The Showven Sparkular, Standard Fixture ID 014, is a vertical 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 3-5 meters high, with variable height specified in the DMX signal. The Sparkular Cyclone, Standard Fixture ID 015, is a more powerful sparks machine from the same manufacturer that generates sparks as high as 10 meters.   Figure 1 – Showven Sparkular   The Sparkular has 10 height levels ("gears").  The Showven supplier catalog of effects in Finale 3D contains Sparkular 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 Sparkuler has a two-channel DMX personality.   The first channel turns the sparks fountain on and specifies the height.  The second channel turns the "Pre-Heat" mode on.  In Finale 3D, Sparkular "Sparks" effects will control the first channel.  The Sparkular "Pre-Heat" effects will control the second channel. You do not need the "DMX Pre-Heat" effect if you are operating your Sparkular in "Automatic" mode, which heats up automatically when you turn the machine on.  You only need the "DMX Pre-Heat" effect if you are operating your Sparkular in "Manual" mode, in which case you use the "DMX Pre-Heat" effect to turn on the heater during specific periods of activity.   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Sparks off (0 = OFF) or on at varying height (255 = max) Part numbers SHV3000 - SHV3017 representing spark fountain effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Pre-heat on (255 = ON).  You can ignore this channel if you are operating your Sparkular in "Automatic" mode. Part number SHV3018, "Sparkular [014/0000] DMX Pre-Heat"   For further information about the Sparkular units, see the Showven website (www.showven.cn) and the sparkular-user-manual.pdf. Instructions To design a show for Showven Sparkular 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 Sparkular its own DMX universe, or give each Sparkular a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Sparkular 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 spark fountain effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Sparkular positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   Although the catalog contains effects with short durations, you should choose effect durations that work well for your fixtures, or you should adjust the durations of the effects on the timeline after inserting them.  Common Sparkular fixtures work best with durations of at least two seconds.  (B)  If you are operating your Sparkular in "Manual" mode, then you also need to add a "With DMX Pre-Heat / Safety Channel" effect (e.g., part number SHV3018) and to adjust its duration to cover the time range you want the pre-heat mode ON; you do not need "With DMX Pre-Heat / Safety Channel" effects in "Automatic" mode.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Sparkular fixture 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.  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 Sparkular fixtures 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 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation sparkular-user-manual.pdf Showven Sparkular user manual sparkular-cyclone-user-manual Showven Sparkular Cyclone user manual

The Spray The Fire unit is a low-cost, hobbyist 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 – Spray The Fire   Triggering a flame effect requires two DMX channels -- an ON/OFF ignition channel and a fuel channel.  Both channels are contained in the DMX personality of the fixture at defined offsets relative to the DMX Channel Base of the fixture. Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Ignition (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) Part numbers GFX1501 - GFX1518 Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Fuel (255 = max) Part numbers GFX1501 - GFX1518   Instructions To design a show for Spray The Fire 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 Spray The Fire unit its own DMX universe, or give each Spray The Fire unit a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Spray The Fire unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it -- a range of two channels that doesn't overlap with any another fixture. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture to match the Start Address exactly. Add flame effects to the show.  Right-click on the Spray The Fire positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects. Make your own, or modify existing flame effects.  The Spray The Fire 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 Spray The Fire fixture 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.  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 Spray The Fire fixtures 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 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation spray-the-fire-user-manual Spray The Fire user manual

The Showven uFlamer 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 – Showven uFlamer   Triggering a flame effect requires two DMX channels -- an ON/OFF ignition channel and a compression/safety channel.  Both channels are contained in the DMX personality of the fixture at defined offsets relative to the DMX Channel Base of the fixture.  The fixture has three different DMX personality configuration options, 2CH-P, 6CH, and 2CH-N, to support master/slave compatibility with other fixture types.  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.  If you do not care about master/slave compatibility with other types of fixtures, just use the default channel mode, 2CH-P, which is the simplest.   Table 1 – DMX personality choices DMX personality ("DMX Channel Mode") Compatible with 2CH-P No other fixture types 6CH Showven Circle Flamer 2CH-N Showven Sparkular   The Showven uFlamer DMX personalities include the safety channel within the range of firing channels in the personality, so there is no need in Finale 3D to create separate "safety positions".  you can add the safety channel effects directly to your flame positions.   Table 2 – DMX channels for 2CH-P personality DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Ignition (1 - 110 = OFF; 11- 255 = ON) Part numbers SHV2000 - SHV2017 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s.  The varying heights are only reflected in the visual simulation, no change in the DMX channel values since the uFlamer does not have dynamic height settings. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Safety channel (1-49 = OFF; 50 - 200 = ON; 201 - 255 = OFF) Part number SHV2018, "uFlamer [011/0000] DMX Safety Channel"     Table 3 – DMX channels for 6CH personality DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Unused None Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Unused None Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Ignition (1 - 110 = OFF; 11- 255 = ON) Part numbers SHV2100 - SHV2117 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s.  The varying heights are only reflected in the visual simulation, no change in the DMX channel values since the uFlamer does not have dynamic height settings. Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Duration (0 or 255 = permanent ON; else time = N * 10 ms) Part numbers SHV2100 - SHV2117 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s.  The varying heights are only reflected in the visual simulation, no change in the DMX channel values since the uFlamer does not have dynamic height settings. Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Unused None Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Safety channel (1-49 = OFF; 50 - 200 = ON; 201 - 255 = OFF) Part number SHV2118, "uFlamer [012/0000] DMX Safety Channel"     Table 4 – DMX channels for 2CH-N personality DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Ignition (1 - 110 = OFF; 11- 255 = ON) Part numbers SHV2200 - SHV2217 representing flame effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s.  The varying heights are only reflected in the visual simulation, no change in the DMX channel values since the uFlamer does not have dynamic height settings. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Safety channel (0 - 254 = OFF; 255 = ON) Part number SHV2218, "uFlamer [013/0000] DMX Safety Channel"     For further information about the uFlamer units, see the Showven website (www.showven.cn) and the showven-uflamer-user-manual. Instructions To design a show for Showven uFlamer 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 uFlamer its own DMX universe, or give each uFlamer a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical uFlamer 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 positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  You will also need to add a "DMX Safety Channel" effect (e.g., part number SHV2018 for the 2CH-P mode uFlamers) and to adjust its duration to cover the time range you want the fixture to be eligible to fire.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each uFlamer 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 5 shows an example for uFlamer fixtures in 2CH-P or 2CH-N mode.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 5 – Example channel ranges for uFlamer fixtures in 2CH-P or 2CH-N mode 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 6 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation showven-uflamer-user-manual.pdf Showven uFlamer user manual

