Raytrace2 is the second ray-trace formula for Ultra Fractal written by my friend Both ray-trace formulas calculates 3D sections of four (and yet higher) dimensional fractal sets as Quaternion, Hypernion. Juliabrot, Cubics, etc. The Raytrace2 formula also draw 3D sections of the six dimensional parameter space of four degree polynomials (quartics).

First: When the calculation starts, the fractal window is completely black, and so it remains until the fractal is calculated. That’s because the formula does not use the calculation routines of UF, but has its calculation of its own within the formula.

Second: When you have a nice fractal finished, do not render but export it having first drawn it in a much bigger window. I myself, having first drawn the fractal in a 640x480 window, then rename it by adding “BIG” (or something) to the filename and increase the window to 4800x3600 resolution. Note, first go to the menu Options – Options, click the Fractal tab, and be sure that under “Fractal Windows Options”, at least that high resolution is typed there.

Third: In order to avoid artifacts, you may increase the screen depth, that is the virtual number of pixels perpendicular to the screen, to the length of the side on the screen. When I draw my 4800x3600-resolution image, I for that reason increase the screen depth to 4800. This is guilty also for the first ray tracing formula. Due to that the calculation time for a nice 3D image increase very drastically. On my 2.6 GHz machine a 640x480(x480) resolution image takes about 1 - 2 minutes, a 2560x1920(x2560) image takes about one hour, a 4800x3600(x4800) resolution image takes about seven hours Under that calculation time the fractal window I completely black, and there are no showing how much of the image that is calculated. Further more the calculation restarts from scratch if you for some reason interrupt the calculation and reload the actual fractal window again But the calculation is faster than on the old raytracing formula, where you use the normal UF rendering function

The above is in no way a manual to this somewhat tricky formula, but only some practical remarks. I just spoke with in telephone, and he verified that he in the far past had some manual to this formula. If he find it, he maybe will post it here

Regarding quartic parameter space, see my very last three articles, 30 - 32, in my Chaotic series [link] . Regarding 3D slices of quartics, besides, my so far last six deviations,

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see my journal 3D-slices of Quartic Parameter Space [link] . I’ve refined the four images referred to in the that journal, so check them out again

..and ALL the exotic formulas of and me are included in the zip,

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…and don’t get lost among the six perpendicular coordinate axis’