Fractals are intricate, infinite, and beautiful repeating patterns that are created from an equation. A fractal rendering program called Boxplorer2 recently added support for the Oculus Rift, allowing you to create mesmerizing 3D fractals which you can fall forever into.
Developer Marius Schilder added Boxplorer2 Oculus Rift support and used it to create an eerie Rift-ready rendering of a fractal known as a Mandelbox. While this video shows a pre-rendered scene, Schilder says that a powerful enough video card should be able to view it in real-time. Head tracking is supported in real-time rendering.
When asked about the experience inside the Rift, Schilder says, “Fairly immersive. The lack of sense of scale makes your brain less willing to think it’s just weird goggles. The low rez is also very apparent, since w/ fractals you tend to hunt for detail in the scenery.”
Schilder told me that adding Rift support was fairly simple. He also says that he has a Razer Hydra and may be considering future support for it in Boxplorer2.
Boxplorer2 lacks a front-end user interface and won’t be usable if you aren’t familiar with the command line. For those of you with the know-how, you can find Boxplorer 2 here — don’t get lost down there!
If you’re interested in learning more Schilder points to fractalforums.com, a hub for all things fractal, including Boxplorer2.
Here’s another fractal treat to indulge in, for those as mesmerized by these beautiful works of math as I: