and clicking Render More , you can blend different clouds together. However,that doesn't give you any undo option if the new cloud doesn't work out. Using the Background picture ismore flexible.

1. Click the Copy/Merge button and click OK, to merge the Unlit picture and Background Color tothe Background picture.

2. Return to the Main window.

3. Click the Preview with Background button in the Holon toolbar. This makes it easier to arrangethe clouds together.

4. Either restore a different cloud from a Shape Memory Spot, or continue randomizing to create adifferent one, to find a good combination with the background. Drag in the Preview window toreposition the cloud as required.

Getting started 43


5. Click the Render New button on the toolbar.6. As soon as the new cloud has the right density, click the Stop Render button.7. If you don't like the new cloud, return to the Main window and repeat the preceding three steps.8. To merge the new cloud into the background layer, click the Copy/Merge button and click OK.9. Continue adding more clouds if desired.

· Another option is to set the Initial Color of each cloud layer to a shade of soft gray or other color beforerendering.

· Lighting clouds is possible, but light sources don't work well because they use surface angles, so youare mostly restricted to adjusting ambient intensity and color, glow and haze.

· Some Gaussian Blur can also improve the appearance.



2.6.8 Creating backgrounds



1. Go to the Color page.2. In the Coloring Method dropdown box, choose Metamorph.

3. Click the Background Creation Mode button . As long as this button is down, the previewshows a background pattern created from the active holon's parameters, and does not show theobject.

4. Set all three Meta Pattern controls to 3.

5. Click the Gradient Preset button to open the Custom Gradient Preset window. Choose the"Basic" category and the "Malachite ripple" preset, and click OK to close the preset window.

6. Go to the Shape page.7. Set the Z Position to 30.8. In the metamorphs area, click the left Style button and select Ripplet from the Style List.9. Uncheck Reposition for the first metamorph (otherwise Position changes have no effect).10. Increase Special to 10. This makes a fairly busy pattern.

To create the background picture:

1. Go to the Color page.

2. Click the Create Background Picture button . The Picture window appears and the backgroundpicture is created.

To create it with antialiasing:

1. Return to the Main window, by clicking the Main button on the toolbar, or double-clicking the picture.2. Set the AA control to 2.3. Click the Create Background Picture button. It takes about 8 times as long to update the picture.

Now we will see how two metamorphs work together.

1. Return to the Main window and Go to the Shape page.2. Click the second Style button and select Gnarl from the Style List.3. Set the second metamorph's Special to 2 and Amount to 8. This pattern comes entirely from the

gnarl, because the first metamorph has zero Amount.4. Slowly increase the first metamorph's Amount, noticing how the Ripplet drives the Gnarl pattern. You

would get a different (and very useful!) effect by putting the Gnarl first and driving the Ripplet pattern.

We can use the basic holon parameters to zoom in on any part of the pattern for a simpler background,and distort or rotate it.

1. Decrease the X and Y Scales to zoom in. (Notice that everything works opposite from adjustingshapes.)

2. Experiment with the other holon parameters (except for X Skew, which does not affect points on theXY plane.)

Getting started 45


2.6.9 Using picture mapping

In this example you will be opening a picture file, in JPG, BMP or PSD format. A photograph of similarsize to the render size would be ideal.



For the shape we will use a spiral of cubes.

1. In the File menu, choose Starter Shapes... and choose "Spiral 1" from the list.2. Go to the Shape page.3. Select holon 2, either with the Active Holon control or by clicking near the smaller holon in the Holon

window.4. Click the Metamorphs button to enable metamorphs.5. Click the first Style button, and select .Cube.6. Set Scale to 2.0 and check Reposition and Reorient.

Next we will map the picture onto it.

1. Go to the Color page.2. Change the Coloring Method to Metamorph.3. Set the Map To option to Background Picture. The preview shows the small holon with a checkered

pattern because we haven't opened a background picture yet. The picture mapping controls appearin the center of the Color page.

4. Click the Picture Map Defaults button . This sets the picture mapping and Meta Patterncontrols to suitable defaults.

5. Click the Picture button in the Rendering toolbar, to go to the Picture window.6. In the File menu, choose Open Picture... and find a picture to open. In the Destination dialog,

choose New Background Picture. If a dialog prompts you to change size, choose No.7. Return to the Main window. The preview should now show the small holon with the picture on each

face of the cube.8. If necessary, adjust the Picture Offset controls to position the picture, and the first two Meta Pattern

controls to scale it.

Now we want to replicate the picture mapping through the spiral.

1. Select the large holon (holon 1).2. Set the Map To option to Background Picture.3. Set the Map From dropdown box to Inherit all. This inherits the cube mapping and Meta Pattern

controls around the spiral.4. Check the Inherit Color option. This inherits the Picture Map and Offset controls around the spiral.

Now the spiral should color each cube identically. (If you didn't change the offset controls for thisexample, Inherit Color won't make any difference.)



2.6.10 Lighting effects



First we will make a suitable object and render it. We want relatively smooth surfaces for these effects.

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Sphere from the Style List.3. Set Amount to -98. (Usually you would set it to 100 or -100 for a pure constructor, but for this

demonstration we want some surface noise.)4. Set Scale to 6 and Special to 45.5. Click the second Style button, and select Ribblet from the Style List.6. Set the second metamorph's Amount to -8, Scale to 16 and Special to 2.7. Go to the View page.8. Set Y Position to 0.7 to center the object.9. Go to the Color page.10. Set the Coloring Method dropdown box to Metamorph.11. Set the first and third Meta Pattern values to 2.0.

12. Click the Gradient Preset button to open the Custom Gradient Preset window. Choose a preset,and click OK to close the preset window.

13. Go to the Rendering page.14. Set Holon Opacity to 3.15. Click the Render New button.16. In the Picture window File menu, choose Open Picture... and open a picture to use as the

background. Choose Background Picture as the destination. If the size is different, click No whenasked if you want to change the size.

17. When the Progress Indicator gets down to about 400, click the Stop Render button .

Glassy lighting

1. Click the Lighting button to open the Lighting window.

2. Click the Enable Locking button .

3. In the Glow, Haze and Background panel, click the Lock Background button to stop thebackground controls from changing whenever we load a preset or recall from a memory spot.

4. Click the Background Source button twice to set it to Back Picture.5. Scroll the Lighting Preview to somewhere near the middle, where the object is visible.

6. Click the Lighting Presets button , choose Category "1st" and Preset "Soft 1". Click OK to closethe Lighting Presets window.

7. In the Reflection and Refraction panel, click the Reflection Source and Refraction Source buttonsto set them both to Back Picture.

8. Set Reflection to 20 and Refraction to 40, and Refractive Index to 140. Notice that thebackground is refracted more as you increase the index, and that the glass surface appears frosteddue to the rough surface. Sometimes that may be desirable, while other times you may want a morepolished surface than the object has. The Pits filter can do this.

9. Set Pits to 9, and click the Apply Pits button . Repeat this three times.10. Set Pits to -9, and click the Apply Pits button. Repeat this three times.11. In the Light Sources panel, select light #1, click the Sync button, and set Smoothing to 10.12. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting.

Getting started 47


That preset would not work for glass if the opacity was higher. Now we will try some different looks.

1. Click the Lighting button to return to the Lighting window.2. Click the Lighting Presets button, and select Category "Gel" and Preset "Glass dark". Click OK to

close the Lighting Presets window.3. In the Depth panel, uncheck Extra.4. In the Light Sources panel, select light #1, click the Sync button, and set Diffuse% to 15 and

Shininess to 45.5. In the Reflection and Refraction panel, check Translucent, set Refraction to 40 and Refractive

Index to 130.6. In the Glow, Haze and Background panel, uncheck Alpha Glow and set Glow to 15.7. In the Color panel, set Contrast to 60, Iridescence to 30 and Spread to 3.8. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting.9. Click the Lighting button to return to the Lighting window.10. In the Reflection and Refraction panel, click the Refraction Source button to set it to Back Picture,

and reduce Refractive Index to 110. This makes a thinner glass or plastic depending on the otherproperties. Click Apply to apply the lighting.

Glazes

You can build up layers of texture by accumulating reflection and/or refraction from the Old Lit picture.Transparent rendering is not necessary for this, but can add more options.

1. Click the Lighting button to return to the Lighting window.2. Uncheck Use Alpha.3. Click the Lighting Presets button, and choose Category "Metal" and Preset "Brassy 2". Click OK to

close the Lighting Presets window.4. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting.5. Click the Lighting button to return to the Lighting window.6. Click the Lighting Presets button, and choose Preset "Wet dark" from the list. Click OK to close the

Lighting Presets window.7. Set Refraction to 25, Refractive Index to 130, and Glow to -20.8. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting.9. Click the Lighting button to return to the Lighting window.

It takes experimentation to find which kinds of presets work well together. You will need to balance thelight levels, with ambient light, glow, reflection and refraction the most useful, and any of these can benegative. You may find it useful to lock the reflection and refraction settings before loading presets.

Multiple lighting

After applying lighting, you can copy the Lit picture to the Unlit picture, so the next lighting works with theresult of the previous one. There is no undo for this operation, unless you first copy the Unlit picture to theBackground picture (if it is not already in use) or save it to a file.

1. Click the Lighting Presets button, and select Category "Detail" and Preset "Bilal". Click OK to closethe Lighting Presets window.

2. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting. Return to the Lighting window.

3. In the Lighting window, click the Copy Lit pic to Unlit pic button . Click OK to confirmoverwriting the Unlit picture. The preview changes because the Unlit picture has changed.

4. Click the Lighting Presets button, and select Category "Gel" and Preset "Reflection". Click OK toclose the Lighting Presets window.

5. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting. Return to the Lighting window.



6. In the Lighting window, click the Copy Lit pic to Unlit pic button . Click OK to confirmoverwriting the Unlit picture. The preview changes because the Unlit picture has changed.

7. Click the Lighting Presets button, and choose Category "Earth" and Preset "Natural 2". Click OK toclose the Lighting Presets window.

8. Click the Apply button to apply the lighting.

It will generally work best to focus on colors for the first lightings and leave strong 3-D lighting andshadows until the final lighting.

Getting started 49


2.6.11 Filtered noise



First we will use Background Creation Mode to make simple noise.

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Planez from the Style List. (Most constructors will work

equally well for this.)3. Go to the Color page.4. In the Coloring Method dropdown box, choose Metamorph.

5. Click the Background Creation Mode button . The Preview window should now be filled withmonochrome noise.

6. Click the Create Background Picture button . The Picture window appears and the Backgroundpicture is filled with noise.

Now it's time for some filtering experiments.

1. In the Effects menu, choose Remove Noise...2. Set Iterations to 20 and Amount to 100, and click OK to apply it.3. In the Effects menu, choose Remove Noise...4. Set Iterations to 15 and Amount to -100, and click OK to apply it.5. In the Effects menu, choose Gaussian Blur...6. Set Width to 20, Amount to 20 and Lighten to 3, and click OK to apply it.

Here are samples of the original noise and the three filtering steps.

We'll start again with simple noise for some more effects.

1. Click the Main button to return to the Main window.

2. Click the Create Background Picture button .3. In the Effects menu, choose Remove Noise...4. Set Iterations to 20, Amount to 50, Lighten to 6 and check Mono, and click OK to apply it.5. In the Effects menu, choose Gaussian Blur...6. Set Width to 2, Amount to -52, and click OK to apply it.7. In the Effects menu, choose Gaussian Blur...8. Set Width to 25, Amount to -76, and click OK to apply it.9. In the Effects menu, choose Remove Noise...10. Set Iterations to 15, Amount to 20, and click OK to apply it.

Here are samples of the four filtering steps.



For more experiments try different combinations of filter settings, and also using color gradients to makethe noise.

Getting started 51


2.6.12 Exclusive iteration

The Exclusive Iteration controls are useful for reducing clutter with objects having holons of equal orsimilar sizes.

1. In the File menu choose Starter Shapes... and select "Octahedron 1" from the list.2. Go to the Shape page.3. In the Iteration box, set the Exclusive Holon control (labeled "Exc hol") to 1.4. Set the Exclusive Maximum ("Ex max") to each value from 1 to 6 to see the effect.

Now we will try it with a constructor.

1. Click the Metamorphs button to enable metamorphs.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Torus from the Style List. Release the Style button.3. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 4, and check Reposition.4. Set the Exclusive Maximum control to 1.5. Adjust the torus Scale between 0 and 10 to see the effect.6. Repeat step 5 for each value of Exclusive Maximum up to 5.7. Set the Exclusive Maximum control to 2.8. Try each value of the Exclusive Holon control.



2.6.13 Using extended holons



Extending holons allows you to apply two more metamorphs to any holon.

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Cube from the Style List.3. Set the metamorph Scale to 8.4. Click the second Style button, and select Gridcub from the Style List.5. Set the second metamorph's Amount to 50. The cube should now be a cage with thick bars.6. Release the Style button to hide the Style List.7. Click the Add Holon button in the Holon toolbar to add a new holon.

8. Click the Free Holon button and the Hide Holon button in the Holon toolbar.9. Select holon 1.10. In the Extend box in the Shape page, set the Holon control to 2, so that holon 1 is extended by holon

2.11. Select holon 2.

12. Set the X Scale to 100, and click the Sync Scales button .13. Click the first Style button, and select Gridcub from the Style List.14. Set the metamorph Amount to 50 and Scale to 60. The cage should now be made of mesh.15. Click the second Style button, and select Warp from the Style List.16. Set the second metamorph's Amount to 100 and Scale to 60.

Getting started 53


2.6.14 Using displacement mapping



This tutorial explores displacement mapping on the foreground object and shows how to use Map FromOther Holon for coloring on the background object. Displacement mapping is a kind of radialmetamorphing that uses both the metamorph shape and meta patterns to control the distortion.

First we will make the objects.

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Sphere from the Style List. Release the Style button.3. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 100, Scale to 5 and Special to 35. Now we need to center it

and invert it.4. Check the first metamorph's Reorient option.5. Set the holon Z Skew to 180 (Z Rotation would also work), and Y Position to -50.6. Click the second Style button, and select Mome from the Style List.7. Set the second metamorph's Amount to 10 and Scale to 25.8. Click the Add Holon button in the Holon toolbar.9. Click the first Style button, and select .Planez from the Style List. Release the Style button.10. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 100, Scale to -12 and Special to 2.60.

Next we will add a holon to do the displacement mapping of the foreground object (holon 1).

1. Click the Add Holon button in the Holon toolbar.

2. Click the Free Holon button and the Hide Holon button in the Holon toolbar.3. Select holon 1. (In this tutorial, use the Active Holon control rather than clicking in the Holon

window.)4. In the Extend box in the Shape page, set the Holon control to 3, so that holon 1 is extended by holon

3.5. In the Extend box, check the Displacement option to use displacement mapping. Also check the

Color option, so the coloring will be related to the displacement pattern.6. Select holon 3. Now we are ready to make a displacement pattern.7. Click the first Style button, and select Spikes from the Style List.8. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 2, Scale to 60 and Special to -30. The Amount will control the

displacement amount.9. Go to the Color page. The meta patterns for a displacer holon affect the displacement instead of

coloring, so we can make further adjustments there.10. Set the Coloring Method to Metamorph. The coloring makes it hard to see the displacement, so we

need to hide it for now.11. Select holon 1, set the first Meta Pattern to 0, and select holon 3 again.12. Set the first Curve to Tanh, which makes a cobblestone pattern.13. Increase the first Meta Pattern to 4 to flatten the tops.14. Set the other two Curves to Tanh, and the other two Meta Patterns to 4, for a more complex pattern.

Now we will add some color to holon 1.

1. Select holon 1.

2. Click the Color Preset button to open the Custom Gradient presets.3. Choose Category "Basic" and Preset "Riverstone" and click OK.



4. Set the third Meta Pattern to 1.0. Some subtle coloring should now be visible.

Now we will add coloring to the background object (holon 2), using Other Holon coloring from holon 3.Often we would use a separate holon for this, but here it saves some steps and gives a pattern related tothe foreground object's displacement pattern.

1. Select holon 2. We will start by copying the pattern from holon 3.

2. Click the Copy Holon Properties button in the Standard toolbar.3. Set the From Holon control to 3, check Metamorph Coloring, and click OK.4. In the Map From dropdown list choose Other Holon. The Other Holon control appears beside it.5. Set the Other Holon to 3. (Do not click the button beside it.) A variation of the cobblestone pattern

should now cover the background object.

6. Click the Color Preset button to open the Custom Gradient presets.7. Choose Preset "Rolex strap" and click OK.8. Click the Render New button in the Render toolbar, and let it render for a few minutes.9. Click the Lighting button to open the Lighting window.10. Click Apply to apply the default lighting.

Getting started 55


2.6.15 Using displacement presets



The sample parameter files include some single holons used for displacement mapping, in theData/Single/Displacers folder. This tutorial shows how to use them. We will just use a sphere for theobject.

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Sphere from the Style List. Release the Style button.3. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 100.4. In the File menu, choose Append... and in the File Open dialog, navigate to the

Data/Single/Displacers folder. (The dialog will remember the location for future appending.)5. Select the file "Spinzrosette asteroid.xep" and if necessary click OK to close the dialog.6. Note that holon 2 is already free and hidden because it was saved for this purpose. All we have to do

is extend holon 1 to use it.7. Select holon 1 in the Active Holon control.8. In the Extend box in the Shape page, set the Holon control to 2, and check the Displacement

option.

The sphere should now look a bit like a small asteroid or moon. We will explore the displacement controls.Displacement takes extra calculation time so allow enough time to see the preview stabilizing after eachadjustment.

1. Select holon 2.2. The last metamorph's Amount controls the amount of displacement. Increase the Rosette Amount to

10 for deeper effect. Set it to -4 for an inverse effect. Then set it back to 4.3. The Spinz Amount controls how much the Spinz distorts the Rosette. Decrease the Spinz Amount

to 20 for a simpler pattern.4. Change the Spinz Special to -5 for another variation.5. Go to the Color page.6. Set the Coloring Method to Metamorph. We need to turn off holon 1's coloring for now.7. Select holon 1, set the first Meta Pattern to 0, and select holon 2 again.

8. Set the second and third Meta Patterns to 0, and click the Reset Curves and Blends button .9. Check the Wrap option. For displacement only, this allows unlimited displacement instead of

bouncing the values within a range.10. Set the first Curve control to each of the options in turn, noticing the different results.11. Uncheck Wrap.12. Set the second Meta Pattern to 3.20.13. Set the first and second Curve controls to Cos.14. Set the first Blend control to x.15. Set the first and second Curve controls to Cup.16. Set the first and second Curve controls to Tanh.



2.6.16 Exporting a mesh



First we will make a simple object.

1. Go to the Shape page.2. Click the first Style button, and select .Torus from the Style List.3. Set the first metamorph's Amount to 50 and Scale to 7.4. Click the second Style button and select Ripple from the style list.5. Set the second metamorph's Amount to 10 and Scale to 16.

Now we will open the Mesh Export window.

1. In the File menu choose Export Mesh... The Mesh Export window opens. All the controls are on thetoolbar, except for some in the Mesh Options dialog. We will use the default settings first.

2. Click the Render New button to start rendering for export. Wait about ten seconds, or until thesurface seems complete.

3. Click the Stop Render button . The Triangulate button is now enabled.

4. Click the Triangulate button . The progress indicator runs through several stages, finishing withabout 64,000 triangles created, and the object is shown full size as a solid mesh. With a grid size ofonly 100 the curved parts are not very smooth.

5. Click the Mesh Options button to open the Mesh Options dialog. Increase the Mesh Grid Sizeto 200. Click OK to close the dialog.

6. Click the Render New button. The object renders larger this time (it actually appears twice the meshgrid size because of oversampling). Wait until it looks stable and click the Stop Render button.

7. Click the Triangulate button. This time it creates about 260,000 triangles and the mesh is muchsmoother.

We have been using the Surface rendering method so far, which works well for this example. Next we willtry the Volume method instead.

1. Click the Mesh Options button. Change the Method to Volume and click OK.2. Click the Render New button. This time wait until the progress indicator is down below 5000 and

click the Stop Render button.3. Click the Triangulate button. When the mesh first appears it is rather "voxelized", but improves after

filtering. This time it creates over 500,000 triangles, because the object is hollow and the Volumemethod creates internal surface triangles too. Sometimes you will want that, but usually not, so wehave an option to fill the volume.

4. Click the Mesh Options button. Check the Fill Volume option and click OK.5. Click the Triangulate button. The number of triangles should be down to about 260,000. (If it is still

above 500,000 then there were some leaks, and you will need to click Render More , wait 30seconds or so, click Stop Render and click Triangulate again.)

Now there is another step to reduce the triangle count as much as we want, before saving the mesh.

1. Click the Simplify button . When the progress indicator finishes counting up and down, thenumeric Quality control is enabled.

Getting started 57


2. Reduce the Quality value to 60. The progress indicator shows the triangle count is down to about96,000 but the mesh looks almost the same.

3. Slowly reduce the Quality, noticing how the mesh looks with fewer and fewer triangles. Then set it to25.

4. Click the Mesh Options button, check the Export Smooth Mesh option, and click OK. This willinclude smoothed vertex normals and is faster than, for example, smoothing the mesh in Bryce.

5. To save the mesh with this number of triangles, click the Save Mesh button . In the File Savedialog, navigate to a suitable location, create a folder for saving meshes, type a filename, leave the filetype as "Wavefront OBJ" (unless you use POVRay) and click OK.

6. To close the Mesh Export window, click the Close button.

Notes:

· Sometimes you may want to save the same object with high and low mesh resolutions, for example touse as foreground or background objects. After simplifying, all you need to do is adjust the Qualitycontrol between saving each version.

· For the best results, use large Mesh Grid Size (500 for complex shapes unless you run into memoryproblems) and simplify down.

· The Surface method gives better results for simple or smooth objects, but has flaws for objects withconvoluted structure or thin plates or spikes.

· The Volume method gives a correct result for all shapes and needs large Mesh Grid Size to reducevoxelization. It can be improved further with Mesh Filtering set to Full but that can degrade protrudingspikes or edges too much.



2.7 Frequently Asked Questions

2.7.1 FAQ contents

1. General information

1.01 Is XenoDream a fractal program? 1.02 Where can I learn more about fractals? 1.03 Are there any other XD tutorials? 1.04 If I modify one of the sample parameter files, can I use it as my own? 1.05 Which has the most effect on render times, processor speed or graphics acceleration? 1.06 I have run out of inspiration and can't seem to make anything interesting; any ideas?

2. The Main window

2.01 How can I center the object without it changing shape? 2.02 What's the difference between a starter shape and a parameter file? 2.03 How can I add other files to the Starter Shapes list? 2.04 Can I make a Free holon larger than the parent shape? 2.05 Some holons render slower; can I speed them up? 2.06 How can I get textures like marble or wood? 2.07 How can I cast shadows onto a backplane? 2.08 How can I cast shadows onto a background picture? 2.09 Can I save the shape memory spots? 2.10 Can XenoDream import parameter files from other programs? Or export them? 2.11 How can I make the 'flame fractal' type of pictures?

3. The Picture window

3.01 Can I save progress in a large render and resume rendering in another session? 3.02 How long should I render? 3.03 How do I import a picture to apply lighting to it?

4. Lighting

4.01 Is any lighting saved in a parameter file? 4.02 How can I save more than one lighting for use on a single picture? 4.03 Can I start lighting before rendering is finished? 4.04 How can I get rid of those black spots or rough patches that appear when I use lighting? 4.05 Why does lighting make the object too chunky, with thick edges? 4.06 Why do some lighting presets seem to distort spheres and other shapes? 4.07 What are those white spots and how can I get rid of them? 4.08 Why does the preview change after applying lighting with reflection or refraction?

5. Other Techniques

5.01 Does XD have any antialiasing options? 5.02 How can I make stereograms?

6. Meshes

6.01 Can I export meshes including color or regions? 6.02 Can I import meshes to use XD's simplification? 6.03 Can I use meshes as part of an object in the Main window?

59

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Getting started 59


2.7.2 Section 1. General information

1.01 Is XenoDream a fractal program?

The 1.0 release produced only pure fractals. From 1.1 onwards, we prefer to describe it as a modeler thatincludes fractal methods, though it also includes rendering and post-processing. The results can rangefrom pure fractals to non-fractals depending on the mix of regular and constructor holons. I (Garth) firstbegan experimenting with 2-D IFS fractals for creating shapes in 1988 on an Amiga after reading anarticle in Byte magazine by Michael Barnsley. My vision was to create a tool to help with SF/Fantasyillustration, and IFS fractals were a means to that end. XenoDream does not include other types of fractalbecause they don't fit with 3-D modeling.

However you want to describe it, it's difficult to capture the variety of ways you can use it.

1.02 Where can I learn more about fractals?

The Fractal Art FAQ is a good place to start, at http://fractals.iut.u-bordeaux1.fr/f-art-faq/

1.03 Are there any other XD tutorials?

Paul N. Lee has tutorials, examples of metamorphs and other useful information athttp://www.nahee.com/Fractals/XenoDream/Doug Harrington has a tutorial with screenshots at http://fractalarts.com/ASF/XDtut1.htmlBryan Smith has written a number of exercises that are in the Files area of the XD Yahoo groups, andthere are other sample files there. (They may be moved to a new location when we stop using Yahoogroups.)

1.04 If I modify one of the sample parameter files, can I use it as my own?

Yes. Since XD works in a single continuous parameter space (more or less), you can consider all thesample and starter files as convenient starting points, and it only takes a few clicks and drags to getsomewhere new. The purpose of a starting point is to make it easier to get wherever you're going. And youdon't have to modify the sample files to use them in compositions.

1.05 Which has the most effect on render times, processor speed or graphics acceleration?

Only processor speed really affects render time, subject to having sufficient RAM. XD does not use anygraphics hardware features because they would only work for the smaller picture sizes, and they don'thelp with this type of calculation.

1.06 I have run out of inspiration and can't seem to make anything interesting; any ideas?

This can happen not because you've exhausted the possibilities (impossible with XD), but because thereare so many possibilities and it's not obvious what to choose next. Some people have asked why we didn'tinclude a random mutation generator where you choose from perhaps 12 options each time. The mainreasons are that 3-D preview would be a bit slow for this, and randomizing these kind of objects makesmostly junk. We have included many options for randomizing subsets of parameters because it can beuseful, but adjusting controls will often be more productive. Here are some ideas if you feel stuck.

1. Don't start from scratch. Open either a Starter Shape or a parameter file (yours or one of the samples)and experiment with it...

2. Look at it from different camera angles. Or adjust the front clipping plane to see what's inside it.3. Look at it with transparent preview if you haven't already.4. Select one of the holons and adjust the rotations, position, scales or skews to see what happens.

http://fractals.iut.u-bordeaux1.fr/f-art-faq/

http://www.nahee.com/Fractals/XenoDream/

http://fractalarts.com/ASF/XDtut1.html



Repeat with other holons.5. If it has metamorphs, adjust the parameters, or try a different metamorph, or add a second

metamorph if it doesn't already have one.6. Add another holon, with or without a constructor, and experiment with it.7. Try doing one of the tutorials but making some different choices. You never know where it could lead.8. If your object has relatively smooth surfaces, experiment with the glazes or multiple lighting

techniques described in the Lighting Effects tutorial.

Many people find it relaxing just to pick a starting point and experiment with holon and metamorphparameters, and the most interesting shapes also become starting points for another day. Interestingshapes can usually produce plenty of worthwhile variations.

2.7.3 Section 2: The Main window

2.01 How can I center the object without it changing shape?

Changing the camera position can affect what you see due to the different view point (this is 3-D). Prior tov1.5, dragging in the Preview window changed the camera position, but it now changes the camera angle,so is a suitable method for centering.

2.02 What's the difference between a starter shape and a parameter file?

There is no difference between the files; both are .xep files. The difference is how you open them. TheStarter Shapes... dialog lists only the files in the Starters folder, and when you open them it only loads theshape and view parameters. The term 'Starters' should only be used in this context and not to refer tosample parameter files in general.

2.03 How can I add other files to the Starter Shapes list?

Copy the .xep files into the Starters folder.

2.04 Can I make a Free holon larger than the parent shape?

If you're not already using both metamorphs on the Free holon, there is a way.With the Free holon, set the unused style to TileXY, leave Scale at 10 and Special at 0, and adjustAmount larger than 10.

2.05 Some holons render slower; can I speed them up?

As long as you are using the Chaos method for rendering, you can adjust the relative densities of theholons on the Shape page. For some shapes, checking or unchecking Optimize will improve the balance.You can also adjust the Density control for individual holons. For example, adjusting the density of thelarge holon of a spiral shape changes the relative density of the spiral center or tail.

An easy way to balance density is to click the Transparent Preview button in the Preview toolbar, noticewhich holons appear much faster or slower than the others, and adjust their densities until the pictureappears more evenly. (Sometimes you don't want it to be even, for example transparent renders of spiralsoften look better with slightly more density in the centers. Leaving Optimize off gives the desired result.)

When using multiple constructors, try to adjust the holon scales approximately in relation to the holon sizeinstead of leaving them at the default. For very large constructors, set the holon scales to 100 and ifnecessary increase the Density. For small constructors, reduce the holon scales, and adjusting Densitymay not be necessary. This will improve render time, and it also makes the Holon window easier to

Getting started 61


understand. However, it may not be possible when using Rescale.

It can also be useful to reduce the density of holons that are placed far from the camera, which otherwiseget more than they need.

2.06 How can I get textures like marble or wood?

There are two ways to do this at present. Both use Metamorph coloring.

