
                 ͻ
                                                  
                                                  
                         Ultra Fractal 1.0        
                                                  
                                                  
                 ͼ




   Please read this file carefully. It contains last-minute instructions,
   system requirements and frequently asked questions. Be sure to read
   the Disclaimer in section [1.1]. If you want to know what Ultra Fractal
   is and what it can, jump to section [2.1]: Program description.


   0     CONTENTS
  ----------------


   1         Disclaimer
      1.1     Disclaimer

   2         Description
      2.1     Program description
      2.2     Features

   3         Shareware
      3.1     Shareware terms
      3.2     How to register
      3.3     Registration benefits

   4         System requirements
      4.1     Minimal configuration
      4.2     Recommended configuration
      4.3     Configuration problems

   5         Installation
      5.1     DOS installation
      5.2     Windows installation

   6         Frequently asked questions
      6.1     Windows problems
      6.2     Video adapter problems

   7         Distribution
      7.1     CompuServe
      7.2     Internet
      7.3     Contact the author

   8         Version history
      8.1     Version 1.0



   1     DISCLAIMER
  ------------------

   1.1   DISCLAIMER

   I, THE AUTHOR OF ULTRA FRACTAL, SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES,
   EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES
   OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
   IN NO EVENT SHALL I BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE ULTRA FRACTAL MAY CAUSE,
   INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR
   OTHER DAMAGES.
   BY USING OR EVALUATING ULTRA FRACTAL, YOU WILL AGREE WITH THESE TERMS.



   2     DESCRIPTION
  -------------------

   2.1   PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

   Ultra Fractal is a fractal plotter. That is, it creates images of
   Mandelbrot and Julia sets. Several different formulas are available.

   Ultra Fractal provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface, with
   extensive online documentation. The program was developed with the
   intention that it should be user-friendly. All functions and features
   of the program are logically grouped and easy to use.

   Ultra Fractal is not only very easy to use, it is also very fast. It
   is the fastest fractal plotter I've ever seen (including Fractint).
   The program uses integer and floating-point arithmetics, to achieve
   the best performance possible on both machines with and without a
   mathematical coprocessor.


   2.2   FEATURES

   Some features of Ultra Fractal:

   - Images can be created in resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 pixels at 256
     colors on screen. Larger true color images, up to 20000 x 15000 pixels, 
     are possible, but must be written to disk directly.

   - There are 11 Mandelbrot and 11 Julia formulas available. You can
     use a Mandelbrot fractal to switch to the Julia set of the same
     point.

   - Browse mode. You can scroll fractals up, down, left and right smoothly
     to create the best image possible. Just press an arrow key when you
     see a fractal.

   - Support of common file formats. Images can be exported to PNG, BMP and
     PCX files. Palettes can be imported from and exported to the MAP
     palette format. Ultra Fractal contains a built-in palette editor.

   - Extensive online documentation. Every function of the program has been
     documented. You can access the help information everywhere in the
     program. Just press F1. Ultra Fractal also contains much information
     about the calculation of fractals.

   - You can enhance an already created image. For example, you may want to
     increase the Maximum iterations value. Ultra Fractal will increase the
     number of iterations, without having to recalculate the whole image.
     This can save a considerable amount of time.

   - You can generate several images at once, i.e. you can have a lot of
     images generate at night, while you don't need your computer.

   - Ultra Fractal can create true color images with dimensions of up to
     20000 x 15000 pixels. It can also apply anti-aliasing to these images.
     They can be saved as BMP or Targa files.

   - The program comes with 60 example parameter files and 12 example
     palettes to learn you how to create beautiful images.

   - A viewer for the .UFG fractal image file format is distributed as
     the file "ufgview.exe" with Ultra Fractal.



