Reblandon said:
“Re: limiting parameters for a new batch of worlds: You can specify how many "variations" as Max/Min iterators in the Random world generator settings.”Yeah, I wasn’t quite clear about my request. I am aware that the number of transforms can be selected in Chaotica within a range, however one cannot simultaneously set that range and also limit that range to a selected subset of individual transforms for an entire random batch as can be done in Apo v. 15D x64. (see screencap below.)
Re: "force symmetry", I'm not familiar with what this is. However, you can modify the symmetry of the entire world by going to Window -> World Editor -> Toggle camera transform. Under the Camera transform dropdown tab you can add new pre- or post- transforms to achieve certain effects like Bilateral symmetry.Again Reblandon, I was probably not clear. I’m talking about a setting that would affect an entire random batch, not just a single world. (again, see screencap below)
When I discovered Chaotica a short time ago, I was so excited about the power, speed, and elegance of the render engine and the quantity of new transforms available that I only spent a small amount of time digging deep before buying a license. Apophysis has always been a PITA when it comes to the render engine implementation. It is so unwieldy that I have to create a low-rez group of “worlds” and then off-load the .flame files to a separate computer where they can then be sequentially batch rendered at full-bore on all cores without tying up the cores on my studio workstation.
After paying the overly large licensing fee and spending a lot more time with Chaotica I still find the render engine outstanding and world editor really nice up to a point. Unfortunately, the rest of the application is woefully lacking in customizations to the point that I’ve pretty much decided to drop back to Apo 7X v15-D to take advantage of its huge variety of settings that allow customization of the creative process on a level that Chaotica can’t yet even approach.
While Chaotica may be a good entry level application for those who have never worked with fractal flames before, it simply cannot service the needs of someone who has been working professionally with a much more robust (and free) platform for over 10 years.
My first hint at a problem was the extremely limited on-line documentation that leaves out almost as much as it includes.
The second is when I asked to license my laptop in addition to my studio workstation and was pointed toward the on-line licensing routine that would allow for me to install it on my laptop for use outside the studio. Imagine my surprise the first time I went to use it when I was in an area of the country that had no cell-phone service or internet access. The application throttled back to the non-license limitations crippling my workflow because it couldn’t hook up with Chatoica’s servers to verify the license. Even Adobe with its idiot CC licensing model doesn’t do that without a couple weeks delay, allowing one to get back to civilization and re-confirm the license. What happens if Nick suddenly goes out of business? Is my studio machine in jeopardy of dumbing down?
After that it just went downhill. After creating a couple hundred very cool basic flames out in the wilderness, I got back to the studio and tried to start seriously editing them and discovered the anemic nature of Chaotica’s editing customization.
Chaotica looks nice at first glance, and works spectacularly well for what it is. I’ve found that I can import most my Apo .flame files into Chaotica to take advantage of the fantastic rendering engine, though there are a tiny handful of transforms in Apo that don’t seem to be supported, so the some renders don’t look like the original Apo flames. I haven’t taken the time to sort out which transforms are unsupported. That would take a rather Herculean effort and a lot of time to determine. Chaotica does have more than three times the number of transform types that I have available in Apo, but I still can’t see it being of much use to me other than occasionally rendering an individual Apo flame for a quick look at a high rez version that has been customized in Apo.
Here is a very small look at the settings available in Apo 7x v 15D x64. (the last release 7x v16. has a lot more transforms available, but it is staggeringly slow to the point that those extras aren’t worth the effort unless I find myself with a lot of time on my hands. Also, a great many of those can’t be implemented by Chaotica.)
https://imgur.com/kzqOWNp