The first is to use picture mapping, by setting Map To to Background Picture. You can either use animported picture of the texture, ideally one designed for seamless tiling, or create a texture usingBackground Creation Mode, with optional filtering. See the Filtering Noise tutorial for examples of suchtextures. (One disadvantage of this approach is that you can't save it all in a paramter file for automaticreproduction at a later time.)

The other way is to set Map From to Other Holon. See the Other Holon tutorial for examples. This is lessflexible in resulting texture but is saved in the xep file.

More support for natural textures is planned for future development.

2.07 How can I cast shadows onto a backplane?

Dropshadows are not currently implemented, so you need to add a free plane to the object beforerendering, and set shadow angles accordingly. To add the plane, right-click in the center of the Holonwindow and choose Plane | Square Z from the submenu. Click the Free Holon button on the Holontoolbar. On the Shape page, set all holon scales to 100, and the Z Position to move the plane just behindthe rest of the object. You can temporarily rotate the camera 90 degrees to make that adjustment easier.Then adjust the .Planez Scale to fill the background. You may need to increase the Density for this holonto render at the same rate as the others.

The coloring of the plane is easy to set with Metamorph coloring, but with Holon Sequence coloring all youcan do is experiment with the gradient to get a satisfactory shade of noise. You may want to set someshadow lights nearer to the front than the standard settings. If the camera angle is different you will needto check the plane's Reorient option and rotate it.

2.08 How can I cast shadows onto a background picture?

Dropshadows are not currently implemented, so you need to add a backplane as described in theprevious question and put a picture onto it. Provided you are using Metamorph coloring, the easiestmethod is to set Map To to Background Picture for the backplane holon.

The picture colors are affected by lighting since it's now part of the rendered object. For best control, useregions with the Per Holonmethod and assign the plane holon to region 2 so you can light it independently; for example using thesame lighting as the rest butchanging the Diffuse%, Shininess and Diffuse Color to suit, and the ambient color and intensity ifnecessary.

2.09 Can I save the shape memory spots?

Saving them automatically is not yet implemented. It was a bit laborious to save them manually, but v1.5makes it easier.

If you have just saved an object and want to save the Shape Memory Spots with a similar name, all youhave to do is recall each Shape Memory Spot in turn and click the Save button (not Save As) on the



Standard toolbar. This saves them with automatically incrementing suffixes. Make sure that Include Viewand Include Colors are checked if the spots had different view or color settings that you want to save.

2.10 Can XenoDream import parameter files from other programs? Or export them?

No. While programs that produce either pure IFS or 'flame' variations have similarities, there aresignificant differences that would make many of the results incompatible. It is therefore a low priority forfuture consideration.

2.11 How can I make the 'flame fractal' type of pictures?

'Flame fractals' were developed by Scott Draves and made popular by KPT FraxFlame™ and morerecently Mark Townsend's Apophysis program. A flame is a 2-D IFS fractal with optional metamorphs anda transparent rendering method that is slightly different from XenoDream's. The main differences are thatthey apply metamorphs in parallel instead of one after another, and compute colors after the render,taking density into account, which can create a 3-D appearance. Any object may be rendered withtransparency in XenoDream; here are some tips for getting shapes similar to the other programs.

Use between two and eight holons, with no constructors. Adjust the holon scales to set the density of theform. Too high and you have a blob, too low and you have just a few lines and dots. Adjust themindividually to change the shape and contribution of each holon. To make those thin lines that flamesoften have, set either the X or Y Scale very small, and/or set the Z Skew near 90 or 270.

Some of the classic flame styles only work if you stay in 2-D. To do this, keep the X and Y Skew, X and YRotation and Z Position at 0. If you do any dragging in the Holon window, first set Constraints to XYPlane.

The metamorphs that correspond to ones used in classic flames are Spheric, Swirlz, Horshu and Sine.Some other useful ones are Wabe, Vortex, Zagzigz.

To make Horshu behave the same as the horseshoe transformation, set its Scale to 20, Special to 0 andadjust the Amount. Leave Reposition unchecked. Move the holon's position to change how it responds.

To make those circular holes, use Spheric. To keep the hole centered on the holon, check Reposition.Adjust Amount for the strength of effect and Scale for the relative size of the hole. To get lots of holes,don't use Spheric on all the holons; use it on only one or two and let the other holons iterate them.

Use a large holon with no metamorphs to make spirals or other iterated structures, as you usually would.

For coloring, use either the Holon Sequence method, or Metamorph method with Map From set to Flame.Set holon opacity about 10 for smooth renders or 20 for fast coarser renders.

There are some example files in the Data\Transparent folder.

2.7.4 Section 3: The Picture window

3.01 Can I save progress in a large render and resume rendering in another session?

Not yet. As of v1.2, you can save and open pictures and depth maps, but not shadow masks or alphachannels; so in principle you could resume rendering if neither shadows or transparency are used, if youfollow the necessary steps.

3.02 How long should I render?

Getting started 63


It depends. If you use Hybrid or Ordered render methods, rendering stops by itself when 100% complete.The Chaos method depends on several factors.

· For transparent renders in general you can stop it as soon as it looks dense enough or saturatedenough; but if you will be using lighting that shows a solid surface, it may need longer (pixel rates in thehundreds rather than thousands) and may need lower opacities to compensate.

· For objects with relatively smooth surfaces, you can often stop it around 500 or higher, sometimes fixingup a few blemishes with Pits.

· For objects with finer detail, quality will improve noticeably if you go to 100 or less. This is especially truewhen using the Holon Sequence coloring method with few or no constructor metamorphs, whensometimes the fine color detail continues to improve after the shape seems well defined, and it canjustify going well below 100.

3.03 How do I import a picture to apply lighting to it?

First, in the Picture window File menu choose Open Picture... and select a file. Choose Unlit Picture asthe destination. When prompted to change the size to fit the picture, click Yes.

Second, click the Depth button in the Picture window toolbar to open the Depth window.

Read the help topic Overview: the Depth window for more information.

2.7.5 Section 4: Lighting

4.01 Is any lighting saved in a parameter file?

Parameter files include ONE set of lighting parameters (including multiple regions if you have used them).The current values are saved, regardless of what may have been applied to the picture previously.

4.02 How can I save more than one lighting for use on a single picture?

Apart from multiple regions, there is currently no way to store more than one set of lighting in a parameterfile. There are two options:1. save them as lighting presets, and write the sequence in the comments field on the File page before

saving the parameter file.2. save a separate parameter file with each set of lighting parameters. Open the first one, render and

light it. Then open the second file, apply lighting, and so on.

4.03 Can I start lighting before rendering is finished?

Yes, you can preview lighting and adjust parameters etc without stopping the render. If you start too soonon a larger render the surface won't be well enough defined to assess the results, but it improves all thetime.You cannot apply lighting without stopping the render. As long as you are using the Chaos rendermethod, you can resume rendering after applying lighting if it needs more.

4.04 How can I get rid of those black spots or rough patches that appear when I use lighting?

These may be either small holes where the background shows through, or 'pits' in the surface. They canget amplified into large dimples or pockmarks if any light sources have smoothing. Depending on theobject, rendering longer may fix it, or some may simply be a natural part of the object.

1. Set Holes to 1, and click the Fill Holes Permanently button beside the Holes control. If that doesn't

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do anything,2. Increase Pits one step at a time and observe to effect in the preview. Often a setting of 1 to 3 is

enough. Click the Fill Pits button to fill them. Repeat if necessary. It is best to set Pits only as high asnecessary, because larger values (especially 7 or more) remove fine surface detail that you may wantto keep.

4.05 Why does lighting make the object too chunky, with thick edges?

Many of the legacy presets have high amounts of smoothing on the light sources, which gives a smoothsurface at the cost of smoothing the features too. Try selecting one of the light sources, clicking Sync, andsetting Smoothing to 0. (Some presets vary the smoothing and fringe settings per light for special effects,so you may lose the effect.) Also try checking the Fine Depth option if it isn't already.

4.06 Why do some lighting presets seem to distort spheres and other shapes?

Many presets have the Extra depth option checked, and/or various Depth values. Some were for specificeffect, others were a legacy from v1.0, which had only pure fractals with no constructor metamorphs, sothere were no 'standard shapes' to pose this problem. Try setting Depth to 20, unchecking Extra andchecking True, for normal geometry. You may need to adjust some light source Intensity and Diffuse %values, and iridescence or refractive index if applicable.

4.07 What are those white spots and how can I get rid of them?

They are most likely highlights from the lights reflecting off surface variation. They may be other colorsdepending on the lighting. For some shapes this indicates that you should render longer, and/or applysome pits filtering. Other options are to use more diffuse light and reduce the intensity accordingly, and toincrease the Shininess to 100.

4.08 Why does the preview change after applying lighting with reflection or refraction?

If the source for reflection or refraction is 'Old Lit picture', then applying lighting changes the Lit picture,and the reflection or refraction now have a different result and the preview shows this. Reflection andrefraction are implemented as a kind of environment mapping, offering creative flexibility, but you need tokeep in mind where the effect comes from. Using the Old Lit picture means it takes at least two passes toget an effect. Before you have applied any lighting, there is no Lit picture and therefore no reflection cancome from it. So you apply some lighting, then you see the reflection and/or refraction, adjust if necessary,and apply again. Of course you can change lighting between applying. Also remember that if the Litpicture was created from a different render then it may not be the source you intend; if not then you needto first apply some lighting without reflection or refraction to get a clean beginning (or clear the Lit picturewith the Picture window Edit menu Clear option).

2.7.6 Section 5: Other techniques

5.01 Does XD have any antialiasing options?

It does not have a general antialiasing option for rendering. For best results, you will often need to renderlarger size (two to four times larger), save the picture and resample it in another program.

There are some things you can do in XD:

· Background creation mode has an antialiasing control.· Transparent rendering blends the colors smoothly, though it doesn't antialias in the X and Y directions.

· If you are not already using any transparency, you can use the alpha channel to antialias colors. Set the

Getting started 65


holon opacity to about 15 and the Opacity Mode to Surface Only. Start rendering, then release theAlphablend button to see the colors, which improve with a long render, then in the Lighting windowuncheck Use Alpha.

· You can use Gaussian Blur in the Picture window Effects menu for some antialiasing. Set Amountsmall, typically between 1 and 15, and adjust Width for the best effect.

· Jagged edges can sometimes be improved with the Remove Noise effect, if there isn't much fine colorvariation to lose.

5.02 How can I make stereograms?

With the automated stereo mode in the View page in v1.5, this is now easy. If for any reason you needto do it manually, here is a method.

This method of making double image stereograms for cross-eye viewing is due to Stan Hood.

Basically, you render & save two separate views of an object with the SAME size, shadows, lighting,opacity, length of rendering time, and any other additions such as applying pits etc. Only the horizontalcamera position varies.

1. Choose an object that has a good bit of 3d in it to begin with... you can tell if it does by moving it aboutin the 'view' page. It can be a wispy 'flame' type, or solid or transparent or whatever. Apply all the coloringand whatever else you want.

2. Position the first (left) image, not centered in the preview screen, but off to the left a bit.

3. Render it and NOTE, by way of the rendering counter, how much it has rendered when it is stopped.On the Lighting page, apply whatever else you want. I suggest not using any reflection/refraction at thistime - until you can make sure that your second image comes out exactly lit as the first one.

4. Save it as a bmp, with a 'Left' designation in the file name. Save the xep - you may need it later.

5. Second (right) image: Return to the Main window and go to the View page.

6. Note the X Position number. Click on one of the olive Memory Spots to save the view. Increase the XPosition to move the image to the right. This part takes a bit of experimentation. The amount depends onthe 3-D depth of the object. Too little, and you won't get much depth. Too much, and it's difficult to lockyour eyes into focus. A difference somewhere between .05 and .2 usually works.

7. Render the second image for the same amount as the first. Apply the same lighting.

9. Save it with the same filename as the first but with some 'Right' designation.

10. Combine the two images in your favorite image editing program such as Paint Shop Pro, orPhotoShop. If it has an image stitch option you can use that, or you could create a 'new' image twice aswide as each XD image and copy/paste the XD images into it as transparent layers - so you can butt themtogether. Make sure the 'Left' image is on the left. Sometimes if the images are too far apart, you canoverlap them some. After merging the layers you can resize and sharpen as you wish.

If the results don't come out stereo wise (too little or too much depth) , all (!) you have to do is re-renderthe second XD image increasing or decreasing the X Position on the View page. If you have closedXenoDream, I hope you saved the first image xep file...

To view the stereogram, make sure the whole picture is visible on screen, sit three or four feet (over 1m)back from the screen, and cross your eyes until there is a third image between the outer two, and try tobring that image into focus. It may help to hold up a finger in front of the screen and move it slowly

83



towards you, focusing on it while noticing the images. It can be difficult at first but becomes much easieronce you've done it.

It is also possible to view stereograms 'wall-eyed', by focusing into the distance; however this is not suitedto viewing double image stereograms on computer screen, because the distance between the two imagesmust be slightly less than the distance between your eyes. This would limit the size of the picture, andrequire adjustments for different monitor size and resolution.

2.7.7 Section 6: Meshes

6.01 Can I export meshes including color or regions?

Not at present. Mesh export can use a lot of memory and to do it in a single operation would require a lotmore. You would generally get better results using textures in the target application than would bepossible by exporting XD coloring with the mesh. Exporting with regions may be implemented in future.

6.02 Can I import meshes to use XD's simplification?

Not at present.

6.03 Can I use meshes as part of an object in the Main window?

Not at present. We hope to implement this in future.

Main Window


Part

III



3 Main Window

3.1 Overview: the Main window

The Main window is where you work with holons to create objects, prior to rendering them. It appearswhen you start XenoDream.

The Holon window shows the holons as transformed cubes. In this window you can use the mouse toselect holons, and to drag with various effects depending on which tab page is active and relevant dragmode controls. The X, Y and Z axes are drawn in red, green and blue respectively. The Holon toolbar hascontrols relating to the Holon window and to holons in general.

The Preview window shows the object corresponding to the arrangement of holons, and is continuallyupdated. You can drag in the Preview window to reposition the object, or to copy colors when the mode isPalette preview. The Preview toolbar controls the Preview window.

The Standard toolbar has some file operations and some additional Holon window controls. The Rendertoolbar controls rendering and switching to the Picture window. Toolbars may be moved within their bandsbut not dragged between bands.

The tabbed pages contain controls specific to File, View, Shape, Color, Rendering and Region operations.

When you start XenoDream there is one holon with default parameters, and the resulting object is a dot.

3.2 Numeric controls

The numeric controls in XenoDream respond to dragging as well as the usual methods of clickingthe buttons or editing with the keyboard.

Main Window 69


· To increase or decrease the value by one unit, click the up or down arrow. Hold the button down tochange the value at a steady rate.

· To edit the value with the keyboard, double-click the number to select it, then type the value that youwant. You can also move the cursor and edit the number.

· To set the value to zero (or the minimum value if zero is not allowed), press the space bar.

· To change the value by dragging, hold the left mouse button down on the number. The cursor changes

to . Drag the mouse to change the value. Vertical dragging gives coarse control; up to increase thevalue, down to decrease it. Horizontal dragging gives finer control; right to increase it and left todecrease it.

· If the control has decimal places, holding Ctrl down while you drag will round the number to an integer(keep Ctrl down until you release the mouse button, otherwise the decimal fraction reappears.)

3.3 Main menu

3.3.1 File menu

Location: Main menu in the Main window

This menu contains commands for opening and saving parameter files, and exiting the program. Somecommands have shortcut keys and equivalent buttons on the toolbar. To open or save pictures, use thePicture window menu.

Starting and opening files

· To begin a new object, choose New... (or press Ctrl-N). All Main window parameters are reset to thedefaults. Lighting parameters are not affected.

· To open a parameter file, choose Open... (or press Ctrl-O). The File Open dialog appears, showing thefolder where you last opened or saved parameter files. Click on a parameter file (extension .XEP) topreview it. You can use the cursor keys to browse through parameter files. To open the file, eitherdouble-click the filename or click the OK button. To close the dialog without opening a file, click theCancel button.

· To append holons from a parameter file, choose Append... The File Open dialog appears, showing thefolder where you last appended parameter files. Click on a parameter file (extension .XEP) to previewthe effect of adding the holons to the existing object. To append the file, either double-click the filenameor click the OK button. To close the dialog without appending a file, click the Cancel button.

Note: Appending is an advanced feature, most useful for adding single holon objects, eg frames, thatyou've previously saved. Usually you'll want to make the new holon(s) free after appending (if they aren'talready), so the preview is not always indicative of what you'll get.

· To reopen a recently used parameter file, point to Reopen and choose a file from the submenu. The fullpath is not shown, only the filename.

Starter shapes

Starter shapes are just parameter files located in the Starters folder. The difference is that when you opena Starter shape, only the shape and view parameters are loaded, ignoring any color, rendering, regions



and lighting parameters.

· To open a Starter shape, choose Starter shapes... The Starter Shapes dialog appears, with a list ofshapes suitable for beginning an object. Click on a shape name to preview it. To open a shape, eitherdouble-click the shape name or click the OK button. To close the dialog without opening a shape, clickthe Cancel button.

· To add other parameter files to the list of Starter Shapes, copy them to the Starters folder in yourXenoDream folder.

If settings have changed since you last opened or saved a parameter file, you will be asked forconfirmation before proceeding with New, Open, Reopen or Starter Shapes.

Saving files

· To save the current object parameters to a file, choose Save as... (or press Ctrl-A). The File Save dialogappears, showing the folder where you last opened or saved parameter files. The filename defaults tothe contents of the Object Name field on the File page. Edit the filename if desired, and click the OKbutton to save the file. If the file already exists, you are asked to confirm overwriting it. To close thedialog without saving, click the Cancel button. You may wish to edit the file information fields on the Filepage before saving the parameter file.

· To save the parameters with the current filename, choose Save (or press Ctrl-S). If the file alreadyexists, it will be saved with the suffix -0001 added, and if it already has a suffix it will be incremented.This is convenient for saving animation sequences, or saving variations on a theme.

· To save only the active holon, choose Save Holon... The File Save dialog appears, showing the folderwhere you last saved single holon parameter files. This is useful for saving constructor or extenderholons, for adding to objects with Append... (Note: files saved with this option cannot be opened withprogram versions prior to v1.5.)

Exporting meshes

· To open the Mesh Export window, choose Export Mesh... The Mesh Export window has the controls forthe mesh exporting processes. It works with the current object's shape and view settings. If the MeshExport window is already open, you can use this command to show it, or you can click on a visible partof the window.

Importing colors

· To load the coloring from any parameter file and apply it to the current object, choose Import Palette...The Import Palette dialog appears, showing the folder where you last opened or saved parameter files.Click on a parameter file to preview the coloring in the current object. The Preview will show the objectwith new colors, unless the Preview mode was set to show the palette instead. To import the palette,either double-click the filename or click the OK button. To close the dialog without importing a palette,click the Cancel button.

Updating old files

This is not normally necessary, as XenoDream opens all previous versions of .XEP parameter files. It isused in development and left accessible in case it becomes useful or necessary in future.

· To update older versions of parameter files, choose Update Old Files... A dialog appears, showing thefolder where you last opened or saved parameter files. Select the files to be updated, using Shift to

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select a contiguous group of files, and/or Ctrl to select additional files. To proceed with the update, clickOK. The selected files are rapidly opened and saved in the latest format. To close the dialog withoutupdating any files, click Cancel.

Closing XenoDream

· To close XenoDream, choose Exit. You can also close the program by clicking the close button (x icon)on the title bar, or pressing Alt+F4.

3.3.2 Options menu


This menu contains options for controlling the default behavior of XenoDream. They are rememberedbetween sessions.

· Set the Show hints option to show mouse-over hints for controls with limited labels or no labels.

· Set the Full Hints option to display mouse-over hints with more details for some controls (more will beadded in future). Release the button to show only short hints. Note: some controls with adjacent labelsdon't have short hints, but may have full hints when this button is pressed.

· Choose the Preferences... option to open the Preferences dialog.

The Preferences dialog contains the following options:

· Set the Remember Shape Drag Modes option to have the Shape page Drag mode and Drag RotateMode remembered between sessions.

· Set the Clear memory spots on opening file option depending on whether you want to clear all theMemory spots or keep their contents when you open a parameter file or begin a new file. Opening aStarter shape never clears them.

· Set the Prompt to save parameters after saving picture option to be prompted to save theparameter file whenever you save a picture to file, if it has changed.

· Set the Render size defaults to 800x600 option if you want the Render Size to always start at800x600, otherwise it starts at the last size used. The sizes you use are remembered regardless of thissetting.

· Set the Confirmation for Render New option if you want extra protection against accidentallyrendering over an existing picture, for example if you intended to Render More.

· Uncheck the Use Memory Mapped Files for large renders option in the event that you have reliabilityproblems with very large renders, unless it is worse with this option off. Leaving this option checked willnormally perform better.

The Data location fields specify where the two types of parameter files are located. Do not change thesesettings unless you have reorganized your folders.

· The Starter files field specifies the path to the Starters folder. XenoDream uses this for the File menuStarter Shapes... dialog, and for the Random Starter File button on the File page.



· The Parameter files field specifies the path where folders of parameter files are located. XenoDreamuses this for the Random Parameter File button on the File page.

When you have finished editing preferences, click OK to keep the changes or Cancel to discard them.

3.3.3 Help menu


· Choose Help Contents to open this help file.

· Choose About XenoDream to see information including the program version and who it is registeredto.

3.4 Toolbars

3.4.1 Standard toolbar

Location: Top of the Main window

File buttons

These are shortcuts for the File menu options New , Open , Save , Save as .

Copy holon properties

Use this button to copy various parameters from one holon to selected holons.

1. Select the destination holons.

2. Click the Copy Holon Properties button to open the dialog box.3. Set the From Holon control to the holon you want to copy from.4. Check the boxes for the parameters to copy.5. Click OK to copy the parameters.

Holon window options

The Drag Speed control sets the speed when dragging holons in the Holon window.

The Select Holons button enables selection of holons directly in the Holon window.

Help

Click the Help Contents button to open the Help file.

3.4.2 Render toolbar

Location: Top of the Main window

Rendering buttons

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· To begin a new render, click the Render New button. The button caption changes to 'Stop Render'; theunlit picture and all associated depth, alpha and shadow data are cleared; the size is set, and a newrender begins in the Picture window.

· To stop the render from the Main window, click the Stop Render button. The rendering stops and thebutton caption changes back to Render New.

· To begin or resume rendering without clearing the unlit picture or any other data, click the RenderMore button. Any changes you have made to parameters will affect the render.

Navigation buttons

· To go to the Picture window, click the Picture button.

3.5 Holon window

3.5.1 Overview: the Holon window

Location: Main window

The Holon window is the black pane in the left half of the Main window, where holons are drawn as boxes.The size, shape, orientation and position of each box correspond to the holon parameters.

The active holon is drawn in yellow. Other selected holons are drawn in aqua (cyan), and non-selectedholons are gray.

The 'world coordinate' axes show the orientation of space relative to the camera. The X axis is red, the Yaxis green and the Z axis blue. By default, X points right, Y points up and Z points toward the camera.

You can use the mouse in the Holon window, clicking to select holons , and/or dragging to changeholon parameters or the camera view depending on which tab page is active. You can right-click in theHolon window for a popup menu to add a holon at that position.

The Holon window has its own Holon Window Zoom control in the Holon toolbar. Use this to adjust themagnification of the Holon window independently of the Camera Zoom and Preview window.

3.5.2 Selecting in the Holon window


You will probably want to select holons directly by clicking on them in the Holon window. You can do thiswhile any page except View is active.

1. If the Select Holons button on the toolbar isn't down, click it.2. Move the mouse in the Holon window. The holon nearest to the mouse pointer (calculated at the

corners, not the center) is drawn in red, unless it is already the active holon.3. Click to make the red holon active.

· To select the holon so it stays selected when not active, Ctrl-click it instead. If it is already selected thenCtrl-click will deselect it.

Note: in v1.5 you can select and drag in a single action. If you accidentally drag a holon while selecting it,

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you can undo the effects of the drag by clicking the Undo Last Drag button.

3.5.3 Dragging in the Holon window


Dragging the mouse in the Holon window can have different effects depending on the active page.

· View page: drag to control the camera or object position and orientation, depending on the View DragMode.

· Shape page: drag to move selected holons or adjust other parameters, depending on the Drag Mode.There are also modes for interactive morphing.

· Color page: drag to morph the gradients for selected holons.

· Other pages: same as for the View page.

· To set the speed of dragging, adjust the Drag Speed control in the toolbar.

For the Shape and Color pages:

If the Select Holons button is not down, dragging does not affect the selection. If it is down, begindragging near the active holon if you want to keep the current selection. From v1.5 you can select a newactive holon and begin dragging in one motion.

3.5.4 Add Holon popup menu

Location: Holon window in the Main window

Right-click in the Holon window to get a popup menu to add a holon at that position. The distance fromthe camera will be the same as the origin (center of the axes).

The top choice in the menu is Holon, to add a standard holon with scale 50. The other choices arevarious useful constructor shapes. When adding a constructor, the Metamorphs button on the Shapepage is pressed if it wasn't already down.

3.6 Preview window

3.6.1 Overview: the Preview window


The Preview window is the black pane in the right half of the Main window, where the object correspondingto the holons is previewed. You can also see gradients or palettes there when the Color page is active.

The preview fills in the object randomly (using the Chaos method of rendering), to give a quick idea of theshape, with more detail appearing as you wait.

The Preview toolbar, with buttons for controlling the preview modes and options , is located belowthe Preview window.

Dragging

Dragging in the Preview window changes camera position when the Preview Mode is set to show theobject. When the Preview Mode is set to show the palette, you can drag and drop to copy or swap holoncolors.

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Guide lines

Two gray guide lines are drawn in the Preview window to show the picture boundaries for the currentrender size. The lines will be vertical or horizontal depending on the relative aspect ratios of the Previewwindow and render size.

Rendering menu

Right-clicking in the Preview window activates a popup menu to start and stop rendering. The choices arethe same as the buttons on the Render toolbar.

Overflow

If the holon interaction creates an object that is unstable and expands out towards infinity, calculationstops. From version 1.2, the calculation is re-initialized and the preview continues. This allows you topreview and render all but the most divergent objects. If the limit is reached within the initialization routine,

the preview stops and an Overflow indicator appears at the top of the Preview window. Whenthis happens, just reverse whatever you were doing until the Overflow disappears.

Re-initialization also occurs when rendering with the Chaos method. If overflow occurs during re-initialization, the render terminates. Other rendering methods terminate at the first overflow, as re-initialization is not applicable. The progress indicator in the Picture window has a red background ifrendering halts due to overflow.

3.6.2 Preview mode

Location: Preview toolbar in the Main window

The Preview Mode button switches between the available Preview modes depending on the active page.

· The Gray preview mode shows the object in gray, with the part corresponding to the active holon inyellow.

· The Color preview mode shows the object in full color.· The Palette preview mode shows the color palette, which depends on the Coloring Method.

· The Regions preview mode shows each Region in a different color.

The Gray preview mode is available for all pages.The Color preview mode is available for all pages except Regions.The Palette preview mode is available for the File and Color pages.The Regions preview mode is only available for the Regions page.

Tip: Gray preview is faster than Color preview and may be preferred for morphing and some other shapeadjustments, especially on slower machines.

3.6.3 Preview options

Location: Preview toolbar in the Main window

These three options control the appearance of the preview when the Preview Mode is Gray, Color orRegions.

Transparent Preview



To see the preview with moderate transparency, click the Transparent Preview button . Thisreleases the Shaded Preview button if down (because you usually want to see the transparent colorswithout any shading) and restores its previous state when released. Clicking the Shaded Preview buttondoes not affect the Transparent Preview button.

Note: this transparent effect is a fast approximation, prone to saturation before long. It does notcorrespond directly to any Holon Opacity value on the Color page.

Shaded Preview

Click the Shaded Preview button to see the preview in 3-D, illuminated from directly in front.Release the button so see a flat preview with no depth information. The flat preview is continually updated,while the shaded preview updates twice per second. You can click or release this button without thepreview starting over.

Note: this option affects only the preview and has no connection to any lighting or shadow settings.

Preview with Background

To preview the object against a background, click the Preview with Background button . Thebackground will be the Background picture if it exists, otherwise the Unlit picture. This is useful for aligningthe object for layering or multiple renders.

3.7 Holon toolbar

3.7.1 Holon window zoom

Location: Holon toolbar in the Main window

The Holon Window Zoom control adjusts the magnification of the Holon window independently of theCamera Zoom and Preview window.

3.7.2 Object size


The Object Size control adjusts the overall size of the object in 3-D. This affects how large it appears froma particular camera position. Use this control to set the size of the object in the Preview window. It doesnot affect the holons or the Holon window.

3.7.3 Undo last drag


Any dragging operation in the Holon window or Preview window can be undone by clicking the Undo LastDrag button. It has only one level of undo, and is disabled when it would have no effect.

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3.7.4 Active holon control


To make changes to holons, they must be selected. For convenience, a holon is always selected, and iscalled the Active Holon. It is drawn in yellow in the Holon window. All the controls with holon propertiesshow values for the holon that is currently active.

Use the Active Holon control to choose which holon is active. The total number of holons is shown on theright. This is a convenient way to cycle through holons quickly. There are other methods for setting theactive holon, and for selecting more than one holon so that you can edit them at the same time.

3.7.5 Adding and deleting holons


Click the Add holon button to add a new holon with default values (scales 80, skew, rotation and position0). If the maximum number of holons (100) is reached, you cannot add more.

