Mandelbrot (Built in)

This is a built in version of the standard Mandelbrot set: the most well 

known fractal type. Although it is calculated by a simple formula, it is 

incredibly complex. As you zoom in, more and more ever changing 

detail becomes visible, such as little "baby" Mandelbrot sets and all 

kinds of spirals.

Because the Mandelbrot set lends itself well to basic zooming and 

exploring, it is a good starting point if you are new to fractals.

The formula provides the following parameters:

For the standard Mandelbrot set, this should be set to (0, 0). Other values 

create distorted shapes that can be interesting, but they are usually not as 

Starting point

well formed as the standard set. Try (0,  0.6), for example.

Specifies the magnitude of z that will cause the formula to stop iterating. To 

obtain the "true" Mandelbrot set, this should be set to 4 or larger. Larger 

values tend to smooth the outside areas. 

Bailout value

With the 

Basic

 coloring algorithm and the 

Color Density

 set to 4, try the bail 

out values 4 and then 16 to see the difference.

Some coloring algorithms require specific bail out values for good results.

Notes

G     

There is also a version of the Mandelbrot set as a normal formula (not built in). Although it is 

less efficient, it offers more options, and it is better at handling very large bail out values. 

See 

Mandelbrot

.

G     

The Mandelbrot set also acts as a map of 

Julia sets

. Use 

Switch mode

 to switch to related 

Julia sets.

See Also

The Mandelbrot set

Standard formulas

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