A modern WinUI 3 fractal explorer powered by Paul de Leeuw's production-grade rendering engine
ManpLab combines a modern, intuitive WinUI 3 interface with Paul de Leeuw's exceptional fractal rendering engine - featuring perturbation theory, BLA acceleration, and arbitrary-precision arithmetic for extreme deep zoom capabilities (magnification > 10^100).
ManpLab Application - Dark theme- Screenshot (above)
- ✨ Modern WinUI 3 Interface - Clean, responsive UI with MVVM architecture
- 🎨 300 Fractal Types - Extended from Paul's 246 originals with 54 new implementations
- 🔬 Deep Zoom Technology - Perturbation theory with magnifications exceeding 10^100
- ⚡ BLA Acceleration - Series approximation for extreme performance at deep zoom levels
- 🧮 Arbitrary Precision - MPFR, QD, and DD libraries for numerical accuracy
- 🎬 Animation Rendering - Create MP4 videos with FFmpeg integration
- 📚 Fractal Browser - Metadata, formulas, bookmarks, navigation history
- 🎨 Theme System - Light, Dark, Ocean Blue, and System themes
- 🖱️ Interactive Exploration - Mouse, keyboard, and touch navigation
- ⌨️ Full Keyboard Shortcuts
🔗 Get Started with ManpWinUI →
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ManpWinUI (WinUI 3 / .NET 10) │
│ Modern UI, MVVM, Theme System │
└──────────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────┐
│ Native C++ Fractal Engine │
│ (Paul de Leeuw's Production Engine) │
│ • Perturbation Theory │
│ • BLA Acceleration │
│ • Arbitrary Precision (MPFR/QD) │
│ • 246 Original Fractal Types │
│ • Extended to 300 Types in ManpLab │
│ • Multithreaded Rendering │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
This educational fork makes Paul DeLeeuw's well-engineered rendering technology accessible through a modern, user-friendly interface designed for students, educators, and researchers.
Mandelbrot Set rendered in the Spectrum palette (above)
Classic Julia Set rendered in the Fire palette (above)
Zoomed Tetrate rendered in the Psychedelic palette (above)
2-Dimensional Hailstone Sequence with segments and point labels (above)
- No installation - extract and run
ManpWinUI.exe - No security warnings - runs immediately
- Self-contained - includes all dependencies
- Perfect for: Educational use, quick testing, no admin rights needed
- Modern Windows app - clean install/uninstall via Settings
⚠️ Shows security warning - unsigned package (normal for open-source)- See installation guide included in the download
- Best for: Users preferring managed apps with auto-update support
git clone https://github.com/markhassellsmith/ManpLab.git
cd ManpLab
# Open ManpLab.sln in Visual Studio 2022 and build (F5)All dependencies are included. The project builds without additional configuration.
Requirements:
- Windows 10 or 11 (x64)
- Visual Studio 2022 (Community Edition supported)
- .NET 10 SDK
- Git (for cloning)
ManpLab serves as a comprehensive platform for studying fractals, numerical methods, and computational mathematics across multiple disciplines, combining modern software engineering with advanced mathematical algorithms.