Click the Clone holons button to add copies of the active holon and any other selected holons. (The newholons are shifted 3 units in X so you can see them more easily.) All other properties of the selectedholons (metamorphs, coloring etc) are also copied.

Click the Delete holons button to delete the active holon and any other selected holons. If there is onlyone holon, you cannot delete it (unless you add another holon first).

Objects with just one holon

A single holon will only produce a noticeable object if it has a constructor metamorph , otherwise theresult is just a single pixel. A single holon can only be rendered with the Chaos Method . (Severalholons can also produce just one pixel if their Positions are identical, which is the case when you first addholons.)

3.7.6 Free holons


Holons generally interact with each other to make a fractal. Specifically, a holon inherits the shape of each"parent" holon and transforms it with its own parameters. In turn, the holon is a parent to each "child"holon, passing its shape on to them. By default, every holon is both a parent and child of every holon,including itself. However, a holon with no children has no effect on other holons, and is called a FreeHolon. Each free holon inherits the Parent Shape (the result of all non-free holons) but does not affect it.

· To make the active holon free, click the Free Holon button.

· To let the active holon rejoin the parent shape, release the Free Holon button.

This button applies only to the active holon, not to other selected holons.

In the Holon Info List, free holons are identified by an 'f' after the holon number.

Note: if a holon is both hidden and free at the same time, it is effectively disabled and has no effect on theshape. You can take advantage of this to temporarily disable holons, or to keep spare holons for use in

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creating backgrounds, Other Holon coloring or extenders.

3.7.7 Hide holons


There are two options to control the visibility of holons in the fractal. Hidden holons still interact to makethe shape but are not themselves visible.

· To hide the active holon, click the Hide Holon button .

· To make the active holon visible, release the Hide Holon button.

· To reset all hidden holons to be visible, click the Show All Holons button .

In the Holon Info List, hidden holons are identified by an 'h' after the holon number.

Note: if a holon is both hidden and free at the same time, it is effectively disabled and has no effect on theshape. You can take advantage of this to temporarily disable holons, or to keep spare holons for use increating backgrounds, Other Holon coloring or extenders.

If you have both free holons and hidden holons, the hidden parts in the parent shape will also be hiddenin the free holon's shape.

· To hide the whole parent shape without affecting the free holons, click the Hide Parent Shape button

. To make the parent shape visible again, release the button.

This button is only enabled when one or more holons are free. Hide Parent Shape works independentlyof Hide Holon, so you can use them in combination.

3.7.8 Holon info list


The Holon Info button opens the Holon Info List, which shows the metamorph parameters for eachholon. It also provides an easy way to see and change which holons are selected.

· To show the Holon Info List, click the Holon Info button.· To hide the Holon Info List, release the Holon Info button. The list is hidden automatically when you

open the Metamorph Style list.

Each row shows the holon number and for each metamorph, the Style, Amount, Scale and Specialvalues (ignoring any decimal places.) The checkboxes show which holons are selected. The active holonis shown as disabled, because it is always selected. The holon number is followed by a period (.) normally,'f' if free, and/or 'h' if hidden. The Style is followed by a plus sign (+) if Reposition is checked. If a holon is

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extended, 'Ex' and the extender holon number are added to the end of the row. If Displacement ischecked it shows 'Di' instead of 'Ex'.

Selecting holons in the Holon Info List:

· To change the active holon, click in the text area for the holon you want to be active.· To select or deselect holons, click in the checkboxes.

· To select or deselect all holons, double-click the text area of any row.

3.7.9 Selection controls


To edit several holons at once, they must be selected. These controls let you select holons other than theactive holon.

· To select the active holon so that it remains selected when no longer active, click the Select Holon

button . Selected holons are drawn in aqua when not active.

· To deselect the active holon, release the Select Holon button. Remember that the active holon isalways affected by any operations that affect holon properties.

· To select all holons, click the Select All Holons button .

· To deselect all holons, click the Deselect All Holons button .

· To invert the holon selection, click the Invert Holon Selection button . All unselected holonsbecome selected and vice versa.

Saving selections

There are eight Selection Memory Spots to let you store and recall holon selections. This is useful ifyou're working with more than a few holons and want to work with different groups without having toreselect them each time.

· To store the current selection, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall a selection, click on a full (blue) spot.

· To clear a full spot, Ctrl-click it.

· To clear all spots, Shift-click any spot. You will be asked for confirmation before the spots are cleared.



3.8 File page

3.8.1 File information

Location: File page in the Main window

The Object Name, Creator, and Comments fields are stored in each XenoDream parameter file. Creatorinformation is easily changed and not intended as any form of copyright protection, but as a convenientrecord of the likely origin of each data file, as you can quickly lose track when they number in thethousands.

· To set your default creator information, edit the text in the Creator field as desired, then click the SetDefault button. It is saved in the Xenodream.ini file.

· To set the Creator field to your default, click the Get Default button.

The full path of the last parameter file opened is shown at the bottom of the page.

· Press the Enter key while in any of the fields on this page to open the Save as... dialog.

3.8.2 Quick start

Location: File page in the Main window

For a quick start you can open a randomly selected parameter file. When you move the mouse over theQuick Start button, it reveals two buttons for opening random files.

· To open one of the Starter files, click the Random Starter File button . Any color and lightingparameters are included, unlike opening it as a starter shape.

· To open one of the parameter files, click the Random Parameter File button . The file ischosen from the XenoDream\Data folder or any of the subfolders.

The locations for these can be changed in the Preferences dialog if necessary.

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3.9 View page

3.9.1 Overview: the View page

Location: tab pages in the Main window

We are creating 3-D objects, which means we can look at them from any position and direction. Theappearance from other angles can vary dramatically. The viewpoint is represented by a camera, and youcan change its position and direction, either by dragging in the Holon window or by adjustingposition or rotation controls.

You can also zoom in or out, clip the front and back of the object for cutaway effects, use afisheye lens , and make stereograms in stereo mode .

You can temporarily store views with View Memory Spots .

Note: When you're dealing with only a single object, it doesn't really matter whether you move the cameraor the object, as only the relative positions matter. The current implementation is based on moving androtating the camera.

3.9.2 Dragging the view

Location: View page in the Main window

Dragging in the Holon window is the most interactive way to adjust the camera view. Selecting holons byclicking is disabled while the View page is active, so you can drag the view without interference. The ViewDrag Mode determines what effect dragging will have.

The View Drag Mode options are:

· Position: drag in the Holon window to change the position. Vertical dragging with the Ctrl key pressedchanges the distance from the camera. You can press and release the Ctrl key while dragging and thecurrent position is remembered so that you can change position fully in a single drag.

· Camera Angle: drag in the Holon window to rotate the camera. With the Ctrl key down, verticaldragging affects the roll (rotation parallel with the screen). It's easy to turn the camera away from theobject with this mode, so if this should happen, keep dragging until it becomes visible again.

· Object Angle: drag in the Holon window to rotate the object. This is equivalent to rotating the cameraaround the object. With the Ctrl key down, vertical dragging affects the roll.

· Roll and Distance: drag horizontally for object roll and vertically for Z distance.

Note: you can also drag in the Preview window to change the camera angle, no matter which page isactive.

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3.9.3 Camera position and zoom


Use the Position controls for precise adjustment of the position relative to the camera. Increase X tomove the view right, Y to move it up, and Z to move it away from you.

Camera Zoom controls the magnification of the camera. It is different from moving the camera closer.Zooming does not change the perspective; moving the camera does. Close up views have a greaterapparent depth than zooms from further away. However, moving the camera very close and zooming wayout can produce the exaggerated perspective of an extremely wide-angle lens. For most purposes you canleave Camera Zoom at the default setting and adjust the Object Size and camera Z Position.

Note: while camera orientation and position affect both the Preview and Holon windows, Camera Zoomdoes not affect the Holon window, which has its own zoom control in the Holon toolbar.

3.9.4 Clipping planes


Front and back clipping planes set limits on how close or distant points can be. This allows cutaway views.

· To ignore points close to the camera, set the Clip Front control to the desired cutoff distance.

The Closest Point indicator shows how close to the camera the object comes. If it is less than the ClipFront value, nearby points within the camera view are being clipped. A negative value means the objectextends behind the camera.

· To set Clip Front to the current closest point, click the Set Clip Front button .

· To ignore points far from the camera, set the Clip Back control to the desired cutoff distance. If ClipBack is less than Clip Front, no back clipping occurs.

The Furthest Point indicator shows how far from the camera the object reaches. If it is greater than theClip Back value, distant points within the camera view are being clipped.

· To set Clip Back to the current furthest point, click the Set Clip Back button .

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3.9.5 Rotation controls


These controls allow you to rotate the camera around the object (actually, the center of world space, whichmay not be the center of the object) in precise increments. This is equivalent to rotating the object withinthe camera view.

You can use either the numeric angle controls or the buttons. The numeric controls adjust axis angleswhile the buttons always rotate relative to the camera.

· To set the angle for each rotation step, adjust the Rotate By control.

· To rotate the camera by one step at a time, click the desired rotation button.

· To rotate the camera through many steps, hold the desired rotation button down.

3.9.6 Fisheye lens


A fisheye lens makes the image bulge spherically, so the center is magnified and the edges curve away.The lens is positioned at the front clipping plane, which makes it easy to vary the fisheye effect withoutmoving the camera position.

· To use the fisheye lens, check the Fisheye Lens checkbox. Increase the Clip Front value until thecurvature is right. You may need to reduce Camera Zoom to compensate. You may also want to adjustcamera Z Position for the desired perspective.

Note: The fisheye effect may not look good if the object is asymmetric or positioned off center, or doesn'tfill much of the view. It works best with sufficient context to see that the whole view is warped consistently.

3.9.7 Stereo mode


Stereo mode provides an easy way to make stereograms for cross-eyed viewing. The display is split intotwo copies, an image for the right eye on the left, and an image for the left eye on the right. When viewedwith crossed eyes, a single 3-D image may be seen.

· To use stereo mode, click the Stereo Mode button. You may need to adjust the Camera Zoom so thatthe two images are not overlapping.

· To stop using stereo mode, release the Stereo Mode button.



The Stereo Depth control adjusts the difference between the viewpoints for each image, whichdetermines the 3-D depth that you see. A value of 10 corresponds to a 1/30 angle. Smaller values workbest with distant objects (larger Z Position), and larger values may be used when the camera is closer, orto increase the depth of flatter objects. If the depth is set too high for the camera distance, the nearerparts of the object will appear to diverge no matter how you focus.

The Stereo Distance control adjusts the distance between the two images, which determines how faraway the stereo image appears. For a single render this can be ignored, although in some cases it maybe useful for adjusting the separation. If you are combining separate renders, you will need to set thisvalue differently for each render, otherwise they will all appear to be the same distance away. Previewwith Background is useful for this.

· To move the stereo image further away, increase Stereo Distance.

· To move the stereo image closer, decrease Stereo Distance.

It is usual to render and apply lighting to stereograms, but transparent rendering can also work very well.

Note: When lighting stereograms, True Depth does not work symmetrically, so it is best not to use it.

Viewing stereograms

Viewing crosseyed stereograms can be challenging, especially at first, but once you start to see them itgets easier. Here are two methods to begin.

1. Hold a finger up in front of the screen, below the center of the picture. Slowly bring it closer to your face,focusing on the tip of your finger. When it gets to about nine inches (22cm) from your eyes, you shouldsee a central image behind it. Keep focusing on your finger and move it forward or back until the image isclearest. Try shifting your focus between your finger and the image without changing your focus distance.When you can hold it steady, you can bring the object into sharp focus, and see it in full 3-D.

2. Hold both hands up about eight to ten inches from your face, palms towards you, with a gap of abouttwo inches between them. Looking at your hands, move them so that the image appears between them,and move them further or closer until the image comes into focus. This method has the advantage ofhiding the distracting side images.

3.9.8 View memory spots


There are 20 View Memory Spots to let you store and recall camera views during the current session,including clipping and fisheye parameters.

· To store the current view, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall a view, click on a full (blue) spot.

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· To return to the default view, click the Reset View button.



3.10 Shape page

3.10.1 Overview: the Shape page


The Shape page has most of the controls that affect the shape of the object. The others are in the Holontoolbar.

As the shape is defined by the holons and their relationships, the Shape page contains controls for theindividual holon parameters, and tools for manipulating them in various ways.

There are two groups of parameters that apply to individual holons. Every holon has the basic linearparameters ; scale, skew, rotation and position. They can also have one or two optional nonlinearformulas called Metamorphs . The parameters are shown for the active holon, but any changes youmake are applied to all selected holons.

You can adjust individual controls, use randomizing or other tools to change groups of parameters, ordrag in the Holon window to change holon parameters directly.

You can temporarily store shapes with Shape Memory Spots .

3.10.2 Holon parameters

Location: Shape page in the Main window

Holons are the building blocks for creating objects in XenoDream. They inherit the shapes of some or allholons and modify them, so as few as two holons can create a complex object that may have fractalcharacteristics. Holons can have specific shapes such as cubes or spheres by assigning a metamorphwith a constructor style.

Whether or not metamorphs are added, each holon is defined by its Scale, Skew , Rotation andPosition in each of three directions.

The directions are labeled X, Y and Z, which initially correspond to right, up and towards you. (Thesedirections are fixed in space, in the same way north and east are fixed on a map. If you change thecamera angle for a different view, they will point in different directions relative to you.)

Absolute or relative adjustment

When more than one holon is selected, you can choose whether editing a parameter will preservedifferences between the holons or set them all to the same value.

· To set identical values for selected holons when editing holon parameters, first check Absolute

. If unchecked, holon parameters retain relative values.

Note: The Absolute setting does not apply to dragging in the Holon window, which is always relative, or tometamorph parameters, which are always absolute.

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3.10.3 Holon scale


The Scale parameters set the size of the holon in each of the three directions (X, Y, Z). Unequal scalesallow you to make flattened or elongated features.

The range is from 0 to 100%. Remember that holons inherit the shape of each holon and modify it. Ascale of 100% means that the inherited shapes are not reduced in size. That can be useful for somepurposes, such as creating circular symmetry, or for free holons.

Scales can't be greater than 100% because the holons would expand towards infinity instead ofconverging to a finite shape. Generally the scales will be less than 100%, as parts of a shape are usuallysmaller than the whole shape.

The scales collectively set the overall density of the shape. The largest holons have the most influence onthe shape.

Note: when using a constructor metamorph with Amount 100, the Metamorph Scale value sets theholon's size. The Holon Scale value has no effect on the holon size unless Rescale is checked, but itdoes affect the density (or probability) of points for the holon. To balance the density you can either adjustthe Holon Scale or the Holon Density.

Sync Scales

· To make the three scales equal for the selected holons, click the Sync Scales button . Click itimmediately after changing any of the X, Y or Z Scale controls to set all scales to the changed value.Click it at any other time to set all scales to the X Scale.

3.10.4 Holon skew


The Skew parameters distort the holon by rotating one of the directions relative to the others. The range isfrom 0 to 359.9 degrees. As you increase the skew, the holon folds like a cardboard box, so that at 90 (or270) degrees it is flat, and between 90 and 270 it is mirrored or reversed.

You'll probably want to leave the skews at 0 most of the time.

Tip: to flip or reflect a holon about a plane, set the appropriate skew to 180.

3.10.5 Holon rotation


The Rotation parameters adjust the holon's orientation. The range is from 0 to 359.9 degrees. Rotationsare applied in order X, Y, Z. 3-D rotations are not independent, so the holon doesn't always turn the wayyou might expect when you adjust these controls.

Holon rotations determine the curvatures of the shape. The angles of the largest holons are mostsignificant to the overall shape, for example to make large spirals, while angles of smaller holons affect thedetail within the shape.



3.10.6 Holon position


The Position parameters set the holon's position in space. The relative positions together make a spatialarrangement that approximates the overall shape (though it can be heavily modified by the rotations andskews, and any metamorphs). The range is from -9999 to 9999.

If all holons have the same position (and rotations) and don't have constructor metamorphs, the object isjust a point. The further apart you move holons, the larger the object becomes.

For precise alignment, it may be helpful to know that the Position and Scale units are the same size(although Scale is limited to 100). 100 units of position on the Shape page equals one unit of cameraposition on the View page.

Tip: you can scale the overall object size to fit the window with the Object Size control, which is easierthan readjusting all the holon positions (which would often change the shape).

3.10.7 Holon volume and density


These controls are for adjusting relative density of points in the object. This is useful for minimizing rendertime, or changing the emphasis of some features in transparent renders.

The Holon Volume indicator provides an estimate of the overall density of the object, or relative volumethat is filled. You cannot edit this number. Generally, numbers below 50% indicate sparse fractals, andover about 110% indicate excessive density. The actual density depends on the interaction between theparameters, and metamorphs further complicate matters, so there are no rules, but a general guideline isthat volumes much over 100% will be slow to render. (Free holons do not contribute to this number.)

The Optimize Density option gives a different probability distribution for the preview and chaos render,which fills in details faster for typical fractal objects. It may give poor or undesirable results for someobjects with holon density of 100% or more, especially those where one holon has all Scales at 100. It isunpredictable for metamorphs so you need to assess visually which you prefer. It also affects the coloringwhen the Holon Sequence method is used. This option makes no difference when all holons have equalsize.

· Check or uncheck Optimize Density and choose which fills in the preview faster and more evenly. Fortransparent renders the other choice may be preferable for showing some features more clearly.

The Holon Density control allows you to increase or decrease the relative density of selected holons. Itdefaults to 1 and ranges from 0.01 to 1000. This is most useful for increasing the density of holons thatare very 'thin' due to one or more scales being near zero, or skew settings that flatten the holon. You canalso use it to compensate for metamorphs that significantly expand or shrink a holon. Density correspondsto probability in the Chaos method, and has NO effect for other rendering methods.

· Select holons that fill in slower than the others in the preview, and increase Holon Density.· Select holons that fill in faster than the others in the preview, and decrease Holon Density.

Tip: another use for Holon Density is to compensate for distance from the camera in Chaos renders.

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Distant holons may fill in faster than close ones. You could increase Holon Density for close holons ordecrease it for distant holons, to improve render time, and to balance the holons better for transparentrenders. This works well where constructor metamorphs are used, otherwise it can modify the shape if youmake the densities too different.

3.10.8 Shape drag mode


As well as adjusting the individual holon parameters, you can drag the holons in the Holon window invarious ways. Dragging works on the active and any other selected holons, so you don't have to start thedrag on a particular holon. Think of the holon window as a mousepad. You can continue the drag off theedge, as long as you start somewhere inside it. Another advantage of dragging is that it works relative tothe camera, so that left always means left regardless of the viewing angle.

If the Select Holons button is down, you need to begin the drag somewhere where the active holonremains yellow. Clicking when a holon is red will instead make that holon active (seeSelecting in the holon window ). Alternatively you can release the Select Holons button to allowunhindered dragging.

The effect of dragging depends on the Drag Mode.

· Scale: drag to change the scales of the selected holons.· Skew: drag to change the skews of the selected holons.

· Rotation: drag to rotate the selected holons. The angles or positions or both are rotated depending onthe Drag Rotate Mode.

· Position: drag to move the selected holons.

· Morph: drag to interactively morph the selected holons. Each time you begin dragging, the rates foreach parameter and holon are randomized, so no two morphs from the same starting point would bethe same. If a morph drag is not worthwhile, click the Undo Last Drag button on the toolbar and morphagain. Drag horizontally to change Rotations, vertically to change Scales and Skews, and vertically withCtrl to change Positions.

· Metamorph: drag to interactively morph the metamorph parameters for the selected holons. Each timeyou begin dragging, the rates for each parameter and holon are randomized. Drag horizontally tochange Amounts, vertically to change Scales, and vertically with Ctrl to change Specials.

If you press the Ctrl key while dragging, vertical dragging switches to the in/out axis (towards/away fromthe camera). Settings are stored so you can repeatedly press and release Ctrl during a drag.

3.10.9 Shape drag rotate mode


When the Drag Mode is Rotate, the Drag Rotate mode determines how the selected holons respond todragging.

· Choose Angle to change only the orientation of the holons.· Choose Position to rotate the holon positions around the center without changing orientation.

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· Choose Both to rotate angle and position together.

· Choose Counter to rotate angle and position in opposing directions.

When several holons are selected, these are useful ways to assemble and adjust different geometricalarrangements.

3.10.10 Randomizing holons


These controls provide quick variations of some or all of the basic holon parameters. (Metamorphs haveseparate randomizing controls.)

To randomize one or all parameters for selected holons:

1. Select the holons to be randomized.2. Set the Drag Mode to the parameter that you want to change. To change the Scales, Skews,

Rotations and Positions at the same time, choose Morph (or Metamorph).

3. Click the Random Sequence button to generate a random sequence for the selected holons.Repeat as necessary.

Several types of sequences are used instead of purely random numbers to produce more interestingpatterns.Note: the Constraints setting applies when randomizing holons.

To move all holons so they are centered in space:

· Click the Center Holons button . To undo the move, click the button again.

This is most useful after randomizing positions, but can be used at any time.

3.10.11 Constraints


Sometimes you may want to keep some holons in a flat plane, for example to make 2D objects or 'flame'style fractals. You can construct them by careful adjustment of the holon parameters, but if you usedSequences or Morphing, they would become 3-D. This is when the Constraints options are useful.

The Constraints options are:

· None: morphing and random sequences operate normally, in full 3-D.· XY plane: morphing and random sequences only change parameters in the XY plane.

· YZ plane: morphing and random sequences only change parameters in the XY plane.· XZ plane: morphing and random sequences only change parameters in the XY plane.

Other parameters will be preserved, so if they are already arranged in 3-D they will remain that way.

Note: Constraints do not prevent you from manually adjusting the holons in 3-D.

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To force selected holons from 3-D down to 2-D:

1. Select the holons to be constrained.2. Set the Constraints to the desired plane.

3. Click the Zero Constrained Values button . The Skews, Rotations and Positions that are not inthat plane will be set to zero.

Note: Scales are not affected by any of these controls.

3.10.12 Align linear


The Align Linear button opens a dialog with options for aligning any parameters of the selected holons ina straight line. The existing ranges of the holon parameters are used.

To align holon parameters in a line:

1. Select the holons to be aligned. If only one is selected, all holons will be aligned.2. Click the Align Linear button. The Align Linear dialog opens:

While the dialog is open you can choose any combination of parameters to align. The preview is updatedas you make changes. You cannot access any controls in the Main window while the dialog is open.

· Choose the Align parameter from the dropdown box.

· Check which of the X, Y, Z directions to align.

· Choose the Nearest option to keep the holons in the order nearest to their original parameter values,otherwise they are aligned in order of holon number.

· Click the Clear button to uncheck the X, Y and Z options for the current parameter.

· Click OK to accept the current alignment and close the dialog.· Click Cancel to close the dialog without applying any alignment.

Note: if alignment has no effect for some parameters, it is because they are either already aligned, ormost usually, they have identical values and therefore no range to be distributed over.

3.10.13 Align cyclic


The Align Cyclic button opens a dialog with options for aligning the parameters of the selected holons ina variety of curves. The Range and Center values are initially set to match the holon parameters.

To align holon parameters in curves:



1. Select the holons to be aligned. If only one is selected, all holons will be aligned.2. Click the Align Cyclic button. The Align Cyclic dialog opens, defaulting to a circle in the XY plane:

While the dialog is open you can choose any combination of parameters to align. The preview is updatedas you make changes. By default you cannot access controls in the Main window while the dialog is open,but there is an option to do this.

· Choose the Align parameter from the dropdown box. Settings for each parameter are independent, soyou can switch back and forth between them until you're happy with the overall effect.

· Choose a Curve for each of the X, Y, Z directions.

· Adjust the Cycles for the number of times each curve repeats within the range.· Adjust the Phase to shift the curve around a cycle.

· Adjust the Range values to set the extent (amplitude) for each curve.

· Adjust the Center values to shift the whole curve.

· Choose the Nearest option to keep the holons in the order nearest to their original parameter values,otherwise they are aligned in order of holon number.

· Click the Clear button to reset the values for the current parameter.

· Click the Last button to reload the previous values (this is only enabled if you have applied Align Cyclicin this session.)

· To add more holons to the curve, adjust the Add holons control. You can adjust this up or down at anytime, but it is easiest while aligning Position. Any holons that existed before opening the dialog will notbe affected by this control.

There are buttons to randomize each of the X,Y and Z controls and a button to randomize all controls. Thecheckboxes on the right select which parameters will be randomized.

· Click OK to accept the current alignment and close the dialog.

· Click Cancel to close the dialog without applying any alignment.

· If you want access to any controls in the Main window while this dialog is open, check the Mainwindow checkbox. The Main window becomes accessible, though the Align Cyclic dialog stays on top.This allows you to change preview mode, adjust metamorphs etc. A few controls are disabled to keepyou out of trouble, but the most important thing to remember is that if you change which holons areselected (eg to adjust metamorphs) then you'll probably want to restore the selection before returning tothe Align Cyclic dialog.

Note: the effects of the curves are easier to see when many holons are used. The Saw curve is a straightline when Cycles is less than +/-1, and a repeating sawtooth otherwise.

Tip: when adding many holons with Add holons, you will want to adjust their scales. It is convenient to set

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Align to Scale, set each Curve to Saw and adjust the Center values.

3.10.14 Iteration control


These controls allow constraints on the iteration of holons.

Maximum Iterations

· Adjust the Maximum Iteration control to set the maximum consecutive iterations of the active holonand any other selected holons. It is most effective for large holons. For example, for a holon that makesa spiral, this would limit how far in the spiral goes. It has no visible effect on constructors (but wastesdensity so should be avoided).

· For unlimited iteration of the selected holons, set Maximum Iteration to 0.

Exclusive Iteration

These controls are global to the object, not set per holon. One control specifies the exclusive holon, theother sets how many iterations of other holons are allowed before returning to the exclusive one.

· Specify the exclusive holon with the Exclusive Holon control.

· To disable exclusive iteration, set Exclusive Holon to 0.

· Set the Exclusive Maximum control to limit the iterations of other holons.

This is only useful in some situations; typically when all holons have equal or similar scales, especiallywhen one or more (but not all) are constructors. It can reduce clutter by limiting some of the iteration.

3.10.15 Extending holons


These controls extend a holon by using another holon. The extender holon can provide extrametamorphs or it can apply displacement mapping. Any holon can be used as an extender, but FreeHidden holons are recommended for this purpose so they don't have other effects.

For clarity we will say that a primary holon is extended by an extender holon.

Extending for extra metamorphs

First select the primary holon(s).

· To extend the selected holons with another holon, set the Holon control to choose the extender holon.



· To stop extending the selected holons, set the Holon control to 0.

Then select the extender holon and add one or two metamorphs (not constructors). They will modify theprimary holon(s).

· To apply the extension relative to the primary holon's position, check Repos. You will usually want to dothis, so it is checked by default.

· When the primary holon has Map From set to First Metamorph or Last Metamorph, check Color toget the meta patterns from the extender instead of the primary holon. (Applies to Metamorph coloringonly.)

Displacement mapping

Displacement mapping is a process where points on a surface are moved into or out of the surfaceaccording to some pattern. Here we are displacing the primary holon's points radially from the holonposition. The pattern is supplied by the extender holon's metamorphs and metamorph coloringparameters. Instead of mapping it to a color gradient we map it as a displacement of the primary holon.

· To displace the selected holons with another holon, check Displacement and set the Holon control tochoose the extender holon.

· To stop displacing the selected holons, set the Holon control to 0. (Or uncheck Displacement toextend the holons instead.)

It is most useful for the primary holon to be a constructor or inherit constructors. It is highly recommendedthat the extender be free and hidden to minimize confusion.

The displacement pattern is calculated from the extender holon's metamorph coloring. With the extenderholon selected you will need to switch between the Shape and Color pages to adjust the effect.

1. On the Shape page:

· To change the position, scale, angle etc of the pattern, adjust the corresponding basic parameters.

· To choose the type of pattern, select one or two metamorph styles (not constructors or tiles) and adjustthe Scale and Special controls. If you use two styles, adjust the Amount of the first style to modulatethe second style.

· To set the amount of displacement, adjust the Amount of the last metamorph (ie the first style if youuse only one, or the second style if you use two.)

2. On the Color page:

· Set Method to Metamorph and Map From to Last Metamorph.

· To control the pattern, adjust the Meta Pattern, Curve and Blend controls.

· If Wrap is checked, the displacement is unbounded. If not checked, the displacement is shifted with theCycle control and bounced.

To adjust the coloring, make sure you select the primary holon first.

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· When the primary holon has Map From set to First Metamorph or Last Metamorph, check Color (inthe Extend box) to get the meta patterns from the extender instead of the primary holon.

Saving extender or displacer holons

It can be convenient to save an extender holon to use with other objects, especially for displacementmapping.

1. Select the extender holon.2. If it isn't already free and hidden, make it so.3. In the File menu choose Save Holon, and save it to a folder for this purpose.

To add a saved extender to an object, use File | Append... then select the primary holon and set theExtend controls accordingly.

Note: The extender holon cannot be further extended or displaced. Any Extend settings for the extenderholon would apply only to its primary role, if it is not free and hidden. For example, if holons 1 and 2 arenot free or hidden, and holon 1 is extended by holon 2, and holon 2 is extended by holon 3. Extendingcan be confusing enough without holons having two roles, so such experiments are recommended onlyfor the bold.

3.10.16 Metamorphs: overview


Metamorphs are optional extra transformations of the holons, applied before or after the basictransformation (scale, skew, rotate and position). They have two uses: warping the holon shape in anendless variety of ways, and making holons into constructors (standard shapes such as spheres andcubes, independent of other holons).(Metamorphs have no connection to Morphing, which is a process for changing the main holonparameters.)

