The Sigma Services FireFly unit is a single or multi-head flame projector that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.  The Standard Fixture IDs are 037 for the 4-head version, and 038 for the 8-head version.   Figure 1 – Sigma Services FireFly   Unlike fixed multi-head fixtures, the heads of the FireFly can be positioned independently.  It is thus natural when designing a show visually in Finale 3D to represent each head as an independent fixture position, located and oriented however you want -- while at the same time keeping all the heads as part of the same fixture in the exported DMX script. The DMX personality of the FireFly organizes the channels for each head sequentially for each DMX attribute.  In other words, for each attribute the DMX channel for head #2 is equal to the DMX channel for head #1 + 1; and the DMX channel for head #3 is equal to the DMX channel for head #1 + 2, etc.  Thus,  to keep all the heads of a FireFly as part of the same fixture in the exported DMX script, you simply need to assign the heads' fixture positions to have the same DMX Universe and sequential DMX Channel Base numbers.  The DMX Channel Base of head #1 is the DMX Channel Base for the entire fixture.  The DMX Channel Base of head #2 is that number + 1, etc. Normally, Finale 3D puts up warning dialogs if fixtures have overlapping channel ranges.  The fixture definition for FireFly includes a special parameter "disableOverlappingChannelRangeWarnings" since what Finale 3D would perceive as overlapping channel ranges is actually your way of splitting up the channel range of the fixture into multiple fixture positions representing the heads.   Table 1 – DMX channels for 4CH fixture DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Head #1 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Head #2 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Head #3 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Head #4 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Head #1 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013 Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Head #2 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013 Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Head #3 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013 Channel 8 (DMX Channel Base + 7) Head #4 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013   Usage guidance from Sigma Services Do not leave the pilot flame on for more than 5 minutes at a time without a cool down to minimize temperature buildup. Try to arrange safety pilot periods of 45 seconds or longer, to avoid turning it on and off too frequently. Turn the pilot flame on 10 seconds before it is needed for an effect sequence. To ensure the gas valve fully opens, set flame durations to a minimum of 1/3 second. The pilot flame is turned on by way of the "With Safety Channel And Pilot Flame" effect in Finale 3D, so in keeping with the manufacturer guidance you should insert safety channel effects for each head in Finale 3D approximately 10 seconds before effect sequences applying to the head; and adjust the durations of the safety channel effects to cover the periods of activity, aiming for periods of 45 seconds or longer with cool down periods in between. On account of guidance item #4, the durations for the Standard Effects in Finale 3D for FireFly fixtures are longer than for other fixtures, beginning at 0.33 seconds instead of 0.1 seconds.   Pilot Light / Safety Channel effects For the Sigma Services FireFly fixtures, Finale 3D treats the pilot light, arming, and safety channel functions as one and the same.  Thus turning on the pilot light is the same thing as turning on the safety channel.  The name of the effect is "FFLY8CH [038/0000] With Pilot Light / Safety Channel". Each head has its own pilot light, and thus each head, represented by its own position in Finale 3D configured as the fixture with the appropriate DMX Channel Base, needs its own "With Pilot Light / Safety Channel" effect to turn on its pilot light for its duration of operation.  Since the fixture requires separate safety channels per head, Finale 3D does not provide a warning dialog for missing safety channel as it does for other simpler fixtures that only need a single safety channel.   Instructions To design a show for Sigma Services FireFly units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Generally follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems  except that for FireFly fixture you will create a separate fixture position for each head of the fixture, as described above. Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each fixture its own DMX universe, or give each fixture a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical fixture'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 Assorted DMX 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 Assorted DMX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Assorted DMX 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 Assorted fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the fixture 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 multi-head fixture requires twice the number of DMX channels as it has heads, 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 head #1 position of the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  Successive heads for the same fixture, represented by separate fixture positions in Finale 3D, should have the DMX Channel Base of the first head + n, where n is 0 for the first head, 1 for the second head, and so on. 