The Spark Fabrica Tornado Flamer unit is a flame projector with a single nozzle that can rotate and fire flame bursts or continuous wave under programmable control, similar to the Explo X2 Wave Flamer.   The unit can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose. Figure 1 – Spark Fabrica Tornado Flamer     In addition to the 89 pre-defined flame effect "macros" (e.g. part number SPF1031 in the Finale 3D supplier catalog for Spark Fabrica macro #31), you can trigger flame shots at arbitrary angles and for arbitrary durations.   To do so, insert the "rotatable" flame effects in Finale 3D (e.g., part number SPF1174 in the Finale 3D supplier catalog for Spark Fabrica) the same way you insert the flame effect macros, by right-clicking on a fixture and doing the menu item, "Add compatible DMX effect".  After inserting rotatable flame effects, adjust the angles of the effects interactively by dragging their trajectories in the 3D view or by doing scripting commands like "Fan" to make interesting patterns of angles.   Finale 3D will incorporate your adjusted angles in the exported DMX script. Exported DMX scripts will contain multiple DMX channel values for controlling the characteristics of a single effect (angle, on/off, speed, etc.) at various times, taking into consideration the preparation time ("drive time") for the nozzle to rotate to the desired angle before a flame shot is triggered, which is analogous to moving in black (MIB) for lighting fixtures.  Finale 3D automatically adds the all the necessary DMX commands, so designing a flame show for DMX simply involves adding flame effects from the effects window, and optionally angling the effects interactively, or putting them into sequences or fans using scripting functions like "Fan" or "Make into sequence".   Instructions for DMX firing systems To design a show for Spark Fabrica Tornado 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.  (B) In the real world, configure each fixture's "Start Address" to be exactly the first channel in the DMX channel range (older versions of Finale 3D required subtracting 1 on the DMX Channel Base, but that is no longer correct; the DMX Channel Base should match the Start Address exactly). Add the Spark Fabrica 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" (https://finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the Spark Fabrica supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Spark Fabrica 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 Spark Fabrica fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the DMX Fixture positions representing the Spark Fabrica Tornado Flamers to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.  There are about 90, beginning with part number SPF1001.  (B) In addition to the 89 effect macros, there are a few rotatable effects beginning with part number SPF1170.  You will also need the "DMX Safety Channel" effect (SPF1188) and to adjust its duration to cover the time the Circle Flamer should be eligible to fire. Design the show.  If you insert rotatable effects, you can drag the tops of their trajectories in the 3D view to set their angle, and you can select groups of them and do functions like "Fan" to create interesting patterns.  Of course, you can select groups of any of the effects and do functions like "Sequence" to make interesting timing patterns; the timing patterns look particularly good with the effect macros.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Tornado Flamer fixture requires six 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 1 – Example channel ranges for Tornado Flamer 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 ... 85 505 505-510     DMX channels The Tornado Flamer unit can be configured with a "Start Address" from 1 to 507.  The flame unit listens to the six DMX channels beginning from the Start Address, i.e., Start Address + 0, Start Address + 1, ..., Start Address + 5.  The six DMX channels are,   Table 2 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Angle (127.5 + angle * 1.2143) Part numbers SPF1001 - SPF1089 representing various "macros" and SPF1170 - SPF1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Speed (255 = max) Part numbers SPF1001 - SPF1089 representing various "macros" and SPF1170 - SPF1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Ignition (254-255 = ON) Part numbers SPF1001 - SPF1089 representing various "macros" and SPF1170 - SPF1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Open time (255 = permanent, 0-254 = N*10ms) Part numbers SPF1001 - SPF1089 representing various "macros" and SPF1170 - SPF1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Program (2 + program number * 255/100) Part numbers SPF1001 - SPF1089 representing various "macros" and SPF1170 - SPF1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Safety channel (0-49 = OFF, 50-200 = ON, 201-255 = OFF) Part number SPF1188, "Tornado Flamer [010/0000] DMX Safety Channel"   Speed parameter calculation The Move-To effect uses the speed parameter (DMX Channel Base + 1) to set the speed of the rotation sweep.  The DMX Patch of this effect calculates the speed parameter based on the number of degrees moved and the time between the Move-To effect and the previous effect (usually a Move-In-Black effect or another Move-To effect).  The DMX Patch limits the exported speed values to the range of values known to work reliably: 25..128.  Please see Move-In-Black (MIB) and Move-To for further instructions.   Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation spark-fabrica-moving-head-flamer-user-manual.pdf User manual / documentation

The Showven Circle Flamer unit is a flame projector with a single nozzle that can rotate and fire flame bursts or continuous wave under programmable control, similar to the Explo X2 Wave Flamer.   The unit can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose. Figure 1 – Showven Circle Flamer     In addition to the 70 pre-defined flame effect "macros" (e.g. part number SHV1031 in the Finale 3D supplier catalog for Showven macro #31), you can trigger flame shots at arbitrary angles and for arbitrary durations.   To do so, insert the "rotatable" flame effects in Finale 3D (e.g., part number SHV1174 in the Finale 3D supplier catalog for Showven) the same way you insert the flame effect macros, by right-clicking on a fixture and doing the menu item, "Add compatible DMX effect".  After inserting rotatable flame effects, adjust the angles of the effects interactively by dragging their trajectories in the 3D view or by doing scripting commands like "Fan" to make interesting patterns of angles.   Finale 3D will incorporate your adjusted angles in the exported DMX script. Exported DMX scripts will contain multiple DMX channel values for controlling the characteristics of a single effect (angle, on/off, speed, etc.) at various times, taking into consideration the preparation time ("drive time") for the nozzle to rotate to the desired angle before a flame shot is triggered, which is analogous to moving in black (MIB) for lighting fixtures.  