Preface This program is a port of Qbist (published in c't 10/95 (a German magazine)). Because there was no Amiga version (sight) only Mac and Windows versions I ported it (I used the Mac source code as a start). It creates what could be called abstract art. One could think that abstract art can be created by just randomly drawing some lines, circles or whatever to the screen, but that just looks confused most of the time. Qbist takes a different approach: Pictures are created useing a single (quite complex, I might add) formula, giving much better looking results. Althogh the formula is complex the use of the software is easy, Qbist will just calculate some pictures (with random initized formula values) and the user can decide which picture should be used to create new variations, two pictures can also be mixed. The Screen: What you will see first when you start up Qbist is some pixles beeing drawn somewhere on the screen. This is Qbist at work drawing the main (or center) picture. Qbist will draw 9 pictures. The center picture and 8 variations of it. The pictures will also be enumerated (0 to 8). Menus: Project Menu: ------------ New This will create a new main picture with variations. Open... Open a saved Qbist file (main picture data) Save... Save the main picture datas (not the picture image!) Write JPG... Will save the main picture as a 24bit JPeg. The requester parameters should be obvious. Screenmode... Select a screenmode for Qbist ------------ About... Some Infos ------------ Quit Guess what... ------------ Variations Menu: ------------ Fine Medium These select the variation intensity Rought ------------ Gene Lab Will present you a little GUI. You can select two pictures to mix and a mutation level. ------------ Variate Main Creates new variations of the main picture. Variate 1 Will make variation 1 the main picture and variate it. Variate 2 Will make variation 2 the main picture and variate it. etc. etc. ------------- The Display: Qbist uses a faked 24bit display, that is it opens a 8 bit screen and sets up the palette with 85 entries for each RGB value. Now instead of setting only 1 pixel it will set 3, one for the red value of the pixel, one for green and one for blue (much like television). The higher the resolution the better the pictures will look, LowRes is ugly but HiRes works, SuperHiresLaced is the best for AGA (if you can stand looking at it :). However JPegs will be saved as real (not faked) 24bit pictures. How does it work: Note: You don't need to know this to use the program. There are 6 registers each holding 3 values (red, green and blue), and 9 functions that take 3 registers as input (called source, control and destination register). Now: for each pixel all 6 registers will be initized (with x and y positions and a constant) and 36 transformations will be done. Then the values of register 1 will be used to draw the pixel to the screen. Transformation means one of the 9 functions is called. Which function and which registers are passed to it is calculated using some random numbers. That means before the picture is drawn a list of 36 random numbers, each ranging from 1 to 9, is calculated determining which functions will be called to calculate a pixel and 3 times 36 numbers, ranging from 1 to 6, for the registers that will be passed to the function. This means a function is made up by 144 values (36 for the functions to call and 3 times 36 for the registers to pass in). A variation is created by coping the values and changing some of them. What do the functions do? They will just "play around" with the registers passed in. Multiply two values, exchange values, calculate the sin, etc. Requirements OS 2.04, 68020+, AGA or a Gfx-card (for 8 bit displays), a FPU helps but is not required. On a plain A1200 it will be slow like hell. reqtools.library version 38 gtlayout.library version 9 (both libs not included in the archive) To contact the author write to: Fido: 2:310/108.3@fidonet Internet: tbickel@xpoint.at Legal Stuff The programs and files in this distribution are FREEWARE. That is: they are copyright © Thomas Bickel, but they may be freely distributed as long as no more than a nominal fee is charged to cover distribution costs. Moreover they can't be distributed separately or in a commercial package without written permission from the author. It may be distibuted on Aminet CDs. Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group. To name it: This program was linked with some routines from release 6 of the IJG's JPEG software. gtlayout.library (c) 1993-1995 by Olaf `Olsen' Barthel reqtools.library (c) by Nico François Original Mac version of Qbist: (c) 1995 c't, Dr.Jörn Loviscach Disclaimer This program is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind or fitness for a particular purpose, either expressed or implied, all of which are hereby explicitly disclaimed. The author only guarantees that this program will occupy disk space. In no event shall the author be liable to you or anyone else for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this software.