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 4-head fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 4-head fixture Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-8 (the four positions representing the four heads having DMX Channel Base of 1, 2, 3, and 4) 2 9 9-16 (the four positions representing the four heads having DMX Channel Base of 9, 10, 11, and 12) 3 17 17-24 4 25 25-32 5 33 33-40 6 41 41-48 7 49 49-56 8 57 57-64 9 65 65-72 10 73 73-81 ... 64 505 505-512     Taking a closer look at the 4-head fixture channel range example of Table 2, consider a possible plan that uses two fixtures in the first two ranges, from channel 1-17.  Both fixtures have four heads, each represented as a fixture position in Finale 3D.  The DMX Channel Bases of those eight heads are shown in Table 3.   Table 3 – Example DMX Channel Base for heads of two 4-head fixtures, back-to-back Head DMX Channel Base Specific Channels Used Fixture 1, Head #1 1 1, 5 Fixture 1, Head #2 2 2, 6 Fixture 1, Head #3 3 3, 7 Fixture 1, Head #4 4 4, 8 Fixture 2, Head #1 9 9, 13 Fixture 2, Head #2 10 10, 14 Fixture 2, Head #3 11 11, 15 Fixture 2, Head #4 12 12, 16     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation Firefly Manual with Four Channel Control_Revision 00_05_16_2017.pdf Sigma Services FireFly user manual test-show-3-x-4-channel-sigma-fixtures.fin Example show

The Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH unit 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, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH   The Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH does not have a safety channel.  Its 7-channel DMX personality includes channels for independent control of the five heads, and a macro channel for eight pre-programmed sequences that can be played at several different speeds based on a speed/max duration channel.  Initiating a flame shot requires both the speed/max duration channel and the ON/OFF channel for the flame head to be ON; terminating a flame shot occurs immediately when either the speed/max duration channel or the ON/OFF channel for the flame head is reset to zero.     Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Speed and max duration (1-99 = OFF; 100-120 = ON for 0.2s; 121-140 = ON for 0.5s; 141-160 = ON for 1s; 161-180 = ON for 1.4s; 181-200 = ON for 1.85s; 201-220 = ON for 2.11s; 221-240 = ON for 2.33s; 241-255 = ON for 3s; for macros, the max duration is the time of each individual shot in the macro pattern; these are measured times, which are believed to be more accurate than the times specified in the attached documentation) Part numbers ANON1000 - ANON1047 Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Head 1 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Head 2 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Head 3 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Head 4 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Head 5 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Fire macro (1-33 = sequence 1>2>3>4>5; 34-50 = sequence 5>4>3>2>1; 51-76 = sequence 1>5>2>4>3; 77-109 = sequence 3>4+2>5+1; 110-136 sequence 1+5>4+2>3; 137-160 = sequence 5>1>2>4>3; 161-179 = sequence 3>4>2>1>5; 180-203 = sequence 3>4>2>5>1; 204-255 = all together 1+2+3+4+5) Part numbers ANON1021 - ANON1047   Instructions To design a show for Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH 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 Assorted DMX 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 Assorted DMX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Assorted DMX 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 Assorted fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the 5 Head Flamer 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 5 Head Flamer 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 5 Head Flamer fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 5 Head Flamer 7CH fixtures 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     Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation Fan Flame Machine.pdf Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH user manual

The Auvi Spark unit is a variable height, vertical sparks machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Auvi Spark   The Spark has a three-channel DMX personality.   The first channel turns on the heater and enables the effect (Pre-Heat And Safety Channel).  The second channel is the density setting.  The third channel is the height setting and ON/OFF (height = 0 means OFF).   