Finale 3D automatically adds the all the necessary DMX commands, so designing a flame show for DMX simply involves adding flame effects from the effects window, and optionally angling the effects interactively, or putting them into sequences or fans using scripting functions like "Fan" or "Make into sequence".   Instructions for DMX firing systems To design a show for Showven Circle 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.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Circle Flamer'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.  Right-click on the DMX Fixture positions representing the Showven Circle Flamers to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.  There are about 90, beginning with part number SHV1001.  In addition to the 70 effect macros, there are a few rotatable effects beginning with part number SHV1170.  You will also need to add a "DMX Safety Channel" effect (SHV1188) and to adjust its duration to cover the time range the Circle Flamer should be eligible to fire. Design the show.  If you insert rotatable effects, you can drag the tops of their trajectories in the 3D view to set their angle, and you can select groups of them and do functions like "Fan" to create interesting patterns.  Of course, you can select groups of any of the effects and do functions like "Sequence" to make interesting timing patterns; the timing patterns look particularly good with the effect macros.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Circle Flamer fixture requires six 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 1 – Example channel ranges for Circle Flamer 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 ... 85 505 505-510   DMX channels The Showven Circle Flamer unit can be configured with a "Start Address" from 1 to 507.  The flame unit listens to the six DMX channels beginning from the Start Address, i.e., Start Address + 0, Start Address + 1, ..., Start Address + 5.  The six DMX channels are,   Table 2 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Angle (127.5 + angle * 1.2143) Part numbers SHV1001 - SHV1070 representing various "macros" and SHV1170 - SHV1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Speed (255 = max) Part numbers SHV1001 - SHV1070 representing various "macros" and SHV1170 - SHV1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Ignition (254-255 = ON) Part numbers SHV1001 - SHV1070 representing various "macros" and SHV1170 - SHV1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Open time (255 = permanent, 0-254 = N*10ms) Part numbers SHV1001 - SHV1070 representing various "macros" and SHV1170 - SHV1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Program (2 + program number * 255/100) Part numbers SHV1001 - SHV1070 representing various "macros" and SHV1170 - SHV1187 representing rotatable flame effects that can be adjusted by dragging the trajectories in the Finale 3D user interface Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Safety channel (0-49 = OFF, 50-200 = ON, 201-255 = OFF) Part number SHV1188, "Circle Flamer [009/0000] DMX Safety Channel"   Speed parameter calculation The Move-To effect uses the speed parameter (DMX Channel Base + 1) to set the speed of the rotation sweep.  The DMX Patch of this effect calculates the speed parameter based on the number of degrees moved and the time between the Move-To effect and the previous effect (usually a Move-In-Black effect or another Move-To effect).  The DMX Patch limits the exported speed values to the range of values known to work reliably: 25..128.  Please see Move-In-Black (MIB) and Move-To for further instructions.   Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation showven-circle-flamer-user-manual.pdf User manual / documentation

It is obvious just from looking at them that racks with adjustable tube angles must not be configured with their tubes angling at each other.   Since the addressing operation in Finale 3D assigns effects to rack tubes, it is the addressing operation itself that ultimately determines the angles of the tubes of adjustable angle racks, by virtue of the effect angles assigned to them.  Thus, if you are using adjustable tube angle racks you must take care in the addressing operation to ensure the angles will not collide. Figure 1 – Before and after rearrangement.  The right image has no collisions (and a nice pin order).   If you check the "Rearrange effects in adjustable angle racks to avoid collisions" checkbox on the addressing dialog shown in Figure 2, then after the tubes are assigned in the original phase of the addressing operation, a second phase will rearrange the effects within each adjustable angle rack to avoid collisions.   Since the rearrangements only occur within the confines of the racks, they will not violate any of the addressing constraints in the addressing dialog.  For example, if you restrict racks to a single module, the rearrangements within any rack wouldn't have any effect on that.  The rearrangement will take into consideration any tube angles or tube angle ranges that are set in the definition of the rack.  For example, if you've defined a rack to have the rack structure "Single-shot rack, adjustable fan angles of tubes within each row", and if you've specified some of the tube angles or tube angle ranges in the rows (see Tube angle range constraints), then the rearrangement will only move effects to tubes permitting the angles of the effects.   Figure 2 – The "Rearrange effects" checkbox is the easiest way to avoid collisions.  Just check the box, that's all you need to do.   Optimizations In addition to eliminating tube collisions, which is a guarantee, the "Rearrange effects" function renumbers the pins and optimizes the rearrangement for symmetry, balance, aesthetics, and ease of loading.  These secondary optimizations are not guarantees but they are a nice fringe benefit of the function.  The optimizations in order of priority are, No angle collisions or angle range violations No pin sequence gaps No shooting over empty holders Symmetry of angles and pins Balance Referring back to Figure 1, the renumbered pin sequences work from the outside toward the center if the rack uses multiple modules.   Limitations The "Rearrange effects" option only works on non-cake racks of these three rack structures: Fully adjustable tube angles Tiltable row angles Fannable tube angles in each row Additional limitations apply if the rack shares pins or modules with other racks, or if the rack contains locked addresses, or if the rack has a usable length limit on the rows, or rows with different numbers of tubes, or multiple tube sizes.   The full list of limitations is in Table 1. Please ensure that your racks are oriented in the layout in such a way that their tubes can be angled in the directions of the effects.  Tiltable row racks need to be oriented with their rows vertical in the layout if the effect angles are side to side so the fans are perpendicular to the rows, to enable the rows to tilt for the fan angles.  Fannable tube angle racks need to be oriented with their rows horizontal in the layout if the effects are side to side so the rows are parallel to the fans.  Fully adjustable tube angle racks could be oriented with their rows vertical or horizontal for side to side effect angles, but if they have a usable length limit then they must be oriented with their rows horizontal because the usable length limit restricts the rearrangement to apply within each row instead of globally.   