The BETOPPER 54X1.5W RGB LED Par Light fixtures are inexpensive and easy to use 54 LED DMX par light fixtures, ASIN number B08S3NC56K from Amazon.  These fixtures are compatible with the EasyDancing fixture described in EasyDancing 36x1W RGB Par Light.   Figure 1 – BETOPPER 54X1.5W RGB LED Par   The fixtures have a 3-channel and 7-channel DMX personality.  Finale 3D implements the 7-channel personality. Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Supported in Finale 3D 3CH NO 7CH YES   Instructions To design a show for BETOPPER 54X1.5W RGB LED Par fixtures, please follow the steps in DMX basic instructions and Light fixtures basic instructions.  If you don't already have a compatible firing system or controller capable exporting a DMX script, please refer to Supported firing systems and controllers (DMX) for the list of available hardware options.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 7-channel fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems and controllers only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 7-channel fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-7 2 8 8-14 3 15 15-21 4 22 22-28 5 29 29-35 6 36 36-42 7 43 43-49 8 50 50-56 9 57 57-63 10 64 64-70 ... 73 505 505-511   Technical details The following tables show the technical specifications of the fixtures, as tested by the Finale support team.   Table 3 – DMX channels for 7CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Dimmer Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Red Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Green Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Blue Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Strobe (0-7 = no strobe; 8-255 = slow to fast) Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Set to zero Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Set to zero     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation LPC007-LPC008_LPC08-H_BETOPPER_DJ_PAR_Light_User_Manual.pdf BETOPPER 54X1.5W RGB LED Par User Manual

The ADJ Flat Par QWH12X RGB Par fixtures are high powered 12 LED DMX par light fixtures.   Figure 1 – ADJ Flat Par QWH12X RGB Par   The fixtures have a number of DMX personalities; Finale 3D supports the 8-channel DMX personality.   Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Supported in Finale 3D 1CH NO 2CH NO 3CH NO 4CH NO 5CH NO 6CH NO 7CH NO 8CH YES   Instructions To design a show for ADJ Flat Par fixtures, please follow the steps in DMX basic instructions and Light fixtures basic instructions.  If you don't already have a compatible firing system or controller capable exporting a DMX script, please refer to Supported firing systems and controllers (DMX) for the list of available hardware options.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 8-channel fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems and controllers only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 8-channel fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-8 2 9 9-16 3 17 17-24 4 25 25-32 5 33 33-40 6 41 41-48 7 49 49-56 8 57 57-65 9 65 65-72 10 73 72-79 ... 64 505 505-512   Technical details The following tables show the technical specifications of the fixtures, as tested by the Finale support team.   Table 3 – DMX channels for 8CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Red Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Green Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Blue Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) White Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Dimmer Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Strobe (0-15 = no strobe; 16-255 = slow to fast) Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Set to zero Channel 8 (DMX Channel Base + 7) Set to zero     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation Adj Flat Par QWH12X.pdf ADJ Flat Par QWH12X RGB Par Light User Manual

To create and export a pyro or DMX script for the Pyrotronix firing system, please follow these steps: Address the show for Pyrotronix ("Addressing > Address show"). Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing system script files(s)..."). Place the script file on a USB flash drive at the path PTX-C4ProjectsImport Step 2 creates the script file, which has the "PTX2" extension.  The file format details are described in this section.     Figure 1 – Pyrotronix firing system master   DMX overview The Pyrotronix system supports DMX fixtures by triggering pre-programmed or user-created presets on the controller.  Please refer to your PTX C4 instructions for creating presets, and then create effect libraries to match your presets in Finale 3D as described below.  