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From tlyons@gnn.com:

best use of mandlebrot set I have seen in a while!
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From spanky@wpi.edu:

The more I look at this scene, the more I feel like saying wow.  WOW!  I can't
believe you actually modelled those leaves in POV-Ray, and I love the little
green snake.  The toucan is cool too.  Great image


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From mikko.oksalahti@dosetek.varian.com:
Bold choice of colors and placing the mandelbrot image to make a natural 
background is a good courageous idea. Maybe if it would it slightly blurred
so that one doesn't immediately recognise it would work even better.


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From gregj56590@aol.com:
Wonderful ferns: want to look at your zip file.
Nice use of fractals for background scenery. 
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From d97ta@efd.lth.se:
the fractal fit just right in with the rest of the image. great idea!
it's hard to tell that there is just one plant at first glance.
the toucan looks pretty darned realistic; well done!

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From marc_w@ncx.com:
liked everything except the fractal background (sorry)

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From ewgr@abaddon.globalnet.co.uk:
Even better than last months and I thought that was v. good, well done.

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From karl@pemail.net:
Neat use of fractals as a background filler

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From mmandl@aol.com:
This is a very fine image. The fractals in the background is the only flaw. I loved it!



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From buck@cs.byu.edu:
Well done!  The fractal in the background is perhaps the best use of a
fractal in ray-trace that I've seen yet!  The toucan is masterfully
built, and the plants look great.

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From jaime@ctav.es:
Beatiful! The pose is amazing. The plant is very well "grown". The bakground 
could have looked better with more plants, but the fractal looks also good.



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From djconnel@flash.net:
The bird is excellently done in all aspects!  The leaves
are also the best I have seen.  The worm is an excellent
touch as well!  The only thing I don't
like is the fractal background.  It may be an abstract
play on  the fractal paradign, but given the excellence
of the foreground objects, a more realistic background
(would have made this a winning entry.  As it is, I still
give it a very high score.


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From bill@apocalypse.org:
Wow, great use of fractals in background.  Excellent colors too, very
nice iamge.

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From 101741.541@compuserve.com:
When I first read the text, I've been afraid about the fractal thingie. 
But, when I've seen the image,
I was happily surprised : things blends so nicely together in this
composition.  The "tropical" aspect
is so well expressed... wonderful !

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From fisher2@pobox.upenn.edu:
The unreal backround with the realistic foreground seems kind of
out-of-place.  Just my opinion, though.  Very nice image!

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From arcana@sinbad.net:
As a time saver, the fractal background works quite well. Of course, taking the huge amount of time it would have taken to create a detailed background area would have been better. :{)

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From gmccarter@hotmail.com:
This is actually an acrylic painting on canvas, not a raytracing, right?
Bright and vibrant.  Intriguing (and quite innovative) use of fractal background, suggesting the order and chaos seen in the rainforest.  Perfect framing/balance.  This image is head and shoulders above many others in the competition: the techniques fade into the background, and the result is simply a gorgeous image.

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From peter@table76.demon.co.uk:
That toucan was the _easier_ subject?  I don't think I want to know what the
too difficult one was!  I think the fractal background looks too obviously
fractal, but I suppose zooming in to make the detail larger wouldn't be that
effective with a fractal.