Table 1 – Limitations of rearrangement for racks based on their rack structure Rack structure Locked effects or non-existent addresses Shared pins w/ other cake racks Usable length limit; multiple row sizes; or multiple tube sizes Shared pins w/ other pre-wired pin racks or non-cake racks Shared rails w/ other non-cake racks Single-shot rack, fully adjustable tube angles EXCEPTIONS: locked effects neither moved nor renumbered OK REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY: rearranges within each row instead of globally; DISABLED if rows not parallel to fans EXCEPTIONS: these effects can be moved  but cannot be renumbered EXCEPTIONS: avoids renumbering effects to pin numbers that are used in other non-cake racks Single-shot rack, fannable tube angles in each row EXCEPTIONS: locked effects neither moved nor renumbered OK REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY: rearranges within each row instead of globally; DISABLED if rows not parallel to fans EXCEPTIONS: these effects can be moved  but cannot be renumbered EXCEPTIONS: avoids renumbering effects to pin numbers that are used in other non-cake racks Single-shot rack, tiltable rows DISABLED if any locked effects OK OK EXCEPTIONS: these effects can be moved  but cannot be renumbered EXCEPTIONS: avoids renumbering effects to pin numbers that are used in other non-cake racks Candle rack, fully adjustable tube angles EXCEPTIONS: locked effects neither moved nor renumbered OK REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY: rearranges within each row instead of globally; DISABLED if rows not parallel to fans EXCEPTIONS: these effects can be moved  but cannot be renumbered EXCEPTIONS: avoids renumbering effects to pin numbers that are used in other non-cake racks Pre-wired single-shot rack, tiltable rows DISABLED if any locked effects or any holders pre-wired to non-existent addresses, e.g.,  a 35 holder rack with a 32 pin module OK OK DISABLED if any DISABLED if any row contains empty holders pre-wired to pins that are used in other non-cake racks Pre-wired single-shot rack, fannable tube angles in each row DISABLED if any locked effects DISABLED if any REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY: rearranges within each row instead of globally; DISABLED if rows not parallel to fans DISABLED if any EXCEPTIONS: cannot move effects into empty holders pre-wired to pins that are used in other non-cake racks Pre-wired single-shot rack, fully adjustable tube angles DISABLED if any locked effects DISABLED if any REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY: rearranges within each row instead of globally; DISABLED if rows not parallel to fans DISABLED if any EXCEPTIONS: cannot move effects into empty holders pre-wired to pins that are used in other non-cake racks Pre-wired candle rack, fully adjustable tube angles DISABLED if any locked effects DISABLED if any REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY: rearranges within each row instead of globally; DISABLED if rows not parallel to fans DISABLED if any EXCEPTIONS: cannot move effects into empty holders pre-wired to pins that are used in other non-cake racks Single-shot rack, fixed tube angles (pre-wired or not) DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED Single-shot rack, fully adjustable posts (all kinds, pre-wired or not) DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED Mortar rack (pre-wired or not) DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED Cake rack (all kinds, pre-wired or not) DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED   Loading order Rearrangement obviously depends on what effects are in the rack, but it does not depend on their initial arrangement. The rack's loading order determines which corner the pin number sequence starts with.  If the rack uses multiple modules, the list is shown in the order the modules are encountered when traversing the tubes in the loading order.   Figure 3 – The two modules A0 and A1 used in this rack are listed with A0 first since it is the first to occur in the loading order.   The 30 tube rack in Figure 3 uses the first 15 pins of two modules.  You can tell from the colors of the numbers that the pins in the upper left 0, 1, 2, ... are associated with module A0, but if the colors are too close to tell apart you rely on the logic that the first module in the list (A0 in this case) is the first module encountered in the loading order.  

To create and export a script for the Mongoose firing system, please follow these three steps: Design the show. Address the show ("Addressing > Address show"). Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing scripts"). Step 3 creates the script file, which is a CSV file that you can import into your firing system.   Figure 1 – The Mongoose firing system   The CSV is a human-readable text file that contains the essential information for a firing system controller to fire the show, in addition to some meta-information ("Event ID" and "Group ID") that may facilitate optimization on the controller.  The CSV is comma delimited, using standard Excel-style double quote field wrapping as necessary, e.g., a field containing the caliber 3" is represented as "3""" .   Table 1 – File format and encoding File format Extension Text encoding Field delimiter End-of-line Text MIF UTF-8, no BOM Comma CRLF  The first row in the CSV file is the header row, indicating the names of the delimited fields.  The data rows follow. The special characteristics of the script are shown in the following table:   Table 2 – Special characteristics Special characteristics Description Sort order of rows Loosely speaking, rows are sorted chronologically, but the sort order is affected by Track values if present.  More precisely, rows are grouped by their Track values if they have Track values or by common event time (ignition time) if they do not have Track values.   The resulting groups are sorted relative to each other by their earliest row effect time (effect time, not event time), and the rows within the groups are sorted by their event times.  Thus if there are no Track values, the rows are simply sorted by their event times. What rows represent Each row identifies a unique firing pin ignition (i.e., unique module number, pin address, ignition time), or a DMX command.  If the "DMX Control" field is blank, the row is a firing pin ignition; otherwise the row is a DMX Command and the DMX Control field is an integer identifying what kind of command. Module types Finale 3D supports both 48 and 24 pin module types, with DMX and non-DMX options.  The 48 pin module type also has a variation that splits the contiguous 48 pins into two slats of 24 pins, A and B.  For this option, the Rail Address in Finale 3D includes both a module number and a slat letter (A or B), with pin numbers relative to the slat.  In the exported script, however, the slat-relative pins (1-24) are converted back to module-relative pins (1-48), and only the module number ("Logical ID") is included. mon_48shot - (48 pins) mon_48shot_dmx - (48 pins + DMX) mon_2x24shot - (2 slats of 24 pins) mon_2x24shot_dmx - (2 slats of 24 pins + DMX) mon_8x6shot - (8 slats of 6 shots) mon_8x6shot_dmx - (6 shots + DMX) Special characters Fields include any Unicode characters except tab and newline and other control characters.  Excel-style CSV double quoting is used for double quote and comma within field text. Hazard groups The purpose of hazard groups is to enable the user to disable sections of the show in real time based on evolving conditions as the show progresses, such as wind direction or a detonation in a rack.  In Finale 3D, a user can tag events in the script as members of hazard groups.  The tags are represented in the "Effect Lockout" field of the exported script. Tracks Tracks identify a sequence of events that can be triggered in real time by pressing a button on the controller.  A Track value can be any string of characters.  Events that have the same Track value are said to be in the same track.  A show can contain multiple tracks, and can contain gaps between the tracks (i.e., rows without Track values).  A show can begin with a track, or not.  The only restriction with tracks is that they are not interwoven, with events from one track before and after events from another track or gap. Tracks also affect optimizations in DMX scripts by creating boundaries.  DMX scripts are optimized to remove redundant rows that set a channel value that was already set by a previous row, but this optimization only applies within tracks or gaps.  A row that would be redundant on account of a previous row may not be redundant if the previous row is in a different track or gap.  