How to Produce a Digital Magic Metaball in bryce

How to Produce a Digital Magic Metaball
STEP ONE - PAINTING THE MAGIC FRAMES IN PHOTOSHOP
First: Open up Photoshop and create a new document 512 x 512 pixels, 72 DPI, black background.
Second: Paint the 'Magic Frame' image in Positive and Negative forms, like the images below.



There is no need to use these specific textures exactly the same.
Feel free to experiment with other forms and textures later.

Third: Save the images as 'MagicFrame1-Pos'.jpg and 'MagicFrame1-Neg'.jpg files.

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STEP TWO - MAKING THE METABALL OBJECT IN BRYCE
It's time to move from 2D to 3D (From Photoshop to Bryce).

First: Open a new Bryce scene. Make the Render Resolution to Photo 768 x 512 pixels, Director's View.
Create a Metaball.
Second: Click on M to enter the Edit Material. In Materials Lab set all adjustments as in the image below.



Set the Texture Mapping Mode to Sinusoidal, Symmetric Tiling and Pict Interpolation.

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Experiment with different settings to get the results you want.
Try changing the Mapping Mode Modifiers.
Important! The real "MAGIC" effect is possible ONLY with "Parametric Scaled".

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Set Material Options to Blend Transparency, Cast Shadows, Receive Shadows and Self Shadows.
Third: Now click on the button above P to enter the Texture Source Editor.



Fourth: In the Texture Source Editor is only one Image -"Leo". Click on the right empty
black button and find the 'MagicFrame1-Pos'.jpg file. Load it.
Find the 'MagicFrame-Neg1'.jpg file and load it into Selected Alpha Image (second square).
Apply Selected Image and return to the Materials Lab. Apply the 'Magic Frame' Material.

Fifth: Render the Magic Metaball.

Sixth: Duplicate twice the cone. Position and Rotate the Objects
in Object Attributes 'A' as shown below. Group the Metaballs.

Is that all?

Seventh: Just rotate the Metaballs slowly in any direction and you will produce hundreds
combinations of New Forms and Colors like the images below and many more!

MAGIC METABALLS EXAMPLES

Example 1 Three Magic Metaballs grouped into one Object. Rotated and scaled.
The appearance of the texture is changed dramatically depending on how it’s applied to the object.


Example 2 Three Magic Metaballs grouped into one Object.
Texture Mapping Mode set to Parametric Scaled


Example 3 Three Magic Metaballs grouped into one Object.
Texture Mapping Mode set to Parametric Scaled


Example 4 Three Magic Metaballs grouped into one Object.
Metaball's proportions and positions slightly changed.