The bug I’m running into happens while trying to create a consumer product, a cake in this case.   I start by creating and then arranging my effects for the first row, then I convert that row into it own “cake” so I can easily replicate and reposition that row wherever it repeats in the product.   The photos below show the timeline and the result of the simulation, which is the correct and intended effect of a low-level mine effect under the primary aerial effect.     However, when I combine the 6 rows into a single cake (making a cake out of cake slices), the velocity of the stars in the mine effect increases dramatically, propelling the mines to the same height as the primary aerial effect.   You can compare the above and below images.     I think the problem has to do with the fact that I made a cake within a cake (a “cakeception” if you will). However, there’s no more effective way to organize a cake than what I’ve done here. Tubes are arranged into rows, rows are organized into a cake. This is the most common method for organizing and communicating a cake design to the factory.   It’s also important that I make cake slices instead of just groups, because it’s helpful to have cake slices saved as as an effect in the effects pane. Easy to reuse later in other products.   Additionally, simply grouping effects causes a problem when trying to reposition on the timeline using the Script pane. See that bug report here … https://finale3d.com/groups/english/forum/topic/bug-relative-position-of-effects-in-a-group-when-setting-event-time/#post-1294460

Here’s a video from the Help Center on importing empty cues from a spreadsheet: https://finale3d.com/video/importing-empty-cues-from-a-spreadsheet/

Hi George, you can adjust the resolution of the video (720p in Hobbyist, up to 4K in Pro) but there’s no setting for bit rate. Aside from the resolution, the setting that will have the single biggest impact on video quality is the particle limit setting found in ‘File > Render settings’. In your case, I think the problem is just that the background image is fairly low resolution – try adding your own skydome image from the Scenery menu.

Hey,   Is there a way to adjust the bitrate for rendering videos. There’s A LOT of compression in the default background image and i can’t tell if it’s just the background image? Or if it’s the bitrate of the video?   Thanks!

Hi George, this is a bug, thanks for posting. Your timing is perfect, we’re right in the middle of a major project to improve effect sims, I’ll make sure this one’s on the list.

The system seems to recognize the term “cracking tail” and renders a decent visual, but without the crackling sound effect.   Should I be using a different term to get an audibly crackling tail?   Thanks!

Hi NoéMaamar, if you edit your report title, and then don’t see that exact title when you export a PDF, you must be editing a different report than the one you are exporting. If you like, send your show FIN file to support@finale3d.com. In the email, please also attach your PDF report and a screenshot or phots that shows exactly which report you are selecting from the File menu.

Hello Drew, thank you for this answer, however by modifying the title in the report parameters there is always “My Report” when I export my shooting plan in PDF.     Sincerely

  Hi bozie8823, you can bring in empty cues by making a spreadsheet with just two columns – see example below. This format will allow you to add as many empty cues as you like simply using copy/paste, you don’t need to seed the script window with anything in advance. You can actually bring in empty cues with just the eventTime column, but the ##scriptHeader column is nice to have because it is needed in order for the blank cues to be added to the script window when the design window is selected.   If you do ‘Edit > Paste’, the first empty cue will be added at the play head time and the remaining cues will be added based on their relative time offsets from the first cue. To create the empty cues using the times exactly as they appear in your spreadsheet (regardless of where the play head is positioned on the timeline), do ‘Edit > Paste special > Paste events at original times*’. Wondering how I came up with this format? I just created a few empty cues in Finale 3D, then copied the rows and pasted them in Excel. Once in Excel, I used trial and error to get rid of as many columns as possible and this is what remained.   bozie8823,  you mentioned that you already tried copy/paste but you didn’t get a good result, can you tell me what you did differently?         *’Paste special’ menu options are not available in Finale 3D Lite.

If I have timing data handy (where I want cues in my script) before I ever set foot in finale (Min:Sec data formatted in the standard X:X.XXX format), what would be the best way to import that data into Finale and have finale generate nothing but empty cues at those specified times?   I’ve played around with the “Do-it-yourself” CSV importer, but Finale seems to be wanting to do a lot more lifting than the simple task I really want it to do.  I’ve also tried simply copying and pasting the data from external sources (spreadsheets) into the script window with no success.   Only “roundabout” way I’ve found so far is to create a number of empty cues in the script (equaling the number of individual values I’d like to import), Import the CSV time values in to a Finale3D Generic table, and then copy/paste them from that table into the event times of my prior created cues.   Wondering if there’s an easier more streamlined way to do this.