Each track in a script can only rely on its own rows so tracks can be triggered independently. Meta-data for optimization The MIF script format includes "Event ID" and "Group ID" to facilitate optimization.  The Event ID field is a unique integer identifying the script row in Finale 3D that is responsible for the generating the script row in the exported MIF script.  For pyro, each script row in Finale 3D corresponds to a single script row in the MIF script, one to one, so the Event ID is not useful for optimizing pyro.  But for DMX commands, a single script row in Finale 3D can correspond to multiple MIF rows.  The Event ID may make it possible to recognize re-used groups of MIF rows and to encode them as a multi-cue on the Mongoose system for efficiency. The Group ID field is a unique integer identifying a group of effects in Finale 3D (Use "Script > Groups > Combine as group..." or press the G key to create groups).  Like the Event ID field, the Group ID field identifies a group of MIF rows that may be duplicated multiple times in the MIF script, and thus may be a candidate for optimization by representing them as multi-cues.  Each group instance in Finale 3D has its own Group ID.  If a group in Finale 3D is duplicated, the original group and its duplicate will have different Group  IDs.  Thus the optimization requires identifying groups with different Group IDs that have identical rows with respect to the information stored in the multi-cue. Each script row has the fields shown in Table 3.   Table 3 – Specifications of script fields Field name Description Cue The cue count, beginning with one and incrementing at each new ignition time or at each new track group of effects.  The cue count does not increment within a track group of effects even if the effects in the track group have different ignition times. Event Time The exact time of the firing system's "ignition event" (application of a voltage to a pin) that ignites e-matches or triggers a sequencer that ultimately leads to the ignition of effects. Format is HH:MM:SS.DDD. Prefire The delay from the ignition time to the perceived visual effect.  This delay typically includes the lift time (for shells) plus any fuse time between the ignition time and the first launch of the effect.  Format is in seconds with two digits after the decimal point. Effect Time The time of the first visual effect triggered by the firing system's ignition event, which is generally the break time for shells, and just a small delay or no delay after the event time for ground effects. Format is HH:MM:SS.DDD. Duration For pyro, the duration represents the lifetime of the perceived visual effect, which is usually interpreted for shells as the time from break to dissipation of the stars.    For DMX commands, the duration is either blank, indicating the DMX Start Value should be held indefinitely or until interrupted by another DMX command; or the duration is a time duration, indicating the DMX Start Value should be held for that duration and then changed to the DMX End Value at the end of the duration, or ramped linearly over the duration period from the DMX Start Value to the DMX End Value.  The selected behavior is based on the DMX Control field (see below).   The format of this field is seconds with two digits after the decimal point. Device Count The number of devices (shells) represented by the row.  May be more than one in the case of chains or multiple e-matches connected to the same firing system pin.  The device count is zero for DMX commands. Match Count The number of e-matches required for the row.  The match count is zero for DMX commands. Description The name of the effect.  For DMX events, the description also includes the specific DMX parameter name and offset, such as the phrase following the double slash in this description field for the ignition channel of a one second flame effect:  "SVUFLM2P [011/0017] One Sec Flame // Ignition (+0)" Size The device caliber.  Format is either a number followed by double-quote for inches or "mm" for millimeters, or the string "NA" or blank for effects for which the caliber term is not applicable.  The size field is blank for DMX commands. Category The category field of the effect definition in Finale 3D, as defined in the effects window.  Categories can be any text string the user chooses in Finale 3D. Type The type of effect, as defined in the effects window.  The type value can only be one of the pre-defined, enumerated types defined here: Why is ‘Type’ so important? What depends on it?. Position The name of the launch position. Module Type The module type, as described in Table 2. Logical ID The module number.  The Logical ID also represents the DMX universe.  Please see the discussion of module types in Table 2. Pin Number The pin number, starting with 1.  Please see the discussion of module types in Table 2. Angle An ASCII art representation of the angles of the devices on this shot, made with backslash, vertical line, and forward slash characters. Effect Lockout An identifier for disabling sections of the show in real time during performance.  The value of this field is filled from the Hazard field of Finale 3D and can be any text string. Notes Firing notes from the script pertaining to this row. Part Number The part number of the effect. Track A user-defined identifier for a section of the show, taken from the Track field in Finale 3D. Event ID A unique number identifying the row in the Finale 3D script that is responsible for this row in the MIF script.  See discussion in Table 2. Group ID A unique number identifying effects in a group in Finale 3D.  See discussion in Table 2. DMX Control This field applies only to DMX commands, and is blank for pyro ignitions.  For DMX commands, the DMX Control field is a number 1-3 indicating the interpretation of the duration field as follows: 1 - DmxControlSetStartAndHoldForever 2 - DmxControlSetStartAndChangeToEndAfterDuration 3 - DmxControlSetStartAndRampToEndOverDuration (not yet implemented as of Feb 27, 2021) DMX Channel Base For DMX commands, this field holds the DMX Channel Base of the fixture to which the DMX command applies.  This field is blank for pyro. DMX Channel Offset For DMX commands, this field holds the offset from the DMX Channel Base of the DMX command.   The effective DMX Channel of the command is DMX Channel Base + DMX Channel Offset.  This field is blank for pyro. DMX Start Value For DMX commands, this field holds the start value (0-255) for the command, as controlled by the DMX Control field.  This field is blank for pyro. DMX End Value For DMX commands, this field holds the end value (0-255) for the command, as controlled by the DMX Control field.  This field is blank for pyro.   The example script below combines pyro and DMX commands, as you can see on the timeline of Figure 2. Figure 2 – Example show   The yellow bars on the left of the timeline are groups of three flame shots on the Explo X2 Wave Flamer.  The first red bar is a group of 10 pyro effects.   The stack of red bars are a quick sequence of pyro effects.   Cue,Event Time,Prefire,Effect Time,Duration,Device Count,Match Count,Description,Size,Category,Type,Position,Module Type,Logical ID,Pin Number,Angle,Effect Lockout,Notes,Part Number,Track,Event ID,Group ID,DMX Control,DMX Channel Base,DMX Channel Offset,DMX Start Value,DMX End Value 1,00:00:07.252,0.0,00:00:07.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13774,0,1,10,0,128, 1,00:00:07.252,0.0,00:00:07.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13774,0,2,10,1,255,0 1,00:00:07.252,0.0,00:00:07.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13774,0,2,10,4,165,0 2,00:00:07.592,0.0,00:00:07.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13774,0,2,10,2,255,0 4,00:00:09.252,0.0,00:00:09.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13775,0,1,20,0,128, 4,00:00:09.252,0.0,00:00:09.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13775,0,2,20,1,255,0 4,00:00:09.252,0.0,00:00:09.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13775,0,2,20,4,165,0 5,00:00:09.592,0.0,00:00:09.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13775,0,2,20,2,255,0 7,00:00:11.252,0.0,00:00:11.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13776,0,1,30,0,128, 7,00:00:11.252,0.0,00:00:11.