The First 3-D Image of a Mandelbrot Fractal Is Stunning

Here's a video of a deep zoom into the Mandelbulb with full parallax/perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDd8R0xlkNA

clipped from io9.com Behold the "Mandelbulb." This is a three-dimensional image created using the Mandelbrot set, a mathematical structure whose edges form fractals. The result is something that looks like an alien tree. Which isn't surprising, since fractals emulate patterns in nature. this is the "first true three-dimensional representations of the Mandelbrot set." It was created by computer programmer Daniel White from Bedford, UK. clipped from www.skytopia.com The original Mandelbrot is an amazing object that has captured the public's imagination for 30 years It's known as a 'fractal' - a type of shape that yields (sometimes elaborate) detail forever, no matter how far you 'zoom' into it It's found by following a relatively simple math formula. But in the end, it's still only 2D and flat - there's no depth, shadows, perspective, or light sourcing. What we have featured in this article is a potential 3D version of the same fractal. Gotta love the luminous sorbet style texture of the quadratic version of the Mandelbulb