My previous post got me to thinking about fractals, so I downloaded this really cool application called IFSLab (a freeware application, available here for Mac OS X only). This program is so much fun to play with … it’s a bit addicting. Anyway, here is one of my first experiments with this program, recolored a bit in Photoshop:

Below are a couple more scenes I made with the same software. Every one of these scenes is created the same way: by defining a simple master object (a basic line drawing like a triangle or other polygon), and then cloning it a few times, scaling and positioning each clone to define how the fractal iterations will develop. The results are rendered in real time, which is what makes the program so easy to play with.

As you can see, these fractals strongly mimic natural patterns we are all familiar with, suggesting that fractal structures are building blocks in the physical world. I spent maybe 10-15 minutes on each of these; more time or expertise with the software could yield more realistic results.