.TH flow 6 "6.09 (07-Jun-2024)" "X Version 11" "XScreenSaver manual"
.SH NAME
flow \- strange attractors.
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B flow
[\-\-display \fIhost:display.screen\fP]
[\-\-visual \fIvisual\fP]
[\-\-window]
[\-\-root]
[\-\-window\-id \fInumber\fP]
[\-\-count \fInumber\fP]
[\-\-cycles \fInumber\fP]
[\-\-periodic|\-\-no\-periodic]
[\-\-search|\-\-no\-search]
[\-\-rotate|\-\-no\-rotate]
[\-\-ride|\-\-no\-ride]
[\-\-box|\-\-no\-box]
[\-\-dbuf|\-\-no\-dbuf]
[\-\-ncolors \fInumber\fP]
[\-\-delay \fInumber\fP]
[\-\-fps]
.SH DESCRIPTION
Strange attractors formed of flows in a 3D differential equation phase
space.  Features the popular attractors described by \fBLorentz\fP,
\fBRoessler\fP, \fBBirkhoff\fP and \fBDuffing\fP, and can discover
entirely new attractors by itself.
.SH OPTIONS
.TP 8
.B \-\-visual \fIvisual\fP
Specify which visual to use.  Legal values are the name of a visual class,
or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual.
.TP 8
.B \-\-window
Draw on a newly-created window.  This is the default.
.TP 8
.B \-\-root
Draw on the root window.
.TP 8
.B \-\-window\-id \fInumber\fP
Draw on the specified window.
.TP 8
.B \-\-count \fInumber\fP
Number of particles in the flow.  Default: 3000
.TP 8
.B \-\-size \fInumber\fP
Length of particle trails.  Negative values indicate
randomness.  The computational load of a given flow depends on
(particle count) * (trail length).  Default: -10
.TP 8
.B \-\-cycles \fInumber\fP
Timeout before changing objects.  0 - 800000.  Default: 10000.
.TP 8
.B \-\-periodic
.TP 8
.B \-\-no\-periodic
turn on/off periodic attractors.  These are flows in 2 dependent
variables, with a periodic dependence on a third independent variable
(eg time).  Flow will sometimes choose to start all the particles in
the same phase to illustrate the flow's cross-section.  Default:
on
.TP 8
.B \-\-search
.TP 8
.B \-\-no\-search
turn on/off search for new attractors.  If this is enabled, a fraction
of the computing cycles is directed to searching a 60-dimensional
parameter space for new strange attractors.  If periodic flows are
enabled, these can be searched too.  Watch carefully - you are quite
likely to see mathematical objects that have never been seen before,
and since the parameters are not recorded, you'll probably never see
them again!  Default: on
.TP 8
.B \-\-rotate
.TP 8
.B \-\-no\-rotate
turn on/off rotating around attractor.  Default: on
.TP 8
.B \-\-ride
.TP 8
.B \-\-no\-ride
turn on/off ride in the flow.  Default: on

If both -rotate and -ride are enabled the viewpoint will occasionally
fly between the two views.
.TP 8
.B \-\-box
.TP 8
.B \-\-no\-box
turn on/off bounding box.  Default: on
.TP 8
.B \-\-dbuf
.TP 8
.B \-\-no\-dbuf
turn on/off double buffering.  If Flow runs slowly in full screen, but
fast in a smaller window (eg on old graphics cards with too little
memory), try turning this option off.  Default: on
.TP 8
.B \-\-ncolors \fInumber\fP
Number of Colors.  Default: 200.
.TP 8
.B \-\-delay \fInumber\fP
Per-frame delay, in microseconds.  Default: 10000 (0.01 seconds.).
.TP 8
.B \-\-fps
Display the current frame rate and CPU load.
.SH ENVIRONMENT
.PP
.TP 8
.B DISPLAY
to get the default host and display number.
.TP 8
.B XENVIRONMENT
to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources
stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
.TP 8
.B XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW
The window ID to use with \fI\-\-root\fP.
.SH SEE ALSO
.BR X (1),
.BR xscreensaver (1)
.SH COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 1996 by Tim Auckland <Tim.Auckland@Procket.com>
Incorporating some code from Stephen Davies Copyright (c) 2000

Search code based on techniques described in "Strange Attractors:
Creating Patterns in Chaos" by Julien C. Sprott

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
supporting documentation.

This file is provided AS IS with no warranties of any kind.  The author
shall have no liability with respect to the infringement of copyrights,
trade secrets or any patents by this file or any part thereof.  In no
event will the author be liable for any lost revenue or profits or
other special, indirect and consequential damages.

Adapted from swarm.c Copyright (c) 1991 by Patrick J. Naughton.

Adapted from xswarm by Jeff Butterworth. (butterwo@ncsc.org).
.SH AUTHOR
Tim Auckland