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Pre-heat on (255 = ON) Part number AUV1018, "AUVSPK [014/0000] With Pre-Heat And Safety Channel" Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Density (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; intermediate values appear to be same as 255) Part numbers AUV1000- AUV1017 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Sparks off (0 = OFF) or on at varying height (0-99 = a little unreliable; 100 = about 5ft, 255 = about 10ft) Part numbers AUV1000- AUV1017 representing spark fountain effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s   Instructions To design a show for Auvi Spark 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 Spark its own DMX universe, or give each Spark a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Spark 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 Assorted DMX 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 Assorted DMX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Assorted DMX 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 Assorted fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add spark fountain effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Spark positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Also add a "With Pre-Heat And Safety Channel" effect (e.g., part number GFX2018) and adjust its duration to cover the active time range.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Spark fixture requires three 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.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for Spark fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-3 2 4 4-6 3 7 7-9 4 10 10-12 5 13 13-15 6 16 16-18 7 19 19-21 8 22 22-24 9 25 25-27 10 28 28-30 ... 169 508 508-510   Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation auvi-spark-user-manual.pdf Auvi Spark user manual

In addition to defining the simulation, the VDL field for DMX effects may require a few keywords that affect the user interface and script exports.  The effects with this requirement are: "Move-In-Black", "Move-To", and "With XXX" for all the modifiers like "With Strobing" or "With Safety Channel".  The requirements are explained in the following table.   Table 2 – DMX implications of VDL keywords Meaning and DMX implications "Nonphysical" keyword "Modifier" keyword "Move-To" keyword Meaning Nonphysical means an effect that you can't see on its own.  Most effects are not nonphysical.  You can see a pyro shell or a DMX light flash, for example, so they are by definition physical.  The DMX effects called "With Gobo" and "Safety Channel" and "With Safety Channel" and even "Move-In-Black" are nonphysical because you can't see them on their own (Move-In-Black is nonphysical because the light is off; With Gobo is nonphysical because you can't see it on its own without a light effect). Modifier means means the effect modifies other effects, like "With Gobo" or "With Safety Channel" or "Safety Channel".  Modifier effects that only affect other effects should also have the Nonphysical keyword so their timeline bars do not interfere with the effects they modify.  However, there are some Nonphysical effects, namely "Move-In-Black", that are not Modifiers. Move-To means the effect interpolates parameters (usually angle parameters) from the previous event.  A typical example is a sequence of two events, (1) Move-In-Black, and (2) Move-To,  in which the first event establishes a starting angle for a moving head light and the second event establishes the ending angle; the beam of light sweeps from the starting angle to the ending angle in the time between the two events. Timeline bar implication Causes the timeline bar to be a dotted line instead of a solid line, so it can overlap other timeline bars for the same fixture without occluding them entirely. Also prevents a timeline behavior that applies only to physical effects, i.e., events that are not-non-physical.  The prevented behavior is: event's timeline bar is set to zero duration if followed by an event that has non-zero "setup" time in its DMX patch.  The intent of this behavior is that the timeline bar between the two events is associated with second event, usually representing the angular sweeping movement from the angle of the first event to the angle of the second event (usually a Move-To event). Prefire interpretation implication The Move-To keyword prevents a special pyro interpretation of short effect prefires (< 0.5sec).  The prevented pyro intepretation is that the short prefire is the "delay before the simulation" instead of the "a parameter of the simulation (usually lift time)." Move-To implication Prevents a nonphysical effect from establishing the "effective setup time" (see The DMX Patch field) and the starting parameter (usually an angle) for the next Move-To event, whose own parameter (its angle) is the ending parameter.  For example, in a sequence of three events, (1) Move-In-Black, (2) With Strobing, and (3) Move-To, the first event should define the starting angle, and the third event should define the ending angle; the second event (With Strobing) has the Nonphysical Modifier keywords to prevent it's angle from being the starting angle of the angle sweep. Overlapping effects Exempts the effect from triggering the "Overlapping effects" warning and from consideration by the "DMX > Detect and fix overlapping effects" function. Simulations Enables the VDL terms DmxStrobing5Hz, DmxStrobing10Hz, and DmxStrobing20Hz to affect the simulation of the effect itself or other effects that the effect overlaps.  An effect like "Strobing Red Flash" would contain a VDL that defined the red flash in addition to the strobing modifier, such as "Par Light Red Modifier DmxStrobing10Hz"; whereas a modifier effect like "With Stobing" would contain the VDL, "Nonphysical Modifier DmxStrobing10Hz".