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13776,0,2,30,1,255,0 7,00:00:11.252,0.0,00:00:11.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13776,0,2,30,4,165,0 8,00:00:11.592,0.0,00:00:11.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13776,0,2,30,2,255,0 10,00:00:13.252,0.0,00:00:13.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13777,1,1,40,0,128, 10,00:00:13.252,0.0,00:00:13.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13777,1,2,40,1,255,0 10,00:00:13.252,0.0,00:00:13.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13777,1,2,40,4,165,0 11,00:00:13.592,0.0,00:00:13.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13777,1,2,40,2,255,0 13,00:00:15.252,0.0,00:00:15.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13778,1,1,50,0,128, 13,00:00:15.252,0.0,00:00:15.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13778,1,2,50,1,255,0 13,00:00:15.252,0.0,00:00:15.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13778,1,2,50,4,165,0 14,00:00:15.592,0.0,00:00:15.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13778,1,2,50,2,255,0 16,00:00:17.252,0.0,00:00:17.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13779,1,1,60,0,128, 16,00:00:17.252,0.0,00:00:17.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13779,1,2,60,1,255,0 16,00:00:17.252,0.0,00:00:17.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13779,1,2,60,4,165,0 17,00:00:17.592,0.0,00:00:17.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13779,1,2,60,2,255,0 19,00:00:19.252,0.0,00:00:19.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13780,2,1,70,0,128, 19,00:00:19.252,0.0,00:00:19.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13780,2,2,70,1,255,0 19,00:00:19.252,0.0,00:00:19.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13780,2,2,70,4,165,0 20,00:00:19.592,0.0,00:00:19.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13780,2,2,70,2,255,0 22,00:00:21.252,0.0,00:00:21.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13781,2,1,80,0,128, 22,00:00:21.252,0.0,00:00:21.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13781,2,2,80,1,255,0 22,00:00:21.252,0.0,00:00:21.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13781,2,2,80,4,165,0 23,00:00:21.592,0.0,00:00:21.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13781,2,2,80,2,255,0 25,00:00:23.252,0.0,00:00:23.252,,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13782,2,1,90,0,128, 25,00:00:23.252,0.0,00:00:23.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13782,2,2,90,1,255,0 25,00:00:23.252,0.0,00:00:23.252,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13782,2,2,90,4,165,0 26,00:00:23.592,0.0,00:00:23.592,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13782,2,2,90,2,255,0 28,00:00:27.490,0.0,00:00:27.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13783,3,2,10,1,255,0 28,00:00:27.490,0.0,00:00:27.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13783,3,2,10,4,165,0 29,00:00:27.830,0.0,00:00:27.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-01,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13783,3,2,10,2,255,0 31,00:00:29.490,0.0,00:00:29.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13784,3,2,20,1,255,0 31,00:00:29.490,0.0,00:00:29.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13784,3,2,20,4,165,0 32,00:00:29.830,0.0,00:00:29.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-02,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13784,3,2,20,2,255,0 34,00:00:31.490,0.0,00:00:31.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13785,3,2,30,1,255,0 34,00:00:31.490,0.0,00:00:31.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13785,3,2,30,4,165,0 35,00:00:31.830,0.0,00:00:31.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-03,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13785,3,2,30,2,255,0 37,00:00:33.490,0.0,00:00:33.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13786,4,2,40,1,255,0 37,00:00:33.490,0.0,00:00:33.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13786,4,2,40,4,165,0 38,00:00:33.830,0.0,00:00:33.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-04,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13786,4,2,40,2,255,0 40,00:00:35.490,0.0,00:00:35.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13787,4,2,50,1,255,0 40,00:00:35.490,0.0,00:00:35.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13787,4,2,50,4,165,0 41,00:00:35.830,0.0,00:00:35.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-05,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13787,4,2,50,2,255,0 43,00:00:37.490,0.0,00:00:37.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13788,4,2,60,1,255,0 43,00:00:37.490,0.0,00:00:37.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13788,4,2,60,4,165,0 44,00:00:37.830,0.0,00:00:37.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-06,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13788,4,2,60,2,255,0 46,00:00:39.490,0.0,00:00:39.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13789,5,2,70,1,255,0 46,00:00:39.490,0.0,00:00:39.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13789,5,2,70,4,165,0 47,00:00:39.830,0.0,00:00:39.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-07,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13789,5,2,70,2,255,0 49,00:00:41.490,0.0,00:00:41.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13790,5,2,80,1,255,0 49,00:00:41.490,0.0,00:00:41.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13790,5,2,80,4,165,0 50,00:00:41.830,0.0,00:00:41.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-08,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13790,5,2,80,2,255,0 52,00:00:43.490,0.0,00:00:43.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13791,5,2,90,1,255,0 52,00:00:43.490,0.0,00:00:43.490,0.82,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13791,5,2,90,4,165,0 53,00:00:43.830,0.0,00:00:43.830,0.48,0,0,Explo [001] Macro Step RL13 Short,,Explo X2 Wave Flamer,flame,Pos-09,mon_48shot_dmx,1,,|,,,GFX9064,,13791,5,2,90,2,255,0 55,00:00:50.744,0.0,00:00:50.744,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,1,,,,G2XX1000,,13792,6,,,,, 56,00:00:50.844,0.0,00:00:50.844,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,2,,,,G2XX1000,,13793,6,,,,, 57,00:00:50.944,0.0,00:00:50.944,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,3,,,,G2XX1000,,13794,6,,,,, 58,00:00:51.044,0.0,00:00:51.044,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,4,,,,G2XX1000,,13795,6,,,,, 59,00:00:51.144,0.0,00:00:51.144,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,5,,,,G2XX1000,,13796,6,,,,, 60,00:00:51.244,0.0,00:00:51.244,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,6,/,,,G2XX1000,,13797,6,,,,, 61,00:00:51.344,0.0,00:00:51.344,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,7,/,,,G2XX1000,,13798,6,,,,, 62,00:00:51.444,0.0,00:00:51.444,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,8,/,,,G2XX1000,,13799,6,,,,, 63,00:00:51.544,0.0,00:00:51.544,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,9,/,,,G2XX1000,,13800,6,,,,, 64,00:00:51.644,0.0,00:00:51.644,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,10,/,,,G2XX1000,,13801,6,,,,, 65,00:00:57.125,0.0,00:00:57.125,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,11,,,,G2XX1000,,13802,,,,,, 66,00:00:57.225,0.0,00:00:57.225,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,12,,,,G2XX1000,,13803,,,,,, 67,00:00:57.325,0.0,00:00:57.325,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,13,,,,G2XX1000,,13804,,,,,, 68,00:00:57.425,0.0,00:00:57.425,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,14,,,,G2XX1000,,13805,,,,,, 69,00:00:57.525,0.0,00:00:57.525,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,15,,,,G2XX1000,,13806,,,,,, 70,00:00:57.625,0.0,00:00:57.625,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,16,/,,,G2XX1000,,13807,,,,,, 71,00:00:57.725,0.0,00:00:57.725,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,17,/,,,G2XX1000,,13808,,,,,, 72,00:00:57.825,0.0,00:00:57.825,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,18,/,,,G2XX1000,,13809,,,,,, 73,00:00:57.925,0.0,00:00:57.925,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,19,/,,,G2XX1000,,13810,,,,,, 74,00:00:58.025,0.0,00:00:58.025,2.14,1,1,Red Comet,"2""",2 Assorted,comet,Pos-10,mon_48shot_dmx,1,20,/,,,G2XX1000,,13811,,,,,, Figure 3 – Example Mongoose firing system script with subsections and hazard groups.   Table 4 – Example files Download link Explanation test-mongoose-dmx.mif Example exported file  (CSV) test-mongoose-dmx.fin Example show file (FIN)