The DMX instructions for scripting in Finale 3D ( DMX basic instructions ) do apply but there are two differences for Pyrotronix, since the script exported from Finale 3D will contain only the triggers for pre-programmed presets and not the actual DMX channel data that implement the effects according to the fixture's DMX personality. The two differences are: (1) you need to create your own effect libraries in Finale 3D to match your presets (except for the Explo X2 Wave Flamer, for which the effects in Finale 3D's pre-defined Generic Effects effect library match the pre-defined presets in the Pyrotronix PTX C4 controller already), and (2) you need to configure DMX fixture positions in Finale 3D as "<Any fixture type>" from the DMX Fixture Type selector after right clicking the positions and doing "Configure position as DMX fixture" from the context menu (except for the Explo X2 Wave Flamer, which you can select instead if desired).   Table 1 – File format and encoding File format Extension Text encoding Field delimiter End-of-line Text .PTX2 ASCII Semicolon CRLF   Structure of PTX2 script file The PTX2 script file contains three sections: project, DMX devices, and ignition data, as shown in the example file in Figure 2.   As exported from Finale 3D, the first section of the script, the project section, is the text: [Project] version=1.0 type=IN The last line is either "type=IN" for a script with individual events or "type=SQ" for a script with sequences.  See the Sequences row in Table 2, below, for further details. The second section, the DMX devices section, contains a mapping of "Device Name" to "Device Type" and "DMX Channel Base".  The Device Type is defined by the Category field of the DMX effect in Finale 3D, and must match the Device Type of the pre-programmed presets in the Pyrotronix controller exactly.  The DMX Channel Base is defined by the DMX Channel Base field of the positions in Finale 3D, once they are configured as DMX fixtures.  The Device Name is constructed synthetically from the Device Type and DMX Channel Base trivially by concatenating them together with a space in between. The syntax of the rows is simply <Device Name>=<Device Type>@<DMX Channel Base>.  This DMX devices section is only present if the script contains DMX events. [DMX devices] Explo X2 Wave Flamer 1=Explo X2 Wave Flamer@1 Explo X2 Wave Flamer 7=Explo X2 Wave Flamer@7 Explo X2 Wave Flamer 13=Explo X2 Wave Flamer@13 The third section contains the ignition data and DMX preset triggers, intermixed and sorted by event time. [Ignition data] 1;A;2760;1020;1;1;;Red Chrysanthemum; 2;A;3760;1020;2;1;;Red Chrysanthemum; 3;A;4760;1020;3;1;;Red Chrysanthemum; 4;A;10000;2400;DMX;;;Explo X2 Wave Flamer 1:PRG31; 5;A;11000;2400;DMX;;;Explo X2 Wave Flamer 7:PRG31; 6;A;12000;2400;DMX;;;Explo X2 Wave Flamer 13:PRG31; The ignition data fields are described in Table 3:   Table 2 – Special characteristics Special characteristics Description Sort order of rows Rows sorted ascending by event time. What rows represent Each row represents a unique firing event, for pyro a module/pin/event-time combination, and for DMX a device name / preset identifier combination.  For example, a pyro chain of five shells will be one row, not five.  A pair of shells shot together from the same position will be one row, not two, even if the shells are different effects.  A flight of shells shot together from multiple positions with the same module-pin using scab wire is still one row.  DMX examples are given below. Sequences (Tracks) The user can divide a script into separately triggered sequences by tagging the script rows with <Sequence Group>.<Sequence Number> pairs in the Track field in Finale 3D, beginning with "1.1".   Pyrotronix supports up to four sequence groups, with thirty-two sequence triggers (buttons) per group.  Each sequence can have up to twenty ignitions. Time resolution The Pyrotronix system supports 1/100th second resolution. DMX support The Pyrotronix system supports DMX fixtures by triggering pre-programmed or user-created presets on the controller.  The PTX2 script exported from Finale 3D contains triggers based on the Device Type and Preset Identifiers of the effects in Finale 3D (from the Category and Custom Part Field fields), which must match the presets defined on the controller exactly.  The triggers do not contain any parameters for the presets, so it is not possible to script parameterized effects like effects that depend on the angle or duration that the user can adjust in the Finale 3D user interface. The DMX instructions for scripting in Finale 3D, ( DMX basic instructions ) do apply, except you need to create your own effect libraries in Finale 3D to match your presets (except for the Explo X2 Wave Flamer, for which Finale 3D's effect library matches the pre-defined presets in the Pyrotronix PTX C4 controller), and you need to configure the fixture positions in Finale 3D to "<Any fixture type>" from the DMX Fixture Type selector in the "Configure position as DMX fixture" context menu from right clicking the positions (except for the Explo X2 Wave Flamer, which you should select instead if desired). Bandwidth limitations Finale 3D provides options for automatically guaranteeing a minimum delay between firing events to accommodate communication bandwidth limitations on the controller.  