Mandelbulb3D/Reference/MutaGen

Mutagen
The Mutagen window generates variations on formulas and their parameter values. It opens possibilities for a creative style inspired by genetic mutation and artificial selection.

Node Graph
On the left of the window is a graph of 15 connected nodes. When the user clicks the Mutate! button on the right panel, the nodes begin to generate and display variations on the current formulas and parameters.

The current scene formulas and parameters generate two variations, which we can call children. Each of those children generate two new variations based on their parameters: the grandchildren. The process ends with the great-grandchildren, after three generations of mutations.

Node Commands
Double-click a node to send its parameters to the root node in the graph. It becomes the starting point for new generations of mutation. The number of mutations is displayed in the field at the bottom right of the window. The left and right facing arrows allow navigation through the generation history, or "family tree" of the fractals.

Right-click a node and choose Send to Main Editor to send its parameters to the Main program's Formulas window, over-writing whatever's there.

Right-click a node and choose Copy Params to Clipboard to save the data in text format to the operating system's clipboard. It can then be pasted into a simple text document or Mandelbulb3D itself via the From Clipboard button in the Open tab.

Options
At the top right of the window is the Options panel. Here you can choose the extent of mutations for various formula attributes. The left column is the Mutation Type, listing the operation. The center column is the Probability, or likelihood that a mutation will take place. The right column is the Strength, or amount of variation in the mutation.