The MagicFX Flameblazer unit (Standard Fixture ID 025) is a vertical, fixed height flame machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   It generates a flame column 6-10 meters high, depending on nozzle used.   Figure 1 – MagicFX Flameblazer   The Flameblazer fixture has a one-channel DMX personality, plus a separately configurable safety channel address.   Since the safety channel address is configured separately from the DMX personality for MagicFX Flameblazer fixtures, you need to create a separate safety channel fixture position with the DMX channel base address equal to the safety channel address for which your fixture was configured.   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) ON/OFF (0-199 = OFF, 200-255 = ON) See supplier catalog.     Table 2 – DMX channels for safety position (DMX Fixture Type of "MagicFX [017] Safety Channel") DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Safety channel (0-99 = OFF, 100-154 = ON, 165-255 = OFF) Part number MAFX9799, “MAGFX [017/0000] Safety Channel”   Instructions To design a show for MagicFX Flameblazer 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 Flameblazer its own DMX universe, or give each Flameblazer a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Stage Flame 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 position to match the Start Address exactly.  (D) In the real world configure each physical Flameblazer unit's "Safety Channel Address"; multiple fixtures can share the same safety channel address even if they do not share the same address range for their DMX personalities. (E) In Finale 3D create one or more safety channel fixture positions, and configure their "DMX Channel Base" to match the Safety Channel Address exactly. Add the MagicFX 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 MagicFX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The MagicFX 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 MagicFX fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Flameblazer positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Add a "Safety Channel" effect to the safety channel fixture position and adjust its duration to cover the time range of activity.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Flameblazer fixture requires one channel plus the safety channel, configured separately to an independent address.  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.  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 Flameblazer fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used Safety 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 ... 511 512 512     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation MAGICFX_FLAMEBLAZER_MANUAL_HR.pdf MagicFX Flameblazer user manual

The MagicFX Stage Flame unit (Standard Fixture IDs 021, 022, and 023) is a vertical, fixed height flame machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   It generates a flame column approximately 3-6 meters high, depending on whether it is operating in Aerosol mode (Standard Fixture ID021), Gas mode (Standard Fixture ID 022), or Big-flame mode (Standard Fixture ID 023).   Figure 1 – MagicFX Stage Flame   In Aerosol mode and Gas mode, the Stage Flame fixture has a one-channel DMX personality, plus a separately configurable safety channel address.   The Big-flame mode requires two channels, plus the separately configurable safety channel address.  Finale 3D requires the two channels of the Big-flame mode to be consecutive channel numbers.  Thus if you are allocating channel ranges in a DMX universe for Big-flame mode Stage Flame fixtures, you should allocate a pair of channels for each independent fixture. The first channel in the personality specifies the height.  The second channel turns on the effect.  A safety channel effect is also required to enable the fixture.  Since the safety channel address is configured separately from the DMX personality for MagicFX Stage Flame fixtures, you need to create a separate safety channel fixture position and set the DMX channel base to a independent address.  When you configure your physical fixture in the real world using the LED display, you need to set both the safety channel address and the start address for the flame channels.   Table 1 – DMX channels for Aerosol mode and Gas mode (Fixture ID 021 and 022) DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) ON/OFF (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) See supplier catalog.     Table 2 – DMX channels for Big-flame mode (Fixture ID 023) DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) ON/OFF for aerosol (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) See supplier catalog. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) ON/OFF for gas (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) See supplier catalog.   Table 3 – DMX channels for safety position (DMX Fixture Type of "MagicFX [017] Safety Channel") DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Safety channel (0-101 = OFF, 102-163 = ON, 164-255 = OFF) Part number MAFX9799, “MAGFX [017/0000] Safety Channel”   Instructions To design a show for MagicFX Stage Flame 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 Stage Flame its own DMX universe, or give each Stage Flame a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Stage Flame 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 position to match the Start Address exactly.  (D) In the real world configure each physical Stage Flame unit's "Safety Channel Address"; multiple fixtures can share the same safety channel address even if they do not share the same address range for their DMX personalities. (E) In Finale 3D create one or more safety channel fixture positions, and configure their "DMX Channel Base" to match the Safety Channel Address exactly. Add the MagicFX 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 MagicFX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The MagicFX 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 MagicFX fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Stage Flame positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Add a "Safety Channel" effect to the safety channel fixture position and adjust its duration to cover the time range of activity.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Stage Flame fixture requires one or two channels plus the safety channel, configured separately to an independent address.  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.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 4 – Example channel ranges for Stage Flame fixtures in Big-flame mode (two-channel DMX personality) in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used Safety 1 1 1 2 2-3 2 4 4-5 3 6 6-7 4 8 8-9 5 10 10-11 6 12 12-13 7 14 14-15 8 16 16-17 9 18 18-19 ... 255 510 510-511     Table 5 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation MAGICFX_STAGE-FLAME_MANUAL MagicFX Stage Flame user manual

The MagicFX Sparxtar unit (Standard Fixture ID 019) is a vertical, variable height sparks machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   It generates spark fountains approximately 2-5 meters high, with variable height specified in the DMX signal.   Figure 1 – MagicFX Sparxtar   The Sparxtar has variable height.  The MagicFX supplier catalog of effects in Finale 3D contains Sparxtar effects for a range of durations and three heights (small, medium, and large).  You can create your own custom duration or height effects as described below. The Sparxtar has a two-channel DMX personality, plus a separately configurable safety channel address.   The first channel in the personality specifies the height.  The second channel turns on the effect.  A safety channel effect is also required to enable the fixture.  Since the safety channel address is configured separately from the two-channel DMX personality for MagicFX Sparxtar fixtures, you need to create a separate safety channel fixture position with the DMX channel base address equal to the safety channel address for which your fixture was configured.   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Height (0 = about 2m; 255 = about 4.5m) See supplier catalog. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) ON/OFF (0-63 = OFF; 64-127 = empty heater; 128-255 = ON). See supplier catalog.   Table 2 – DMX channels for safety position (DMX Fixture Type of "MagicFX [017] Safety Channel") DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Safety channel (0-101 = OFF, 102-163 = ON, 164-255 = OFF) Part number MAFX9799, “MAGFX [017/0000] Safety Channel”   Instructions To design a show for MagicFX Sparxtar 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 Sparxtar its own DMX universe, or give each Sparxtar a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Sparxtar 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 position to match the Start Address exactly.  (D) In the real world configure each physical Sparxtar unit's "Safety Channel Address"; multiple fixtures can share the same safety channel address even if they do not share the same address range for their two-channel DMX personalities. (E) In Finale 3D create one or more safety channel fixture positions, and configure their "DMX Channel Base" to match the Safety Channel Address exactly. Add the MagicFX 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 MagicFX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The MagicFX 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 MagicFX fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add spark fountain effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Sparxtar positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Add a "Safety Channel" effect to the safety channel fixture position and adjust its duration to cover the time range of activity.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Sparxtar fixture requires two channels plus the safety channel, configured separately to an independent address.  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.  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 Sparxtar fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used Safety 1 1 1 2 2-3 2 4 4-5 3 6 6-7 4 8 8-9 5 10 10-11 6 12 12-13 7 14 14-15 8 16 16-17 9 18 18-19 ... 255 510 510-511     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation MAGICFX_SPARXTAR_MANUAL.pdf MagicFX Sparxtar user manual