Complex Dynamics & Numerical Analysis:
- 300 fractal types (246 from Paul de Leeuw, 54 new implementations): Mandelbrot, Julia sets, Newton fractals, exotic variants
- Perturbation theory for studying chaotic systems at extreme scales
- Deep zoom with magnifications exceeding 10^100
- Arbitrary-precision arithmetic (MPFR, QD, DD libraries)
- Numerical stability demonstrations and precision management
Advanced Algorithms:
- BLA (Bilinear Approximation) series approximation
- Perturbation algorithm with reference orbits
- Newton-Raphson root finding for fractal boundaries
- Analytical derivative calculations for distance estimation
Modern Software Architecture:
- WinUI 3 application with MVVM pattern
- C++/WinRT native-managed interop
- Large-scale C++ engine (156 source files, 6 CMake subprojects)
- Template metaprogramming with generic numeric types
- Service-oriented architecture with dependency injection
Performance Engineering:
- Multithreaded rendering engine (utilizes all CPU cores)
- Cache optimization techniques
- Memory management with smart pointers
- Vectorization-ready code structure
- Progressive rendering with cancellation support
Applications Across Disciplines:
- Electrical: Chua's circuit, fractal antennas, chaos-based encryption
- Mechanical: Turbulent flow, nonlinear oscillators, fracture mechanics
- General: Strange attractors (Lorenz, Rössler, Hénon), bifurcation analysis, orbit traps, Lyapunov exponents
- Perturbation theory for efficient extreme magnification
- BLA series expansion to skip hundreds of iterations
- Arbitrary precision (MPFR) up to thousands of decimal places
- FloatExp extended exponent range for ultra-deep zooms
- Automatic precision scaling based on zoom level
- Multiple render modes: escape-time, slope/derivative shading, distance estimation
- Potential field, orbit trap, and biomorph coloring
- 24-bit true color with smooth gradients
- Bump mapping and animated color cycling
- Fractint .map palette support
- Multithreaded engine utilizing all CPU cores
- Solid guessing and boundary tracing algorithms
- Progressive rendering with cancellation
- Dynamic task distribution
- Memory-mapped file support for large datasets
- Custom scripting language for fractal definitions
- Virtual machine bytecode execution
- 100+ built-in mathematical functions
- Fractint formula compatibility
- Responsive, touch-friendly design
- MVVM architecture with data binding
- Theme support (Light, Dark, Ocean Blue, System)
- Real-time parameter updates
- Fractal metadata browser with favorites
- Animation timeline editor
- Keyboard shortcuts for power users
Classic Fractals (20+): Mandelbrot variants, Julia sets, Burning Ship, Newton fractals, Magnet fractals
Advanced Variants (40+): MandelDerivatives, Mandelbar/Tricorn, Spider, Thorn, Tetration, Power Towers
Scientific Systems (30+): Strange attractors (Lorenz, Rössler, Hénon, Pickover, Chua), bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov fractals
Hailstone Sequences: 2D integer lattice dynamics with cycle detection, 5 transformation presets
Geometric & IFS (20+): Sierpinski, Apollonius, Pascal triangle, L-Systems, Barnsley fern
Artistic Fractals (25+): BuddhaBrot, Popcorn, Hopalong, Plasma, DLA, Langton's ant
Tierazon Set (30+): Phoenix, Hypercomplex, Froth, Icon/Icon3D, function compositions
Research Fractals (15+): Perturbation-optimized, polynomial, rational maps, Kleinian groups
Custom: User-defined formulas via scripting language
ManpLab/
├── ManpWinUI/ # WinUI 3 application (.NET 10)
│ ├── ViewModels/ # MVVM view models
│ ├── Views/ # XAML pages and controls
│ ├── Services/ # Business logic layer
│ └── Documentation/ # Comprehensive project docs
│
├── ManpCore.Services/ # Shared .NET services
│ └── FractalEngineWrapper.cs
│
├── ManpCore.Native/ # C++/WinRT interop layer
│ └── FractalEngineWrapper.cpp/.h
│
├── ManpWIN64/ # Native C++ rendering engine (156 files)
│ ├── Perturbation.cpp # Perturbation algorithm
│ ├── Approximation.cpp # BLA acceleration
│ ├── Slope.cpp # Derivative shading
│ ├── BigComplex.cpp # Arbitrary-precision complex
│ ├── Pixel.cpp # Standard iteration engine
│ └── ...