The different metamorph formulas are called Styles and you choose them from a list. Each style has twooptions for how it is applied and three parameters to adjust the effect.

There are two stages of metamorphs, and you can use either or both. If you use both, the left one isapplied before the right.

Metamorphs can be completely enabled or disabled with one control. They must be enabled to have anyeffect on the shape (though they can still affect the colors if the Metamorph coloring method is used.)

· To enable metamorphs, click the Metamorphs button . To disable metamorphs, release it.

Note: Metamorphs cannot be rendered with the Ordered method.

3.10.17 Metamorph styles


There are currently 83 different styles of metamorph for modifying holons. Each style is a preprogrammedformula with three parameters (Amount, Scale and Special). You can use up to two metamorphs perholon.



Each Style button shows the name of the style in the caption. '(None)' indicates that no metamorph isapplied.

To choose a style for one of the metamorphs:

1. Click the Style button for that metamorph. If the other Style button is down it will be released. TheStyle List opens with the current style highlighted.

2. Select the holons that you want to set the styles for, if not already selected.3. In the Style List, click the new style.

· To get popup help for any style, right-click the style in the list. This gives a short description of the styleand the effect of the parameters.

· To close the Style List, release whichever Style button is down.

(None) is listed first, followed by the constructor styles, which are prefixed with a period (.) to keep them atthe top of the list. A few constructor styles always make constructors (a specific shape independent of anyother holons), while others require Amount set to 100 or -100 for pure constructors. Otherwise the stylemodifies the holon's existing shape, and does not determine the holon's shape by itself.

Reposition, Rescale and Reorient options

Metamorph styles are defined in world coordinates and by default are applied after the holon's basicparameters. This means that the style is fixed in space and orientation. The Reposition, Rescale andReorient options allow the style to be relative to the holon, and are especially useful with constructorstyles! Each metamorph has these options.

· To move the style to the holon's position, check the Reposition option for that metamorph. It ischecked by default.

· To transform the style with the holon's scales, check the Rescale option for that metamorph.

· To transform the style with the holon's skews and rotations, check the Reorient option for thatmetamorph.

Note: In version 1.1, Rescale and Reorient were combined as a single option. When v1.1 files areopened, Rescale is set to match Reorient. If Reorient was on and Reposition off, the behavior was

previously incorrect, and a Compatibility button is set to provide the old behavior. It isrecommended that you leave this button off unless it is set by opening an old parameter file, and that youexperiment with turning it off to see if it is still needed.

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3.10.18 Metamorph parameters


Each metamorph has three parameters to adjust the effect. Changes are applied to all selected holons.

The Amount generally controls the strength of the metamorph effect. When Amount is 0, the metamorphhas no effect on the shape (except for a few constructor styles). Amount usually blends between thenormal and metamorphed effects, and negative values subtract the metamorph from normal. Negativevalues can cause unstable shapes for some styles. An Amount of 100 gives the full effect, and values upto 200 provide 'overdrive' for non-constructor styles.

Most constructor styles are only true constructors (fully independent of holon interaction) when Amount is100 or -100; others are always independent shapes and Amount adjusts a different attribute.

The Scale generally adjusts the relative size or frequency of the metamorph, depending on the style. Forconstructor styles, Scale sets the absolute size of the constructor shape. Depending on the style,negative values of Scale may have the same or opposite effect as positive values, or may have a differentformula.

The Special parameter provides custom variations for each style.

Note: unlike the other holon parameters, adjusting metamorph parameters for several selected holonsalways sets the values identical for each holon regardless of the Absolute option.

3.10.19 Randomizing metamorphs


There are two randomizing buttons , one for each metamorph. They randomize parameters for theselected holons depending on the associated checkboxes.

Use the column of checkboxes to the right of the metamorphs to choose which parameters to randomize.From the top down, they enable Style, Amount, Scale, Special and Reposition. (Rescale andReorient are never randomized.)

If Sync is checked, all selected holons will get identical values, otherwise they are randomizedindependently.

3.10.20 Shape memory spots


There are 20 Shape Memory Spots to let you store and recall shapes during the current session,including holon parameters, metamorphs, free and hidden options.



· To store the current shape, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall a shape, click on a full (blue) spot.



· To include camera settings when recalling a shape, check the Include View option beforerecalling the shape.

· To include coloring when recalling a shape, check the Include Colors option beforerecalling the shape.

Tip: Shape Memory Spots are most useful before randomizing metamorphs or other experiments, soyou can easily return to the same starting point.

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3.11 Color page

3.11.1 Overview: the Color page


The Color page is where you assign natural or intrinsic coloring to the object before rendering. The finalcolors also depend on the lighting process, in which the object's colors, transparency and 3-D shapeinteract with light sources and other effects. They may be similar or very different from the colors that youassign here.

There are two coloring methods . The Holon Sequence method is best suited to pure fractals and theMetamorph method is best suited to shapes with constructors.

Some of the controls are visible on the Color page depending on which method is chosen. The othercontrols relate to the gradients. A gradient strip shows the gradient for the active holon. There are twotypes of gradient, Parametric and Custom , each with its own gradient editor window. The Edit

Gradient button opens the appropriate gradient editor.

There are presets for each type of gradient, which can be opened by clicking the Gradient Presets button

on the color page, or from the gradient editors.

You can temporarily store all color parameters with Color Memory Spots .

3.11.2 Coloring method

Location: Color page in the Main window

There are two Coloring Methods. The Holon Sequence method colors each pixel uniquely and is bestsuited to pure fractals. The Metamorph method uses individual gradients and is best suited to shapeswith constructors.

· To set the Coloring Method, choose from the dropdown list. The method determines which othercontrols are visible.

The Holon Sequence coloring method uses each pixel's unique sequence of holons to generate colors. Itallows millions of colors together, which are intimately related to the object's shape. It works best withfractal shapes that either do not use metamorphs, or use relatively subtle non-constructor styles (becauseconstructor styles or strong distortions destroy the coherence of the underlying patterns).

The Metamorph coloring method uses texture mapping. There is a choice of sources to map from, mostlybased on metamorph coordinates. They may be filtered and combined before being mapped to eithergradients or the background picture.

3.11.3 Map to


The Map To control specifies the color source that this holon will be mapped to. For Metamorph coloringthe holon's meta pattern output will be mapped to it. For Holon Sequence coloring the gradients areblended according to the holon sequence.

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The Map To options are:

· Parametric Gradient: use the parametric gradient for this holon.

· Custom Gradient: use a custom gradient for this holon. This is the default for new holons.

For Metamorph coloring only:· Background Picture: use picture mapping with the Background picture for this holon.

3.11.4 Edge and mix

Location: Color page in the Main windowApplies to: Holon Sequence coloring: always

Metamorph coloring: Parametric gradients

These controls affect how the gradients behave, depending on the coloring method.

· Edge selects the behavior of the gradients at the maximum and minimum values of red, green andblue. With Bounce, the gradient reverses direction, producing smooth color changes. With Wrap, thegradient wraps around, producing abrupt changes. With Limit, the gradient stays at the maximum orminimum until the next time it changes direction.

The effect of Mix depends on the coloring method:

· For Holon Sequence coloring, Mix sets the balance between the holons. For positive values, more ofeach holon's own gradient are used; for negative values more of the other gradients are used.

· For Metamorph coloring and Parametric gradients, Mix acts as an additional Gain control, providingsmoother adjustment for small Gain values. It has no effect on Custom gradients.

3.11.5 Absolute color editing

Location: Color page in the Main windowApplies to: Per holon color controls

When more than one holon is selected, you can choose whether editing a parameter will preservedifferences between the holons or set them all to the same value.

· To set identical values for selected holons when editing holon parameters, first check Absolute. Ifunchecked, holon parameters retain relative values.

The Absolute option for colors is checked by default.

3.11.6 Inherit color


Sometimes it is useful for a holon to ignore its own Map To colors and inherit from other holons, toreplicate their coloring. It is most useful for large or Free holons. With Metamorph coloring, it works well inconjunction with the Map From options Inherit All and Inherit Style.

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· To inherit colors from other holons, check Inherit Color.

When Inherit Color is checked, the Inherit Count control is visible beside it.

· To set the number of iterations to inherit the color, adjust Inherit Count. It ranges from 1 to 392, andwraps around for convenience.

Note: when applied to constructors, the result is just noise because constructors are not correlated toinherited position.

3.11.7 Noise


The Noise control adds some randomness to the brightness of each pixel. This gives some speckle to thecoloring without changing the hue. It works for all coloring methods and mappings.

3.11.8 Color memory spots


There are 20 Color Memory Spots to let you store and recall all coloring parameters during the currentsession.

· To store the current coloring, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall a coloring, click on a full (blue) spot. If the memory has fewer holons, the coloring is replicatedfor the additional holons.



3.11.9 Color picker dialog

The Color Picker dialog is where you choose colors. It replaces the standard Windows color dialog fromv1.5 onwards. XenoDream is updated with any color changes while this dialog is open, so you can see theeffects without having to close it. This dialog appears when you click on any of the color rectangles in theprogram.



There are four ways to set the color. Each method updates the other controls.

1. Using the color field and color slider.

The Color Slider Mode dropdown list has six modes: Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Red, Green and Blue.The color slider is the strip on the lower left, and shows the component selected in the dropdown box. Thecolor field is the square box above the color slider, and shows the other two components. For example, ifthe slider is set to Hue, the field will show saturation horizontally and brightness vertically. If the slider isset to Red, the field will show green and blue. Circles indicate the current position in the slider and field.

· To change the component controlled by the color slider, select it in the dropdown list.

· To change the values in the slider or field, either drag the circle or click on the desired position.

2. Using the numeric controls

Adjust the Red, Green and Blue controls to change the color.

3. Using the fixed or custom color squares

There are 48 fixed colors and 16 squares for custom colors. Custom colors are stored until you exitXenoDream.

· To select a fixed color, click on the color square.

· To store the current color to a custom square, click on an empty square.

· To select a custom color, click on a custom square with a color in it.

· To clear a custom square, Ctrl-click it.

4. Using the eyedropper

To select a color from anywhere in the screen, click the Eyedropper button , then click on any pixel inthe screen with the desired color. The color is selected when you release the mouse button.

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Closing the dialog

The color square below the numeric controls shows the original color on the left and the current color onthe right.

· To keep the current color and close the dialog, click OK.

· To revert to the original color and close the dialog, click Cancel.

3.11.10 Holon Sequence coloring

3.11.10.1 Overview: Holon Sequence coloring


How it works

Each 3-D point in the object is generated by a unique sequence of holons. Using these sequences, wecan assign colors that follow the shape in various ways. Instead of using a fixed color gradient, the color iscalculated dynamically by adding the contributions from each holon in the sequence. In effect, blendingthe gradients in different combinations.

Either Parametric gradients or Custom gradients may be used for this method. However, the colorsshown in the gradients do not match those in the picture because they are blended together. The color foreach point depends on the holon at each step in the sequence, and the length of the sequence (whichdepends on the holon scales).

Gradient strip

The gradient strip shows the gradient for the active holon. The number of color steps in the gradientdepend on the maximum sequence length used to generate the shape.

To open the appropriate gradient editor window, click the Edit Gradient button . If ParametricGradient is selected, the Parametric Gradient Editor window stays on top and is visible wheneverappropriate until you close it. If Custom Gradient is selected, the Custom Gradient Editor window opensas a dialog.

Palette Preview

The Preview window shows the Palette preview when selected by the Preview Mode button when theColor page is active. It appears to show a number of color gradients. In fact it shows samples for eachholon of how the color changes along the sequence, with the initial colors on the left. For each holon thereis a sample for each holon. Two vertical black lines show the range of sequence lengths, within which thefinal colors are produced. The width is adjusted automatically. A vertical scrollbar appears on the right ifnecessary. The active holon is outlined in yellow.

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You can drag and drop in the Palette preview mode to swap or copy gradients between holons.

· To copy one holon to another, drag from the source holon and release over the destination holon.

· To swap between two holons, Shift-drag from one to another.

· To copy one holon to all others, Ctrl-drag from one to any other.

· To copy Initial Colors, drag and drop in the left half of the preview.

· To copy Modifiers, drag and drop in the right half of the preview.

· To swap or copy both Initial Color and Modifiers, drag and drop first on one side then the other.

3.11.10.2 Bailout, blend and blender

Location: Color page in the Main windowApplies to: Holon Sequence coloring

· Bailout sets the maximum length of the color sequence. It ranges from 2 to 392 and defaults to 200.Small values simplify coloring. This control is duplicated from the Rendering page.

Blend and Blender add extra variation based on a specified holon. The effect is not visible in the Palettepreview, only in the Color preview and actual renders.· Blend sets the strength of the effect.

· Blender selects the holon to use, and is most effective with the largest holon. Negative values providevariation based on all holons except that one.

3.11.10.3 Color perspective

Location: Color page in the Main windowApplies to: Holon Sequence coloring, chaos render

This control determines whether the color varies with perspective in a chaos render. If the camera is closeto a fractal object, you'll see more detail close to you than further away. With Color Perspective checked,the colors will change to match the extra detail close up, otherwise the colors will not change withdistance. The closer the camera is to the object, the more difference it makes.

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Tip: For regular holon arrangements you would probably want the coloring to be uniformly scaled andleave Color Perspective unchecked, but for other shapes, perspective adjustment may work better.

3.11.11 Metamorph coloring

3.11.11.1 Overview: Metamorph coloring


How it works

The Metamorph coloring method uses texture mapping. For each holon you choose a source for thetexture coordinates, optionally filter them, and choose a color source.

The texture source is chosen from the Map From dropdown list. It may be as simple as using world spacecoordinates, or more usually meta pattern values generated by metamorphs. You can also inherit thevalues from other holons.

The color source is chosen from the Map To dropdown list. Two of the options are gradients; the third isthe Background picture. Parametric gradients are correlated across holons and may be randomized all atonce, while custom gradients are independent and offer far more control of colors.

For gradients, you set the strength of each parameter with the Meta Pattern controls, and may furthertransform them with a choice of Curve, and Blend the results in various ways to produce an index into thegradient. The Cycle control allows each holon's gradient to be shifted.

For the background picture, the process is similar but two coordinates are needed. The Picture Mappingcontrols select which values to use for the X and Y picture coordinates, and also allow you to shift thepicture in each direction.

There is also a process for applying this coloring to a plane to make backgrounds:Background creation mode .

Gradient strip

The gradient strip shows the full gradient for the active holon. It shows either a custom or parametricgradient depending on the Map To choice. If Background Picture is selected, the parametric gradient isshown but not used.

To open the appropriate gradient editor window, click the Edit Gradient button . If ParametricGradient is selected, the Parametric Gradient Editor window stays on top and is visible wheneverappropriate until you close it. If Custom Gradient is selected, the Custom Gradient Editor window opensas a dialog.

Palette Preview

The Preview window shows the Palette preview when selected by the Preview Mode button when theColor page is active. It shows the gradient for each holon. The active holon is outlined in yellow.

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You can drag and drop in the Palette preview mode to swap or copy gradients between holons.

· To copy one holon to another, drag from the source holon and release over the destination holon.

· To swap between two holons, Shift-drag from one to another.

· To copy one holon to all others, Ctrl-drag from one to any other.

When the source gradient is parametric:

· To copy Initial Colors, drag and drop in the left half of the preview.

· To copy Modifiers, drag and drop in the right half of the preview.

· To swap or copy both Initial Color and Modifiers, drag and drop first on one side then the other.

3.11.11.2 Map from

Location: Color page in the Main windowApplies to: Metamorph coloring

The Map From control selects the source of the mapping parameters for each holon. The mappingparameters are combined using the Meta Pattern, Curve and Blend controls, and mapped to colorsselected by the Map To control.

The Map From options are:

· First metamorph: get the parameters from the holon's first metamorph. If the first style is (NONE), theparameters are simply the point's x, y and z position.

· Last metamorph: get the parameters from the holon's second metamorph if it is assigned, otherwiseuse the first.

· World space: the parameters are the point's x, y and z position, regardless of the holon's metamorphstyles.

· Inherit all: inherit the parameters from other holons. The Meta Pattern, Curve and Blend values arealso inherited. This is most useful for large or free holons, but not constructors (the result is noise). It isuseful in conjunction with Inherit Color.

· Inherit style: ignore the parameters from other holons' styles, but do not inherit the Meta Pattern,Curve and Blend values, allowing them to be independently set for this holon.

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· Other holon: get the parameters from the holon specified in the Other Holon control, which appearson the right when this option is selected. The Meta Pattern, Curve and Blend value are set by thisholon's controls, not the other holon. It works in the same way as Background Creation mode , butapplied to the object instead of a plane.The same tips apply as for Background Creation mode.

· Flame: use running averages of holon history for 'flame' style coloring. The first meta pattern is stronglyaveraged, the second is moderately averaged and the third gives mostly local coloring. For best resultsyou should keep most holon meta patterns at zero and experiment with meta pattern values for only oneor two holons at a time, especially those with the largest scales. Holons that are not set to Flame aretreated as having zero values, so their meta patterns don't affect the flame holons. Flame coloring canbe speckly, so is best with transparent rendering (or Surface Only opacity method for anti-aliasing.)

Apply Pattern to Unlit picture

When Map From is set to Other holon, the Apply Pattern to Unlit picture button is visible. Thisallows you to apply the active holon's coloring to an already rendered object. The entire object gets thesame coloring, so the preview only indicates the correct result for the active holon. The pattern comesfrom the Other Holon, and the coloring from the active holon.

Note: you can apply only one holon's coloring to the whole object. If no object has been rendered, it hasno effect (unless a depth map has been created using the Depth window.)

3.11.11.3 Meta pattern


The Meta Pattern controls adjust the strength of the three mapping parameters (from the source selectedin the Map From control) for the selected holons. Increasing values map more of the destination gradientor picture onto the shape. The parameters are then modified by the Curve and Blend controls.

· To randomize the Meta Pattern values for the selected holons, click the Randomize Meta Patterns

button .· To use identical values for all selected holons, first check the Sync Meta Patterns checkbox, otherwise

each holon is randomized independently.

· To make the gradient for the selected holons wrap instead of bounce, check the Wrap checkbox.

The three parameters are different for each metamorph style, and most come directly from the metamorphformulas.

3.11.11.4 Meta curve


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Applies to: Metamorph coloring

The Curve controls provide additional transformations of the Meta Pattern parameters.

The Curve options are:

· Linr: linear· Saw: sawtooth

· Sin: sine wave· Cos: cosine wave

· Puls: pulse· Step: steps· Sqr: square of parameter

· Cube: cube of parameter

· Tanh: hyperbolic tangent, squeezes towards the center· Sinc: damped sine wave (reducing away from the center)· Sin2: squared sine

· Cup: repeating cup shape (inverted absolute sine)

· Ripple: a double sine ripple

· Sinst: a sine staircase· Zigz: zigzag

The two Blend controls determine how the parameters are combined. The first Blend control combinesthe first and second parameter, and the second Blend control combines the result with the thirdparameter.

The Blend options are:

· + adds the parameters

· - subtracts the parameters

· x multiplies the parameters

· > maximum value

· < minimum value· ~ exclusion; the sum minus the product

· ? selects the first or second parameter depending on the value of the other parameter

· ! don't blend; use with ? for pure selection

Randomizing and resetting

· To randomize the Curve and Blend parameters for selected holons, click the Randomize Curve/Blend

button .· To use identical values for all selected holons, first check the Sync Meta Patterns checkbox, otherwise

each holon is randomized independently.

· To reset the Curve and Blend parameters for all holons to Linr and + respectively, click the Reset

Curve/Blend button .

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3.11.11.5 Cycle gradient


The Cycle control allows each holon's gradient to be rotated independently.

· To rotate the gradient for the active holon and any other selected holons, adjust the Cycle control.

3.11.11.6 Picture mapping


These controls manage picture mapping when Map To is set to Background Picture.

· To set the controls to default values, click the Picture Map Defaults button .

The defaults will produce linear mapping for most of the constructor styles. It will generally be necessary totry all the Pic Map X and Y combinations of 1, 2 and 3 to see which one works best. Some styles will onlyproduce very warped mapping that looks like an alternative gradient.

· The Pic Map X and Y controls map parameters to the horizontal and vertical picture coordinatesrespectively. The options are:

1. first parameter2. second parameter3. third parameter4. first and second parameters blended5. all three parameters blended

· The Picture Offset X and Y controls shift the picture in each direction.

· The Meta Pattern controls provide picture scaling. Use negative values to flip the picture.

· The Curve options allow additional warping.

Note: which Meta Pattern, Curve and Blend controls are effective depends on which parameters areassigned by Pic Map X and Y.

If the Map From option is Inherit all, the Meta Pattern, Curve and Blend settings are inherited as forgradient mapping.

· To inherit the Map To values and the Pic Map and Picture Offset settings, check Inherit Color.Adjust Inherit Count to limit the number of iterations skipped. This overrides the Map To setting forthis holon, and allows correct inheritance from multiple holons, even if some have pictures and somehave gradients.



3.11.11.7 Background creation


This feature allows you to create background pictures directly from any holon's metamorph coloring. Itdoes not affect the rendered or lit pictures or depth map etc, so you can create background pictures eitherbefore or after rendering.

It works by transforming every point in the visible plane by the active holon and its metamorphs, and usingthe associated metamorph coloring. Because we are using the original position of the point in the planeand not the transformed position, all the controls seem to work backwards from their usual effect inmetamorph coloring.

· To enable background creation, click the Background Creation Mode button . The preview showsthe background resulting from the active holon's metamorph coloring. The object is not shown.

· To return to normal operation and previews, release the Background Creation Mode button.

As only the active holon is used, the Map From option must be First Metamorph, Last Metamorph orWorld Space to get any pattern.

The Map To control selects the color destination, except that if Background Color is chosen thenParametric Gradient is used instead.

All the holon shape parameters except X Skew usually affect the result, but they work in the oppositesense from usual. Metamorph Amount only has an effect for the first style driving the second.

On the View page, the Camera Zoom affects the result, and also in the opposite direction from usual.Stereo Mode supports background creation, and the Stereo Distance control adjusts the relativedistance for the background. It will usually be necessary to increase the value above zero to move itbehind other objects.

· To create the Background picture with the current pattern, click the Create Background Picture button

. If the Background picture already exists, you are asked to confirm overwriting it.

· To use anti-aliasing when creating the Background picture, set the Anti-alias Background (AA) controlto 1 for moderate effect or 2 for full effect. Anti-aliasing reduces the intensity of fine interference patternsat the expense of color intensity, and is a lot slower.

Tips:

· Avoid constructor styles and the Tile styles unless you want noise.· The radial styles such as Ripple and Nubble work best with some Z position.

· Some styles don't do much by themselves but can be useful before or after another style.· To reserve a holon just for background creation without it affecting the object, make this holon both Free

and Hidden. It will be saved along with the object in a parameter file.

Note: with busy patterns or gradients, the preview will have heavy interference patterns that will bedifferent in the full size picture, and different again if you render to a larger picture.

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3.11.12 Parametric gradients

3.11.12.1 Overview: Parametric gradients


Parametric gradients are a set of color gradients that are correlated across all holons. One set of controlsproduces a Global Pattern that is shared by all holons. Each holon has controls to give it individualcolors. This provides fairly wide variation from a small number of parameters, and allows randomization ofall gradients at once. However it does not allow much control of the gradients, and they are notindependent.

The color of a point is calculated by starting with the holon's Initial Color. For each step in the generatingsequence, the color is changed by the product of the holon Modifier and the global pattern for that step.

Parametric gradients may be used for either coloring method by selecting it in the Map To dropdown list.

To show the Parametric Gradient Editor window:

1. Make sure the active holon has Parametric Gradient selected in the Map To list.

2. Click the Edit Gradient button on the Color page.

Parametric gradients may be saved as Color Presets. The gradients are saved for all the holons.

3.11.12.2 Initial color and modifier

Location: Parametric Gradient Editor window

Each holon has an Initial Color and Modifiers. Together with the global pattern, they determine thegradient.

The Initial Color is the starting point for a gradient or color sequence.

· To change the Initial Color for the selected holons, either click the Initial Color rectangle to open thecolor picker dialog, or adjust the R, G and B controls individually.

Each holon has a Modifier for each of red, green and blue. The modifiers and global pattern aremultiplied together to determine how the color changes at each step, starting from the Initial Color on theleft.

The color does not evolve from the Initial Color if either the global pattern Gain is zero, or the Modifiersare zero. The Gain controls the overall rate of change, and the Modifiers control the rate for each colorchannel.

· To change the Modifiers for the selected holons, adjust any of the three Modifier controls.

You can also copy or swap the Initial Color and Modifiers by drag and drop in the palette preview.



3.11.12.3 Global pattern


These controls define a global pattern that gives complexity to parametric gradients. By mixing tworepeating waves (a step and a ramp), a wide range of patterns is possible. For each holon, the globalpattern is multiplied by the Modifiers to determine how the color evolves from the Initial Color.

Some of the controls work differently for each coloring method.

· Gain sets the overall strength of the pattern. Large positive or negative values produce dense stripes,while small values produce gradual changes. When Gain is 0 the pattern has no variation at all.

· Wave sets the balance between step and ramp waves. Set it to 100 for pure ramp, 0 for an equal mixand -100 for pure step.

· Slew has the effect of rotating each gradient into the next, either up or down.

· Start sets the step where the pattern begins. There is no variation before this point.

The step function has three controls:· On sets the length of the rising segment.· Off sets the length of the falling segment.

· Vert adjusts the vertical bias, or how much it tends to increase or decrease the gradient. Extremevalues produce alternating flat segments.

The ramp function has two controls:· Up sets the length of the rising segment.

· Down sets the length of the falling segment. When Down has a negative value, the ramp occurs onlyonce instead of repeating.

3.11.12.4 Randomize and clear palette


· To clear the gradients for all holons (Initial Color, Modifiers, global pattern controls), click the Clear

Palette button .

· To randomize the Initial Color and Modifiers for all holons, click the Randomize Gradients button

(upper position).

· To randomize the whole palette, click the Randomize Palette button .

· To randomize the global pattern, click the Randomize Global Pattern button (lower position).

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3.11.12.5 Gradient rotation


These buttons allow rotating or swapping the gradients between the holons.

· To rotate the holon gradients up, click the Rotate Gradients Up button .

· To rotate the holon gradients down, click the Rotate Gradients Down button .

· To swap the active holon's gradient with the first holon, click the Swap Gradient With First button .

· To swap the active holon's gradient with the next holon, click the Swap Gradient With Next button

.

3.11.12.6 Color presets


Color Presets let you save and load favorite or useful parametric gradients. However, their appearance canvary considerably when applied to other objects.

· To open the Color Preset window, click the Gradient Presets button in either the Color page or theParametric Gradient window. Drag the Color Preset window so you can see the Preview window in theMain window.

All preset operations are done from the Color Preset window, except for saving new presets.

Saving presets

You can save the current parametric gradient as a new Color Preset. This is done from the ParametricGradient window.

To save a new preset:

1. Click the Save Color Preset button . The Save Preset dialog opens.3. Type the name for the preset into the Preset edit box.4. Click OK to save the preset, or Cancel to close the dialog without saving the preset. If the preset

name already exists you are asked for confirmation to overwrite it.

3.11.12.7 Color preset window

The Color Preset window is where you choose Color Presets for the Parametric Gradient editor.

When you resize the Color Preset window vertically, the preset list resizes to fit. You can drag the windowto a convenient position. It is most useful to keep the Main window preview visible. The Main window is notaccessible while the Color Preset window is open.



The Preset List shows the names of presets.

· To choose a preset, click on the name in the Preset List. The Main window Preview shows how it willlook.

· To preview many presets consecutively, use the cursor keys to scroll through them.

· To close the Color Preset window, click the OK button.

· To choose a preset and close the Color Preset window, double-click the preset name.

· To close the Color Preset window and revert to the palette before you opened the window, click theCancel button.

· To change Preview Mode, click the Preview Mode button .

To delete a color preset:

1. Select the preset name in the Preset List.

2. Click the Delete Color Preset button .3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the preset.

3.11.13 Custom gradients

3.11.13.1 Overview: Custom gradients


Custom gradients are independent of each other and very flexible. They use control nodes with standardand additional parameters. You can build gradients just by adding points and editing their colors, or youcan add repeating curves and color variations for any interval. These extra features allow gradients withfewer control points, which makes it much easier to change colors or other aspects.

Custom gradients are available for both coloring methods, as an option in the Map To dropdown list.

To open the Custom Gradient Editor window:

1. Make sure the active holon has Custom Gradient selected in the Map To list.

2. Click the Edit Gradient button on the Color page.

Custom gradients may be saved as presets for permanent storage.

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3.11.13.2 Custom gradient editor

The Custom Gradient editor allows creation and editing of individual gradients. It uses control nodessimilar to many other programs, with some powerful enhancements for greater flexibility.

The gradient editor updates the Main window preview as you make changes.· To close the Custom Gradient Editor window and keep the current gradient, click OK, or press Enter.

· To close the window and revert to the old gradient, click Cancel.

Gradient strip and control nodes

The gradient strip is the rectangle at the top containing the color gradient. The control nodes are thecolored circles below it. The active node has a white border and is lower to make it easier to control whennear other nodes.

· To add a new node, click in the gradient strip at the desired position. The gradient color at that positionbecomes the new node's color.

· To copy a node, Ctrl-click somewhere between the node and the next node on the right. This is mostuseful if you subsequently change the color, or move it beyond another node.

