Hi Madness Fireworks, I’m sorry, the reflective water doesn’t currently work very well with 3D Google Maps.

When using a 2D Google Map, adding water cuts away the map image. Unfortunately, it doesn’t currently work this way for 3D Google Maps models.

To get the water to appear when using a 3D map, you’ll need to lower the model height…Read More

Hi Richard, sorry to hear about the trajectory dots issue. We haven’t made any changes in this area, and we don’t currently have any similar reports from other users. The setting NEC mentioned is a good starting point. Another thing to try would be starting a new blank show and adding an effect to see if the problem persists. That will tell us if…Read More

Competition Scores & Judging Feedback
Our panel of judges, all professionals in the fireworks industry, take their role seriously and understand the immense effort required to design shows of this caliber. The judging process involved over 100 hours of review, and it wasn’t easy. Fireworks design is an art form — and even with a detailed sco…Read More

If you have already tried the VDL terms Go Getter Comet (which is synonymous with Swimming Comet) or Go Getter Mine or (which is synonymous with Swimming Mine), then I’m afraid there is not an easy way to improve the appearance of the effect at this moment.

Improving the motion of go getter/swimming stars to make them more energetic is…Read More

The best VDL term is Go Getter Mine or Swimming Mine.

Example VDL for 10 shot cake: 30mm 10 Shot 0.0s Cake (a) 2.0 DUR Very Sparse Very Sparse Very Bright Purple Gold Go Getter Mine, 1 Row (aaaaaaaaaa/FNT)

Hi Russ,

Sorry for the confusion — yes, this feature is only available in Pro.

Below is a screenshot comparing the constraints section of the Address Show dialog between Hobbyist and Pro. the Pro version includes many options to restrict racks to various things, and it also includes the Re-arrange effects in adjustable angle racks to a…Read More

Glad you got it sorted out!

You can of course use any part numbering scheme you like as long as each part number is unique. The reason I suggested a suffix including “Row” was just in case you wanted to also break the cake into individual shots. If you broke the same cake into rows and into individual shots, you may find it useful for the part…Read More

Welcome to the Finale 3D forum!

Going to DMX > Create DMX effect… allows you to create DMX effects for existing fixtures or simultaneously define a new fixture and create a corresponding effect. When you create a next DMX fixture, the definition for the fixture is saved as part of the effect, and is saved to the location you choose. For…Read More

Hey PyroExec, you’re on the right track with DLY! I suspect the reason the “blip” on the timeline isn’t aligning with the first burst is because you haven’t quite gotten all the necessary VDL terms working together.

Here’s the key: DLY + LFT = PFT

The Finale 3D definition of prefire is “the time from firing system ignition to the effect t…Read More

Hey Brett,

Effects > Create effect… creates a new effect with no regard for the items selected on the timeline. Any VDL you see prepopulated in the create effect dialog is simply whatever was entered last time you created an effect.

Effects > Combine as cake effect… specifically combines the items selected on the timeline into a new…Read More

Curtis B wrote:
I’d like to see the ability to dial the smoke particles back either through render settings or the VDL itself. I’ve done some testing of vdl’s lately and it seems that once you get a LOT of smoke particles on screen, they really start to lag your show simulation down. If there is already a request for this or if it already exist…

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No question about it, clear an understandable set up instructions for your crew are important.

While PDF reports are only customizable in Finale 3D Pro, you can export reports to Excel with Hobbyist. This will allow you do adjust the column widths and make other tweaks as needed before printing. See:…Read More

PyroDoc wrote:
1. Creating a custom rack and using it for multiple shows from the “my effects’ location appears to be reserved for users of the “Pro” version of F3D. Is this correct?

No! Finale 3D Hobbyist gives you access to the same tools for creating racks and saving them for use in show after show. To create a rack in Finale 3D Hobbyis…

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The Rack Setup report lists the lines of your script, sorted by Position Name, then by each rack, then by the each tube. In other words, the line items in this report are the fireworks/pyrotechnics themselves, not the racks. If a show contains cakes, they are included on the report because they also need to be wired up during show set up. Like all…Read More