From: erkyrath@netcom.com (Andrew Plotkin)
Subject: [Ann] TextureFnoob 0.5 (freeware)

TextureFnoob is a graphics tool. Or a texture programming language. Or a
mathematical graphing package. Or… no, I’ll start over.

TextureFnoob is a graphics tool which can do *anything*. Okay — a good
approximation of anything. It allows you to construct functions out of
basic mathematical elements: numbers, addition, subtraction, colors,
color-blending, color maps, rotations, translations, Perlin noise and
turbulence functions, and dozens of other operations. And then it
dynamically generates the result.

Computer graphics are made of mathematics. TextureFnoob does not give you a
preprogrammed set of special effects; it gives you a set of mathematical
functions and lets you construct whatever image you want. There are
functions to render marble and wood textures; you’ve probably seen those
before. There are functions for ripples, bevels, bumps, spirals, wiggles,
wobbles, color composites, and all manner of other funky things. You can do
them in TextureFnoob. That’s what it’s for.

If you’re still not grasping how powerful this is, see my web page.

In the meantime… hey, neat marble.

More information, a gallery of examples, and TextureFnoob itself can be
found at

http://www.edoc.com/zarf/texfnoob/

TextureFnoob is copyright 1996-7 by Andrew Plotkin. It is freeware; it can
be used, copied, and distributed freely.