Iconizer: Getting started |
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Iconizer is about creating stunning images. Often these are of a mathematical nature. Occasionally, they additionally manage to have artistic merit. Iconizer produces its symmetric icon images from a mathematical equation. By adjusting the numerical values of five parameters in this dihedral logistic mapping a wide variety of pattern may be found. The equation exhibits chaotic behaviour for certain parameter settings. It is the settings that give rise to chaos that are sought. Such settings create unpredictable and beautiful mathematical objects called strange attractors. Suitable settings are found by the process of trial and improvement. Iconizer allows this process to be carried out by a user with a minimum of fuss. Crude but rapidly generated initial images indicate if a set of parameters are worth rendering as a better quality image.
Iconizer behaves in the manner of all standard RISC OS desktop applications. Its operation revolves around one main window, called the canvas. From the canvas, the main Iconizer menu is accessed.
On this menu, go to the top item, Icon data. Moving right will lead to the main control panel.
The five numerical parameters that can be adjusted are known as lambda, alpha, beta, gamma and omega. Typically these are within the intervals suggested. However, the suggested ranges are exactly that: suggestions. To illustrate this point, the start up values feature settings for which beta and omega are adventurously outside the guideline intervals. Initially, Iconizer's canvas is blank. To generate an image from the start-up data use the Quick Try button. By all means try changing the parameter numbers and the amount of symmetry. If unsuitable numbers are chosen the Did it converge box will be crossed when Quick Try is clicked. Simply change the numbers some more and try again. Note that if Quick Try is clicked using the adjust button of the mouse, rather than select, the Icon data window will remain open.
Switching Autowipe on will cause the previous image to be removed before new is plotted.
A fair degree of persistance may be needed. Firstly, it's a challenge to get any image at all. Secondly, to get one that is artistically interesting involves a certain degree of luck. Often the best images are 'at the edge of chaos'. Increasing or decreasing a parameter setting systematically is a skill that's useful.
On the next page rendering a promising image at higher quality will be explained. Later on, twenty-four sets of data are presented that may prove useful as starting points for explorations.
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