· To select a different node, either click on the node, or adjust the Active Node control (first numericcontrol on the left).

· To move a node, either drag it horizontally, or adjust the Position control (bottom left numeric control).

· To delete the active node, click the Delete Node button .

· To change the color of the active node, click the color rectangle to open the Color Picker dialog.

Active node controls

The other active node controls affect the interval between the active node and the following node.

· The Midpoint control sets the midpoint of the interval. Values below 0.5 bend it to the left, and valuesabove 0.5 bend it to the right.

· The Curve dropdown list provides 18 different curves for the color interpolation.

· The Frequency control sets the number of times the curve repeats. With positive values, the curvereverses for continuity; with negative values it repeats without reversing.



· The Amount control blends between a linear transition and the curve.

· The red, green and blue Modifier controls provide additional color variation within the interval, fromsubtle tints to polychromatic bands.

· The Ghost control blends between the intervals either side and the interval that adjacent points wouldhave if the active point were not there.

Gradient controls

· There are three randomize buttons. None of them change the number of nodes.

1. Randomize colors . Ctrl-click instead to randomize Modifier values, or Shift-click to reset theModifier values.

2. Randomize all except colors and modifiers .

3. Randomize all parameters .

· To rotate each node color to the left, click the Cycle Colors Left button .

· To rotate each node color to the right, click the Cycle Colors Right button .

· To reset the gradient to the default values, click the Clear Gradient button .

Gradient presets

· To open the Custom Gradient Preset window, click the Gradient Presets button .

· To save the current gradient as a preset:

1. Click the Save Preset button . The Save Preset dialog opens, with the Category defaulting tothe last used, if any.

2. Choose a category; or to make a new category, type the name into the Category dropdown box.3. Type the name for the preset into the Preset edit box.4. Click OK to save the preset, or Cancel to close the dialog without saving the preset. If the preset


Gradient memory spots

There are 8 Gradient Memory Spots to store and recall gradients during the current session.

· To store the current gradient, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall a gradient, click on a full (blue) spot.


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3.11.13.3 Custom gradient preset window

The Custom Gradient Preset window is where you select Custom Gradient Presets. Presets are organizedin categories for ease of use and management.

· To open the Custom Gradient Preset window, click the Gradient Presets button . This button islocated in the Color page and also the Custom Gradient Editor window.

When you resize the Custom Gradient Preset window, the category and preset lists are resized to fit. Youcan drag the window to a convenient position.

The Category List shows the categories of presets.

· To select a different category, click on the name in the Catetory List.

The Preset List shows the name and gradient of each preset in the current category.

· To select a preset, click on the name or gradient in the Preset List.


· To close the Custom Gradient Preset window, click the OK button, or press the Enter key.

· To select a preset and close the Custom Gradient Preset window, double-click the preset name.

· To close the Custom Gradient Preset window and revert to the gradient before you opened the window,click the Cancel button.

Note: the Preset List supports multiple selection for the purposes of export and changing category. Onlyone preset is opened at a time.

· To move one or more presets to another category, select the presets in the Preset List, then drag anddrop them to the destination category in the Category List.

3.11.13.4 Deleting and renaming gradient presets

Location: Custom Gradient Preset window.

You can delete or rename lighting presets from the Custom Gradient Preset window. Saving new presetsis done from the Gradient Editor window.

To delete a gradient preset:


2. Click the Delete Preset button .3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the preset.



To rename a gradient preset:


2. Click the Rename Preset button . A dialog box opens.3. Change the category, preset name or both.4. Click OK to accept the change, or Cancel to leave it unchanged.

3.11.13.5 Importing and exporting gradient presets

Location: Custom Gradient Preset window.

Sometimes you might download collections of new gradient presets, or want to share with others. You canimport and export lighting presets for this purpose. Custom gradient preset files have extension .xcg.

To import gradient presets:

1. Click the Import Presets button at the bottom of the Custom Gradient Preset window. A file opendialog appears.

2. Find and select the gradient preset file to import.3. Click OK to import.

If the name of any imported preset already exists in your collection, it will not be imported. When theprocess is complete, a message confirms the number of presets imported.

To export lighting presets:

1. Select all the presets in the Preset List that you want to export. You can only export from onecategory at a time. Standard multiple selection methods apply; you can drag the mouse or Shift-clickto select a range, and Ctrl-click to select non-continuously.

2. Click the Export Presets button. A file save dialog appears.3. Name the file whatever you like (except "Custgrad" which is reserved for your active presets).4. Click OK to export the presets.

Note: the gradient preset .xcg files are plain text, and it's safest to zip them before emailing or uploading.

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3.12 Rendering page

3.12.1 Overview: the Rendering page


Rendering is the process of calculating color, depth and shadow information for the full size picture. Youcan watch the picture being rendered in the Picture window, but you don't see the depth or lighting effectsuntil you go to the Lighting window.

The Rendering page contains the controls that you set before rendering. They include shadows ,holon opacity , render size and rendering method . You can also select .xep files forbatch rendering .

Controls to start and stop rendering are located:

In the Main window:

· in the Render toolbar

· by right-clicking in the Preview window

In the Picture window:· on the toolbar , along with a progress indicator

· by right-clicking in the Picture window

Note: New renders always have a black background. You generally add any different backgrounds duringor after rendering, either by layering in the Picture form, or in Lighting, or both.

Screensavers are disabled during rendering to prevent display problems that can occur in some cases.

3.12.2 About rendering

Rendering produces color, depth and optionally shadow and opacity information for use in layering andlighting. The flexible interaction between these processes allows for a variety of approaches to creating apicture.

Here are the main ways that XenoDream is being used so far.

Standard

The default is rendering with full opacity. In rare cases the rendered (Unlit) picture is the end point, butusually lighting is applied. The lighting can illustrate the 3-D features of the object, or it can be a 2-D filtereffect, or somewhere in between. Then the Lit picture is what you save to a file. You can do additionallayering with backgrounds first.

Transparent

Setting holon opacities below 100% produces a transparent render. The colors through the object areblended accordingly and an alpha channel is created to store the opacity of each pixel. Withalphablending on, the rendered (Unlit) picture may be all you want. The general options are:

· Use the Unlit picture as is.· Apply ambient lighting just to tweak blur, saturation, contrast and glow, to enhance the result.· Apply a 3-D lighting, with Use Alpha checked to keep the transparency.

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· Apply a 3-D lighting, with Use Alpha unchecked, for a solid object (same as a standard render exceptthe colors have been blended by the transparency.) Optionally, alphablend the Lit picture afterwards.

Opacities between 5 and 30% work best. If you are using a 3-D lighting, use opacities below 20% andrender long enough for the surface to develop sufficiently. Otherwise you can use higher opacities andstop rendering sooner.

Accumulating the background layer

You may want to composite several objects (identical or different) into one picture. One method is torender each object separately (Render New) and merge the Lit or Unlit picture into the background layereach time. This is probably the easiest way, as the rendered objects are fully independent of each other.Each object can be opaque or transparent, but can only cast shadows onto itself.

To position each object before rendering, use the Preview With Background option.

Multiple

Sometimes it works better to accumulate several renders together before lighting, using Render More. Theobjects will intersect correctly. It is difficult to estimate the relative depths to position the objects and sometrial and error can be needed to plan the scene before beginning the final renders, because there is noundo for Render More.

Shadows are cast by and onto all objects; however the bounds of the shadow areas are set for the firstobject rendered, and any portion of subsequent objects outside these areas will not cast shadows.

Unrendered

You can open a picture file as the Unlit picture, create a depth map in the Depth window, and applylighting. Rendering is not necessary for this kind of processing. If you open a Background picture too,setting the Depth source to Background picture allows independent bump map texturing.

This can be used for 3-D text effects. Using another application to write the text in a large font, save it inBMP or PSD format. Open it as the Unlit picture in XenoDream, apply some Gaussian blur, then createthe depth map and experiment with lighting.

Other ideas

Render an object, open an Unlit picture to replace the colors, and apply lighting.

Render an object, open an Unlit picture and a Background picture, and enable Background Mask.

3.12.3 Render shadows

Location: Rendering page in the Main window

A XenoDream object can cast shadows onto itself no matter how complicated the shape. The shadowinformation for each light has to be calculated during the render. Before rendering you need to set theposition of each light that may cast a shadow. When you apply lighting, a light can have a shadow only if

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its position matches one of the rendered shadows.

Note: Shadows are not cast onto a background picture layer.

The Shadow Ball

The shadow-casting lights are shown on the Shadow Ball (which is similar to the Lighting Ball in theLighting window, except it only shows information relevant to shadows).

The shaded ball in the center represents the object, and each light is shown as a white circle on a stalk.The active light has a white border while others have a black border. The stalk is red if the shadow has notyet been rendered, and black if it has.

· To select a light, you can either adjust the Active Light control , or click on the light.

· To move a light, you can either drag the light around, or adjust the Horizontal and Vertical anglecontrols. Dragging operates within either the front or back hemisphere.

· To switch the active light between front and back, either click the Front/Back icon , or use the anglecontrols.

· To add another light, click the Add Light icon . A new light appears 15 degrees up and left ofcenter, unless there are already the maximum number of shadows.

· To delete a light, first select the unwanted light, then click the Delete Light icon .

Lighting and Shadow presets

· To open a lighting preset and get the shadow angles to match, click the Lighting Presets button and choose a preset from the list. The lighting preset will be ready to apply when you get to the Lightingwindow. If All is checked, shadows will be created for all the lights, otherwise only the shadowsassigned in the preset will be created.

Shadow presets are just preprogrammed sets of shadow angles.

· To use a shadow preset, change the setting in the Shadow Preset control .

After opening a shadow or lighting preset you can make changes to the shadow settings if necessary.

Holons casting shadows



By default, all holons cast shadows. You can disable casting shadows for any holon. You might do this fora very low opacity holon, or a specific effect.

· To choose whether the selected holons cast shadows, check or uncheck the Cast by Holon checkbox.

Casting shadows from beyond the screen boundary

If the object extends much beyond the view, calculating shadows from all those points will take longer torender. Depending on the shape and the light positions, those shadows may or may not be critical to theappearance.

· To cast shadows from points that are off screen, check the Cast from Off Screen checkbox.

Note: If you are using Regions, the shadow ball shows all shadow-casting lights. Regions haveindependent lighting but share a common pool of shadows.

3.12.4 Holon opacity


When the holons have some transparency, rendering allows you to see inside and through the object. It isconvenient to work with opacity (the opposite of transparency). The resulting opacity of the object will varywith its thickness and density, and depend on the opacities of the holons. An Alpha Channel is created tostore the opacity of each pixel. You can choose to use or ignore the opacity in layering and lighting.

The Preview window has a transparent option that approximates transparency. It does not preview theactual holon opacity or method settings.

Setting holon opacity

· The Opacity control ranges from 0 (totally transparent) to 100 (totally opaque). Adjust it to set theopacity for selected holons or all holons depending on Sync.

· Check the Sync checkbox to keep the same Opacity value for all holons. Uncheck it to allow holons tohave different opacities.

The rendering methods do not allow for an actual percentage of opacity, so the values are relative. Thelength of time needed to render depends on how it will be lit. If you need a clean surface for light sources,you will need to use small values of opacity (less than 20) and let it render a longer time than if you will belighting it in ways that don't show the solid surface.

Transparency mode

The Transparency Mode provides three methods of calculating the opacities and colors, each handlingdepth differently.

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· Uniform: depths of points within the object are ignored when blending the colors.

· Enhance Depth: depths of points within the object are considered when blending the colors, for moreimpression of internal depth.

· Surface Only: only points within 0.1% of the surface are blended.

Tip: for antialiasing of color without transparent effects, use Surface Only mode with Opacity 20 or less,and turn off Alphablend when layering, or uncheck Use Alpha when lighting.

Note: the Enhance Depth option can introduce a 'shadowing' effect when thin areas are a long way infront of denser areas, which may be undesirable especially when the effect is messy.

Note: if you start rendering totally opaque, and the Alpha Channel exists from a previous transparentrender, you will be asked if you want to keep the existing Alpha Channel. Normally you won't want to keepit, unless you have a specific plan to use the old Alpha Channel creatively.

3.12.5 Render size


Use these controls to set the size of the picture that will be created.

· The Render Size dropdown list remembers up to 24 sizes, with the most recently used at the top(unless you choose the option to default to 800x600). Use this to choose sizes that you've used before.

· Edit the Width and Height fields for any size you want.

The pictures are not resized until you either start rendering or click the Change Size button. The onlyimmediate effect of changing the size is to recalibrate the color scale if the coloring method is HolonSequence. In that case you should set the size before finalizing the colors.

· To change size immediately without starting a render, click the Change Size button . This is notnecessary before rendering, but can be useful if you want to do other operations in the Picture windowwithout rendering.

Note: when the picture size changes, all existing pictures, depth, shadows etc are lost. Make sure you'vefinished with any previously rendered data before continuing.

The Preview window contains gray guide lines to indicate the boundaries of the rendered picturedepending on the relative aspect ratios of the Preview window and picture.

The render size controls are disabled while rendering is in progress.

How large can you render?

It depends on how much RAM you have, and how many of shadows, regions and transparency.XenoDream can be quite memory intensive, as it uses several pictures as well as depth and opacity andshadows, and all of these depend on the area of the picture. Disk swapping is acceptable for layering and



lighting, but any significant disk swapping during the render (besides swapping other programs out todisk) will slow the render too much to be worthwhile (due to the random access of the picture and otherdata). If the render will exceed the amount of physical memory in your system, a warning appears with thepercentage of memory used so you have the option of canceling. It is recommended not to exceed about120% of physical memory if there is some background showing around the object, or 100% if the objectfills the entire area.

If you want to calculate memory requirements, use this method:

Multiply width by height to get the area.

Calculate the number of bytes of data per pixel by starting with 7, adding 2 per shadow, another 2 if anyholons have opacity less than 100, and 1 if regions are used.

Multiply the area by number of bytes for the total memory for rendering.

For example, if you want the size to be 4000x3000 with two shadows and some transparency, this givesan area of 12,000,000 and there are 7 + 2x2 +2 = 13 bytes per pixel, for a total of 156 million bytes.

Note: if you are rendering large sizes, make sure you have more than enough free disk space and thatyour hard disk has been recently defragmented.

Note: Unless you have Memory Mapped Files turned off in the Preferences menu, if XenoDream or yourcomputer crashes it may leave some large temporary files in your temporary folder (usually C:\Temp orC:\Windows\Temp or C:\WinNT\Temp). These will be any of RendBmp.tmp, PRZ.tmp, Shadow1/2/3.tmpetc, Alphachan.tmp, LitBmp.tmp, BackBmp.tmp, or variations with suffixes of A, B etc if you were runningmultiple instances. XenoDream will re-use these files if they already exist and are not in use by anotherinstance. However if you have run out of disk space it may be necessary to delete them yourself.

3.12.6 Rendering method


There are several methods of generating XenoDream objects, each with some strengths and weaknesses.

The default is the Chaos method. This is the one used in the Preview window. It always works, andhas no critical parameters to adjust. We recommend it in general unless you have a reason to try anothermethod.

The Ordered and Hybrid methods are sometimes capable of results that may be preferable, butthey can be tricky to adjust and sometimes don't work very well.

Note: some rendering controls (Bounds, Bailout and Terminate At) are only visible when they apply tothe selected render method.

3.12.7 Chaos render


The default Rendering Method is the Chaos render, the same method as used in the Preview window.The pixels are calculated in random sequence, which has the advantage that the whole shape appearsquickly, and the quality of detail improves with time. The Chaos render is the easiest to use because itworks for all objects, without any critical adjustments.

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A Chaos render does not have a clearly defined endpoint; it keeps choosing points randomly until youstop it, or the number of new pixels per second falls below the Terminate At value for four consecutiveseconds.

· To stop rendering automatically at a specific pixel rate, set the Terminate At control to that value.Values below 1.0 do not terminate.

You can stop a Chaos render whenever you like and still have a "complete" picture, and some surfaceroughness can be cleaned up in lighting. You can also resume a Chaos render with the Render Moreoption, even after lighting it.

Low opacity renders generally work best with the Chaos method. They need to be stopped at some point,otherwise the opacity increases too much.

It has a minor disadvantage for some objects of not completing fine details such as sharp spines due tosome pixels having extremely low probability.

3.12.8 Ordered render


The Ordered method calculates the points for each holon in sequence. Holon 1 will be drawn first, thenholon 2, etc. Ordered renders terminate when all points have been calculated. The Ordered method willNOT work with metamorphs enabled for shape or coloring.

The advantages over the Chaos method are:

· slightly sharper detail.

· shows sharp spines that may be incomplete in a Chaos render.

· bounding boxes can speed up zoomed renders.

The disadvantages are:

· with large scales it can be too slow to render.· depends on Bailout and Resolution settings for balance between quality and render time.

· stopping the render will leave out significant portions of the object

· the render can't be resumed, only restarted over.· Metamorphs are not supported.

The coloring will be slightly different from the preview and other methods, tending to be more sharplydefined.

Bounds (Applies only to Ordered rendering)

If the object goes much off screen, you can speed it up by setting the Bounds, which detects pixels thatcannot be on screen and avoids some calculation. A setting of 1 is most aggressive, but can result insome missed pixels. Larger numbers are safer but give less speed improvement. You may also lose someof the shadows if Cast from Off Screen is checked.

3.12.9 Hybrid render




The third Rendering Method is called Hybrid. It calculates the holon combinations in sequence.The Hybrid method combines aspects of the Chaos and Ordered approaches, with some pros and cons ofeach. It calculates the combinations sequentially, but in a different order. It also terminates whencomplete.

The advantages of this method are:· slightly sharper and more complete detail than the Chaos method.· Metamorphs can be rendered, unlike the Ordered method.

The disadvantages are:· some fractals with large scales would take days or weeks to render this way.· they may have holes or missing portions due to compromises in the Resolution and Bailout settings.

· stopping the render will leave out significant distributed detail.· the render can't be resumed, only restarted over.

3.12.10 Resolution and bailout


These parameters control the holon iterations in generating the object shape and/or colors, depending onthe Rendering Method.

Recall that each pixel in the object is the result of combining holons together in a different sequence. Thelength of the sequence varies with the size of the holons, as small holons converge faster than large ones.

Resolution is the size (relative to a pixel) that the sequence must converge to before generating a pixel.Bailout is the maximum number of steps in the sequence.

For Chaos renders:

These parameters have no effect on the shape. They affect the colors when the Coloring Method isHolon Sequence, and the Bailout control is duplicated on the Color page for that purpose.

· Increase Resolution to reduce the level of detail in the coloring, or decrease it for very busy or speckledcoloring.

· Decrease Bailout to simplify the coloring.

For Ordered and Hybrid renders:

These parameters affect the number of points in the object that are generated, and therefore affect boththe quality of the render and the time it takes. The idea is to find a balance between quality and time;however, some objects are just not suitable for these rendering methods.

· Adjust Resolution for the best density of points. Too large a value will leave holes; too small a value willtake too long to render.

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· Adjust Bailout to limit the iteration of large holons. Too small a value will most noticeably cause missingpoints at the center of spirals.

Both parameters affect the colors for the Holon Sequence coloring method.

Lo and Hi indicators

The Lo and Hi indicators show the range of sequence lengths (as measured in the preview or render,whichever is in progress) and correspond to the black vertical lines on the palette preview. If the Hi valueis the same as the Bailout setting, the Bailout limit is being reached.

3.12.11 Render batch


Batch rendering allows you to render and save multiple pictures without intervention. You can select anynumber of .xep parameter files, which will automatically be opened, rendered and lit, and the picturessaved.

The saved picture files will have the same filename as the parameter file but with '-bat' added before theextension. If you will be making an animation sequence, you may want to create .xep files withsequentially numbered filenames.

To render a batch of files:

1. Set the Render Size. All the pictures in this batch will be the same size.2. Set the Terminate At value (unless you are using only Ordered or Hybrid renders).3. Choose the Save To format for the picture files.4. Optionally set a value for Apply Pits to be used when lighting each picture.5. Click the Select Files... button to open a file dialog. Select all files to be rendered, using the shift or

ctrl keys for multiple selection. Click OK to begin. Each file will be opened, rendered, lit and saved.

· To cancel the batch before it finishes, release the Select Files... button. Stopping the render in theusual ways will not stop the batch from continuing.



3.13 Regions page

3.13.1 Overview: the Regions page


You can divide the object into Regions and, after rendering, apply different lighting to each region. TheRegions page contains controls for setting the regions in various ways. Regions must be set beforerendering.

Regions are not necessarily continuous areas. Each region may consist of many patches spread aroundthe object.

When you open the Lighting window, if there are several regions, additional controls are visible formanaging them.If there is only one, regions are ignored.

If the Number of Regions control is set greater than 1, regions will be generated, otherwise they will beignored. The maximum number of regions is 32.

There are three methods of assigning regions, selected with the Region Method dropdown list.

The Preview window shows each region in a different color when the Preview Mode is set to Regions.

3.13.2 Holon step region method

Location: Regions page in the Main window

When the Region Method is set to Holon Step, the regions are based on holons, subdivided by holoniterations.

The Number of Regions has a maximum value equal to the number of holons, up to a maximum of 32.

The Step control sets the number of subdivision steps for each holon. Higher numbers divide each holoninto smaller patches.

· To create a region for each holon, leave Step at 1 and set Number of Regions to the maximum value.

Note: Free holons cannot have their own regions with this method. They inherit the regions from theparent shape.

3.13.3 Gradients region method


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When the Region Method is set to Gradients, the regions are based on the holon color gradients.

The Number of Regions has a maximum value of 32.

The Step control determines how fragmented the regions are.

The Red, Green and Blue controls change the mapping of the colors to regions.

Note: any subsequent changes to the coloring will affect the regions.

3.13.4 Per holon region method


When the Region Method is set to Per Holon, each holon can be independently assigned to any region.This is the default method.

The Number of Regions has a maximum value of 32, and is set automatically to the highest HolonRegion assigned.

· To set the region for the currently selected holons, adjust the Holon Region control to the desiredregion.

· To quickly set each holon to its own region, click the Assign Holon Regions button .

· If Inherit is checked, the holon ignores its own holon region and inherits regions from other holons. Thisis most useful for large holons and free holons.

Picture Window


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4 Picture Window

4.1 Overview: the Picture window

The Picture window is where you view and work with the full size pictures. It comes to the front when youstart rendering.

The menu and toolbar allow you to:

· Save and load pictures.

· Export the depth map .· Apply some effects to the pictures.

· View the pictures at different magnifications.· Start and stop rendering and monitor progress .· Set layering modes .

· Copy or merge layers .

· Open the Lighting and Depth windows .

The Picture window may be larger or smaller than the picture size, and will have scrollbars if necessary.You can resize the window at any time. If one or both scrollbars are visible you can also drag directly onthe picture to move around it.

Double-clicking the picture will open the Lighting window if the Lit picture is showing, otherwise it opensthe Main window.

Right-clicking the picture opens a popup menu to start or stop rendering.

4.2 Pictures and layers

Location: Picture window.

In XenoDream, rendering does not usually produce a finished picture. It generates some raw ingredientsthat you combine with additional processes; mainly lighting and layering. Transparent renders may notneed lighting.

Rendering produces:· the Unlit Picture (a normal color picture)· the Depth Map (the distance of each pixel from the camera)

· shadow maps· optionally, the Alpha Channel (opacity per pixel)

The Alpha Channel is produced if any holons have opacity less than 100%.

The Unlit Picture is given this name because it has the colors of the rendered object but does not yet haveany 3-D depth, transparency or lighting.

When you use the Lighting window, it reads these sources, calculates lighting and other effects andproduces the Lit Picture as output.

Layers

The Picture window provides basic layering. You can see the Unlit or Lit pictures as they are, or in

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combination with a background. The background can be either a single color or a picture.

· The front layer can be either the Unlit or Lit Picture. You cannot combine them directly.· The back layer can be either the Background Color, or the Background Picture.· The layering options are Background Mask , Alphablend , Layer Opacity and

Merge Mode .

If no layering options are active, the front layer will be visible. You can also hide the front layer to see justthe Background Picture.

You can use the Copy/Merge button or menu option to copy one picture to another, or to combinetwo layers into one picture, selecting any of the three pictures as destination. This process can berepeated, and in combination with lighting, and opening pictures from file, provides considerable flexibility.

4.3 File menu

Location: Menu bar in the Picture window.

The Picture window's File menu has these options:

· Save picture...

Saves the active picture or layers to a file. See Saving pictures .

· Save depth map...

Saves the depth map to a file. See Saving depth maps .

· Open picture..., Reopen picture

Opens a graphic file as one of the pictures. See Opening pictures .

· Open depth map...

Opens a PGM file as the depth map. See Opening depth maps .

· Close Background picture

Closes the Background picture to free the memory for other uses.If the Background Picture doesn't exist, this menu option is disabled.

· Close Alpha Channel

Closes the existing Alpha Channel, either to free memory or to avoid potential confusion when lighting anew render. Once created, the Alpha Channel is not automatically closed unless you change render size.

One potential annoyance of an obsolete alpha channel is that some Lighting presets have Alpha Glowchecked, and will show incorrectly each time you load them until Alpha Glow is unchecked.

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· Exit

Choose this option to quit XenoDream. You can also quit from the Main window by clicking the close boxon the title bar, or the Exit option in the File menu.

4.4 Saving pictures

Location: File Menu in the Picture window menu bar.

You can save pictures in three formats: Bitmap (*.bmp), Jpeg (*.jpg) or Photoshop (*.psd). Read below fordetails specific to each format.

1. In the File menu, choose Save picture...2. In the Save Picture dialog, choose the file type, then enter a filename.3. Click OK to save the file, or Cancel to close the dialog without saving.

Note: if the filename has an extension, and you subsequently change the file type, you need to delete theextension or change it to match.

After saving, you are prompted to save the parameter file if it has changed since last being saved.

Jpeg format

Whatever you see will be saved. Layers are merged automatically into the file.

After clicking OK, a dialog opens for setting the quality factor. 70 to 90 is the most useful range. You canalso choose whether to use the standard 422 subsampling, or no subsampling for sharper colors. Thesettings are remembered between sessions.

Bitmap format

Whatever you see will be saved. Layers are merged automatically into the file.

Photoshop format

Prior to v1.2, layers were merged automatically. From v1.2, if layers are active, the front and back layersare preserved in the file along with masks, opacity and merge mode for the front layer.

If the Alphablend button is down, the Layer mask (the Clip mask in Photopaint) will contain the alphachannel opacities and the transparency mask will contain the Background Mask (opaque for the objectand transparent for the background).

Otherwise, the Layer mask will contain the Background Mask and the transparency mask will be allopaque.

If the Merge Mode is not one supported by Photoshop, the most similar mode will be saved instead.

Insufficient disk space

If there is insufficient disk space to save the file, you get an error message and the file is not saved.



4.5 Saving depth maps


Saving the Depth Map provides a way of using XenoDream objects in other 3-D applications. Dependingon the program, they can be imported and used as terrains, or as more general objects by clipping thebase off. Depth maps are also called heightfields. You can export 3-D meshes with a different process.

You can save the depth map any time after rendering, because the depth map is produced automaticallyby rendering.

To save the depth map:

1. Choose the Save depth map... option from the File menu.2. Choose the file type to save as.3. Type a filename and click OK to save.4. A dialog asks whether to 'Set base level at back of object?' Choose Yes to eliminate extra height from

the whole object, or No to keep the absolute height.

There are two supported formats. Portable Grey Map (*.PGM) is a common format for storing heightfields.XenoDream uses the 16 bit ASCII version. The other option is Targa 16bit RG encoded (*.TGA). Youneed to know which format your 3-D application can import.

For Bryce or KPT Gel (see below), use the PGM format. In the Bryce File menu, choose Import Object toconvert the PGM file directly to a terrain. Terrains are extended to a multiple of 512 per side, so it's easiestto render at 512x512 or 1024x1024 (it has been recommended to use 3 pixels less than these sizes, eg509x509).

For Vue d'esprit v4.05 and later, use the TGA format.

Note: you can do surface cleaning such as Pits, permanent smoothing etc, in the Lighting window beforesaving the depth map. You can also create or modify the depth map with the Depth window before savingit.

Tip: to reduce perspective distortion when rendering to save the depth map, set up a camera view withincreased Z Position (eg 20) and increase Camera Zoom to compensate.

Note: KPT Gel does not open PGM files saved with XenoDream v1.1. You can fix these files either byopening them in XenoDream v1.2 or later and resaving them, or by editing the PGM files in a text editorand breaking the first line into three, with the P2 on the first line, the width and height on the second line,and the maximum value (65535) on the third line.

4.6 Opening pictures


You can open picture files to use as background, unlit or lit pictures, whether or not they were saved fromXenoDream.

· To open a picture file, choose Open picture... from the File menu. After choosing a picture file from thedialog, the Picture Destination dialog appears. Choose the Background, Unlit or Lit picture. If thechosen picture doesn't exist it will be created, otherwise it will be overwritten. Any existing Depth, Alphaor Shadow information is unaffected.

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· To reopen a recently used picture file, point to Reopen and choose a file from the submenu. The fullpath is not shown, only the filename. After choosing the file, the Picture Destination dialog appears.

Currently three file formats are supported:

· Jpeg (*.jpg) - any type. The dialog preview does not show the picture.

· Bitmap (*.bmp) - only 24bit RGB bitmaps can be loaded.

· Photoshop (*.psd) - only 8 bits per plane, RGB, 3 or more channels. If 4 or more channels are present,the 4th channel is loaded to the Alpha Channel and higher channels are ignored. The dialog previewdoes not show the picture.