The two options are 60ms ("Cable + Radio") and 30ms ("Cable") minimum delays.  The module type selector in the addressing dialog provides these options.  The minimum delays are the only differences between the "Cable + Radio" and "Cable" options. Electrical limitations Finale 3D also provides options to limit the number of simultaneously firing channels to 20, to accommodate electrical limitations on some Pyrotronix controllers.  The options are available from the module type selector in the addressing dialog. Support for CSV script format for older controllers Finale 3D also supports exporting the CSV file format script for older Pyrotronix controllers.  In the addressing dialog in Finale 3D, select the PTX module type options for the old CSV script file formats, or the new PTX2 module type options for the new script formats for the C4 controller.  Only the PTX2 options have DMX capabilities. DMX safety channel requirement warning disabled Finale 3D 's warning for missing safety channels for DMX effects is disabled for Pyrotronix exports based on the assumption that Pyrotronix users will handle safety channels manually on the controller, not within the script exported from Finale 3D. When you export a firing script for Pyrotronix, Finale 3D presents an "Export Options" dialog with the choices shown in Table 3.   Table 3 – Export options Option name Description Version Choose the PTX2 version or the old-style CSV version. Separation Time Choose the minimum separation time between shots -- 30ms for wire connected modules and 60ms for radio connected modules. Limit Choose the limit of maximum simultaneous firing channels.  Some versions of PTX hardware have a limit of 20; others have no limit.     Each ignition row in the ignition rows section of the script contains a number of fields separated by the semicolon character.  The names of the fields and their descriptions are in following table.   Table 4 – Specifications of ignition row fields Field name Description Cue The cue number beginning with 1 and incrementing at each new event time Ignition type The letter "A" for a non-sequence event, or "S" for an event that is part of a sequence. Event time The ignition time in milliseconds Duration The duration in milliseconds Module number The module number, 1-99. Pin number The pin number, 1-16. Hazard class A hazard classification for purpose of disabling part of the show during a performance, a number 1-24 or blank. Description For pyro, this field contains the name of the effect; for DMX, this field contains the <Device Name>:PRG<Preset Number>, where Preset Number is a two digit number corresponding to a pre-programmed or user-defined preset on the Pyrotronix controller.  The Device Name is constructed from the Device Type in the effects' Category field and the DMX Channel Base from the position, as described above in the Structure of PTX2 script file section.  The Preset Number comes from the Custom Part Field field of the effect.  Finale 3D automatically adds the PRG before the Preset Number in the script.  The PRG letters thus should not be in the effects' Custom Part Field.  All pre-programmed and user-defined Preset Identifiers of presets on the Pyrotronix controller must be of the form PRGXX, where XX is a two digit number. The Explo X2 Wave Flamer effects in the Generic Effects collection in Finale 3D already contain the numbers that correspond to built in presets on the Pyrotronix PTX C4 controller in the Custom Part Field; and also contain the Device Type in the Category field.  For other fixtures and effects you will need to create your own DMX effect libraries for Pyrotronix, as described below. Sequence The sequence is either blank, or X.Y where X is the sequence group number 1-4 and Y is the sequence button number 1-32.  Either all script events must contain sequence numbers, or none of them.  Use the Track field in Finale 3D to specify the sequences (right click on the events in the script window and do "Set track..."). The example script shown in Figure 2 is also available for download in Table 5. [Project] version=1.0 type=IN [DMX devices] Explo X2 Wave Flamer 1=Explo X2 Wave Flamer@1 Explo X2 Wave Flamer 7=Explo X2 Wave Flamer@7 Explo X2 Wave Flamer 13=Explo X2 Wave Flamer@13 [Ignition data] 1;A;2760;1020;1;1;;Red Chrysanthemum; 2;A;3760;1020;2;1;;Red Chrysanthemum; 3;A;4760;1020;3;1;;Red Chrysanthemum; 4;A;10000;2400;DMX;;;Explo X2 Wave Flamer 1:PRG31; 5;A;11000;2400;DMX;;;Explo X2 Wave Flamer 7:PRG31; 6;A;12000;2400;DMX;;;Explo X2 Wave Flamer 13:PRG31; Figure 2 – Example Pyrotronix script for pyro and DMX   Creating DMX effect libraries to match presets on your Pyrotronix controller Since Pyrotronix scripts control DMX fixtures by triggering pre-programmed or user-defined presets on the controller, the script exported from Finale 3D will contain only the triggers and not the actual DMX channel data.  The DMX Patch field of the effects in Finale 3D is thus unused, as its purpose is to translate the effect definition into the DMX channel data that implement it.  