Refract

Real-time exploration of the Mandelbrot set in a Java applet

You should see a Java applet here!

This applet allows you to explore Mandelbrot set (left) as well as the Julia set (right) of any point in the Mandelbrot set. It is designed to update in real-time by continously refining the fractal in each frame. The first render of a point in the set is performed with a small maximum number of iterations. The subsequent renders reload the z values and refine them by increasing the maximum number of iterations.

Some of the menu options are disabled because of Java security restrictions. These can be used in this signed version of the Refract applet if you accept the certificate when prompted. The signed version allows saving fractals as PNG or JPEG images.

If the applet doesn't work please make sure you have the latest Java runtime environment (JRE) installed which you can download from here.

Controls

Pan by dragging with the mouse or using the arrow keys (click on the fractal to give it keyboard focus).
Zoom using the mouse wheel or +/- keys.
Palette can be shifted using the Z and X keys and scaled using the C and V keys.
Palette can be inverted using the I key and reversed using the R key.
Applet can also be detached from the web page by using the File->Detach menu option, and this will enable resizing of the applet for a larger view of a fractal.

Development

The source code of this applet is released under the GPL and can be downloaded here. The code was developed with JDK 5.0 but should work with older versions. If you have any feedback, suggestions or questions, please email me at rowanseymour [at] gmail.com

Images