Note: Though XenoDream now saves Photoshop files with layers and masks, it opens the combinedimage as a single picture. Opening layers may be supported in a future version.

Differing picture sizes

If the picture file has different height or width from the current picture size, a dialog appears with theoption of changing size to fit the file. (This is equivalent to changing the size in the Main windowRendering page, and clicking the Change Size button.)

· If you click Yes, you will lose any existing pictures and depth/alpha/shadows.

· If you click No, the file picture will be truncated and/or tiled to fit the current picture size.

4.7 Opening depth maps


You can open a Depth Map that was previously saved in XenoDream, or import one that was created inanother program, for example a KPT Gel heightfield, or a Bryce depth render, or any terrain editor thatsaves PGM files in ASCII format.

· To open a PGM file as the Depth Map, choose Open depth map... from the File menu, and select a fileto open. The Depth Map will be overwritten.

If the file dimensions are larger than the current picture size, the extra data will be truncated. If smaller, itwill be aligned at the top left corner, and is not tiled as smaller pictures are.

If you open a PGM file saved with XenoDream 1.2 or later, it will be identical to the depth map that wassaved. Files saved from XenoDream 1.1 or another application don't contain any absolute depth rangeand may appear deeper or flatter than expected.

Note: XenoDream saves PGM files with 16 bit precision, but can open any ASCII PGM file.

4.8 Edit menu


The Edit menu has three options.

· Copy to Clipboard

· Copy/Merge layers...· Clear

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To copy the active picture to the clipboard, choose the Copy to Clipboard menu option. You can thenpaste the picture into any other application that supports pasting 24 bit RGB Bitmaps. Layering optionsare not included.

This operation is limited in size to 2400x1800 (or other dimensions of equal area). For larger pictures youneed to save to file instead.

XenoDream does not currently support pasting pictures from the clipboard.

Note to users of Corel Photopaint 8: service packs SP1 and SP2 are required, or copying to the clipboardwon't work.

Clearing the picture

· To clear the active picture by filling it with the current Background color, choose Clear.

4.9 View menu


The View menu allows you to see the picture (including any layer options) at different sizes.

The options are:

· 25%· 50%

· 100%

· 200%

· To Fit

100% is normal size. Choose To Fit to have the picture fit into the window. If you resize the window whileTo Fit is selected, the picture will resize accordingly.

Warning: if you are rendering at a large size, To Fit will slow down rendering considerably. Set the view to100% for maximum rendering speed.

4.10 Effects menu


The Effects menu has a selection of effects that can be applied to the active picture. Some take placeimmediately when you choose them, and these can be undone simply by repeating the effect. The others,which end in "..." open a dialog with a preview window and OK and Cancel buttons.

Note: Effects are applied to the active picture, not to the full layers, if merged layers are showing. Theactive picture is whichever of the Unlit or Lit pictures is selected, or the Background picture if that alone isselected.

The currently available effects are:

· Flip Horizontal

Flips the active picture horizontally.

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· Flip Vertical

Flips the active picture vertically.

Note: If you flip the Unlit picture before applying Lighting, the Depth, Alpha and Shadow information arenot flipped to match.

· Invert

Inverts the colors in the active picture (makes a color negative.)

The Effects dialog

The following menu items open the Effects dialog. The dialog has a preview window, which you can scrolleither with the scrollbars or by dragging in the window. A progress indicator at the bottom of the dialogshows progress in applying the effect when you click OK. To close the dialog without applying the effect,click Cancel.

· Gaussian Blur...

Opens the Effects dialog to do a Gaussian blur or sharpen on the active picture.The Width control sets the number of iterations of the filter, which determines the radial distance thatthe blur extends over. Large Width settings are slower.The Amount control sets the strength of the blur in each iteration. Negative values produce sharpeningor edge enhancement.The Lighten control adjusts the overall lightness level. It is per iteration, so interacts with the Widthsetting.

· Remove Noise...

Opens the Effects dialog to remove or increase noise in the active picture.The Iterations control sets the number of iterations of the filter. Large Iterations settings are slower.The Amount control determines how much variation is removed in each iteration. Negative valuesamplify existing variation.The Lighten control adjusts the overall lightness level. It is per iteration, so interacts with the Iterationssetting.The Mono option attempts to preserve the hue of each pixel.

· HLS and Contrast...

Opens the Effects dialog to adjust the hue, lightness, saturation and contrast of the active picture.The Hue control rotates the hues.The Saturation control adjusts the saturation of the picture. Values above 100 or below -100 invert thesaturation.The Lightness control adjusts the lightness of the picture. Values above 100 or below -100 invert thelightness.The Contrast control adjusts the contrast of the picture.

4.11 Rendering progress

Location: Toolbar in the Picture window.



These buttons start and stop rendering, and the progress indicator shows how the render is proceeding.

· Click the Start New Render button to begin a new render, replacing the Unlit picture, depth map,alpha channel and shadows as applicable.

· To start or resume rendering without clearing any existing data, click the Render More button .

· While rendering is in progress, the Start New Render button is replaced by the Stop Rendering

button . Click it to stop rendering. (You can also click it to halt the application of lighting.)

If you want to have a confirmation dialog for Start New Render, check that option in the Main windowOptions | Preferences menu.

Rendering progress

For Chaos renders, the progress indicator shows the number of new pixels plotted each second. Newpixels are those in front of existing pixels. (With transparent renders, other pixels are still changing thecolors, but only new pixels update the surface shape.) The rate starts very high and falls gradually. Thelonger you leave it, the more surface detail is filled in and the better the quality generally. If the fractal isunderdone, the surface will have holes in it or appear rough or pitted when lit. Lighting includes somesurface cleaning options to fix these defects.

Tip: for Chaos renders, you will often find that stopping at 500 or even 1000 or more gives satisfactoryresults (perhaps with some Pits filtering), and you can go ahead and preview lighting earlier, withoutstopping the render. Sometimes you will want to continue until the rate is down below 100 to get all thefine detail complete.

For Ordered and Hybrid renders, the indicator shows the percentage of holons completed. When theholon sizes vary, this will not change at a consistent rate, so it is of limited use.

Overflow

The progress indicator has a red background if rendering halts due to overflow. If you are using the Chaosmethod, you can click the Render More button to resume.

Note: while rendering, the picture is normally updated once per second. When any layer options areactive, the refresh rate is once per two seconds.

4.12 Selecting layers


These controls determine which pictures are in each layer, and set the background color.

If any of the pictures does not currently exist, that button is disabled. The Unlit Picture always exists. TheLit Picture is created when lighting is first applied, and closed if the picture size is changed. Pictures canalso be loaded from file or created by copying or merging from the other pictures.

· To choose the picture for the front layer, click either the Unlit Picture button or the Lit Picture

button . Only one of these can be visible at a time.

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· To choose the Background Picture as the back layer, click the Background Picture button . If it isdisabled, you first need to load a background picture or copy it from one of the other pictures.

· To choose the Background Color as the back layer, release the Background Picture button.

· To change the Background Color, click on the color rectangle to open a color picker dialog. (This isthe same background color as used in the Lighting window, and is updated to match.)

· To see the Background picture alone, choose it and release whichever of the Unlit and Lit picturebuttons is down.

If only the Unlit Picture exists, you cannot release the Unlit Picture button.

Tip: if you want to combine the Unlit and Lit pictures together, copy one of them to the BackgroundPicture to be the back layer.

4.13 Background mask


The Background Mask uses the depth map as an implicit mask, to show the back layer at every pixel notoccupied by the object.

· To apply the background mask, click the Background Mask button . To stop using the mask,release the button.

Note: if this button doesn't seem to do anything, it's because the back layer is the same color(s) as thefront layer in the masked areas. This is the default situation, when the background color and thebackground of the Unlit Picture are both black.

4.14 Alphablend


Alphablending means blending layers according to the opacity of each pixel. The Alphablend option usesthe opacity of each pixel in the Alpha Channel to vary how much of the back layer shows through the frontlayer.

The Alphablend button is enabled only when the Alpha Channel exists. When you render with any holonshaving opacity less than 100%, the Alpha Channel is created and Alphablend is selected automatically.

· To apply alphablending, click the Alphablend button . To stop using alphablending, release thebutton.

Note: If you use the Alpha Channel in Lighting, you may not want to use it on the Lit Picture as well.Another option is to apply lighting with Use Alpha unchecked, and Alphablend the resulting Lit Picture.



4.15 Layer opacity


The Layer Opacity control sets the overall opacity of the front layer. As you decrease the value, more ofthe back layer shows through.

Layer opacity works independently of alphablending, and they can be used together. The difference is thatlayer opacity has a constant value over the whole layer, while alphablending gets different opacity for eachpixel from the Alpha Channel.

4.16 Merge mode


The Merge Mode determines how the layers are blended together. Many of these modes may be familiarif you use photo manipulation or paint programs that do layers.

The Merge Modes are:

· Normal: just the front layer.

· Add: adds the layers together for brighter colors.

· Subtract: darkens the colors unless either layer is white.

· Multiply: multiplies the layer colors together, preserving darkness in either layer.

· Screen: the opposite of multiply, preserving brighter colors in either layer.· Overlay: if the back layer is bright, applies Screen, otherwise applies Multiply.

· Soft light: darkens or lightens the back layer depending on the front brightness.

· Hard light: if the front layer is bright, applies Screen, otherwise applies Multiply.

· Color dodge: brightens the back layer according to the front color

· Color burn: darkens the back layer according to the front color· Reflect: strong dodge with highlight effect

· Freeze: strong burn.

· Lighten: uses the lighter color in each channel.

· Darken: uses the darker color in each channel.

· Difference: subtracts the darker color from the lighter one, giving a mix of normal and inverted colors.· Exclusion: more subtle difference.

· Lightness: the front layer's brightness controls the back layer's lightness.· Lum diff: the front layer's brightness modulates the difference.· Procedural+: the back layer's brightness modulates the front layer's colors.

· Procedural-: the front layer's brightness modulates the back layer's colors.· Square: adds the layers together and squares the result for a dim luminous look.

4.17 Copy or merge layers


This option is also in the Edit menu. It allows you to copy one picture to another, or to merge the activelayers into a single picture.

1. Set the toolbar controls to show exactly what you want to copy or merge.

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2. Either click the Copy/Merge button , or choose Copy/Merge Picture... from the Edit menu. TheCopy/Merge dialog opens, with a description of what will be copied.

4. Choose the destination picture to copy or merge to.5. Click the OK button to proceed, or the Cancel button to close without copying.

After the copy/merge, the toolbar controls are reset to show the destination picture.

4.18 Navigation


These buttons show the Main window, Lighting window, Depth window and Lighting Presets windowrespectively.

Opening the Depth window or Lighting Presets window also opens the Lighting window.

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5 Lighting Window

5.1 Overview: the Lighting window

The Lighting window is where you preview and apply Lighting. Lighting is a kind of filter (really a wholebunch of effects working together) that processes the Unlit picture, Depth Map and other data, saving theresult to the Lit picture. This is where rendered objects get their 3-D appearance.

· To open the Lighting window, click the Lighting button on the Picture window toolbar.

How Lighting works

The general idea of Lighting is to shine lights onto a 3-D object, specifying the properties of the lights, theobject material and related effects. The object's intrinsic colors come from the Unlit picture. The DepthMap contains the distance of each pixel from the camera, thereby defining the visible surface of the object.Along with shadows and opacity, this information is used to calculate the resulting color of each pixel. Thisbecomes the Lit picture, without changing the Unlit picture or any of the other data (except where SurfaceCleaning permanent options are used.)

The lighting parameters are organized in sections, each in a collapsible panel down the right side of thewindow. To expand or collapse a panel, click in its title bar. The panel titles show in bold face when anycontrols in that panel contribute to the lighting, except for the Light Sources and Depth panels whichalways affect the results.

The left side of the window has the general controls, for presets , randomizing , memory spots ,lighting by region , preview and applying lighting , and others.

Some of the behavior is customizable in the Lighting Options menu .

5.2 Lighting preview

Location: Lighting window.

The Lighting Preview window shows the effect of all lighting parameters as you adjust them. It can eithershow actual size or zoom out to show more of the picture.

· To scroll around the picture, either use the scrollbars or drag directly in the Preview window. The Unlitpicture shows while you drag, for fast response.

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· To change the preview zoom, choose the zoom value from the Preview Zoom dropdown list.

If the zoom is less than 100%, a progress bar is visible below the preview window to indicate progress inrecalculating the preview, and you can choose automatic or manual preview.

· To choose manual preview, release the Automatic Lighting Preview button . This enables theManual Preview button.

· To preview manually, click the Manual Preview button .

Previewing with layers

You can preview the lighting with the current Picture window layer options. This does not mean that thelayers will be incorporated into the Lit picture; it shows how the Lit picture will appear with the layer optionsactive. Note that when Use Alpha is checked, the Alphablend button will be released by default when youapply lighting, so you'll want to set the Alphablend button accordingly when you preview with layers.

· To show the layers in the Lighting Preview window, click the Preview With Layers button .

Fast preview option

The preview is slower when you zoom out, or use many lighting parameters, especially with extra lightsand shadows. The Fast Preview option updates a smaller square at the center of the Lighting Previewwindow while you adjust parameters, and updates the rest of the preview when it has time to catch up.

· To set Fast Preview on or off, click the Lighting Options button , and check or uncheck the FastPreview menu option.

5.3 Apply lighting


When you apply lighting, the current parameters are used to create a new Lit picture. If the Lit picturedoesn't exist yet, it is created; otherwise it is overwritten. The Unlit picture, Depth Map etc are notchanged.

· To apply lighting, click the Apply button, or press the Enter key. The Picture window switches to the Litpicture, refreshing at one-second intervals until the lighting process is complete. The mouse pointer hasthe "processing" cursor while lighting is applied.

If the object is still rendering, the Apply button instead says 'Stop'. Clicking it at this time will stop therender and change the caption back to 'Apply'. Click it again to apply lighting.

You can choose whether to keep the Lighting window on top or to show the Picture window when youapply lighting.

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· To choose which window to show, click the Lighting Options button and check or uncheck theShow Picture Window After Apply option.

If you keep the Lighting window on top by default, click the Picture button to show the Picture window.

5.4 Lighting options


There are several options for customizing the behavior of the Lighting window. Click the Lighting Optionsbutton to show the Lighting Options menu.

The options are:

· Fast Preview. See Lighting preview .

· Snapshot for Reflect/Refract. See Reflection and refraction .

· Show Picture Window After Apply. See Apply lighting .

· Keep Lighting Presets Window On Top.

When this option is checked, the Lighting Preset window stays on top as long as it is open, but does notprevent you from accessing controls in the Lighting window and elsewhere.

· Delay preview while typing numbers.

If you adjust lighting parameters by typing numbers into the controls, it can be annoying to have thepreview updating while you type. This option delays the preview until after you finish typing the number.

5.5 Copy lit to unlit


If you use image editing programs, you'll be familiar with applying effects sequentially as the normal way ofworking. In contrast, XenoDream's lighting filter lets you preview and apply many effects at once, anddoes not change the source picture. However, you can accumulate multiple lighting steps by copying theLit picture to the Unlit picture between applying each lighting.

To accumulate lighting effects:

1. Apply the first lighting.

2. Click the Copy Lit to Unlit button .3. Click OK to confirm overwriting the Unlit picture. The Lighting Preview shows that the previous

lighting is now the source for the next one.4. Choose a new lighting combination.

You could instead copy the picture on the Picture form with the Copy/Merge button , but that takesadditional steps.

Tip: to maintain 3-D realism, the first lighting(s) should focus on coloring, with little or no shadows; and

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the last lighting should contribute the most 3-D lighting and shadows. Other approaches are more likely tobe surreal or 2-D in effect.

Note: There is no undo capability (except by first saving the Unlit picture to file, or copying it to theBackground picture if you're not already using it).

5.6 Light sources

Location: Light Sources panel in the Lighting window.

Light sources control the 3-D appearance of the object. You can use up to 15 directional lights andambient lighting. The light sources cast parallel rays, as if they were very distant, so you only need to settheir direction, intensity and color, and whether they cast shadows. Some surface properties that wouldusually be fixed for the material can be varied per light source, for more complex or exotic effects.

The Lighting Ball

The shaded ball in the center represents the object and shows the effects of the lights, and each light isshown as a colored circle on a stalk. The active light has a white border while others have a black border.The stalk is red if the shadow has not yet been rendered, and black if it has.

· To select a light, you can either adjust the Active Light control , or click on the light. Light # 0means ambient light (illumination that is the same everywhere, with no direction). Click anywhere withinthe large circle other than on a light to select ambient.

· To move a light, you can either drag the light around, or adjust the Horizontal (H) and Vertical (V)angle controls. Dragging operates within either the front or back hemisphere.

· To switch the active light between front and back, either click the Front/Back icon , or use the anglecontrols.

· To add another light, click the Add Light icon . A new light appears 15 degrees up and left ofcenter, unless there are already the maximum number of lights (15).

· To add another light with the same intensity, color and surface properties as the active light, Ctrl-clickthe Add Light icon.

· To delete a light, first select the unwanted light, then click the Delete Light icon . If there is only onelight, you cannot delete it (set its intensity to 0 instead if you want no light sources.)

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Note: when ambient is selected, non-applicable light controls are disabled (the angle, shadow and surfaceproperties)

Light color and intensity

The Color Circle shows the color of the active light. To change it, click the Color Circle to open acolor picker dialog.

The Intensity control sets the overall brightness of the active light. To adjust the ambient intensity, firstselect the ambient light. Negative intensities have the effect of removing light.

5.7 Shadows


Any directional light source can cast a shadow, provided that the shadow mask for that light position wascalculated during the render. Due to this constraint, enabling shadows interacts with setting the lightpositions, as described below.

Shadow status is indicated by the color of the light's stalk on the Lighting Ball. A white stalk indicates noshadow, a black stalk indicates a rendered shadow, and a red stalk indicates a shadow that has beenassigned but not yet rendered. If the stalk is black, you can't drag that light or otherwise change its anglewithout first turning off the shadow.

Shadow controls apply to the active light, so first select the light source of interest.

· To make the active light use the nearest available rendered shadow, check the Shadow checkbox. Thelight will change position if necessary. If no shadows are available, one is created, but will not beeffective unless you render again.

· To add a shadow at the active light's current position, click the Add Shadow button . If there isn'talready a shadow at that position, you'll need to render again before the shadow takes effect.

· To turn the shadow off, uncheck the Shadow checkbox.

The Shorten control causes the shadows to vary with distance from the occluding surface. Positive valuescause the shadow to lighten with greater distance from the surface. Negative values cause the shadow tolighten nearest the surface (one use of this is to reduce shadows due to rough surfaces while keepingdeeper shadows).

Note: sometimes artifacts (such as banded, checked or moiré patterns) occur in the shadow boundariesdue to aliasing, especially when the light direction is nearly tangential to the surface, or the object extendsover a large distance. The Shorten control can be adjusted to remove this effect. Most lighting presetsalready have some Shorten added, and for some objects (eg boxes with thin walls) you may need toreduce the values to minimize light bleed.

The red LED flashes if one or more shadows are enabled which have not been rendered. You can still



apply lighting, and any unrendered shadows will be ignored.

· Click on the LED to show a dialog box with the status of each shadow. This can be especially helpful ifyou have several regions, or a light is obscured behind the Lighting Ball.

5.8 Surface properties


When directional light sources hit an object surface, what you see depends on the surface texture andother properties that characterize different materials. Some of these properties can be set individually foreach light, to create more complex surface effects.

Smoothing and Fringe

You can smooth or roughen the object surface with the Smoothing and Fringe controls. Positive valuesof Smoothing make the surface smoother and more fluid, while negative values tend to roughen it byaccentuating fine variations. Smoothing works by averaging the surrounding surface.

Fringe mixes in a wider area of the surface, modifying the effect of Smoothing for subtle variety oftexture. If Smoothing is zero, Fringe has no effect. When either Smoothing or Fringe is negative,roughening (and some overall flattening) depends on cancellation effects and the pattern varies with thecombination.

Diffuse light and Shininess

When a simple light source hits an opaque surface, it usually reflects in two ways - diffuse and highlights(also called specular reflection). Rough surfaces cause mainly diffuse light, which is smoothly shaded, anddoesn't change with viewing angle. Polished surfaces have less diffuse light and strong highlights.Highlights depend on both the light direction and the viewing angle. Surfaces appear shiny because ofhighlights, and also from reflections of surrounding objects.

The Diffuse % is the balance between diffuse light and highlights. Small values give mainly highlights,and large values give no highlights and gradual shading. Negative values provide a diffuse light with anarrower focus, for improved metals, or lights that appear closer.

The Shininess control sets the sharpness of the highlights. Low values of Shininess can give glary orflash effects, while high values give sharp highlights.

Note: The effect of these settings also depends on the Depth controls, which affect the surface angles.

Diffuse Color and Metallic

The Diffuse Color control sets how much the object color filters the diffuse light. Use high values forstrong object coloring, low values for the light to largely ignore object color. Negative values subtract thefiltered light from the additive, for a washed out inverted color.

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The Metallic control provides the same effect for the highlights. High values tend to more metallic effectsand low values to plastic, but the result is dependent on the Shininess, light colors and intensitybalances.

Copy and Sync properties

By default, the settings for Smoothing, Fringe, Diffuse %, Shininess, Diffuse Color and Metallic areedited independently for each light source.

· To copy the settings from light #1 to any other light, select the other light and click the 1-> button.

· To synchronize editing for any of these controls, click the Sync button. Any surface property control youadjust will then affect all lights.

Remember to release the Sync button to edit them individually. It is automatically released whenever youselect another light.

5.9 Depth effects

Location: Depth panel in the Lighting window.

The Depth parameters affect the calculation of the object surface from the depth map, which affects theappearance of the light sources, iridescence, reflection and refraction.

· Use the Depth control to adjust the apparent depth of the object, in terms of surface angles for lighting.A value of 20 gives normal geometry. Smaller values make the surface appear flatter; larger valuesmake the surface appear deeper.

This is useful for tuning presets to suit objects with different characteristics from the ones the preset wascreated for. It is an important adjustment after using the Depth window to create or modify the depth map.

· Check Extra Depth to extend the object over a large range of depth. Leave it unchecked to preservenormal geometry, especially if you have spheres or other shapes that you don't want to distort.

This is useful for adding depth to very shallow objects. Many presets have Extra Depth checked; you willoften want to uncheck it and increase Depth to compensate, to avoid distorting the shape. (This was alldone before constructor metamorphs were implemented.)

· Check True Depth to use the correct lighting angles of the 3-D object. Uncheck it to use the angles ofthe perspective projection.

The result is the same at the center of the picture, and differs more towards the edges. When Depth issmall, checking True Depth preserves sharp angles; unchecking it produces a smooth surface.

The combination of Extra Depth and True Depth exaggerates the depth, usually darkening the image.



· Check Fine for finer surface detail and thinner lines at sharp edges.

Edge effects

· Flat Edges controls how the surface angle is calculated at object edges. If checked, the edges stopabruptly and appear sharp, otherwise they slope towards the background and will be lit accordingly.This is most noticeable if light sources have some Smoothing.

· Check Soft Edges to antialias edge pixels with the background.

5.10 Surface cleaning

Location: Surface Cleaning panel in the Lighting window.

The object surface is not always as clean, smooth or complete as you want. It may have small holes, pitsor disconnected pixels; due to the shape being a messy fractal, or insufficient rendering time (chaosmethod) or resolution and bailout values (ordered or hybrid method); or it may just be rougher than youwant. These controls allow for correction of defects and creative treatments. Non-destructive options arepart of lighting and don't affect the depth map. Permanent options make immediate changes to the depthmap (and unlit picture for holes and stragglers) and currently have no undo.

Holes

Holes are areas where the background shows through the surface. You can fill holes of size 1 to 8 pixels.

· To fill holes non-destructively during lighting, set Holes to 1 or more.

· To fill holes permanently, set Holes to the size to fill and click the Fill Holes Permanently button .You can click this button repeatedly for progressive filling. With Holes set to 5 or more, the object willexpand on all boundaries with each click.

· To fill holes continually until no more of that size remain, Ctrl-click the Fill Holes Permanently button.The button stays down until the holes are filled. To stop filling before then, click or Ctrl-click the button torelease it. With Holes set to 5 or more this can take some time, and will continue until most or all of thepicture is filled. Values of 5 or 6 make the smoothest gradations while 7 or 8 lead to rectangles of solidcolor.

When Regions are in use, the Update Region checkbox is visible.

· To update the region to best fit the surrounding pixels when filling holes, check Update Region. Toleave all filled holes in the first region, uncheck Update Region.

Stragglers

Stragglers are disconnected pixels or small clusters surrounded by background. You can erase stragglers

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of size 1 to 7 pixels.

· To clear stragglers non-destructively during lighting, set Stragglers to 1 or more.

· To clear stragglers permanently, set Stragglers to the size to clear and click the Clear Stragglers

Permanently button . You can click this repeatedly for progressive clearing.

Note: If Holes and Stragglers add up to 8 or more when you apply lighting, some sawtooth or otherjagged effects may occur at edges due to interaction. Apply one or both permanently instead, and reducethe settings before you apply lighting.

Pits

Pits are small craters or dimples in the surface. Dimples appear when light sources have smoothing on,which smears a one pixel crater into a smooth dimple. The Pits control sets the threshold for a noiseremoval filter, and can be set to fill craters or remove bumps. Pits can only be applied permanently; thepreview only shows what you'll get if you apply it.

· To fill small craters or dimples while preserving surface features, set Pits to 1 or 2, check the effect in

the preview, and click the Apply Pits button . The Pits control is reset to 0 after you apply it.

· To fill craters and dimples aggressively, with some damage to other fine surface detail, set Pits to 7 ormore, check the preview and click Apply Pits.

· To lower bumps, set Pits to a negative value, check the preview, and click Apply Pits.

Note: small holes can also appear as dimples when smoothed, so it may be necessary to fill holespermanently at size 1 or 2 before applying pits.

Tip: to make surfaces smooth for glassy lighting, apply Pits at 9 repeatedly, and some at -9 too. Becausethis removes noise, it flattens surfaces more effectively than just using light source Smoothing, and itpreserves sharp corners and edges.

Permanent smoothing

The Smooth button permanently applies the Smoothing and Fringe effect of the active light to the wholesurface. If ambient is selected, the setting of light #1 is used. You can do this repeatedly with the same ordifferent settings.

If regions are in use, Smooth applies only to the active region unless the Sync Regions button is down.

Tip: If there are pits or other defects in the surface, these can be spread out by permanent smoothing, soyou should do any permanent Holes and Pits filtering first.

Note: When the picture is large, applying permanent effects can take some time, so the cursor showsbusy until processing is complete.



5.11 Color effects

Location: Color panel in the Lighting window.

These settings modify the object colors, before the taking any light sources into account.

· Use the Blur control to blur or sharpen the object color. Positive values blur the colors. Negative valuessharpen the color detail, with the strongest edge enhancing effect at -50.

· Use the Saturation control to increase or decrease the saturation of the object colors. This affects theambient light, and the directional lights if their Diffuse Color and Metallic settings are not 0.

· Use the Contrast control to increase or decrease the contrast of the object's colors for ambient light. Ithas no effect on the other light sources. If the ambient light intensity is 0, Contrast has no effect.

· Use the Shading control to simulate ambient lighting from the upper hemisphere only. This modifiesthe ambient light intensity depending on the surface orientation. Positive values leave upper surfacesunchanged and darken lower surfaces. Negative values brighten upper surfaces and darken lowersurfaces.

5.12 Iridescence

Location: Color panel in the Lighting window.

Iridescence is a shimmery color banding effect due to light interference in thin surface layers, as in soapbubbles and some butterfly wings and bird feathers. It is implemented as a modulation of the reflectedlight sources, and is very sensitive to the depth parameters and light source settings.

· To set the amount of iridescence, adjust the Iridescence control. Negative values subtract color.

· To set the frequency and width of the bands, adjust the Frequency control. There are two modes ofiridescence.

The Spread control sets the differences between red, green and blue components of the lights,depending on whether Frequency is positive or negative. This allows a wide range of color combinations.

· If Frequency is positive, Spread varies the relative frequencies for red, green and blue. When Spreadis 0, monochrome bands are produced, which can enhance some metallic effects.

· If Frequency is negative, Spread varies the phases between red, green and blue, holding thefrequency ratios fixed at the natural values.

Tip: for 'natural' soap bubble colors, set Spread to 0 and Frequency to about -17.

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5.13 Reflection and refraction

Location: Reflection and Refraction panel in the Lighting window.

These controls simulate reflection and refraction effects using any of the available pictures as part of thescene. They work best on smoother surfaces where they have some coherence. When using the alphachannel, the effects are modified accordingly.

· To choose the source pictures, click the Reflection Source or Refraction Source buttons to cyclethrough the available pictures. The captions show the current sources.

The choices are the Unlit picture, the Old Lit picture, and the Background picture (if it exists.) 'Old Lit pic'means whatever is already in the Lit picture, so it will only have an effect if you've already applied lighting.

· To set the amount of reflected light, adjust the Reflection control. Negative values subtract reflectedlight.

Refraction displaces source colors according to the surface angle and depth, and the relative refractiveindexes of the materials.

· To set the amount of refracted light, adjust the Refraction control. Negative values subtract refractedlight.

· To set the amount of bending, adjust the Refractive Index control. With a value of 100 there is nobending. Larger numbers bend the light as if the object is a denser substance like water or glass, andsmaller numbers bend the light as if it is less dense, like an air bubble in water.