In its place, the Category field and Custom Part Field field of the effects in Finale 3D hold the Pyrotronix Device Type and Preset Number that together identify the preset to be triggered. The Category field must contain the Device Type of the pre-programmed or user-defined preset on the controller exactly, except for optional capitalization.  The Custom Part Field contains an integer identifying a preset for that Device Type.  The number in the Custom Part Field is just an integer.  Finale 3D automatically formats the integer as two digits with a leading zero if necessary and prepends the letters "PRG" to the front, such as for example PRG01, PRG02, and PRG03 for the first three presets.  The preset identifiers on the Pyrotronix controller must match these presets -- including the PRG -- exactly. Since the Device Type of the preset is specified in the effects, the Fixture Type field of the positions in Finale 3D is not required for Pyrotronix script exports.  You can thus set the Fixture Type to "<Any DMX Fixture>" or set it to any of the predefined fixtures in Finale 3D, your choice.   The advantage to setting it to a pre-defined fixture in Finale 3D is that Finale 3D's channel allocation functions will be able to allocate channel ranges back-to-back for your fixtures if the you choose pre-defined fixtures.  If you use "<Any DMX Fixture>" then you will need to set the DMX Channel Base of the fixture positions manually in the positions window or by right clicking the positions and editing the position properties. Since the DMX presets on Pyrotronix and their triggers do not have any parameters, it is not possible for the presets to depend on user-adjustable parameters in the Finale 3D user interface like the angle or duration of an effect.  If you want to shoot a moving head wave flamer effect in a particular direction, you need to define a preset for that specific direction on your Pyrotronix controller and create a corresponding effect in Finale 3D with the matching Device Type and Preset Identifier.   Example files Example files for a mixed pyro and DMX show are available for download in Table 5.  The example show contains three DMX fixture positions and three pyro positions.  The DMX fixture positions each contain a single shot of the Explo X2 Wave Flamer fixture, firing macro #31.  They do not contain safety channel events; and the safety channel requirement warning is disabled for Pyrotronix script exports.   The three pyro positions each contain one shell.  The timeline for the example show is shown in Figure 3.   Figure 3 – Timeline for example mixed pyro and DMX show -- 3 pyro shots, 3 DMX shots.     Table 6 – Downloads Download link Explanation test-pyrotronix-dmx.fin Example show file test-pyrotronix-dmx.ptx2 Example exported file (PTX2)

The function "Effects > Combine as cake effect..." creates a single cake description VDL that encapsulates all of the effects, angles, and timing of the constituent shots.  Using the function is as simple as laying out the constituent effects on the timeline at the desired angles and with the desired delays between them as in Figure 1, selecting them all, and performing the function.   Figure 1 – Layout the individual effects, select them, and do "Effects > Combine as cake effect..."   VDL can represent most real world cakes in a manner that has both an accurate visual appearance and also a physically correct arrangement of tubes in rows, using the standard row tube patterns listed in Firing patterns for cake and slice rows.  The VDL syntax that uses the standard patterns is called "standard syntax" firing descriptions.   Figure 2 – The confirmation dialog gives you the option of using the exact simulation syntax, if you want.   Some cakes can't be represented in the standard syntax.  If the tube angles or delays simply don't correspond to any of the standard patterns, the "Effects > Combine as cake effect..." will fallback to using the "exact simulation syntax", which specifies every tube individually.  If you are interested, the standard syntax is defined in Cake descriptions.  The exact simulation syntax is defined in Exact simulation syntax.  However, because this create cake function is so easy to use, you don't really need to know all the intricacies of the VDL description that it produces.  The create cake function always generates a standard syntax cake description when possible, unless you check the "Use exact simulation syntax" check box on the confirmation dialog shown in Figure 2.  You can see in Figure 3 what a VDL cake description in standard syntax looks like.  This cake has ten rows with opposite angle patterns in even and odd rows.   Figure 3 – The result is a single VDL description that includes all the effects, angles, and timing.   Sometimes the timing of the shots determines only one possible representation in the standard syntax, since delays between tubes in any standard syntax row are required to be uniform and since the patterns of shot angles often can only match one possible row pattern.   