   3     SHAREWARE
  -----------------

   3.1   SHAREWARE TERMS

   You may use the shareware version of Ultra Fractal for an evaluation
   period of up to 30 days. The purpose of this evaluation period is to
   allow you to determine whether Ultra Fractal meets your needs before
   purchasing it. Once the evaluation period has ended, you agree to
   either register your copy of Ultra Fractal, or to remove it from your
   computer. If you have registered your copy of Ultra Fractal, you may
   continue to use your shareware version beyond the end of the 30-day
   evaluation period until your registration code arrives.

   While you are evaluating the shareware version of Ultra Fractal, you
   may test it on as many computers as are required to evaluate the
   program. Your 30-day evaluation period starts when you first install
   Ultra Fractal on one or more computers. After the evaluation period,
   you must register the program, if you decide to continue using it.

   I encourage you to distribute the shareware version of Ultra Fractal
   and give copies to friends, as long as there is no payment involved,
   more than a nominal fee ($5). For more information about distribution,
   please read VENDOR.TXT.

   Note that you are not allowed to distribute or copy the registered
   version of Ultra Fractal. The registered version is a commercial
   program. It is a violation of international copyright laws to give
   copies to others. You may give them the shareware version, so they
   can register the program on their own.


   3.2   HOW TO REGISTER

   You can easily register Ultra Fractal from within the program. Click
   the Register button on the Registration reminder dialogs at the
   beginning or the end of the program, or choose "Register..." from the
   File menu.

   The Register dialog will pop up. Click the "Create form..." button to
   create a registration form. Please fill in the form carefully. If you
   have an e-mail address, you may specify that, too. It will speed up
   the registration process. When you are ready, click the OK button. You
   can now indicate the printer port, or have the form printed to a file.
   Click the OK button to start printing.

   Now, please send the registration form, together with a banknote of US
   $25, to the author:

      Frederik Slijkerman
      Prof. P. Scholtenlaan 38
      1181 ME  Amstelveen
      The Netherlands

   Don't send any checks, since it costs about $15 to cash a check in the
   Netherlands. After I have received your form, I will send a registration
   code to you as soon as possible (by mail or e-mail). You can enter the
   code into the program, using the Register dialog. Click the "Enter
   code..." button. Enter your name and registration code, exactly as they
   appear on the letter you received from me. Click the OK button. If the
   name and the registration code match, the program is registered.


   3.3   REGISTRATION BENEFITS

   There are several reasons for registering Ultra Fractal:

   - It is a violation of international copyright laws to keep using Ultra
     Fractal after the trial period of 30 days without registering it. If
     you register the program, you will have a clear conscience.

   - The registration reminders at the beginning and the end of the program
     will disappear. So, you will never see those nice airplanes again...

   - Your name will appear in the About dialog to prove that you have
     registered the program and that you are allowed to use it.

   - You will support the creation of new, exciting programs like this one.
     Furthermore, I can keep improving Ultra Fractal. See "Features in next
     versions" of the online help for some examples of new features.

   - You will receive information when new versions are released. Minor
     updates (e.g. a subversion update, like 1.1 instead of 1.0) will be
     free. Major updates (with a new version number, like 2.0 instead of
     1.0) will be available for a reduced price.



   4     SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
  ---------------------------

   4.1   MINIMAL CONFIGURATION

   The configuration described below is the minimal configuration. Ultra
   Fractal will work with this hardware, but not too fast.

   - 80386 processor
   - 640 kB conventional memory
   - VGA compatible video adapter, with 256 kB video memory
   - Hard disk


   4.2   RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATION

   With this configuration, Ultra Fractal will run smoothly. Especially a
   coprocessor is helpful in speeding up the calculations.

   - 80486 DX processor
   - 640 kB conventional memory
   - 4 MB XMS memory
   - SVGA VESA-compatible video adapter, with 2 MB video memory
   - Hard disk
   - Mouse

   You must use HIMEM.SYS, coming with MS-DOS 5.0 and higher, to make
   your extended memory available to Ultra Fractal. Refer to your DOS
   manual for instructions on how to do this.


   4.3   CONFIGURATION PROBLEMS

   Ultra Fractal has extensively been tested with both DOS and Windows 95.
   However, it has not been tested with Windows 3.1 / 3.11 or OS/2. If you
   experience any problems using these or other operating systems, please
   let me know! My address can be found in section [7.3]: Contact the
   author.

