[UFBeta] Building block question
Jayce Cruel
I have a new version for you all to play with...
I've been re-fixing the "z at end of init" "z at end of loop" parameters. I've decided to change the "z at end of prior init" to "z at end of loop". I was hoping it would be the value of the last initialization phase, when it calculated the initialization blocks for the prior pixel value. Unfortunately, it seems that the z at the start of the prior init phase is always zero, no matter what the initialization of z is, and no matter what pixel it is currently working on.
So much for theories, eh?
Because of this, I've decided to change this value to be "z at start of loop". Basically, this will be the value of Z before it runs through the equations, for each iteration (at the start of the loop phase of the formula). This differs from the value of "current Z" in that the "current Z" gives you the value of what Z is at that moment in calculation, as opposed to what Z was before the calculations for the iteration took place (which is what "z at start of loop" does), or what z is at the end of the loop (which is what "z at end of loop" gives). It works a lot better, and does a whole lot more, than the value of z at the "last iteration phase"
I have also used the space currently used by screenmax to be the "z at start of prior loop". This would be what the value if Z was at the beginning of the prior loop (as opposed to the value at the start of the current one). It would be kind of like an "oldZ" in a sense. After testing, it works, and it shapes the fractal closely similar to the "z at the end of loop", but it is slightly different I chose to replace screenmax because the value of screenmax is basically a number with the width and height of the image as the real and imag parts of the number. You could just as easily make the choice a number, and enter in the real and imag parts as the width and height yourself. Therefore, I feel that screenmax is unnecessary, and I feel that the "z at start of prior loop" value would be better used in that space.
I am enclosing the new building block formula with the changes I said above. I also moved around the choice parameters so that those particular "value of z at somewhere" parameters make sense (start with the value at init, move on to z in start of loop, and finish with z in loop end), rather than with them all out of place.
I also changed the defaults for the custom variables. They now default to the original "placeholder" values I had before I actually put the block code in. Of course, you can still change them to be whatever you want, building block-style. But if you don't feel like it, they are now defaulted to something a little more "exciting" than what they had defaulted to previously.
What do you think?
If you don't like it, it's easy enough to roll the changes back to what they were before...I keep all my prior versions...just in case :)
Oh, and sorry for all the numbers in the version number- it's just my way of keeping track of the changes. If this formula code ever "goes gold", and goes onto the public database, I'll be sure to strip the numbers clean...
Thank you so much for all your input- it really helps!
-Jayce Cruel
P.S.
Recently, Cornelia Yoder created and uploaded a formula called "CY Camerone". Well, I've re-created this formula in the building block formula (the latest one I have attached here), to show you a little of what this building block formula can do. I'm attaching a UPR to show you how I did this. Notice the parameter "Z at start of loop" being used instead of "current Z". The "current Z" gives you the value of what Z is, as of that particular block. The "Z at start of loop" gives you the value of Z at the beginning of all the equation blocks- before they are calculated. Remember- z is only altered in 2 places- the initialization block (done once per pixel), and the equation blocks (done each iteration). You can flip through both parameters (and any of the other ones, too!) to see the difference the two choices make.
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