Other times, multiple representations are possible.  The create cake function attempts to find a standard syntax VDL that has the most realistic layout of rows, optimizing for the most square-ish overall dimensions.   Limitations Cake VDL has three limitations, All tubes in the cake must be the same size Shot angles can only be side-to-side Cannot include peanut or multi-break effects that use the plus sign (+) in their VDL Aside from these limitations, the create cake function is sure to produce a cake description VDL from your selected effects, either in the standard syntax or exact simulation syntax, one or the other.  The standard syntax representation has an angle error tolerance of 5 degrees and time error tolerance of 10ms, allowing for rounding error and a small degree of slop as you layout your effects.  The exact simulation syntax uses the exact angles and times of your constituent effects, rounded to integral degrees and milliseconds.  

The Cobra 36x1W RGB Par fixtures are inexpensive and easy to use 36 LED DMX par light fixtures, model number LIGHT-DMX-PAR-36 from Cobra and QS-056P from the manufacturer.  These fixtures are compatible with the EasyDancing fixture described in EasyDancing 36x1W RGB Par Light.   Figure 1 – Cobra 36x1W RGB Par   The fixtures have a 7-channel DMX personality.   Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Supported in Finale 3D 7CH YES   Instructions To design a show for Cobra fixtures, please follow the steps in DMX basic instructions and Light fixtures basic instructions.  If you don't already have a compatible firing system or controller capable exporting a DMX script, please refer to Supported firing systems and controllers (DMX) for the list of available hardware options.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 7-channel fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems and controllers only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 7-channel fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-7 2 8 8-14 3 15 15-21 4 22 22-28 5 29 29-35 6 36 36-42 7 43 43-49 8 50 50-56 9 57 57-63 10 64 64-70 ... 73 505 505-512   Technical details The following tables show the technical specifications of the fixtures, as tested by the Finale support team.   Table 3 – DMX channels for 7CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Dimmer Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Red Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Green Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Blue Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Strobe (0-7 = no strobe; 8-255 = slow to fast) Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Set to zero Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Set to zero     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation DMX LED Digital Display Par Lighting Instructions.pdf Cobra 36x1W RGB Par User Manual

If you go through the trouble of laying out your racks in Finale 3D, then why not print out labels for the racks to help the crew set them up?  An example sheet of rack labels is shown in Figure 1.  You can tell by the look of them that they aren't effect labels.  The information they contain is a bit different also.   Figure 1 – Example rack labels    Rack labels go hand in hand with rack layout diagrams, as shown in Figure 2.  The rack numbers just above the racks in the diagram match the rack numbers in the upper right corner of the labels.  Thus the rack labels make it possible to conduct a stock take of all the required racks prior to the show, and the rack diagrams provide a map for the crew with the location and wiring of every rack, identified by its label.     Figure 2 – The rack numbers above the racks in the rack diagram match the rack numbers in the upper right of the labels.   The rack numbers are a key part of rack labels, so when you print out the rack diagrams make sure to print out "Rack layout (with rack numbers)" not "Rack layout (without rack numbers)". When editing racks in the rack layout view, you can hide or show the rack numbers by clicking the "Show/hide rack numbers" link in the upper left of the view. Since rack numbers figure so prominently, it is worth it to renumber the racks in a sensible order and to eliminate any gaps in the rack number sequence.  If the show contains N racks then the rack numbers on the labels should be the numbers 1..N.  To renumber the racks within positions, select the racks and right click for the context menu item, "Renumber racks left to right" as described in Renumber racks.  To eliminate the gaps, do the main menu item, "Racks > Renumber all racks consecutively".   What labels can contain Like effect labels, the rack labels are comprised of eight fields of information, as illustrated in red rectangles in Figure 3.  The position is prominently in the upper left and the rack number is prominently in the upper right.  