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FLAM3 2.7b3 released

FLAM3 2.7b3 released, again mostly erik's work. Download here. the changelog:

performance optimization, fix symmetry singularities, added bubble variation, fixed handkerchief variation, templates apply to sequence and rotate flam3-genome commands, added envar "name_enable" to render filenames specified in the "name" attribute of the flame element, small bugfixes.

Sheep in UCSC Poster

The UCSC Digital Arts and New Media MFA Program's new brochure/poster features Electric Sheep images on its cover and inside. Thanks Felicia, Byoung-Jin, and Ralph.

Sheep in Shift

The November issue of respected design e'zine Shift just came out and it includes an article about the Electric Sheep. Thanks Ammon!

Return of the Symmetry Singularities

Last seen in generation 169, symmetry singularities are back. I put a bug in 2.6 just before it was released without noticing. Fortunately it was in the modeler not in the renderer so I could fix it on the server. Expect to see them in your flock soon. There are 14 examples in the gallery.

On tour in Japan

Two weeks with Dreams in High Definition and Lightrhythm Visuals as i blogged last month. Tokyo is really a 24/7 city. There's no last call so bars and clubs stay open late. The convenience store half a block away from our door sells liquor and food all night long. The best part was going to Osaka and eventually Mihara to visit Hiroko and Max and their family.

Atmospheric Optics

Atmospheric Optics is an amazing collection of photos and explanations of how light, water, and air mix to create common and uncommon beauty in the sky. Learn all about corona, iridescence, fogbows, the glory, heiligenshein, crepuscular rays, anti-crepuscular rays, the green flash, the opposition effect, alexander's band, supernumeraries, clowd bows, red bows, sun dogs, circumzenithal arcs, tangent arcs, sun pillars, nacreous clouds, etruscan vase sunsets, double sunsets, etc, etc, etc. From Dodger.

FLAM3 2.7b2 released

again this is mostly erik's work. get it here. changelog:

verbose on by default. Added 'transparency' envar for png renders without transparency channel. Fixed non-black background jpeg renders. add improve_colors mutation, rewrite most of estimate_bounding_box. added new variations blob pdjd fan2 rings2 eyefish. added '33bit' method for 32-bit floats. tags track history. alter the gamma curve to be linear near 0 to avoid singularity and reduce noise, set with gamma_threshold.

here's an example of fixed transparency.

Proteus

Proteus is a new documentary film by David Lebrun on the life of 19th century scientist and artist Ernst Haeckel and his obsession: radiolaria. When I first heard about it I knew I had to see it because Lebrun made Tanka, one of my favorite animations. And I had already made my own animation out of the Kunstformen der Natur, Haeckel's most famous publication.

I finally had my chance but barely: my first night back from Japan was its last night at the Roxie. I was not dissappointed.

The film also draw's on Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner as illustrated by Gustave Doré The historical and philosophical narrative is interspersed with abstract animations in Lebrun's distinctive stroboscopic style. It is as deep and beautiful as its subject.