The "Move-In-Black" and "Move-To" effects apply to moving head fixtures, including flames and lights.  Effects in a show that move continuously from one angle to another require two or more events in the show to specify the angles involved.  The first effect specifies the "from" angle as the angle of its trajectory dots in the design view; it is typically a "Move-In-Black" effect, signaling that the effect is off (black) for the setup time in which the moving head moves from whatever angle it previously was at to the "from" angle.  The following effect specifies the "to" angle as the angle of its trajectory dots.  It is always a "Move-To" effect.  The time separation between the effects on the timeline is the duration of the sweeping effect.   Table 1 – Instructions to create a moving effect Step Meaning Step 1 Insert a "Move-In-Black" effect at the "from" time. Step 2 Drag the trajectory dots of the effect to the "from" angle. Step 3 Insert a "Move-To" effect at the "to" time. Step 4 Drag the trajectory dots of the "Move-To" effect to the "to" time.   On the timeline, the "from" and "to" effects will be connected, as shown in Figure 1.  As you drag them farther apart or closer together on the timeline, the line between them expands or contracts.  The duration of the line is the duration of the effect.  "Move-To" effects generally have zero duration in their definition for clarity, since their effective start time is based on the preceding effect yet their effective end time is the end of their own duration.  If you want to lengthen the duration of a "Move-To" effect it is usually easier to drag it to the right on the timeline, but you can also edit its duration, which accomplishes the same goal.   Figure 1 – A "Move-In-Black" (cue flag 105) and a "Yellow Move-To" 5s later define a moving effect, visualized as a yellow bar.   Effect libraries may also contain modifier effects like "With Strobing Fast" or "With Gobo Star".  Modifier effects appear as dotted lines on the timeline, as you can see in Figure 1.  They do not turn on or off the fixture themselves.  They modify any effects that they overlap.  If you want a yellow, strobing, star gobo effect for a moving head light that sweeps from one angle to another, you would insert a "Move-In-Black" effect at the "from" time, and a "Yellow Move-To" effect at the "to" time.  Then you'd also insert a "With Strobing" effect and a "With Gobo Star" effect at the "from" time or just before, and you would adjust the durations of these two modifier effects to cover the duration between "from" and "to", or longer if the strobing or gobo effects are intended to apply to other effects also that you add after the "to" time.   Creating Move-To effects "Move-To" effects require three conditions to appear correctly in the timeline and in the design view, and to export correctly: They apply to fixtures, not pyro positions. The VDL contains the term "Move-To". The prefire, which specifies the maximum separation between the "Move-To" effect and the "from" effect that it reaches back to, is non-zero. Additionally, when creating a "Move-To" effect, you should, Set the Duration field to zero, since the "Move-To" effect extends backward, not forward. Add the DMX Patch field to translate the effect parameters into the fixture's DMX personality (see The DMX Patch field).    

The Explo GX3 Power Flame unit is a high powered vertical flame projector that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Explo GX3 Power Flame   The fixture has a four channel DMX personality, shown in Table 1.  The fixture does require a safety channel effect in Finale 3D, in addition to a "flame enable" effect that indicates whether recharging is required.  The safety channel is part of the DMX personality, so it should be added to the same fixture position in Finale 3D as the flame effects themselves, not a separate safety channel fixture position.   Table 1 – DMX channels for DMX personality DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Ignition (0 - 253 = OFF; 254- 255 = ON) Part numbers GFX9112 - GFX9117 representing flame effects with durations from 0.1s to 1s. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Duration (0-255 = duration from 0.5s to 2.5s ) Part numbers GFX9112 - GFX9117 representing flame effects with durations from 0.1s to 1s. Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Flame Enable And Recharge ( 0-84 = pilot flame only; 85-170 power flame enabled with recharging; 171-255 power flame enabled without recharging) Part numbers GFX9119 - GFX9120 to enable the flame with or without recharging; the user must insert one or more of these effects into the show and adjust their durations to cover the periods of activity, overlapping the flame effects on the Finale 3D timeline. Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Safety ( 0-49 = disabled; 50-200 = ON for duration; 201-255 = disabled) Part number GFX9118, the safety channel effect, which the user must insert into the show and adjust the duration of to cover the periods of activity, overlapping the flame effects on the Finale 3D timeline.   Unlike most other flame fixtures, the GX3 Power Flame requires the user to add both a safety channel effect and also a flame enable effect.  The flame enable effect indicates whether automatic recharging should take place.  If the user wants recharging for some parts of the show, and no recharging for other parts of the show, the user can insert flame enable effects back to back, covering the period of activity with recharging or not, as desired.   For further information about the GX3 units, see the Explo website (www.explo.at). Instructions To design a show for Explo GX3 Power Flame 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 GX3 its own DMX universe, or give each GX3 a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical GX3 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 flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the GX3 positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.  