   Problems with Windows 95 are often caused by invalid shortcut settings.
   The UF.PIF file, distributed with Ultra Fractal, contains all necessary
   settings for the program.

   Please note that your video card has to be VESA 1.2 compatible to work
   with Ultra Fractal! Otherwise, the SVGA modes will probably not work.
   You can almost always load a VESA driver to make your card compatible.
   Of course, your card has to support SVGA modes in its hardware. Contact
   the manufacturer of your card for a driver, or search on CompuServe or
   on the Internet.



   5     INSTALLATION
  --------------------

   5.1   DOS INSTALLATION

   Installation of Ultra Fractal should not be a problem. Either you have
   the program on a diskette, or in a ZIP or similar archive. If the
   program is archived, unarchive it first in a temporary directory.
   Then, execute the Setup program (SETUP.EXE). It will create a directory
   on your hard drive and install all program files to that directory. You
   will be guided through the installation process by Setup.


   5.2   WINDOWS INSTALLATION

   After you have installed the program, you may want to install it in
   Windows. Therefore, an icon (UF.ICO) and a configuration file (UF.PIF)
   are distributed with the program. The directories in the UF.PIF file
   are automatically changed according to the installation directory
   selected when installing the program.

   5.2.1 Windows 95

   This procedure will create two icons on the desktop and it will
   associate Ultra Fractal files with Ultra Fractal or its viewer.

   1.  Start the Explorer.
   2.  Open the folder where you have installed Ultra Fractal
       (default: C:\UF).
   3.  Find the UF.PIF file and drag it to the desktop.
   4.  Find the UFGVIEW.PIF file and drag it to the desktop, too.
   5.  Click on the "uf" icon on the desktop and change the name to
       "Ultra Fractal 1.0".
   6.  Click on the "ufgview" icon on the desktop and change its name
       to "UFG Viewer".
   7.  Choose Options from the View menu in the Explorer. Click on
       the File Types tab.
   8.  Click on the New Type button. The Add New File Type dialog
       will appear.
   9.  In the Description of type field, type "UF Image". In the
       Associated extension field, type "UFG". Click on the Change Icon
       button. Type the path and filename of the UF.ICO file distri-
       buted with Ultra Fractal (default: C:\UF\UF.ICO) and press
       Enter. Click on the OK button.
   10. Click on the New button. In the Action field, type "Open". In the
       Application field, type the path and filename of Ultra Fractal
       (default: C:\UF\UF.EXE). Click on the OK button.
   11. Click on the New button. In the Action field, type "View". In the
       Application field, type the path and filename of the UFG Viewer
       (default: C:\UF\UFGVIEW.EXE). Click on the OK button.
   12. Click on the Close button.
   13. Click on the New Type button. In the Description of type field,
       type "UF Parameters". In the Associated extension field, type
       "UFD". Click on the Change Icon button. Type the path and
       filename of the UFD.ICO file distributed with Ultra Fractal
       (default: C:\UF\UFD.ICO) and press Enter. Click on the
       OK button.
   14. Click on the New button. In the Action field, type "Open".
       In the Application field, type the path and filename of Ultra
       Fractal (default: C:\UF\UF.EXE). Click on the OK button. Click
       on the Close button.
   15. Click on the New Type button. In the Description of type field,
       type "UF Palette". In the Associated extension field, type
       "UFP". Click on the Change Icon button. Type the path and
       filename of the UFP.ICO file distributed with Ultra Fractal
       (default: C:\UF\UFP.ICO) and press Enter. Click on the
       OK button.
   16. Click on the New button. In the Action field, type "Open".
       In the Application field, type the path and filename of Ultra
       Fractal (default: C:\UF\UF.EXE). Click on the OK button. Click
       on the Close button.
   17. Click on the Close button.
   18. You have now completed the Windows 95 installation of Ultra
       Fractal. You can open images, parameter files and palette files
       by double-clicking on them or by dragging them to the Ultra
       Fractal icon or the UFG Viewer icon on the desktop. You can
       start Ultra Fractal by double-clicking on the Ultra Fractal
       icon on the desktop. You can quickly view images by right-
       clicking on them and choosing "View".