To create and export a script for the Firelinx firing system, please follow these three steps: Design the show. Address the show ("Addressing > Address show"). Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing scripts"). Step 3 creates the script file, which is a CSV file that you can import into your firing system.   Figure 1 – The Firelinx firing system   The CSV is a human-readable text file that contains the essential information for a firing system controller to fire the show, beginning with a section defining the format version number and defining the list of the user's chosen hazard group names and the bit flags in the script format that correspond to the names, followed by the list of firing rows.  The firing row fields are tab delimited; and therefore Excel-style double quote field wrapping is unnecessary.  A field containing the caliber 3" is just 3", not "3""" .   Table 1 – File format and encoding File format Extension Text encoding Field delimiter End-of-line Text CSV UTF-8, no BOM Tab CRLF  The rows comprising the header section are all preceded with pound sign (#).   The row immediately following the header section lists the column names for the remaining rows, which comprise the firing information. The special characteristics of the script are shown in the following table:   Table 2 – Special characteristics Special characteristics Description Sort order of rows Rows are sorted by ignition time. What rows represent Each row identifies a unique firing pin ignition (i.e., unique rail address, pin address, ignition time). Module types The script implicitly supports both 24 and 64 pin module types, as chosen by the user when addressing the show.  The module type is not explicitly included in the script. Special characters Fields include any Unicode characters except tab and newline and other control characters. Hazard groups The purpose of hazard groups is to enable the user to disable sections of the show in real time based on evolving conditions as the show progresses, such as wind direction or a detonation in a rack.  In Finale 3D, a user can tag events in the script as members of hazard groups by adding one or more user-defined terms (i.e., words) to the Hazard column in the script window.  Each unique term defines a hazard group.  A script event that lists multiple terms in the Hazard field is therefore a member of multiple groups. Tracks The user can divide a script into separately triggered or stepped subsequences by tagging the script rows with the subsequence number in the Track field, beginning with 1.  The user is expected to assign track numbers in increasing order, with no gaps, or optionally not to assign any track numbers for a show that has a single trigger. Header section The header section of the exported script consists of lines beginning with pound sign (#), such as: #firelinxLt #version 1.0 #beginDisableNames #all 1 #wind 2 #endDisableNames The "DisableNames" section maps the hazard group terms to big flags, 1, 2, 4, etc.  The Hazard column of the exported script contains integers summing the bit flags of the groups of which the event is a member. Each script row has the fields shown in Table 3.   Table 3 – Specifications of script fields Field name Description Event Cue The "Event Cue" column contains triggers for subsequences in the show, starting with 1 and counting up based on "track numbers" that the user optionally has assigned in the script. If the show has no track numbers specified and therefore requires only one trigger, the Event Cue is 1 for all rows. Event Time The exact time of the firing system's "ignition event" (application of a voltage to a pin) that ignites e-matches or triggers a sequencer that ultimately leads to the ignition of effects. Format is HH:MM:SS.DDD. Delay The delay from the ignition time to the perceived visual effect.  This delay typically includes the lift time (for shells) plus any fuse time between the ignition time and the first launch of the effect.  Format is in seconds with two digits after the decimal point. Effect Time The time of the first visual effect triggered by the firing system's ignition event, which is generally the break time for shells, and just a small delay or no delay after the event time for ground effects. Format is HH:MM:SS.DDD. Duration The duration represents the lifetime of the perceived visual effect, which is usually interpreted for shells as the time from break to dissipation of the stars. Format is in seconds with two digits after the decimal point. Devices The number of devices (shells) represented by the row.  May be more than one in the case of chains or multiple e-matches connected to the same firing system pin. Description The name of the effect. Size The device caliber.  Format is either a number followed by double-quote for inches or "mm" for millimeters, or the string "NA" or blank for effects for which the caliber term is not applicable. Position The name of the launch position. Module Address The module number in three digits, starting with 001.  Pin Address The pin number, starting with 1. Angle An ASCII art representation of the angles of the devices on this shot, made with backslash, vertical line, and forward slash characters. Hazard The union of the bit flags corresponding to the hazard groups of which this row is a member. Notes Firing notes from the script pertaining to this row. Part Number A user-defined identifier for the effect. The example script below shows an exported script with three subsequences, and thus three Event Cue numbers 1-3 in the first column.  The script contains two hazard groups, "all" and "wind", which are assigned bit flags 1 and 2.  The second row of the script is a member of both groups, so its hazard field contains the number 1 + 2 = 3. #firelinxLt #version 1.0 #beginDisableNames #all 1 #wind 2 #endDisableNames Event Cue Event Time Delay Effect Time Duration Devices Description Size Position Module Address Pin Address Angle Hazard Notes Part Number 1 00:00:00.000 3.02 00:00:03.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-01 001 1 | 1 10008 1 00:00:01.780 2.24 00:00:04.020 1.02 3 (3) Red Chrysanthemum ... 2" Pos-02 002 1 |/ 3 G2SH1000 1 00:00:02.000 3.02 00:00:05.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-03 003 1 | 1 10008 2 00:00:00.000 3.02 00:00:03.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-04 004 1 | 1 10008 2 00:00:01.000 3.02 00:00:04.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-05 005 1 | 1 10008 2 00:00:02.000 3.02 00:00:05.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-06 006 1 | 1 10008 2 00:00:03.000 3.02 00:00:06.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-07 007 1 | 1 10008 3 00:00:00.000 3.02 00:00:03.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-08 008 1 | 1 10008 3 00:00:01.000 3.02 00:00:04.020 1.53 1 Green Peony 3" Pos-09 009 1 | 1 10008 Figure 2 – Example Firelinx firing system script with subsections and hazard groups.   Table 4 – Example files Download link Explanation test_firelinx.csv Example exported file  (CSV) test_firelinx.fin Example show file (FIN)

