Finale 3D Feature Requests
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AuthorPosts
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DrewFinaleJoined: Dec 2019 Posts: 803 Location: United States 
CharcoalLABELS Not sure if I am just missing this in the numerous options, but is there a way to print two of every label in order? I know I can print two of all the labels, but having them right together would be extremely helpful. Basically, as you go down the label page L1 L1 L2 L2 L3 L3 etc…
Hey aVTwolf, welcome to the Finale 3D forum!
There’s not currently a one-click option to print in-line duplicate labels, but here’s a way you can make it happen:
1) Open your show, then go to File > Save as and save a copy of your show under a new name
2) Go to File > User settings and enable this setting: Pasted events include rail, pin, and rack addresses
3) Go to Edit > Select All
4) Go to Edit > Copy
5) Go to Edit > Paste Special > Paste events at original timesThis will duplicate your entire show. You can then print labels, and you will get two labels for each item. The downside of this approach is that the labels will look as though you’re wiring multiple e-matches per pin. For example, suppose your original show contains one label for address 07-15. When you duplicate the events, you will get two labels for address 07-15, one showing “1/2 e-matches” and the other “2/2 e-matches”. In this case, the e-match hints really aren’t correct but it’s two labels for the same item, not two items wired into the same firing system pin. This may not be an issue at all for you, but I just wanted to give you a heads up.
aVTwolfJoined: Jul 2021 Posts: 2 Location: Danby, VT 
NewcomerHi Drew.
That could be a reasonable solution for what I am trying to do.
This stems from having two full sets of labels, and having one label go on the cake and the other on the wire. Having double the amount of pages is becoming problematic.
Thank you for this suggestion; I’ll give it a try.
-Wolf
Level 9 FireballJoined: Jun 2026 Posts: 8 Location: United States Newcomer
Curtis BJoined: Jan 2023 Posts: 51 Location: 279 N Eastgate Ave Springfield, MO 65802 NewcomerIt would be nice to be able to set the user default firing system so every time you create a new show, you don’t have to sit there and change what firing system the show is using. I know currently the default is Cobra, but not everyone uses Cobra… so being able to set your native firing system to something else at the user level would be very nice.
DrewFinaleJoined: Dec 2019 Posts: 803 Location: United States CharcoalIt would be nice to be able to set the user default firing system so every time you create a new show, you don’t have to sit there and change what firing system the show is using. I know currently the default is Cobra, but not everyone uses Cobra… so being able to set your native firing system to something else at the user level would be very nice.
Hey Curtis, no problem — set your preferred firing system in Show > Set show information, then set the show as the default by going to File > User settings > Save show as start-up template.
Mum PyrotechnicsJoined: Jun 2022 Posts: 11 Location: Minot, North Dakota, United States NewcomerIt would be great if Finale was smart enough to allocate your Cobra mods for you based on the number and type of them you have. We currently use a mix of different variants of 18M, 36M and 72M standard and 72M with slats. When we do bigger shows with 50-75 mods having Finale tell us what type of mod, the firing position of the mod and the channels it should have on an Avery label and in a field report would save everyone doing shows hours and provide a more consistent setup.
We picture it as automatically knowing that if you have a firing position that currently has 32 cues and there are 36M’s available that aren’t allocated it assigns a 36M and notifies you that there are 4 cues left that can be used for cakes or something else. Once the show is finalized in Finale and you print your shell labels and reports, it would also give you the option of printing mod labels. The mod label would be something along the lines of:
Pos: LargeShell1
MODTYPE: Cobra36M
Channels:
BankA: 00
BankB: 01Pos: LLAMA1
MODTYPE: Cobra72M/36SideX
Channels:
BankA: 02
BankB: 03
BankC: 04
BankD: 05
Slats Needed: 2x 36SPos: SmallShell1
MODTYPE: Cobra72M
Channels:
BankA: 06
BankB: 07
BankC: 08
BankD: 09
Slats Needed: NONEWhat this does is lets admins set addresses for all positions ahead of time but also allows shooters to double check that each bank is on the correct address according to the loading sheets and shell labels.
Knowing information like the number of mods needed ahead of time would make a world of difference for groups that sometimes borrow mods from each other and need to coordinate what goes where and who is bringing different equipment.
NECJoined: Apr 2019 Posts: 73 Location: San Antonio, Texas, United States NewcomerAn option to update Rack Type automatically in a script. I’ll start a show design, adding effects etc, go to add racks and realize I need to assign specific racks to specific part numbers after the fact. Since the effects initially did not have a Default Rack Type set, I’ll go add that, make sure the appropriate racks are tagged but I now have to manually update the script for all existing items. This can get time consuming and be error prone.
Never mind, I’m slow this weekend and found the option..ignore
Effects–update script from effects defaults–rack type…DOH!
DrewFinaleJoined: Dec 2019 Posts: 803 Location: United States CharcoalAn option to update Rack Type automatically in a script. I’ll start a show design, adding effects etc, go to add racks and realize I need to assign specific racks to specific part numbers after the fact. Since the effects initially did not have a Default Rack Type set, I’ll go add that, make sure the appropriate racks are tagged but I now have to manually update the script for all existing items. This can get time consuming and be error prone.
Done!
Effects (menu) > Update script fields from effect defaults > Rack Type
NECJoined: Apr 2019 Posts: 73 Location: San Antonio, Texas, United States Newcomer
PyroDadJoined: Sep 2020 Posts: 19 Location: Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland NewcomerHi,
Now that we’re living in the AI era, it would be great to have a service on Finale3D.com where you could simply paste a link to a YouTube video and have AI analyze the effect and automatically generate a VDL description.
I’m already using ChatGPT for this purpose, and it works surprisingly well. However, the process is quite cumbersome: I first have to capture the video using the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, edit the recording, and then upload it to ChatGPT.
Having this functionality integrated directly into Finale 3D would make the process much faster and easier.
pyro95126439Joined: Sep 2026 Posts: 2 Location: Newcomerpyro95126439Joined: Sep 2026 Posts: 2 Location: NewcomerDrewFinaleJoined: Dec 2019 Posts: 803 Location: United States Charcoal
Kategorie 4Joined: Jun 2021 Posts: 10 Location: Fellbach, Hölderlinstraße 1 CharcoalHi everyone,
I have two feature requests for Finale 3D that I think would make working with more complex 3D scenes much easier.
1. Show / Hide 3D Models
It would be very helpful to have the option to temporarily hide individual 3D models or groups of models without having to delete them from the scene.
When working with complex models, I sometimes have to delete objects just to make the scene easier to work with — for example, when I only want to see and work with the terrain. When I add those models back later, their position, rotation, or height can sometimes shift slightly.
A simple visibility function, similar to layers in other 3D software, would be very useful. For example:
Terrain visible
Buildings hidden
Vegetation hidden/visible
Individual 3D models or groups hidden/visibleThis would make complex scenes much easier to manage without having to remove objects and reposition them later.
2. Water Surfaces at Different Elevations
Another feature I am currently missing is the ability to create water or reflective surfaces at different elevations.
As far as I know, SketchUp does not provide reflective materials that Finale 3D can recognize and use as actual reflective water surfaces. This makes it difficult to realistically simulate multiple bodies of water located at different elevations.
I am currently facing exactly this situation: I want to simulate a fireworks show around five different ponds, and these ponds are all located at different elevations.
It would therefore be very useful if Finale 3D allowed us to define multiple individual water/reflective surfaces, each at its own elevation, so that the fireworks can be reflected correctly on each pond.
Both features would be especially helpful when working with larger and more complex terrain projects.
Thanks for considering these ideas!
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