Tip: If you use significant amounts of these, you'll need to compensate by balancing other light, forexample reducing the ambient or glow. Glassy effects have very little ambient or diffuse light.

Tip: a standard method is to apply lighting with no reflection or refraction, then increase the amounts, with'Old Lit pic' as the sources. Apply more times to compound the effect. For more creative experiments, loaddifferent lighting presets and add reflection and refraction between each application. You can createinteresting materials or ceramic glazes this way.

Snapshot option

By default, a snapshot of the Lit picture is taken before you apply reflection or refraction with an Old Lit picsource, to avoid interaction errors while the lighting is processed. If you are working with very large picturesizes this could cause unacceptable memory swapping. In this event, you may choose to disable thesnapshot.

· To enable or disable the snapshot, click the Lighting Options button , and check or uncheck theSnapshot for Reflect/Refract option.

If working with the snapshot disabled, you will want to keep Reflection and Refraction amounts belowabout +/- 40 to minimize interaction errors.



5.14 Glow effects

Location: Glow, Haze and Background panel in the Lighting window.

These controls let you add or subtract luminous glowing effects. The object glow is first calculated from theaverage illuminated object color over nearby pixels, and applied depending on the mode.

· To set the amount of glow, adjust the Glow control. Negative values subtract glow, which can enhancedetail or change the hue.

· To choose how the colors work, adjust the Glow Mode control. The modes are:

0. the object glow alone is used.1. the Glow Color filters the object glow.2. the Glow Color alone is used.3. the object glow's red, green and blue channels are remapped according to the red, green and blue

components of the Glow Color.

· To change the Glow Color, click on the color rectangle to open a color picker dialog. You can also dragand drop colors between the glow, haze and background color rectangles.

· Adjust the Glow Direction control to modulate the glow depending on the surface direction relative tothe weighted direction of the lights. It works best if the surface is smooth (and ideally would havesmoothing built in instead).

· Checking Alpha Glow (when enabled) causes the object glow colors to use the Alpha Channel. It is onby default. Uncheck it for a stronger glow effect in the more transparent areas.

Glowing edges

· Adjust the Glowing Edges control to add glow to the edges of the object. The strength also dependson the main Glow control. If Glow is 0, you can't get glowing edges (unless you have multiple regionsand refer to a region that has some glow). If Glowing Edges is negative, the object glow color is used.If positive, the Glow Mode is used, except if it is 0, then mode 2 (Glow Color) is used instead. (Thisallows the main glow to use the object color, and the edges to use the glow color.)

The Glow Region applies if you have multiple regions, and allows you to choose which region'smain glow to use for the edge effect.

5.15 Haze


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These controls allow blending by distance from the camera; that is, fading towards the front or back. Youcan fade into a specific color for haze, underwater or night effects; or into the background or lit picture.

· To choose the source to blend with, click the Haze Source button to cycle through the availableoptions. The caption shows the current source.

The choices are Haze Color, Old Lit picture and Background picture (if it exists). 'Old Lit pic' meanswhatever is already in the Lit picture, so it will only have an effect if you've already applied lighting.

· Use the Haze control to set the blend rate from the front to the back. If Haze is set to 0, no haze isapplied, regardless of the other settings. If the value is negative, haze decreases towards the back, anddepending on the value of Front, it can reverse into 'anti-haze' and increase contrast relative to the hazecolor.

· Use the Front control to adjust the onset of haze. If the value is positive, it sets the amount of haze atthe front of the object. If negative, it sets the distance from the front of the object at which haze begins.

· To set the haze color, click the Haze Color rectangle to open a color picker dialog. You can also dragand drop colors between the glow, haze and background color rectangles.

Haze is normally applied last, but you can apply it before Glow for a different effect. Although Haze is aglobal effect, this option can be set for each region. If there is no glow, it makes no difference.

· To apply haze before glow, check Haze Pre Glow.

Haze is normally applied only to the object, not to background pixels.

· To apply haze to the background too, check Back Haze.

5.16 Background


The Background is all the pixels not occupied by the object. If Color is selected, the Background Colorrectangle shows the color that will be used.

· To choose the source for the background pixels, click the Background Source button to cycle throughthe available options. The caption shows the current source.

The choices are the Background Color, Unlit picture and Background picture (if it exists).

· To set the background color, click the Background Color rectangle to open a color picker dialog. Youcan also drag and drop colors between the glow, haze and background color rectangles.

Note: this is the same Background Color as set in the Picture window toolbar, and any changes willupdate both.

When Use Alpha is checked, the background shows through the object depending on the opacity of eachpixel.



· To apply any haze to the background too, check Back Haze.

5.17 Locking controls


Each group of lighting controls has a Lock button . When the Lock button is down, those controls areprotected from changes when you load a lighting preset, restore from a lighting memory spot, orrandomize lighting. This allows you to combine presets in specific ways, or randomize only some controls.For convenience you can disable locking, and set them all on or off.

· To enable locking, click the Enable Locks button . To disable locking, release it.

· To set all Lock buttons on or off, click the Lock All button . If any locks are off, they will be set on,otherwise all locks will be set off.

· To prevent changes to a group of controls when opening presets, recalling memory spots orrandomizing, click the corresponding Lock button at the left of the panel. To allow changes, release theLock button.

Locks do not prevent you from changing the individual controls manually.

The Lock buttons for the Light Sources panel are labeled, one for each of:

· light sources except for their color

· light source colors

· smoothing and fringe· other surface properties

For the other panels, the Lock buttons have a mouse-over hint to identify them, and lock the controls onthe same row (except for the related controls that don't fit on the row; Alphaglow and Back Haze.)

5.18 Shadow angles


When you open a lighting preset or recall a memory spot, and a light has a shadow assigned that doesn'tmatch any rendered shadow angles, the result depends on the Shadow Angles option.

· When Shadow Angles is checked, the light will be moved to the nearest matching shadow angle.

· When Shadow Angles is unchecked, the light stays where it is and its shadow is turned off.

5.19 Randomizing lighting


To randomize lighting controls, click the Randomize Lighting button .

Lighting Window 157


All lighting parameters are randomized, except:· Locked controls (controls with the corresponding Lock button down).

· The surface cleaning controls.and...

· The number of lights remains fixed· Any lights with shadows will not change angles.

5.20 Lighting memory spots


There are 20 Lighting Memory Spots to let you store and recall lighting parameters. The sameparameters are stored as in Lighting Presets, but memory spots are not saved when you exit XenoDream.

· To store the current lighting, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall lighting parameters, click on a full (blue) spot.



If you are using regions, Lighting Memory Spots store from and recall to the active region only. To storeand recall lighting for all regions at once, use the Region Lighting Memory Spots.

5.21 Lighting presets


Lighting Presets give you a permanent library of lighting effects. Use them as a quick way to get standardor favorite results, or to search for a suitable starting point. Due to the wide variety of object surfaces thatyou can render or create, lighting can be unpredictable. What looks great on one may look ordinary oreven awful on another. Sometimes you need to tweak the depth, lighting angles or other parameters toget best results.

· To open the Lighting Preset window, click the Lighting Preset button .

All preset operations are done from the Lighting Preset window, except for saving new presets.

Saving presets

You can save the current lighting parameters as a new Lighting Preset. You do this from the Lightingwindow.

To save a new preset:

1. Click the Save Preset button . The Save Preset dialog opens, with the Category defaulting to



the last used, if any.2. Choose a different category if desired; or to make a new category, type the name into the Category

dropdown box.3. Type the name for the preset into the Preset edit box.4. Click OK to save the preset, or Cancel to close the dialog without saving the preset. If the preset


5.22 Lighting regions

Location: Lighting window

Regions are areas of the object that can have their own lighting parameters independent of each other.The Lighting Region controls are visible only if you rendered with more than one region specified in theMain window Regions page.

· To disable regions and light the whole object as one, uncheck the Regions checkbox. Check it again toenable lighting regions individually.

The Active Region control selects the region that the current lighting parameters apply to.

· To preview all regions, click the Region Preview Mode button . Release it to preview only theactive region, with all others shown in gray.

· To copy the active region to all others, click the Copy Regions button.

· To copy the active region to one or more others, save it in a Lighting Memory Spot, select the newregion, and restore from the memory spot. Repeat as desired.

· To adjust controls for all regions at once, click the Sync Regions button and edit the control. Releasethe Sync Regions button to edit only the active region. Be careful with this, as there is currently noundo to restore individual values to each region if you use it indiscriminately. Light source controls arenot synchronized.

Regions have 10 of their own Region Lighting Memory Spots, for saving the lighting for all regions.

· To store lighting for all regions, click on an empty (cream) spot.

· To recall lighting for all regions, click on a full (blue) spot.



Some controls are global, instead of being set per region. These are the surface cleaning controls, softedges, glowing edges, haze controls, background controls, and reflection and refraction sources.

Lighting Window 159


5.23 Transparent effects


If the Alpha Channel exists, you have the option of using it for transparent effects in lighting, or ignoring itfor totally opaque lighting. The alpha channel is produced when you render transparently (with any holonshaving less than 100% opacity), and it contains the opacities of each pixel in the object. The backgroundpixels all have opacity of 0, completely transparent.

· To use transparent effects in lighting, check Use Alpha (located underneath the Lighting Previewwindow). It is disabled if the Alpha Channel does not exist.

· To ignore the Alpha Channel and light opaquely, uncheck Use Alpha.

When Use Alpha is checked, the Unlit Picture colors get their transparency from the Alpha Channel,allowing the background to show through accordingly. Two more controls are enabled; Alpha Glow andTranslucent.

The Translucent option (located in the Reflection and Refraction panel) allows diffuse light to shinethrough the object depending on the opacity of each pixel. It has most effect for light sources coming fromthe side or back. (It also makes the non-metallic components of highlights ignore the Alpha Channel andappear stronger.) You will usually want to leave Translucent off except for glassy effects with partiallydiffuse backlighting.

Note: these controls are not saved in Lighting Presets because it works better to set them by default whenyou render transparently, and let you adjust them independently of the presets.

Lighting Preset Window


Part

VI

Lighting Preset Window 161


6 Lighting Preset Window

6.1 Overview: the Lighting Preset window

The Lighting Preset window is where you select Lighting Presets for the parameters in the Lightingwindow. Lighting presets are organized in categories for ease of use and management.

· To open the Lighting Preset window, click the Lighting Preset button . This button is located in theLighting window and also the Picture window toolbar.

When you resize the Lighting Preset window, the category and preset lists are resized to fit. You can dragthe window to a convenient position. It is most useful to keep the Lighting window preview visible.

The Category List shows the categories of presets.

· To select a different category, click on the name in the Catetory List.

The Preset List shows the names of presets for the current category.

· To select a preset, click on the name in the Preset List. The Lighting window Preview shows how it willlook.


· To close the Lighting Preset window, click the OK button, or press the Enter key.

· To select a preset and close the Lighting Preset window, double-click the preset name.

· To close the Lighting Preset window and revert to the lighting parameters before you opened thewindow, click the Cancel button.

Note: the Preset List supports multiple selection for the purposes of export and changing category. Onlyone preset is opened at a time.

· To move one or more presets to another category, select the presets in the Preset List, then drag anddrop them to the destination category in the Category List.

Applying a preset directly

· To apply the current lighting parameters directly from the Lighting Preset window, click the Apply

Lighting button . The Lighting window is conveniently hidden when you do this, so you can seemore of the Picture window. If you select another preset, the Lighting window reappears so you can seethe preview. The Lighting Preset window remains on top during this process.

Note: you can make changes in the Lighting window while the Lighting Preset window is open, whether ornot it is set to stay on top. You may find it convenient to keep the Lighting Preset window open whileexperimentally tweaking presets. Clicking OK will close the window without losing any of these changes.



6.2 Deleting and renaming presets

Location: Lighting Preset window.

You can delete or rename lighting presets from the Lighting Preset window. Saving new lighting presets isdone from the Lighting window.

To delete a lighting preset:


2. Click the Delete Preset button .3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the preset.

To rename a preset:


2. Click the Rename Preset button . A dialog box opens.3. Change the category, preset name or both.4. Click OK to accept the change, or Cancel to leave it unchanged.

6.3 Importing and exporting presets

Location: Lighting Preset window.

Sometimes you might download collections of new lighting presets, or want to share with others. You canimport and export lighting presets for this purpose. Lighting Preset files have extension .lux.

To import lighting presets:

1. Click the Import Presets button at the bottom of the Lighting Preset window. A file open dialogappears.

2. Find and select the lighting preset file to import.3. Click OK to begin importing.4. For each preset that is new or different, click Yes to add or overwrite it. You can click Yes To All to

skip individual confirmations, or Cancel to stop adding any more presets.

If the category and name of any imported preset already exist in your collection, the parameters arechecked, and if different, you are asked if you want to overwrite that preset. When the process iscomplete, a message confirms the number of presets imported.

To export lighting presets:

1. Select all the presets in the Preset List that you want to export. You can only export from onecategory at a time. Standard multiple selection methods apply; you can drag the mouse or Shift-clickto select a range, and Ctrl-click to select non-continuously.

2. Click the Export Presets button. A file save dialog appears.3. Name the file whatever you like (except "lighting" which is reserved for your active presets).4. Click OK to export the presets.

Lighting Preset Window 163


Tip: if you import from a complete lighting.lux file, any that have been renamed (or changed category) willbe imported as duplicates (though you have the option of skipping them if you recognize them), so it'spreferable to swap presets by exporting selectively.

Note: the lighting preset .lux files are plain text, and the import procedure can handle missing carriagereturns due to email transmission, but it's safest to zip them before emailing or uploading.

Depth Window


Part

VII

Depth Window 165


7 Depth Window

7.1 Overview: the Depth window

The Depth window is for creating depth information from the colors in one of the pictures. This can beused to create a new depth map or it can be added to an existing depth map. This process allows 3-Dlighting to be applied to imported pictures, especially photos. (This is not required for lighting objectsmade in XenoDream because rendering creates a correct depth map.)

· To open the Depth window, click the Depth button on the Picture window toolbar.

The Depth window works in conjunction with the Lighting window, which is always open at the same time.Arrange them so you can see the Lighting Preview, to preview the new depth map. The Depth windowstays on top, but allows access to other windows.

Note: if rendering is in progress you will need to stop it before the Depth preview will work.

· To preview a different part of the picture, scroll the Lighting Preview. The preview is updated to show thenew depth.

As long as the Depth window is open, you are only previewing changes to the depth map. Before you canapply lighting with them, you must apply the depth changes.

· To update the depth map with the current Depth window parameters, click the Do it! button. This alsocloses the Depth window.

· To close the Depth window without changing the depth map, click Cancel.

A recommended sequence for using the Depth window:

1. Get the source picture that you want in the Unlit Picture.2. Open the Depth window. If necessary, move it to see the Lighting preview.3. Open a Lighting Preset with the characteristics you want.4. Set any depth options that you want (source, add to original, masking).5. Adjust the parameters until the effect is about right in the preview.6. Click Do it!7. Play with lighting.8. If necessary, open the Depth window again and change parameters.

Tip: when importing pictures, before opening the Depth window it can be useful to apply either theGaussian Blur or Remove Noise effects to the picture to get a smoother depth map. Then re-openthe picture if you want to use the unaffected colors. (Alternatively, copy the Unlit picture to the Backgroundpicture, filter the Background picture and set the Depth Source to Background picture.)

7.2 Depth source

Location: Depth window

You can use any available picture as the source for creating depth information. Remember that the Unlitpicture supplies the colors for the lighting process, so if you use a different source for depth it will be

136



unrelated to the color.

· To choose the source picture, click the Depth Source button to cycle through the available pictures.The caption shows the current source.

The choices are the Unlit picture, the Lit picture (if it exists), and the Background picture (if it exists).

Regions

If you have rendered an object with regions, the All Regions checkbox is enabled.

· To apply the depth conversion to the whole picture, check All Regions.

· To apply the depth conversion to only the Active Region (selected in the Lighting window), uncheck AllRegions.

7.3 Add to original


You can create a new depth map or add depth to the existing depth map. By default a new depth map iscreated and any existing depth is lost.

· To add to the existing depth map, check Add to Original.

Adding to existing depth is one way to add texture variation to an object or picture. This is the same as'bump mapping', except that this method makes permanent changes to the depth map.

7.4 Mask background


When creating a new depth map (Add to Original unchecked) the entire picture area will be treated as anobject, with no background pixels. You can mask pixels by color to become background. The mask usesthe Background Color from the Lighting window.

· To mask colors similar to the Background Color as background pixels, check the Mask Backgroundcheckbox.

· To change the color for masking, click on the Background Color box in the Lighting window.

· To set the amount of variation in the colors that are masked, adjust the Tolerance control.

If Add to Original is checked, the existing background is preserved and the mask options allow additionalbackground to be created.

Depth Window 167


7.5 Conversion parameters


The conversion parameters determine the relationship between the source picture's colors and theresulting depth. There are two independent components that you can mix together, one using theabsolute colors and one using the horizontal variations.

· Adjust the Base control to set the maximum depth. A value of 0 is very distant (usually too much),increasing values bring it closer to you. Base is ignored when Add to Original is checked.

Absolute colors

· Adjust the Red, Green and Blue controls to set the relative strength of each channel. Positive valuesresult in brighter colors being higher/closer, and negative values result in brighter colors beinglower/more distant.

· Adjust the Scale control to set the overall depth range. Very small scales are most useful with Add toOriginal; larger scales to create new depth.

· Adjust the Curve control to change the profile of the depth map. Positive values curve the surface backwith sharper high points. Negative values curve the surface forwards, for flatter high areas and narrowervalleys.

Horizontal variations

· Adjust the Slope control to add depth depending on the horizontal intensity gradient.

· To use Slope by itself, set Scale to 0.

Randomizing

· To randomize all conversion parameters, click the Randomize Parameters button .

Mesh Export Window


Part

VIII

Mesh Export Window 169


8 Mesh Export Window

8.1 Overview: the Mesh Export window

The Mesh Export window is where you create a 3-D mesh from the current object and export it for use inother 3-D applications.

Opening and closing the Mesh Export window

· To open the Mesh Export window, in the Main window menu choose File | Export Mesh... If the MeshExport window is already open, this will bring it to the front.

· To close the Mesh Export window, click the Close button on the toolbar. If you have created a mesh youwill be asked if you want to save it.

· To return to the Main window without closing the Mesh Export window, click the Main button.

Meshes and rendering

Because XenoDream does not use meshes internally, and the surface of the object cannot be calculateddirectly, exporting a mesh requires a special rendering process. It is similar to the chaos method forrendering pictures, but stores different data. When you render for mesh export, it uses the current shapeand view of the object in the Main window. Color and regions are not used.

The steps to export a mesh

1. Set up the object in the Main window.2. Open the Mesh Export window.3. Set the mesh export options.4. Render to create the 3-D data.5. Triangulate to create a high resolution mesh.6. Simplify the mesh to the number of triangles you want.7. Save the mesh.

Memory use

Memory requirements for exporting depend mainly on the Mesh Grid Size and the number of resultingtriangles. When using the Volume method, the number of triangles can be quite sensitive to both the gridsize and the object complexity. If you have less than 1GB of RAM, it is safer to try smaller grid sizes firstwhen using volume rendering, see how many triangles are produced and increase the grid size in steps. Ifthe system gets to thrashing the hard drive longer than you want, you can cancel triangulation orsimplifying.

If you have just rendered a large picture, it is recommended to change the size back to a small one (eg800x600) before doing a large mesh export. After a large mesh export, you should close the Mesh Exportwindow before rendering a large picture.



8.2 Mesh export options

Location: Mesh Export window

The Mesh Export Options dialog has settings to control each stage of mesh generation.

· To open the dialog, click the Mesh Export Options button .

The controls are organized into sections.

The Rendering options take effect next time you click the Render New button.

The Triangulation options take effect next time you click the Triangulate button.

The Simplification options take effect next time you click the Simplify button.

The Export Smooth Mesh option takes effect when you save the mesh .

· To keep any changes to the options, click OK.

· To close the dialog without saving changes, click Cancel.

Note: whenever you open this dialog, the Mesh Grid Size and Method settings show the current values.If you change them, and reopen this dialog without rendering in between, you will need to set them again.

8.3 Mesh export rendering


These controls manage the process of generating the object data for mesh export, before you cantriangulate it.

· To begin a new render, click the Render New button . The current rendering options are used forthe new render, and any previous render data is cleared.

The rendering object is visible in the Mesh Export window, in shaded grayscale. The progress indicatorfields show that the current operation is 'Rendering...' and also the number of new pixels per second.

· To stop rendering, click the Stop Render button . The Triangulate button is enabled.

· To resume rendering, click the Render More button .

· To see the object from any one of six directions, choose from the View Direction dropdown list. Youcan change this at any time.

Rendering options

These are set in the Mesh Export Options dialog.

Mesh Grid Size

170

172

172

173



· Adjust the Mesh Grid Size to set the maximum resolution for triangulation. For example if you set it to200, the mesh will be generated within a 200x200x200 cube.

Larger grid sizes produce more accurate detail and more triangles, but use more memory and takelonger. Rendering is 2x oversampled to reduce voxelization effects, so the object that you see beingrendered has a bit more detail than the mesh that will result.

When using the Surface rendering method, the full cubic space is covered. When using the Volumemethod, one or two dimensions are reduced to what is needed for the object, to save memory and time.

Scaling

· Adjust the Autoscale % to set how much of the grid to use. It is necessary to leave a small boundaryaround the outside to prevent truncation. For objects with very low density edges or spines, theautoscaling may miscalculate and truncate them. In that case you can reduce the Autoscale % untilthe whole object is captured. Scaling is recalculated whenever you click Render New.

· Click the Lock Scaling button to prevent autoscale recalculation when Render New is clicked.Release it to reenable autoscale.

Tip: One reason to lock scaling is to get controlled truncation. First click Render New, and after a fewseconds, click Stop Render. Then click Main to go back to the Main window, and either increase theObject Size or adjust the camera position a bit. Choose File | Export Mesh... to return to the MeshExport window, click Mesh Export Options, and click Lock Scaling. Click OK to close the dialog, andclick Render New. If necessary, go back to the Main window and adjust the object, return to the MeshExport window and click Render New again.

Render Method

There are two methods of rendering for mesh export.

In the Surface method, surface depth is captured from 14 different directions and integrated into asurface for triangulation. The result is very smooth for relatively simple objects, but for more complexobjects it can have errors where lines of sight do not resolve or do not reach.

In the Volume method, full volume data is captured. The result is slightly thickened and voxelized butaccurately captures the structure including all internal details. Due to internal structures it will cause moretriangles to be generated unless Fill Volume is checked.

· To choose the method, select either Surface or Volume.

· To automatically fill any enclosed spaces and avoid generating hidden triangles, check Fill Volume.(This step actually occurs when you triangulate, but it alters the rendered data so is best considered aspart of rendering.)

Note: if there are any 'leaks' in the object, Fill Volume won't make any difference to the number oftriangles. In this case you can Render More for a while then Triangulate again.

How long to render?

Rendering for meshes is less sensitive than rendering pictures, so it is usually sufficient when the surfaceappears complete and you can no longer see anything changing. It is often necessary to render longerwhen you use the Volume method with Fill Volume checked.



8.4 Triangulating


This is the process of generating a triangle mesh from the rendered object. The Triangulate button isonly enabled after mesh export rendering.

· To create the mesh, click the Triangulate button . The current triangulation options are used.

· To cancel triangulation before it finishes, click the Triangulate button again.

Triangulation goes through several steps. During each step the name of the process is shown in theprogress indicator fields, and the progress is counted up or down. When completed, it shows the numberof triangles created, and the window switches to show the triangulated object.

The steps and progress counts are:1. Filling volume (optional): counts the slices (up to 2x mesh size)2. Creating triangles: counts the slices3. Sorting and packing: first counts vertices (3x number of triangles), then counts triangles. After this

there are about half as many vertices as triangles.4. Orienting: counts triangles5. Reorienting: counts triangles then counts down reoriented triangles until done.6. Filtering (optional): counts filter passes (1 for half, 6 for full).

· To see the triangulated object from any one of six directions, choose from the View Directiondropdown list. You can change this at any time.

If you render again, the mesh is no longer available to view or save, until you triangulate again.

Triangulation options

These are set in the Mesh Export Options dialog.

The Isosurface Level adjusts the thickness of the surface where the mesh is created. Larger valuesmake it thinner, smaller values make it thicker. It should generally be left at 127 for best accuracy andleast voxelization. The main exception is when using the Surface method with objects having some thinsurfaces, which can result in corrugations and holes. In that event, decreasing it to 90 or even 60 andretriangulating will usually be sufficient. Setting it to 0 usually makes the surface too thick and voxelized.

Mesh Filtering reduces voxelization for Volume rendering and occlusion errors for Surface rendering. Itis automatically set to Half when you select the Volume method. Setting it to Half provides one pass offiltering, while Full provides six passes. For objects with sharp spines or other fine detail, filtering canerode the features, and should be set to Half or Off. Smooth objects with Surface rendering are betterwithout filtering.

8.5 Simplifying


Simplifying allows you to reduce the number of triangles in the mesh to as few as you like. It firstcalculates a progressive mesh, which allows the quality to be adjusted interactively. The Simplify buttonis only enabled after triangulating.



· To calculate the progressive mesh, click the Simplify button . The current simplification options areused.

· To cancel simplification before it finishes, click the Simplify button again.

Simplification shows two stages of progress; counting up the vertices and counting them down again.When complete, the Quality control is enabled.

· Adjust the Quality control to set the number of triangles used in the mesh. The progress indicatorshows the number of triangles used, and the picture updates accordingly.

Simplification options

This is set in the Mesh Export Options dialog.

The choice of Metric allows different strategies for prioritizing the triangle elimination. Combo generallygives the best results, and the other methods are included only to offer different choices where it may beuseful, typically for polygonal objects with sharp edges and flat surfaces. The differences betweenmethods are subtle except for Sharp, which strongly favors sharp edges at the cost of smoother areas.

Tip: to compare metrics at a given quality level, after simplifying with one metric, set the Quality control,then change the metric and simplify again. The Quality setting is preserved. You need to simplify again tosee each metric, so watch carefully when it changes.

Technical note: the metrics have been given simple descriptive names for convenience. For those withsome knowledge of the field, here are their origins.

The Sharp metric is the one used by Stan Melax in his Polychop demo, with size and curvature factors.The Regular metric is a minor modification of Sharp, to reduce skinny triangles.The Smooth metric is a variation of Hugues Hoppe's methods, with distance and spring factors.The Tight metric uses unsigned tetrahedral volume, following Lindstrom and Turk.The Combo metric is my combination of curvature, volume and spring factors.

8.6 Saving meshes


You can save the mesh to a file any time after triangulating or simplifying.

To save the mesh:

1. click the Save Mesh button . The Save File dialog opens.2. Choose the file type to save as.3. Type a filename and click OK to save.

If you have simplified the mesh, the number of triangles specified by the Quality setting will be saved.You can adjust the quality and save several versions with different level of detail.

Supported file formats

Wavefront OBJ is a widely used format, supported by many applications.

For POV-Ray, files are saved as a mesh object in an include (*.inc) file, with scale 1 and centered at theorigin. The mesh is declared with the same name as the file, ready to be used as an object.



PLY polygon files are not widely used but some utilities require it.

Save options

This is set in the Mesh Export Options dialog.

· Check the Export Smooth Mesh option to save the mesh with smoothed surface normals. This is notsupported for PLY files.

Exporting a smooth mesh is the same as applying smoothing in other programs that have that option. Forexample, in Bryce it is equivalent to smoothing the object with angle set to 180, but exporting smooth ismuch faster, and you still have the option of removing it with Unsmooth.

Metamorph reference


Part

IX



9 Metamorph reference

9.1 (None)

(None)No metamorph is applied. Amount, Scale and Special settings are ignored.

9.2 .Balled

.BalledSolid or hollow ball.

- Set Amount to +/-100 for pure constructor.- Scale sets the size of the ball; positive values for a hollow sphere, negative values for a solid ridgedball.- Special adds lobes to the ball along the Z axis, asymmetric if Amount is negative.

9.3 .Boxed

.BoxedHollow cube, with variations.

- Set Amount to +/-100 for pure constructor.- Scale sets the size. Positive values give a cube, negative values yield a polyhedron.- Special adds pyramids to each face, outward when positive, inward when negative. They are curvedinward when Amount is negative.

9.4 .Cone

.ConeOpen-ended cone with spiral options. Always a pure constructor.

- Amount sets the relative length of the cone. Negative values add pitch along Z axis, towards the point.- Scale sets the size. Negative values add stronger pitch along Z axis.- Special adds curvature around the Z axis to make a spiral, with oscillating thickness if Special isnegative.

9.5 .Crystal

.CrystalHollow polyhedra, including common crystal shapes, oriented vertically.

- Set Amount to +/-100 for pure constructor. Negative values make faces concave along Y axis.- Scale sets the size. The shape depends on Special and whether Scale is positive or negative.- The number of faces around the crystal is Special plus 2. When Scale and Special are both positive,a classic crystal results with a parallel middle section and points at both ends. When Special isnegative, the middle section is omitted. When Scale is negative, a more spherical crystal results, with aflat top if Special is positive. +/-0.5 makes a five-pointed star.

9.6 .Cube

.CubeHollow cube with variations. Always a pure constructor. Metamorph coloring allows mapping to each face.

- Amount expands or contracts the edges. Set to -5 for flat faces on each edge.- Scale sets the size. Negative values put flat faces on each corner.- Special adds pyramids to each face, outward when positive, inward when negative.