The "Rack Type" field in the script window allows you to control the matching between racks and effects when you add racks with the "Racks > Add racks for show..." function.  The feature is available in both the Finale 3D Pro and Finale 3D Hobbyist version.  Here's how it works: The add racks dialog gives you a choice of what rack to use for every effect size and Rack Type represented by the effects in the show.  You can give different Rack Types to effects in the script window that you want to handle differently, and then the add racks dialog will enable you to choose what kind of racks to add for the different Rack Types separately.  Here are a few examples, Finale racks. If you have two different kinds of 3” racks for finale chains versus non-finale effects you can set the Rack Type of the finale chains to “finale” (or any other word of your choice).  If you use Easy Racks, that's all there is to it; if you use your own custom racks, then additionally set the Rack Type Default of your custom 3” finale rack to “finale” in the effects window.  Then when you address the show, the finale chains will only go in the “finale” racks. Cakes vs. slices. If your show contains multi-row cakes and also slice-cakes, and if you want to use racks only for the slice-cakes and not for the multi-row cakes, you can set the Rack Type of the slice cakes to "slice" and then ignore the other cakes in the add racks dialog. Fan racks.  If you have a wheel rack that you want to use for a particular fan of shots in the show, you could give the wheel rack the Rack Type Default of “wheel” and also apply the same “wheel” value to the Rack Type of the effect rows in the script that you intend to go into that rack. The Rack Type field works with both Easy Racks and custom racks that you define.  In both cases, the first step for using Rack Type is to unhide the Rack Type column in the script window, as shown in Figure 1.   Figure 1 – Unhide the "Rack Type" field in the script window to edit Rack Type values for the effects in the show.   The script shown in Figure 2 is from the "Cakes vs. Slices" example.  After unhiding the Rack Type column, the user has edited the Rack Type cells of the 10-shot slice cakes by typing the word "slice" into one of the cells and then copy and pasting the word into the other slice effects.   Figure 2 – Edit or copy/paste the Rack Type field to set the Rack Type.  These 10 shot cakes are designated as "slice".   With the Rack Type field differentiating the cake slices from the multi-row cakes, the "Racks > Add racks for show..." function brings up the dialog shown in Figure 3, which includes separate rows for the two kinds of cakes.  If you don't want to allocate racks for the multi-row cakes, you can just check the "ignore" box for that row.   Figure 3 – The add racks dialog includes separate rows for the rack types, enabling you to ignore the non-slice cakes.   If you are using Easy Racks, the "Add racks for show..." function will automatically create an Easy Rack option for every Rack Type in the show.  If the only difference between your finale racks and standard racks in the "Finale racks" example is that the two kinds of racks have different numbers of tubes, then you can use Easy Racks for both kinds of racks, and simply edit the Tubes/rack field of both rows in the dialog to specify the right number of tubes.   Rack Type Default (in the effects window) The effects window has a column called "Rack Type Default."  This field can be used for custom rack definitions.  The "Add racks for show..." dialog only gives you choices that are compatible with each size or Rack Type.  Thus if you set the Rack Type of your cake slice effects to "slice" as in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the dialog will only offer rack choices that have a Rack Type of "slice" as options for you to select in the second cake row in the dialog.  The function automatically constructs an Easy Rack option with the appropriate Rack Type, so you are assured of at least one compatible option, but if you define and use your own custom racks, you need to set their Rack Type Default fields appropriately in the effects window. The Rack Type Default field name includes the word "Default" because it can be used for both racks and effects.  Returning to the "Cakes vs. slices" example, you probably always want your cake slice effects to use slice racks.  You can save yourself some time by setting their Rack Type Default in the effects window.  Then whenever you insert them into the show, the Rack Type Default will be copied to the Rack Type field in the script, and you won't have to manually edit that field in the script.  This technique is useful for effects that always have the same Rack Type.  It wouldn't be useful for effects in the "Fan racks" example, because the effects used in the wheel rack may also be used in other contexts in the show not in a wheel rack, so you'll need to edit the Rack Type field in the script window depending on the context.  

The "Start Module" and "Pre-Assigned Rails" fields of position properties are two ways of specifying the firing system equipment for the position.  For any position, you can use one field or the other, but not both at the same time since they would conflict with each other. Here are two ways to access the properties for positions. To view position properties in a dialog, right click on a position in the design window and select "Edit position properties" To view position properties in a table, go to the Window menu and select "Positions window" The Start Module and Pre-Assigned Rails fields have slightly different purposes. The Start Module field specifies what module number the addressing functions should start counting from when assigning modules to a position.  The module number count beginning with the Start Module continues counting forward in the next position. The Pre-Assigned Rails field is a comma separated list of rail addresses that specify a set of firing system rails that a position can use.  The order of addresses in the list does not matter; they will always be considered in sorted order.  The module number count before the position with Pre-Assigned Rails continues after that position, unaffected by the Pre-Assigned Rails. For firing systems that do NOT have slats, the words "module" and "rail" are synonymous.  For example, the word module means the same thing as rail for Cobra and FireOne.  For firing systems that do have slats, such as fireTEK, the "module" refers to the piece of hardware that has four twelve-pin "slats" connected to it.  For systems like fireTEK that have slats, the "rail address" is the module-and-slat number. Here are a few examples using different firing systems. Cobra To allocate a Cobra 72M to a position, enter four rail (i.e., module) numbers in the Pre-Assigned Rails field, such as 5,6,7,8 FireOne To allocate a single FireOne module to a position, enter the rail (i.e., module) number in the Pre-Assigned Rails field, such as 10 fireTEK To allocate a fireTEK slat to a position, enter the rail-slat numbers in the Pre-Assigned Rails field, such as 11-1, or 11-2, or 11-3, or 11-4 (to identify a specific slat on module 11)   Figure 1 – The Start Module and Pre-Assigned Rails fields are two ways of specifying the firing system equipment for the position.   In the Pro version of Finale 3D, one other difference between Start Module and Pre-Assigned Rails is that Pre-Assigned Rails will show up in the rack layout window for a position even before addresses have been assigned.  Compare the Pre-Assigned Rails field of Figure 1 with the graphical depiction of the slats in the lower left of Figure 2.   There aren't any assigned addresses yet (no pin numbers in the slats), but the slats are still there.  If the position used the Start Module field (specifying 10, say), instead of using the Pre-Assigned Rails field, then there would be no slats drawn in the lower left of Figure 2 until addresses were assigned.  At that point, whatever slats were used by the addresses would show up. It is easy to guess why Start Module doesn't cause modules or slats to appear in the image before addresses are assigned -- the software wouldn't know how many are required!   Figure 2 – The Start Module and Pre-Assigned Rails fields are two ways of specifying the firing system equipment for the position.   Addressing groups The addressing functions divide the full set of positions into separate addressing groups and address the groups one after another.  If positions share modules, the Start Module and Pre-Assigned Rails properties may affect the division of the positions into addressing groups.  The section Addressing groups describes the implications for the sort order of positions, and provides instructions to avoid addressing conflicts that are possible when using Start Module and Pre-Assigned Rails incorrectly.