The labels are sorted by position first, then rack number.   Figure 3 – Rack #2 is in the LEFT rack cluster of Pos-01; it has pins 11-18 of module 00 and 1-2 of module 01.   The "LEFT" field in the lower right is the "Rack Cluster Annotation".  You can see the word "LEFT" below the left-most cluster of racks in Figure 2.  The word "LEFT" is the annotation of one of the racks in that cluster, which you can set by right clicking the rack and choosing "Set annotation..." from the context menu.  While each rack could have its own annotation, it is usually enough to set the annotation for just one of the racks in the cluster.  You can drag the annotation to center it below the cluster so it appears to represent the entire cluster even though in truth it is associated with just one of the racks. Importantly, though, all of the rack labels for the racks in the cluster need to include the word "LEFT", not just the label of the one rack that owns the annotation.   The Rack Cluster Annotation used for rack labels takes all this into account.  Technically, the Rack Cluster Annotation is the first non-empty annotation of any of the racks in the rack cluster containing the rack that contains the effect of the script event from which the label is generated.  The shorter explanation is that it just works the way you want. The center four boxes in the label are the firing system addresses served by the rack, the angle of the rack, the size of the rack, and the rack's part number and description.  If your firing system addresses are too wide for the box or if you need to change other aspects of the rack labels, you can edit the blueprint template.  Follow the instructions in Labels basic instructions.

In Finale 3D every rack in the show has its own "Rack Number" which is unique.  The rack numbers are assigned in order as the racks are created.  If you add racks for the entire show with "Racks > Add racks for show" and you like the layout, then you may be perfectly happy with the rack numbers as they were assigned.  No need to do anything. But if you delete or add racks incrementally or if you need to move racks around in the rack layout, then the rack numbers likely won't remain in a nice looking order from left to right.  Do you care?  There are two reasons you might: If you are printing rack labels and rack layout diagrams to help the crew, then having rack numbers in a sensible order can save the crew time.  If you have N racks in the show, then it is also nice if the rack labels show rack numbers that are exactly 1..N, which won't be the case if there are gaps in the sequence. If you have re-arranged the racks in the layout, then you might want the module numbers assigned by the addressing functions to flow from left to right in the layout.  The addressing functions consider racks in order of their rack numbers, so if the rack numbers don't match your layout, then the modules aren't likely to either. Not everybody cares about these reasons, so by default the rack numbers aren't even shown in the rack layout view unless you hover the cursor over a rack.  But if you do care, then you can show the rack numbers by clicking the link highlighted in Figure 2, and you can renumber them by selecting all racks or groups of racks and doing "Renumber racks left to right" from the context menu, or by doing "Racks > Renumber all racks consecutively" from the main menu.     Figure 1 – The default rack layout from "Add racks for show..." may not be organized the way you want.   The default rack layout shown in Figure 1 is typical.  If your racks need to be in trident-like assemblies then you might re-arrange the racks from the default layout into angle-up-angle clusters of three as shown in Figure 2, but doing so will arrange the rack numbers helter-skelter, as you can see by clicking "Show/hide rack numbers" in the upper left (circled).   Figure 2 – But if you re-arrange the racks, then the rack numbers are no longer in order left to right.   To fix the rack numbers shown above the racks in Figure 2, select all the racks and right click to get the context menu.  The menu item, "Renumber racks left to right" brings up the dialog shown in Figure 3, which renumbers the selected racks in a sequence beginning at a number you specify.  If your number sequence overlaps other rack numbers, the existing rack numbers at or above the starting rack number will be increased by enough to resolve the conflicts.   Figure 3 – Renumbering left to right gives you the option of starting the sequence with any number.   Obviously it isn't the case that all rack layouts are organized left to right, so you may need to select subgroups of racks at a position and renumber them starting at later or earlier rack numbers, repeating the process group by group to get the number sequence you want.  You can also edit the rack numbers directly in the racks table at the bottom of the rack layout view, though bear in mind that conflicts are not allowed.  