L-System Properties Page
The Fractal Science Kit fractal generator L-System page holds a set of properties specific to L-System fractals and is visible only if the Fractal Type on the General page is set to L-System.
See also:
The following pages are found in the page hierarchy under the L-System page:
The L-System Instructions page is used to define the L-System program.
L-System
The L-System File property names a file containing 1 or more L-System programs. Click the ... button at the end of the field to display the Open L-System File dialog to browse for the file. The L-System programs found in this file are available on the L-System Instructions page. However, changing this file does not change the program instructions on the L-System Instructions page.
The Order property specifies the depth of recursion used when running the program. You should start with a small number and then increase it until you get the required detail. Be forewarned that large numbers can cause the program to hang as it attempts to service your request and you may need to click the Cancel button on the Fractal Window to regain control of the application.
The Line Width property gives the width (as a percent of the image size) of the lines used to draw the L-System.
The Margin property gives the width (as a percent of the image size) of the margin around the L-System display.
The Rotation property gives the angle of rotation of the L-System. It can be set to 0, 90, 180, or 270.
The High Quality property activates anti-aliasing for the line drawing methods. This is not the same as the Anti-Aliasing settings on the General page. Use both for the best results.
The Gradient property lets you select a gradient which defines the colors available to your L-System program. The gradent you choose is used to map the color index set by the L-System program to a color as given in the following pseudo-code:
gradientIndex = (colorIndex - minIndex) / (maxIndex - minIndex + 1)
This sets gradientIndex to a value between 0 and 1 and is used to access a color from the gradient. colorIndex is the color index set by the L-System program that we wish to map to a color. minIndex and maxIndex are the minimum and maximum color index values used by the L-System program.
A file referenced by the L-System page must be distributed with any program that uses it. It is recommended that you store these files in the folder My Files located in the Fractal Science Kit Home folder. You can organize your L-System files by placing them in a folder that you create under the My Files folder (e.g., My L-Systems). Files located in the hierarchy under My Files will be referenced using a relative path to the file rather than a fully qualified path which is highly specific to your machine. See Sharing Programs for details.