Yeah, the Script window is not a what-you-see-is-what-you-get preview, it’s showing you the relative column widths. In other words, if you make a column 10% the width of the Script window, it will be 10% the width of the page. What that looks like on the PDF versus in the Script window depends on how wide the Script window is on your screen, and the font size you’ve selected for the report.

Hi PyroBunny and Barehm, you can preview effects in real-time as you type VDL using the Effect Editor. The Effect editor is a powerful tool for creating “custom” effects that can’t be creating by typing words (VDL). But the effect editor can also be used to create standard VDL effects. The main limitation you may bump into with the Effect Editor is that you can only edit individual effects, not cakes or chains. This means you can make cake shots or shells in the editor, and then you just have to combine them into a cake or chain as a second step.   To open an effect in the Effect Editor, right click on it and select ‘Edit in effect editor’. If you don’t see that option, you’re probably running an older release of Finale 3D. In that case, look for ‘Customize this effect simulation’s parameters’.    

Hi PyroBunny, calling these 6″ shells is a bit of a marketing gimmick. Aerial shells are measured by the diameter of the tube that they are launched from. Sure, these shells are 6″ tall, but if they fit into a standard consumer mortar tube, then they are really no larger than 2″. This matters in Finale 3D because simulations are scaled based on shell size (i.e. caliber). In Finale 3D, a 3″ shell reaches a height of about 300ft, and has a break-width of almost 240ft. A 6″ shell reaches 600ft and breaks 500ft across. Finale 3D also uses shell size to calculate mortar/rack counts. If you create a 3″ or 6″ shell, Finale 3D is going to tell you it needs a mortar of that size.

Hi Pyro_123390000, thanks for posting. This might be a model import bug in Finale 3D. Please send the model that doesn’t import correctly to support@finale3d.com and we will investigate.

Hi PyroBunny,   1) If you update to the latest beta release of Finale 3D, you will get a salute/report sound with this VDL: 1″ Rising Silver Whistles To Titanium Salute. The downside with the latest beta is that the whistle sound is broken that end with any kind of bursting effect (salute, peony, etc).   2) The flight path of whistles is improved in the latest beta release.

I’m trying to create this effect:     30mm 40.0m 25 Shot Bright Comet w/ Whistles To Titanium Salute Cake (5 Rows)   Problem #1 – there is no salute with the whistles, despite the fact VDL outputs shows it.   Problem #2 – unable to control direction of the shots. They go off wildly to the extreme sides, it seems impossible to convince them to go up.

I would like to know if anyone else is having issues with the textures of the models, especially image textures. When I insert a model that has textures, the textures are changing to other images, despite looking correctly in SketchUp 2018 version. Can anyone help me?

Raccoon – RA57201 – Uncle Sam – 1.4g – 2.5″ – NOAB – cake – 2/1   Product page: https://www.racoonfireworks.com/RA57201-Uncle-Sam-500-Gram-Super-Large-Finale-Cake-pd6226124.html Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1HeSPG8S2A   2.5″ 72.9m 9 Shot (a) Glittering Willow w/ Glittering Willow Cake, 8 Rows, Rows 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 (a), Row 8 (0.2/aaa/STT)

Pyroland – GFYS1776 – Neon Airburst – 1.4pro – 500g – 60 shot – cake – 2/1   Product page: Unknown Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUwH-2S8ycI   2″ 29.5m 30.19s 1.69 PFT 60 Shot Cake (a) Red Strobing Comet To Salute + (b) White Strobing Comet To Salute + (c) Blue Strobing Comet To Salute, 9 Rows, Row 1 (abcabc/FNR/4.0), Row 2 (0.0/abcabc/FNL/4.0), Row 3 (0.0/abcabc/FNR/4.0), Row 4 (0.0/abcabc/FNL/4.0), Row 5 (0.0/abcabc/FNL/4.0), Row 6 (0.0/abcabc/FNL/4.0), Row 7 (0.0/abcabc/FNL/0.5), Row 8 (1.5/abcabc/FNR/0.5), Row 9 (1.5/abcabc/FNL/0.5)

Epic – EP1825 – Ghost Revolution – 1.4g – 2.5″ – NOAB – cake – 2/1   Product page: https://fireworksforever.com/products/GhostRevolution Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShE9C-JCqSQ   2.5″ 30.00s 9 Shot (a) Red To White To Blue To Red Ghost Shell Cake, 9 Rows, Rows 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 (a), Row 9 (0.1/a/STT)