3-D World Inspired by Mandelbrot's Fractals

Lundi, 18 Octobre 2010 19:00

3-D World Inspired by Mandelbrot's Fractals

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Editor’s note: We are re-running this gallery of 3-D images inspired by the work of Benoit Mendelbrot, who is best known for popularizing fractal mechanics. Mandelbrot died Oct. 14 at the age of 85.

The quest by a group of math geeks to create a three-dimensional analogue for the mesmerizing Mandelbrot fractal has ended in success.

They call it the Mandelbulb. The 3-D renderings were generated by applying an iterative algorithm to a sphere. The same calculation is applied over and over to the sphere’s points in three dimensions. In spirit, that’s similar to how the original 2-D Mandelbrot set generates its infinite and self-repeating complexity.

If you were ever mesmerized by the Mandelbrot screen saver, the following images are worth a look. Each photo is a zoom on one of these Mandelbulbs.

Also, see our gallery of fractals in nature.

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