Also add a safety channel effect and flame enable effect with or without recharging.  Edit the durations of the safety channel effect and flame enable effect to cover all the flame shots on the timeline. Make your own, or modify existing flame effects.  The GX3 effects come in a few example durations in Generic Effects, but you can also create your own variations that have arbitrary durations.  (A) First copy the original effect by selecting the effect row in the Generic Effects, then right-click copy (or control-C).  (B) Then paste into your My Effects or any of your other effects collections.  (C) After copying it to your own inventory, you can modify its parameters.  Simply edit the duration field to change its duration.  The 3D simulation and the DMX Patch will automatically incorporate your change.  You can also adjust the height field to change the height of the flame simulation, though doing so has no bearing on the exported DMX script.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each GX3 fixture requires four 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.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for GX3 fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-4 2 5 5-8 3 9 9-12 4 13 13-16 5 17 17-20 6 21 21-24 7 25 25-28 8 29 29-32 9 33 33-36 10 37 37-40 ... 128 509 509-512     Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation GX3 Power Flame v1.3 EN.pdf Explo GX3 Power Flame user manual

The Explo GX2 Flamer unit is a vertical flame projector that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Explo GX2 Flamer   The fixture has two different DMX personality configuration options, 1CH and 2CH.  Neither configuration requires an explicit safety channel effect in Finale 3D.  The single channel configuration doesn't use a safety channel.  The two channel configuration combines the safety with the duration channel that is set automatically by Finale 3D for each effect.     Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Number of channels 1CH 1 2CH 2   In Finale 3D you will select which DMX personality configuration you want as you configure the position/fixture.  At any time you can change the personality configuration with the menu item, "Change DMX fixture and convert effects" from the right-click menu on the fixture.  The single channel personality will yield slightly smaller script files, but the two channel personality is safer since it is less susceptible to spurious DMX values triggering the flame.   Table 2 – DMX channels for 1CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) On/Off (0 - 253 = OFF; 254- 255 = ON) Part numbers GFX9106 - GFX9111 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s.     Table 3 – DMX channels for 2CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Ignition (0 - 253 = OFF; 254- 255 = ON) Part numbers GFX9100 - GFX9105 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Duration And Safety ( 0-10 = Disabled; 11-200 = ON for duration; 201-250 = ON continuously; 251-255 = Disabled) Part numbers GFX9100 - GFX9105 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s.   In the two channel configuration, Finale 3D sets the value for Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) to 225  (i.e., ON continuously) for the duration of the effect, and returns the value to 0 at the conclusion of the effect.   For further information about the GX2 units, see the Explo website (www.explo.at). Instructions To design a show for Explo GX2 Flamer 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 GX2 its own DMX universe, or give each GX2 a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical GX2 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 flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the GX2 positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.  No safety channel effect is required. Make your own, or modify existing flame effects.  The GX2 effects come in a few example durations in Generic Effects, but you can also create your own variations that have arbitrary durations.  (A) First copy the original effect by selecting the effect row in the Generic Effects, then right-click copy (or control-C).  (B) Then paste into your My Effects or any of your other effects collections.  (C) After copying it to your own inventory, you can modify its parameters.  Simply edit the duration field to change its duration.  The 3D simulation and the DMX Patch will automatically incorporate your change.  You can also adjust the height field to change the height of the flame simulation, though doing so has no bearing on the exported DMX script.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each GX2 fixture in the 2CH configuration requires two 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 4 shows an example for GX2 fixtures in the 2CH configuration.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 4 – Example channel ranges for GX2 fixtures in 2CH configuration in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-2 2 3 3-4 3 5 5-6 4 7 7-8 5 9 9-10 6 11 11-12 7 13 13-14 8 15 15-16 9 17 17-18 10 19 19-20 ... 256 511 511-512     Table 5 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation GX2 v2.0 (ENG).pdf Explo GX2 Flamer user manual