There isn't a VDL term defined for "7 arms" at the moment, but you can do 8 arms with the term "Octopus". Here's an example:   5" Very Dim Very Thin Charcoal To Green Octopus w/ Purple Pistil

Hi Pyro_86840000, That depends on whether you're running Finale 3D Lite, Hobbyist or Pro.   Finale 3D Lite includes a basic set of built-in reports, the only export option is PDF, and the sort order on the reports can't be changed. Hobbyist includes a wider array of built-in reports and allows you to export any report in a variety for formats including XLSX (Excel). Pro allows you to fully customize your reports including which columns are visible, column order, how the rows on the report sorted, font sizes, conditional formatting, and more.

Hi PyroDad, the Hobbyist version does not populate rack and tube assignments. You can do this manually using the 'Rack' and 'Tube' columns in the script window. We have given a great deal of consideration to which features are available in each version of Finale 3D.  I'm sorry, we don't anticipate making a change in this regard.   "Actually, a great feature would be to be able to assign a specific rack part number for each effect"   This functionality already exists! You can match effects with racks using "Rack Type". For example, if you have some single shots that require rack ABC, and other single shots that require rack XYZ, go to the effects window and enter ABC in the 'Rack Type Default' column for the ABC rack, and XYZ in the 'Rack Type Default' column for the XYZ racks. Next, for the events in your script, enter either ABC or XYZ as needed in the 'Rack Type' column. Then, when you do 'Racks > Add racks for show', Finale 3D will automatically add the appropriate number of each rack. This functionality is available in Hobbyist and Pro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGNM8JrHZGg

Since reports are all done as PDF files, how do I sort them by column?  Can the reports be converted to excel spreadsheets for example?

Hi,   Hmm. So, basically this means that not only the Hobby version lacks the graphical rack features, which is understandable , it also lacks the information about what effect is loaded into what tube and rack, which is disappointing and surprising. Would it be possible to add this feature to the Hobby version too? It is very difficult to allocate special fixed angle racks to the show unless you know what effects are still missing rack allocations. It can be done with all kind of laborious inelegant tricks like adding rack type info into the Notes field for each effect and such though but it just creates extra headache. Tube allocations are not that important. Actually, a great feature would be to be able to assign a specific rack part number for each effect (a new field in Script table). Finale would then use that rack when choosing a rack to the effect.

Hi PyroDad, great questions. Regarding racks, it's important to distinguish between 'adding racks' and assigning effects to racks (i.e., loading racks). The add racks functionality adds the necessary number of racks to the show, but it does not assign each event in your script to a specific rack. The specific rack and tube that each script event goes into is dependent on the constraints that you specify when you assign firing system addresses. For that reason, the rack assignments are determined at the moment that you do 'Addressing > Address show'. It's also important to note that while the Hobbyist version of Finale 3D allows you to 'add racks', only the Pro version of Finale 3D populates the rack assignments when you address your show. If you have Finale 3D Pro, you can see this in action by doing 'add racks', then 'address show'. Once both those steps are done, you can see the rack and tube assignments in the Script window by unhiding the 'Rack' and 'Tube' columns using the blue gear menu. You might be asking, but how can I see which effects have racks before I address my show? The answer is, there's no way to see that information in the script window until you've also addressed your show. In the Pro version of Finale 3D, you can visually see the empty racks at each position using the racks window, but you really can't tell which rack is for which effect (until you address). The best way to know if you have enough racks is to do 'Racks > Add racks for show'. This menu item will automatically determine if more racks are needed or tell you "No more racks required" if you already have all the needed racks.   Thanks for the request for Tilt or Angle filters, I'll add those to the feature request list.

Hi brad, thanks for the post. The Hobbyist and Pro versions of Finale 3D have a timeline button (represented by the radioactive symbol) that allows you to toggle between three modes: the standard duration bars, effect descriptions, and duration bars hidden altogether. In other words, as you suspected, the feature does exist but it's not available in the Lite version of Finale 3D. Timeline height adjustment is currently not available in any version of Finale 3D, but we absolutely have it on our development road map. What I can't say at this moment is when the feature will be released and if it will be included in all three versions.   brad wrote: There were two buttons in Finale Business that were quite helpful, but didn’t seem to make it into 3d. One increased the height of the script bar to make it easier to view large numbers of simultaneous cues, and the other toggled between “burst and line” and “shell descriptions” in the script bar.   It’s possible the options are still there, and I just haven’t found them, or that they aren’t available in Lite.    

Hi,   I would like to assign racks manually by selecting events from the Script windows and then selecting "Add racks for selected events". That works. However, I cannot see what effects have already been assigned a rack in the Script window. Also, I would like to be able to use the assigned rack as a filter. Can this be fixed?   Additionally, I would like to use Tilt and or Angle as a Filter. Can this be fixed too?   Thank you,

There were two buttons in Finale Business that were quite helpful, but didn't seem to make it into 3d.  One increased the height of the script bar to make it easier to view large numbers of simultaneous cues, and the other toggled between "burst and line" and "shell descriptions" in the script bar.   It's possible the options are still there, and I just haven't found them, or that they aren't available in Lite.