Trapcode – aka ace After Effects plugin developer Peder Norrby – has released Mandelbulb VR, a free Windows app that lets users explore the Mandelbulb 3D fractal in virtual reality.

Navigate a 3D fractal in immersive stereo
First constructed in 2009, the Mandelbulb defines a 3D structure whose surface resembles landscapes, organic forms, and even buildings or machinery.

If you follow our Facebook feed, you’ll probably have seen some of the amazing, jewel-like animated shorts that VFX artist Julius Horsthuis has created using it.

Norrby’s version isn’t quite as jewel-like – it’s monochrome, with a look resembling an ambient occlusion pass – but it has the advantage of being both immersive and interactive.

If you view it through an Oculus Rift headset, you can see it in stereo, with positional tracking; while keyboard controls change the parameters of the fractal in real time. The scene was created in Unity.

“The video [above] in no way shows how it feels to experience it in VR,” says Norrby. “It’s mesmerizing.”

Pricing and availability
Mandelbulb VR is a free download for 64-bit Windows. You’ll need a fairly powerful GPU (it “runs OK” on a Nvidia GeForce GTX 780), and an Oculus Rift to view it: it has been tested on the current DK2 dev kit.

Download Mandelbulb VR from Trapcode’s website

Tags: 3D fractal, app, download, free, Mandelbulb, Mandelbulb VR, Oculus Rift, Peder Norrby, Trapcode, virtual reality, VR