Metamorph reference 177


9.7 .Cylibal

.CylibalHollow cylinder or ball, with variations.

- Set Amount to +/-100 for pure constructor.- Scale sets the size. Positive values for a cylinder, negative values for a hollow sphere (differs from.Balled in having an even distribution of points, which eliminates bright lines and points if renderingtransparently).- Special varies the diameter along the Z axis, and adds spiral lobes when Amount is negative.

9.8 .Framez

.FramezSquare or circular frame facing the Z axis. Always a pure constructor.

- Amount controls the frame width.- Scale sets the size, positive values for a square frame, negative values for circular.- Special adds ripples, covering a very wide range. They are stepped in the center if Amount isnegative.

9.9 .Planex

.PlanexFlat square or circle facing the X axis.

- Set Amount to +/-100 for a pure constructor.- Scale sets the size, positive values for a square, negative values for a disk.- Special adds ripples, covering a very wide range. They are stepped in the center if Amount isnegative.

9.10 .Planey

.PlaneyFlat square or circle facing the Y axis.


9.11 .Planez

.PlanezFlat square or circle facing the Z axis.


9.12 .Prism

.PrismParallel or pyramidal prism oriented vertically.

- Amount sets the length. Positive values make closed prisms; negative values make open endedprisms.- Scale sets the size. Positive values make rectangular prisms; negative values make pyramidal prisms.- The number of faces around the crystal is Special plus 2. Negative values make stars.



9.13 .Sphere

.SphereHollow sphere, with uniform distribution, and variations around the Y axis.

- Set Amount to +/-100 for pure constructor. Negative values give a narrow waist around the Y axis.- Scale sets the size. With Special, positive values have a rounded center, negative values have apoint.- Special curves the top and bottom for cones, apples etc. Positive values curve both downwards;negative values curve both inwards.

9.14 .Torus

.TorusTorus (donut) around Z axis with rib/bubble options. Always a pure constructor.

- Amount sets the relative width of the ring. Negative values increase rib/bubble size.- Scale sets the size. Negative values increase rib/bubble size more.- Special adds latitudinal ribs if positive, or longitudinal bubbles if negative.

9.15 Auger

AugerSpiraled spires along each axis.

- Scale adjusts the length of the spires.- Special alters the rate of spiral.

9.16 Cacti

CactiAdds ribs along each axis.

- Scale sets the number of ribs.- Special twists the ribs around the axes when Scale is positive, otherwise Special modulates theradial thickness, in different ways if positive or negative.

9.17 Clampbb

ClampbbClamps any portion of the holon that is outside a box or ball, shrinking the clamped points towards thesurface.

- Scale sets the size of the clamping shape. Positive values clamp to a box, negative values to a ball.- Special sets relative amount of clamping of the inside points. Positive values move towards thesurface, negative values towards the center. Values of +/- 10 balance the inner and outer movement.Larger values move the inner points more than the outer.

9.18 Clipbb

ClipbbClips any portion of the holon that is outside a box or ball, shrinking the clipped points towards the center.

- Scale sets the size of the clipping shape. Positive values clip to a box, negative values to a ball.- Special alters the Z thickness of the box or ball.



9.19 Cosmo

CosmoCosine combination that tends to make things rounder.

- Scale adjusts overall size.- Special changes frequencies of terms, creating lobes.

9.20 Crinkle

CrinkleRadial crinkle around the Z axis.

- Scale sets the crinkle frequency. Positive values stretch from the equator, negative values warptoward alternating poles.- Special twists the crinkles around the Z axis.

9.21 Cubist

CubistSine combination that tends toward solid blocks.

- Scale sets the sine frequencies; values near 100 make a cube.- Special adjusts the Z component of the frequency in a complex way.

9.22 Giblet

GibletA spherical pattern of circular folded lobes. Works best on smooth surfaces.

- Scale adjusts the number of folds around each lobe. Negative values change phase of lobes.- Special adjusts the density of lobes.

9.23 Gimble

GimbleSine warp beyond description.

- Results vary widely with Amount as well as Scale and Special.

9.24 Gimper

GimperSpherical pattern of lobes that are asymmetric around the equator.

- Scale sets the density of lobes around the equator. Negative values change phase of lobes.- Special rotates the pattern and adjusts the density of lobes toward the poles.

9.25 Gnarl

GnarlIterated formula that makes gnarled distortion in the XY plane.

- Amount is per iteration.- Scale sets the grid size for repeating patterns.- Special plus 1 is the number of iterations, ignoring the decimal part. Negative values give a variationin the formula. Increasing iterations is slower.



9.26 Gnarl3

Gnarl3Iterated formula that makes gnarled distortion in 3-D.


9.27 Gridcub

GridcubMakes a cubic grid.

- Scale sets the grid spacing. Negative values produce different shaped pieces.- Special warps the grid.

9.28 Gridpol

GridpolMakes a polar grid, with poles on the Y axis.

- Scale sets the grid spacing. Negative values produce different shaped pieces.- Special warps the grid.

9.29 Gumper

GumperA spherical pattern of undulating folded lobes. Best on smooth surfaces.

- Scale adjusts the number of folds around each lobe. Negative values change phase of lobes.- Special modulates the lobes from the poles.

9.30 Gyre

GyreCosine warp beyond description.

- Results vary widely with Amount as well as Scale and Special.

9.31 Horshu

Horshu"Horseshoe" rotation around Z axis.

- Scale adjusts amount of rotation.- Special adjusts variation along Z axis.

9.32 Mirage

MirageMirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.

- Scale sets the size of the pieces.- Special varies the spread between pieces.

9.33 Mirball

MirballRadial mirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.



- Scale sets the size of the pieces.- Special varies the spread between pieces.

9.34 Mirecho

MirechoRotating mirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.

- Scale sets the size of the pieces.- Special changes the rotations.

9.35 Mirkali

MirkaliKaleidoscopic mirror.

- Scale sets the rotation angle.- Special adds lobes.

9.36 Mirmaze

MirmazeRotating mirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.


9.37 Mirrors

MirrorsSimple mirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.

- Scale sets the size of the pieces.- Special rotates the pieces.

9.38 Mirtile

MirtileRotating mirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.


9.39 Mirwarp

MirwarpRotating mirror effect that cuts the object into pieces and reflects them.


9.40 Mome

MomeComplicated axial modulation.

- Special adjusts axial mix.



9.41 Moom

MoomComplicated axial modulation.

- Special adjusts axial mix.

9.42 Nubble

NubbleSpherical pattern of bumps.

- Scale sets density of bumps. Negative values change phase of bumps.- Special adjusts floor and ceiling of bumps.

9.43 Ogre

OgreSpiral rotation about each axis.

- Scale sets the spiral pitch.- Special varies the axial extension with distance from the axis.

9.44 Popcorn

PopcornIterated formula that makes popcorn distortion in the XY plane.


9.45 Project

ProjectProjects the shape outwards.

- If Scale is positive, projects into the X and Y axes; if negative, projects to all three axes.- Special adjusts the size in the projected plane.

9.46 Pyro

PyroInverse spherical transformation.

- Scale sets the conversion scale.- Special adjusts the polar amount.

9.47 Ribble

RibbleRadial ribs around the Z axis, linear along Z.

- Scale sets the number of ribs.- Special twists the ribs along the Z axis, over a very wide range.

9.48 Ribblet

RibbletRadial ribs around the Y axis, spherical along Y.



- Scale sets the number of ribs.- Special twists the ribs along the Y axis, over a very wide range.

9.49 Ringoz

RingozConcentric folded rings around the Z axis.

- Scale sets the ring radius or density.- Special modulates the ring radially along the Z axis.

9.50 Ripple

RippleA spherical pattern of circular folded lobes. Works best on smooth surfaces.

- Scale adjusts the number of folds around each lobe. Negative values change phase of lobes.- Special adjusts the equatorial density of lobes.

9.51 Ripplet

RippletA spherical pattern of circular folded lobes. Works best on smooth surfaces.

- Scale adjusts the number of folds around each lobe. Negative values change phase of lobes.- Special adjusts the density of lobes in the polar (Z) direction.

9.52 Rosette

RosetteConcentric folds along the Z axis.

- Scale sets the density of folds. Positive values give uniform folds; negative values give petaled folds.- Special undulates the folds.

9.53 Shell

ShellCurls up into balls.

- Scale increases coalescence into one ridged, solid ball.- Special adjusts modulation frequencies. Works best on smooth surfaces.

9.54 Sine

SineSimple sine transformation.

- Scale sets sine frequencies. Large values make segmented boxes.- Special modulates the phases.

9.55 Slithy

SlithyConvoluted twists beyond description. Works best on smooth surfaces.

- Scale and Special increase complexity.



9.56 Spheric

SphericReflects all points about a sphere. Points inside go out, and points outside go in.

- Scale adjusts the size of the sphere. Small values have most effect.- Special flattens or stretches the effect in the Z direction.

9.57 Sphynx

SphynxIterated formula that makes circular gyrations in 3-D.


9.58 Spikes

SpikesAdds rounded spikes along each axis.

- Scale sets the number of spikes.- Special mixes in a different spike formula.

9.59 Spinz

SpinzIterated formula that makes circular alternating spirals in the XY plane.


9.60 Spirals

SpiralsMoves all points a fixed amount, with direction varying along the axis to create a spiral. There is norotation, so the spiral effect appears equal everywhere.

- Scale sets the distance between each complete turn. Negative values change phase.- Special sets the spiral direction. Zero is vertical (Y axis). Positive values rotate the direction aroundthe Z axis; negative values rotate it around the X axis.

9.61 Spiro

SpiroSpherical pattern of lobes similar to Nubble.

- Scale adjusts the number of radial lobes.- Special adjusts the number of polar lobes.

9.62 Styro

StyroA lobed warp related to spherical transformation.

- Scale adjusts the number of lobes.- Special modulates the frequency and phase for complex gyrations.



9.63 Swirlx

SwirlxSwirl around the X axis.

- Scale sets the tightness of the swirl.- Special adjusts the radial variation along the X axis. A setting of -25 gives no variation, more positivevalues contract and more negative values expand.

9.64 Swirly

SwirlySwirl around the Y axis.

- Scale sets the tightness of the swirl.- Special adjusts the radial variation along the Y axis. A setting of -25 gives no variation, more positivevalues contract and more negative values expand.

9.65 Swirlz

SwirlzSwirl around the Z axis.

- Scale sets the tightness of the swirl.- Special adjusts the radial variation along the Z axis. A setting of -25 gives no variation, more positivevalues contract and more negative values expand.

9.66 Tilexy

TilexyTiles the holon into multiple copies in a rectangular grid in the XY plane. Is not generally a constructor butcan act as one for single holons.

- Amount sets the size of each tile. Negative values reflect odd columns.- Scale sets the overall size. Negative values reflect odd rows.- Special plus 1 is the number of tiles in each direction, ignoring the decimal part. Negative valuesrotate each tile 90 degrees from its neighbours.

9.67 Tilexyd

TilexydTiles the holon into multiple copies in a diagonal grid in the XY plane. Is not generally a constructor butcan act as one for single holons.

- Amount sets the size of each tile. Negative values rotate odd columns 90 degrees.- Scale sets the overall size. Negative values reflect odd rows.- Special plus 1 is the number of tiles in each direction, ignoring the decimal part. Negative valuesoffset odd rows in the Z direction.

9.68 Toppy

ToppyA spindle or top around the Y axis.

- Scale adjusts the overall size.- Special curves the flange up or down, or alternating if Scale is negative.



9.69 Toroidz

ToroidzConcentric rings around the Z axis.

- Scale sets the distance between rings. Positive values have a solid center; negative values have ahole.- Special varies the strength of the effect around the circles.

9.70 Toves

TovesOblique axial warp.

- Scale adjusts the axial development.- Special varies the mix between oblique and regular axes.

9.71 Tubers

TubersA tubular warp around the Z axis.

- Scale sets the size of the tube (inversely) and adds fins at larger values.- Special adds a twisting modulation along the Z axis.

9.72 Tubey

TubeyA tubular warp around the Y axis.

- Scale sets the size of the tube (inversely).- Special modulates the diameter along the Y axis. Negative values change phase of modulation.

9.73 Twirl

TwirlA sort of swirl that twists around in 3-D.

- Scale sets the pitch of the curve.- Special changes the form of the curve.

9.74 Twist

TwistUndulating warp. Subtle unless Special used.

- Scale adjusts the undulation frequency.- Special amplifies the effect. Negative values add extra modulation.

9.75 Twistx

TwistxTwists around the X axis.

- Scale varies the strength with distance from the axis. Positive values twist more near the axis;negative values twist more further out.

- Special oscillates the twist along the axis; positive with direction changes, negative without.



9.76 Twisty

TwistyTwists around the Y axis.



9.77 Twistz

TwistzTwists around the Z axis.



9.78 Vortex

VortexCurling warps in the X-Y plane.

- Scale sets the tightness of curvature.- Special varies the relative frequencies in the curve.

9.79 Wabe

WabeStrong, smooth warp along the axes.

- Scale inversely sets the relative warp strength.- Special modulates the warp with concentric folds. Negative values change phase of modulation.

9.80 Warble

WarbleStrong radial spines.

- Scale sets the frequency of spines. Negative values change spine curve.- Special adds sine modulation. Negative values change spine curve.

9.81 Warp

WarpUndulating warp. Subtle unless Special used.

- Scale adjusts the undulation frequency.- Special amplifies the effect. Negative values add extra modulation.

9.82 Waver

WaverSimple sine wave displacement.

- Scale sets the wavelength. Positive values oscillate perpendicular to the Z axis, negative valuesperpendicular to the X axis.- Special sets the direction. Zero is vertical (Y axis). Positive values rotate the wave around the Z axis,negative values around the X axis.



9.83 Wheel

WheelSwirl around the Z axis with a central warp along the Z axis.

- Scale sets the tightness of the swirl.- Special adjusts the relative strength of the warp.

9.84 Whirl

WhirlA sort of swirl that twists around in 3-D.

- Scale sets the pitch of the curve.- Special changes the form of the curve.

9.85 Whorl

WhorlA sort of swirl that twists around in 3-D.

- Scale inversely sets the pitch of the curve. Small values can be messy.- Special changes the form of the curve.

9.86 Woob

WoobStrong angular warp along the axes.

- Scale inversely sets the relative warp strength.- Special modulates the warp with concentric folds. Negative values change phase of modulation.

9.87 Wrap

WrapOblique axial warp that wraps around in various ways.

- Scale sets the axial extension.- Special modulates the wrap.

9.88 Zagzigz

ZagzigzA spiral around the Z axis that zigzags (changes direction) on the way out.

- Amount controls the rotation.- Scale adjusts the tightness of the spiral and number of direction changes.- Special adds modulation along the Z axis.

9.89 Zigzagz

ZigzagzA spiral around the Z axis that zigzags (changes direction) on the way out.

- Amount blends the effect in.- Scale adjusts the tightness of the spiral and number of direction changes.- Special adds modulation along the Z axis.



9.90 Zinzan

ZinzanA spherical grid pattern of ridges and dents.

- Scale sets the density of ridges.- Special adds a twist around the Z axis.

9.91 Zypes

ZypesSpiral swirl about each axis.

- Scale sets the tightness of the swirl.- Special modulates the axial extension.

Index- 3 -3-d mesh export 69, 169

- A -about XenoDream 72

absolute 100

color editing 100

holon editing 86

accumulating lighting effects 145

active 77

holon 77

light 120, 146

region 158

add to original 166

adding 74, 77

holons 74, 77

light sources 146

shadows 120, 147

to the depth map 166

aligning 91

cyclic 91

linear 91

all regions 165

alpha channel 122, 131, 139, 159

closing 132

alpha glow 154

alphablend 139

ambient light 146

amount 97

metamorph 97

angle 83

camera 83

holon 87

shadow 156

antialiasing 122

background creation 110

appending holons from files 69

apply 144

lighting 144

lighting presets 161

pits filter 150

apply pattern to unlit picture 106

assigning 129

holon regions 129

autoscale 170

mesh export 170

- B -back haze 154, 155

back layer 131

background 155

lighting 155

preview 75

background color 138, 155

background creation mode 110

background mask 139

background picture 99, 131, 138

closing 132

bailout 104, 126

base 167

depth conversion 167

base level 134

batch rendering 127

bitmap 134

opening pictures 134

saving pictures 133

blend 104

holon sequence 104

meta patterns 107

holon sequence 104

blending 140

layers 140

blur 136

gaussian 136

lighting 152

pictures 136

bmp 134


saving pictures 133

bounding boxes 125

bounds 125

bump mapping 166

- C -camera 81

angle 81



camera 81

position 82

rotating 83

zoom 82

casting shadows by holon 120

category 117

gradient presets 117


centering holons 90

change size button 123

chaos 124

rendering method 124

child holon 77

choosing colors 101

cleaning 150

surface 150

clear memory spots 71

on opening files 71

clear stragglers 150

clearing 135

active picture 135

curve and blend 107

parametric gradient 112

clip 82

back 82

front 82

copying to 135

clipping planes 82

cloning holons 77

closest point 82

closing 132

alpha channel 132

background picture 132

XenoDream 69, 132

color 155

background 155


glow 154

haze 154

light source 146

color dialog 101

color memory spots 101

color page 99

color panel 152

color perspective 104

color preset window 113

color presets 113

deleting 113

opening 113

color preview 75

coloring method 99

colors 101

choosing 101

comments field 80

compatibility with v1.1 95

confirmation 71

render new 71

constraining holons 90

constraints 90

constructor styles 97

constructors 74, 95

contrast 136

effects menu 136

lighting 152

converting color to depth 165

copy lit to unlit 145

copy to clipboard 135

copying 105

gradients 105

holon properties 72

holons 77

initial colors and modifiers 103

layers 140

lit picture to unlit picture 145

region lighting 158

to clipboard 135

creating 110

background pictures 110

creator field 80

curve 91

aligning holons 91


meta patterns 107

custom gradient 99, 114

presets 117

custom gradient editor 115

cycle gradient 109

cycles 91

cyclic 91

aligning holons 91

cycling 109

gradients 109

- D -data locations 71

Index 191


default 80

creator 80

drag mode 71

drag rotate mode 71

render size 71

picture mapping 109

delay preview while typing numbers 145

deleting 113

color presets 113


holons 77

light sources 146


shadows 120

density 88

holon 88

depth 149

extra 149

fine 149

lighting 149

source 165

stereo 83

true 149

depth conversion parameters 167

depth filter 165

depth map 165

opening 135

saving 134

depth panel 149

depth window 141, 165

deselect all holons 79

deselecting 79

holons 79

destination 140

picture 140

diffuse 148

color 148

light 148

direction 154

glow 154

directional lights 146

disabling 156

locking 156

shadows 147

displacement mapping 93

distance 82

clipping 82

stereo 83

distortion 87

distributing holons 91

down 112

global pattern 112

drag and drop 103, 105

palette preview 103, 105

drag mode 71

default 71

shape 89

view 81

drag rotate mode 89

default 71

drag speed 72

dragging 74

holons 74

numeric controls 68

rotate mode 89

undo last 76

view 81

- E -edge 100

gradients 100

lighting 149

edges 149

flat 149

glowing 154

soft 149

edit gradient 103, 105

edit menu 135

picture window 135

editing 115

custom gradients 115

numeric controls 68

effects menu 136

picture window 136

enabling 156

locking 156

shadows 147

enhance depth 122

transparency mode 122

exclusive 93

iteration 93

exit 69, 132

exporting 134

depth map 134




exporting 134


meshes 69, 169

extending holons 93

extra depth 149

extra metamorphs 93

- F -fast preview 143, 145

favorites 157

lighting 157

file menu 69

main window 69

picture window 132

files 69

appending holons from 69

opening parameter 69

saving parameter 69

starting new 69

fill volume 170

filling 135

active picture 135

holes 150

filter 143

lighting 143

pictures 136

mesh export 172

fine depth 149

fisheye lens 83

flame coloring 106

flat edges 149

flip 136

horizontal 136

vertical 136

holons 87

picture 136

free holon 77

frequency 152

iridescence 152

fringe 148

front 154

haze 154

layer 131

moving light sources 146

furthest point 82

- G -gain 112

gaussian blur 136

get default creator 80

getting started 80

global pattern 112

glow 154

lighting 154

glowing edges 154

gradient 114

custom 114

custom editor 115

cycle 109

parametric 111

presets 117

randomizing 112

deleting 117

exporting 118

importing 118

renaming 117

gradient rotation buttons 113

gradient strip 103, 105

gradients 128

region method 128

rotating and swapping 113

gray preview 75

guide lines 74

- H -haze 154

height 123

picture 123

heightfields 165

opening 135

saving 134

help 10

using 10

help contents 72

help menu 72

main window 72

hi indicator 126

hiding 78

holons 78

parent shape 78

Index 193


hints 71

full 71

rendering 119

showing 71

hls and contrast filter 136

holes 150

holon 77

active 77

density 88

opacity 122, 139

parameters 86

position 88

region 129

rotation 87

scale 87

skew 87

volume 88

button 78

list 77, 78

holon sequence 99, 103, 111

coloring method 99, 103, 111

holon step 128

region method 128

holon window 68, 73

holon window zoom 73, 76

holons 74, 77

adding 74, 77

aligning cyclic 91

aligning linear 91

centering 90

cloning 77

copying properties 72

deleting 77

dragging 74

free 77

hiding 78

randomizing 90

selecting 77

selecting in the holon window 73

single 77

total number 77

hue 136

effects menu 136

hybrid 125


- I -import palette 69

importing 69

colors 69



include 97

colors 97

view 97

index of refraction 153

indicators 126

lo and hi 126

info list 78

information 78

about holons 78

inherit 129

region 129

inherit color 100

inherit count 100

inheriting 100

color 100

map from 106

initial color 111

insufficient disk space 133

intensity 146

light source 146

invert holon selection 79

inverting 79

holon selection 79

picture colors 136

invisible holons 78

iridescence 152

isosurface level 172

iteration control 93

- J -jpg 134


saving pictures 133

- K -keep lighting preset window on top 145



- L -layer opacity 140

layers 131

about 131

copying and merging 140

in lighting preview 143

merge mode 140

selecting 138

LED 147

shadow status 147

lens 83

fisheye 83

light color 146

light sources 146

lighting 143

about 143

apply 144

options 145

preset window 161

presets 157

preview 143

regions 158

stop 144

transparent effects 159

lighting ball 146

lighting memory spots 157


deleting 162

exporting 162

importing 162

renaming 162

lighting window 141, 143

lightness 136

effects menu 136

linear 91

aligning holons 91

lit picture 131, 138

lo indicator 126

lock all 156

lock buttons 156

lock scaling 170

locking 156

lighting parameters 156

- M -magnification 82

pictures 136

main window 68

map from 106

metamorph coloring 106

map to 109

background picture 109

coloring 99

custom gradient 114

mapping 93

displacement 93

mapping background picture 109

masking 139, 166

background 139, 166

object 139

maximum 93

iteration 93

memory mapped files 71

memory spots 101

color 101

lighting 157

regions 158

selection 79

shape 97

view 84

memory use 169

exporting meshes 169

rendering 123

menu 131

picture window 131

merge mode 140

merging 140

layers 140

mesh export 69

options 170

rendering 170

simplifying 172

triangulating 172

mesh export window 169

mesh filtering 172

mesh grid size 170

meshes 173

saving 173

meta curve 107

meta pattern 107

Index 195


metallic 148

metamorph 99

coloring method 99

parameters 97

background creation 110

metamorph coloring method 105

metamorphs 95

randomizing 97

styles 95

method 99

coloring 99

regions 128

rendering 124

metric 172

simplifying 172

mix 100

gradients 100

mode 89

drag rotate 89

glow 154

preview 75

modifier 111

modifying 166

depth map 166

monitoring render progress 137

moving 146

light sources 146

- N -navigation buttons 141

picture window 141

nearest 91

new file 69

noise 101

removing from pictures 136

number of regions 128

numbers 68

editing 68

numeric controls 68

- O -OBJ format 173

object 81

angle 81

object name 80

object size 76

off 112

global pattern 112

old lit picture 153

on 112

global pattern 112

opacity 139

holon 139

layer 140

lighting 159

of holons 122

opening 113

color presets 113

depth map 135



parameter files 69

pictures 134

random file 80

optimize density 88

options 145

lighting 145

mesh export 170

main window 71

ordered 125


orientation 83

camera 83

holon 87

other holon 106

overflow 74, 137

- P -palette 75

preview 75

palette preview 103, 105

parameter files 69

opening 69

parameters 86

holon 86

metamorph 97

parametric gradient 99, 111

saving as presets 113

parent holon 77

parent shape 77

hiding 78



per holon 129

region method 129

permanent smoothing 150

perspective 104

color 104

PGM format 134, 135

phase 91

Photoshop 134


saving pictures 133

pic map 109

picture 109

offset 109

size 123

metamorph coloring 109

picture window 131

pictures 131

about 131

effects 136

opening 134

saving 133

zooming 136

pits 150

plane 90

constraining holons to 90

position 82

camera 82

holon 88

holon parameters 86

POV-Ray 173

presets 117

custom gradient 117

gradient 115

lighting 120, 157, 161


shadow 120

preview 143

lighting 143

options 75

with background 75

preview mode 75

preview toolbar 74

preview window 68, 74

previewing layers in lighting 143

progress 137

rendering 137

progressive mesh 172

prompting to save 71

properties 148

surface 148

protecting lighting parameters 156

psd 134


saving pictures 133

- Q -quick start 80

quitting XenoDream 69, 132

- R -random sequence 90

randomizing 167

depth parameters 167

holons 90

lighting 156

meta curve and blend 107

meta pattern 107

metamorphs 97

parameter files 80


starter files 80

range 91

aligning holons 91

recalling 101

coloring 101

lighting 157

selections 79

shape 97

view 84

reflecting 87

holons 87

reflection 153

refraction 153

refractive index 153

region 154

glow 154

lighting preview 158

region lighting memory spots 158

region method 128

gradients 128

holon step 128

per holon 129

Index 197


regions 165

depth 165

lighting 158

preview 75

regions page 128

relative 100

color editing 100

holon editing 86

removing noise 136

removing XenoDream from your computer 17

renaming 117



render more 72, 124

render new 72

render size 123

default 71

rendering 119

about 119

batch 127

buttons 72

chaos method 124

hybrid method 125

mesh export 170

method 124

ordered method 125

progress 137

shadows 120

size 123


rendering page 119

reorient 95

reposition 95

rescale 95

reset view 84

resetting 107

curve and blend 107

resolution 126

rotate by 83

rotating 81, 83

camera 81, 83

gradient 109

gradients 113

holons 87

object 81, 83

rotation 87

holon 87

holon parameters 86

- S -saturation 136

effects menu 136

lighting 152

saving 101

coloring 101

depth map 134

lighting 157


meshes 173

parameter files 69

parametric gradient presets 113

pictures 133

selections 79

shape 97

view 84

scale 167


holon 87

holon parameters 86

metamorph 97

scrolling 143


picture window 131

select all holons 79

select files 127

for batch render 127

select holons button 72, 73, 89

selecting 72, 73, 77, 78, 79

holons 72, 73, 77, 78, 79

layers 138

light sources 146

selection controls 79

selection memory spots 79

sequence 90

random 90

set default creator 80

shaded preview 75

shading 152

lighting 152

shadow angles 156

shadow ball 120

shadow presets 120

shadows 120

cast by holon 120

lighting 147



shadows 120

rendering 120

shape drag mode 89

shape memory spots 97

shape page 86

sharpening 152

lighting 152

pictures 136

shininess 148

shorten 147

shadows 147

show picture window after apply 145

showing hints 71

simplifying 172

mesh export 172

size 76

object 76

rendering 123

size of holons 87

skew 87

holon 87

holon parameters 86

slew 112

slope 167


smooth mesh 173

smoothing 148

permanent 150

snapshot for reflect/refract 145, 153

soft edges 149

source 155

background 155

depth 165

haze 154

reflection 153

refraction 153

special 97

metamorph 97

spread 152

iridescence 152

start 112

global pattern 112

start render 137

starter shapes 69

starters menu 69

starting 137

rendering 137

starting new files 69

step 128

regions 128

stereo mode 83

stereograms 83

stop render 72, 137

stopping 144

lighting 144

rendering 137

storing 101

coloring 101

lighting 157

selections 79

shape 97

view 84

stragglers 150

style buttons 95

style list 95

styles 95

metamorph 95

surface cleaning panel 150

surface method 170

surface only 122


surface properties 148

swapping 105, 113

gradients 105, 113

initial colors and modifiers 103

sync 122

holon opacity 122

lighting surface properties 148

randomizing meta pattern 107

randomizing metamorphs 97

region lighting 158

sync scales 87

- T -terminate at 124

TGA format 134

tolerance 166

toolbar 131

picture window 131

standard 72

toolbars 68

transformations 95

translucent 159


Index 199


transparent 75

preview 75

lighting 159

triangulating 172

mesh export 172

true depth 149

tutorials 28

- U -undo 76

last drag 76

undo last drag 89

uniform 122


uninstalling XenoDream 17

unlit picture 131, 138

up 112

global pattern 112

shadow angles 156

updating old files 69

use alpha 159

- V -vert 112

global pattern 112

view drag mode 81

view memory spots 84

view menu 136

picture window 136

view page 81

visibility of holons 78

volume 88

holon 88

volume method 170

- W -wave 112

global pattern 112

width 123

picture 123

world space 106

map from 106

wrap 107

gradient 107

- X -XenoDream 10

- Z -zero constrained values 90

zeroing numbers 68

zoom 82

camera 82

holon window 73, 76


pictures 136



XD15Help

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