│
├── parser/ # Formula parser & VM (21 files)
├── qdlib/ # Quad-double arithmetic
├── pnglib/ # PNG export
├── ZLib/ # Compression
└── external/ # MPFR, GMP, FFmpeg libraries
Core Rendering: Pixel.cpp, BigPixel.cpp, Perturbation.cpp, PertEngine.cpp
Precision Types: Complex.cpp, BigComplex.cpp, DDComplex.cpp, QDComplex.cpp, ExpComplex.cpp
Algorithms: Approximation.cpp, Slope.cpp, FwdDiff.cpp, MandelDerivatives.cpp
Fractals: FractintFunctions.cpp, TierazonFunctions.cpp, Miscfrac.cpp, Bif.cpp
Color: Colour.cpp, Colour1.cpp, ColourMethod.cpp, TrueCol.cpp
- Add custom color palettes
- Implement parameter presets
- Create keyboard shortcuts
- Implement simple fractal variants
- Histogram-based coloring
- Progressive rendering preview
- Parameter animation system
- Undo/redo navigation
- New escape-time fractals
- Distance estimation rendering
- Statistical analysis tools
- 3D lighting and shadows
- GPU acceleration (CUDA/OpenCL)
- Distributed rendering
- SIMD optimization (AVX2/AVX-512)
- Adaptive precision management
- Automatic differentiation
- Fractal dimension calculator
- Plugin architecture
- Cross-platform port (Linux/Mac)
- Novel series approximation methods
- Machine learning for exploration
- Perturbation theory for complex formulas
- Real-time deep zoom interaction
- Install Visual Studio 2022 with:
- "Desktop development with C++" workload
- ".NET desktop development" workload
- .NET 10 SDK
- Clone repository:
git clone https://github.com/markhassellsmith/ManpLab.git - Open
ManpLab.sln - Build (F5) - ManpWinUI will be set as startup project
git clone https://github.com/markhassellsmith/ManpLab.git
cd ManpLab
# Build native engine
cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64
cmake --build build --config Release
# Build WinUI app
dotnet build ManpWinUI/ManpWinUI.csproj -c ReleaseBuild Issues:
- Ensure C++ and .NET workloads are installed
- Verify .NET 10 SDK is present
- Clean and rebuild if linker errors occur
- Check that all NuGet packages restore successfully
Runtime Issues:
- Use Release build for production (Debug is significantly slower)
- Ensure native dependencies (MPFR, GMP) are in output directory
- Check Windows 10/11 is up to date for WinUI 3 support
Performance:
- Deep zoom automatically enables BLA and perturbation theory
- Reduce max iterations for initial exploration
- Multithreading is automatic (uses all CPU cores)
- Use "Progressive rendering" for interactive feedback
Frontend: .NET 10, WinUI 3, C#, XAML, MVVM Toolkit
Native Engine: C++17, Win32 API, CMake 3.23+
Mathematical Libraries: MPFR 4.2.2, GMP 6.3.0, QD Library, DD Arithmetic
Media: FFmpeg (animation export), libpng, ZLib
Books:
- Mandelbrot, The Fractal Geometry of Nature
- Peitgen et al., Chaos and Fractals
- Pickover, Computers, Pattern, Chaos and Beauty
Online:
Papers:
- Hart, "Distance Estimation for Fractals"
- Claude Heiland-Allen, perturbation theory articles
- Lorenz (1963), "Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow"
Contributions are welcome from students, educators, and researchers.
Guidelines:
- Test Debug and Release builds
- Keep dependencies in
external/directory - Follow existing code style
- Document significant changes
- Maintain backward compatibility
Development Workflow:
- Fork repository
- Create feature branch
- Make changes and test
- Submit pull request with description
Priority Areas:
- GPU acceleration, additional fractals, performance optimizations
- Documentation, tutorials, unit tests
- Novel algorithms, research contributions
Paul de Leeuw (Paul the LionHeart) - Native rendering engine with perturbation theory, BLA acceleration, and 246 original fractal implementations
Mark Hassell Smith - Modern WinUI 3 interface, MVVM architecture, 54 new fractals, metadata system, and educational materials
GitHub Copilot - Development assistance and documentation support
Special thanks to the fractal community at FractalForums.org for continued inspiration and technical contributions.
MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.
This project includes third-party libraries with their own licenses (MPFR, GMP, libpng, ZLib).
v1.0 (2026) - Educational fork release
- Modern WinUI 3 interface with MVVM architecture
- Complete integration of Paul de Leeuw's native engine
- Extended from 246 to 300 fractal types (54 new implementations)
- Comprehensive fractal metadata system
- Animation rendering with FFmpeg
- Theme system and accessibility features
- Comprehensive documentation
- Self-contained dependency management
Original ManpWIN - Paul de Leeuw (multiple versions 1990s-2010s)
- Deep zoom with perturbation theory
- BLA acceleration algorithms
- Formula parser and 246 fractal implementations
- Arbitrary-precision arithmetic integration