If you are editing rack numbers manually you may need to move them to empty number ranges to keep them apart. The "Renumber racks left to right" context menu function keeps rack numbers within rack clusters together.  The example of Figure 2 has rack clusters neatly arranged left to right, but you could imagine if the four clusters were arranged vertically that their racks would be intermingled if globally sorted left to right.  To avoid that, the renumber function first sorts the clusters left to right according to their left-most rack, and then within each cluster sorts the racks left to right.  The result is: even if you have multiple clusters or rows of racks vertically you can usually select all of them together and do "Renumber racks left to right" once to produce a good outcome. Introducing gaps in the number sequence is no problem, because once your rack numbers sorted as you want you can then do the main menu item, "Racks > Renumber all racks consecutively", which compacts the rack numbers down by eliminating the gaps.  The main menu function also separates the rack number ranges used by each position so the rack numbers from the first position are 1..X, and the rack numbers in the next position are X+1..Y, and so on up to the last (Nth) rack in the show, whose rack number will be N.   Figure 4 – Address the show sorting by "Rack Number" to assign modules left to right, matching your rack layout.   As described in Addressing based on layout of racks (Rack Number), the addressing dialogs have an assignment order option of "Rack Number", which makes the modules fill in following the order of the racks in your rack layout.  Once you renumber the racks left to right, this sorting option is what generates the address sequence that matches your layout.  The result is shown in Figure 5.  "Rack Cluster" was added as a module constraint in Figure 4 to prevent modules from spilling over into multiple the rack clusters.   Figure 5 – Great result: module numbers (the numbers just below the racks) progress naturally left to right.  

The Showven uFlamer Vulcano fixture is a 5-head flame projector that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, Fire Control G2, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Showven uFlamer Vulcano   Like the other Showven fixtures, the uFlamer Vulcano fixture has a safety channel in its DMX personalities.  The fixture has three different DMX personality mode options: "Normal", "Professional", and "Safety Channel".  Finale 3D supports the "Professional" mode, which has independently controllable heads and does not support the pre-defined macro/programs.   You can create and re-use your own sequences in Finale 3D instead of using pre-defined macros. Finale 3D effect libraries for the uFlamer Vulcano include fixed angle effects at the pre-defined angles of the five heads (-40, -20, 0, 20, 40) and also non-fixed angle effects that the user rotates to the desired angle by dragging the trajectory dots in the user interface or by using functions like "Script > Angles > Make into fan".  Although the user interface supports arbitrary angles in functions like the "Make into fan" function, the chosen angles will be rounded to the nearest possible angle supported by the fixture hardware in the exported script.  For example, if you insert the effect "VOLC-PRO [047/0011] Long Flame" and drag its angle to 38 degrees, the effect will trigger head number five (at 40 degrees), which is the closest possible angle.  The result in the exported script would be the same as if you inserted the effect "VOLC-PRO [047/0201] L40 Long Flame, Fixed Angle" and leave its angle at 0 degrees in the user interface.   Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Supported in Finale 3D 6CH "Normal Channel Mode" NO 6CH "Professional Channel Mode" YES 6CH "Safety Channel Mode" NO   The "Professional" mode DMX personality has six channels, comprising five channels that independently control the five heads, and one safety channel, as shown in Table 2.   Table 2 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0)  Head 1 ON/OFF (0-253 = OFF; 254-255 = ON) Part numbers SHV3200 - SHV3220 Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Head 2 ON/OFF (0-253 = OFF; 254-255 = ON) Part numbers in the range SHV3200 - SHV3220 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2)  Head 3 ON/OFF (0-253 = OFF; 254-255 = ON) Part numbers in the range SHV3200 - SHV3220 Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3)  Head 4 ON/OFF (0-253 = OFF; 254-255 = ON) Part numbers in the range SHV3200 - SHV3220 Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4)  Head 5 ON/OFF (0-253 = OFF; 254-255 = ON) Part numbers in the range SHV3200 - SHV3220 Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5)  Safety Channel (0-49 = OFF; 50-200 = ON; 201-255 = OFF) SHV3221   Instructions To design a show for Showven uFlamer Vulcano units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems.  Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each 5 Head Flamer its own DMX universe, or give each 5 Head Flamer a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical 5 Head Flamer unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture to match the Start Address exactly. Add the Showven supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the Showven supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Showven catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of Showven fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the uFlamer Vulcano positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each uFlamer Vulcano fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 3 shows an example for uFlamer Vulcano fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 3 – Example channel ranges for 6CH uFlamer Vulcano fixtures Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-6 2 7 7-12 3 13 13-18 4 19 19-24 5 25 25-30 6 31 31-36 7 37 37-42 8 43 43-48 9 49 49-54 10 55 55-60 ... 85 505 505-511     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation uFlamer Volcano Manual.pdf Showven uFlamer Vulcano user manual

The ADJ Fog Fury Jett fixtures combine fog with RGBA LED lights.  The Standard Fixture ID for this fixture in Finale 3D is 045.   Figure 1 – ADJ Fog Fury Jett   The fixtures have five different DMX personalities.  Finale 3D supports the 7-channel DMX personality, which provides RGB control over the LED lights.   Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Supported in Finale 3D 1CH NO 2CH NO 3CH NO 5CH NO 7CH YES   Instructions To design a show for ADJ Fog Fury Jett fixtures, please follow the steps in DMX basic instructions and Light fixtures basic instructions.  If you don't already have a compatible firing system or controller capable exporting a DMX script, please refer to Supported firing systems and controllers (DMX) for the list of available hardware options.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 7-channel fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems and controllers only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 7-channel fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-7 2 8 8-14 3 15 15-21 4 22 22-28 5 29 29-35 6 36 36-42 7 43 43-49 8 50 50-56 9 57 57-63 10 64 64-70 ... 73 505 505-512   Technical details The following tables show the technical specifications of the fixtures, as tested by the Finale support team.   Table 3 – DMX channels for 7CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Fog and random color change (0-15 = OFF; 16-31 = color macro preview; 32-255 = max fog and color change) Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Red Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Green Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Blue Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Amber Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Strobe (0-31 = no strobe; 32-95 = slow to fast; 96-255 other effects) Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Dimmer     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation ADJFOGFURYJETTPROUserManual.pdf ADJ Fog Fury Jett User Manual

The Thomann Fun Generation LED Pot 12x1W RGBW Par fixtures are available from Thomann for about 35 Euro (article number 377666).  The Standard Fixture ID in Finale 3D for this fixture is 046. Figure 1 – Thomann Fun Generation LED Pot 12x1W RGBW Par   The fixtures have a 4, 6, and 8-channel DMX personalities.  Finale 3D supports the 6-channel personality.   Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Supported in Finale 3D 4CH NO 6CH YES 8CH NO   Instructions To design a show for Fun Generation fixtures, please follow the steps in DMX basic instructions and Light fixtures basic instructions.  If you don't already have a compatible firing system or controller capable exporting a DMX script, please refer to Supported firing systems and controllers (DMX) for the list of available hardware options.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 6-channel fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems and controllers only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 6-channel fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-6 2 7 7-12 3 13 13-18 4 19 19-24 5 25 25-30 6 31 31-36 7 37 37-42 8 43 43-48 9 49 49-54 10 55 55-60 ... 85 505 505-511   Technical details The following tables show the technical specifications of the fixtures, as tested by the Finale support team.   Table 3 – DMX channels for 6CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Dimmer Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Red Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Green Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Blue Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) White Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Strobe (0-7 = no strobe; 8-255 = slow to fast)     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation thomann-377666-manual.pdf Thomann Fun Generation LED Pot 12x1W RGBW User Manual