   6     FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  ----------------------------------

   6.1   WINDOWS PROBLEMS

   6.1.1 Why does Windows quickly switch between window and full-screen
         mode every time I calculate a fractal?

   This is a configuration problem. Solve it as follows. Start Ultra
   Fractal, and choose "DOS shell" from the File menu. Windows now
   switches to a window. Press Alt+Enter to switch to full-screen mode.
   Exit the DOS shell by entering "exit" and pressing Enter. Now, the
   problem should be solved.

   6.1.2 Ultra Fractal runs slower under Windows than under DOS. Why?

   This is caused by Windows. Especially in the Enhanced mode, Windows
   uses a substantial amount of system time to perform certain functions,
   like disk caching, providing memory, providing computer time for other
   applications, etc. This will cause Ultra Fractal to run about 10%
   slower.

   6.1.3 The GUI screen output is extremely slow when running Windows.
         Under DOS, it is fine. How can I solve it?

   This problem is caused by the setting "Monitor ports" in the .PIF
   file. If you are using Windows 3.1 / 3.11, you can uncheck this option
   using the PIF editor. If you are using Windows 95, delete the .PIF file
   and create a new shortcut. It will not contain the setting. A good
   shortcut is the UF.PIF file, distributed with Ultra Fractal.


   6.2   VIDEO ADAPTER PROBLEMS

   6.2.1 The SVGA resolutions are not available. I am sure that I have an
         SVGA adapter, though. What's the problem?

   Maybe your SVGA adapter is not fully VESA v1.2 compatible. This is a
   common standard for all SVGA adapters. If your adapter is not compati-
   ble, you can load a TSR to make it compatible. Such a TSR can probably
   be obtained from your adapter manufacturer. You can look on CompuServe
   or similar online services.

   6.2.2 Hardware scrolling is unavailable for my favorite video mode.
         How can I make it available?

   First, you'll want to have a VESA v1.2 compatible adapter. If you have
   one, you have to install more video memory. The amount of video memory
   required to use a video mode can be computed as follows:

     Memory = HorSize * VerSize

   where HorSize is the horizontal resolution and VerSize is the vertical
   resolution. For hardware scrolling, there should be at least two times
   as much memory as this formula indicates. With 2 MB, you will be able
   to use hardware scrolling in all video modes, except 1280 x 1024.



   7     DISTRIBUTION
  --------------------

   7.1   COMPUSERVE

   Ultra Fractal is available on CompuServe in many forums. However, it's
   home forum is Graphics Developers. Here, you can download the newest
   version, updates and parameter files. Also, you can discuss with other
   users about Ultra Fractal and other fractal-related topics. Go GRAPHDEV
   to enter the Graphics Developers forum.


   7.2   INTERNET

   Ultra Fractal has its own homepage on the World Wide Web. Here, you
   can download the newest version and parameter files of beautiful
   images. Also, you can send e-mail to the author and find links to
   fractal-related pages on the Internet. The address of the Ultra
   Fractal homepage is:

   http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/slijkerman/


   7.3   CONTACTING THE AUTHOR

   You can contact me for the most current version. I will send you the
   shareware version for the nominal fee of US $5. The registered version
   costs US $30. Send a letter, together with the money in banknotes to:

      Frederik Slijkerman
      Prof. P. Scholtenlaan 38
      1181 ME  Amstelveen
      The Netherlands

   Do not include checks! In the Netherlands, it costs about $15 to cash
   a check, so that won't work.

   You can also contact me if you have any questions, bug reports, etc.
   Please use the address above for mail. My e-mail address is:

      slijkerman@compuserve.com



   8     VERSION HISTORY
  -----------------------

   8.1   VERSION 1.0

   This is the initial release.


