Finale 3D provides for basic inventory management as described in Basic inventory management in Finale 3D, which obviously includes deducting a show's product quantities from stock counts. Finale 3D also provides an integration with Finale Inventory, which expands the capabilities of inventory management to include stock reservations, sales orders, packed shows, quotes, and other real world complexities. Documentation on these inventory management options, however, is tailored to the company doing the inventory management. What if you have scripted a show in Finale 3D using a product list from a 3rd party company, and you want to provide that company with the product quantities used in your show so they can be reserved or relieved from that company's stock counts? This section explains how to export the data, and walks through an example of how a 3rd party company might import your data as a stock change using Finale Inventory. You may be in a situation in which you have no idea what inventory management system the 3rd party company is using. Your responsibility may be simply to give that company a list of product quantities from your show in a format that can be processed.  From Finale 3D, do the menu item "File > Print > Report > basic_product_totals_portrait" (portrait vs. landscape doesn't matter in this case) and in the file selection dialog, choose XLS or CSV as the output file format, instead of the default PDF. That will product a report like the one shown in Figure 1.   Figure 1 – Printing the report "basic_product_totals_portrait" and choosing the XLS file format.   The two important columns in this report are the Part Number column, and the Devices (quantity) column. The other columns are useful to keep around as a sanity check, but one can assume, if you are providing quantities for specific products, that your part numbers match the inventory system that they will be applied to.  If you are given the choice, the XLS file format is usually preferable to CSV because importing CSV data into Excel is prone to errors like Excel removing leading zeros from part numbers, if you are not careful.   Example of importing the product quantities into Finale Inventory The mechanics of importing the product quantities as a stock change or sale order in an inventory system will obviously depend on the inventory system, but using Finale Inventory as an example, the process will be something like the sequence of steps described here. The first step will be to open the product quantities file in Excel and reformat the data as required for the inventory system.   Finale Inventory uses the term Product Id to mean the same thing as Part Number in Finale 3D.  Finale Inventory also expects to see a Quantity column, which is often called Devices in Finale 3D to be unambiguous with respect to chain counts.  If you simply want to relieve these product quantities from stock on hand in Finale Inventory, you can do a "Stock Change" operation.  In preparation for this operation, you can manually add two columns to the product quantity file, Product Id and Quantity.  The Product Id column simply refers to the Part Number column values with an Excel formula.  The Quantity column refers to the Devices column, negating the value so the stock change operation will deduct the product quantities from inventory counts.  The modified file prepared for importing into Finale Inventory is shown in Figure 2.   Figure 2 – Adding the two required columns and negating the quantity" and choosing the XLS file format.   The Devices column in the report produced from Finale 3D counts the number of devices, meaning individual shells or other physical units.  Thus chains count as the number of shells in the chain.  If the convention being used for inventory management is that chains count as one item, then you will need to divide the chain quantities by the number of shells in the chain in the XLS file before importing. Having prepared the data, you can select "Import" from the home page in Finale Inventory, and the "Batch stock change" as the operation to be performed.  You select the sublocation to apply the change to, as shown in Figure 3.   Figure 3 – Importing as a batch stock change in Finale Inventory and choosing the XLS file format.   Figure 4 shows the next page in Finale Inventory, after copying and pasting the data from Excel into the input box on the Finale Inventory page.  Notice that only the Product Id and Quantity column are recognized.  The other columns are ignored because their column headers don't match any of the columns relevant to the stock change operation.  If a Product Id in the imported data did not match an existing product definition in Finale Inventory, you would see that in the form of a warning on this page.  If there are no warnings, the operation will be a success.  Click "next" and you are done!   Figure 4 – Columns with matching column headers import." and choosing the XLS file format.  

If labels printed using the standard labels templates in Finale 3D do not align with pre-cut stickers on a sheet of labels, the problem is usually that the printer driver is scaling the document to fit the printable area of page.  Many labels specifications, including the popular Avery 5260 labels,  define label dimensions that extend slightly outside of the printable area of the page, which is about 3/8" on the margins.  In actuality, most printers can print the full area of the labels including the "unprintable" area, so you can correct most alignment problems simply by selecting the "Actual size" printer setting. In your printer settings dialog, look for options that might scale the document, like "Fit" or "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages".  Uncheck them!  Replace them with the "Actual size" setting to turn off scaling. Figure 1 – Look for the "Actual size" setting in the printer settings dialog; avoid "Fit" or "Fit to page".   Unfortunately, some printer drivers and some printing programs do not expose these settings to the user, and in some cases the settings simply do not work.  If you are unable to fix the alignment problems by finding and changing the printer settings, you should try printing the pdf files from a current version of Adobe Acrobat running as a separate application and not running from within your browser.  If that also doesn't work, the next step is to confirm that the printer driver is actually the cause of the problems, as opposed to a modified or customized labels template from within Finale 3D. Table 1 includes a download link to Avery's template file for the Avery 5260 labels.  The template draws an outline around all the labels, which is handy for debugging printing scaling problems.  Download and print this file with scaling on, and scaling off, to see if the printer setting is making any difference.  Also try printing the template on a sheet of actual labels, to see if the the outlines in the template correspond to the label edges.   If printed correctly, the bottom margin of the Avery 5260 labels sheet should be approximately 13mm.  If printed incorrectly (scaled by the printer driver), the bottom margin may be 18mm or thereabouts, making the labels unusable. Figure 2 – If the template provided by Avery doesn't align with Avery labels, then the printer must be scaling the document.   If you are unable to stop the printer from scaling the document, you may be out of luck.  You'll need update your printer drivers, or contact customer support for the printer, or find another printer or computer to print from. In addition to printer scaling problems, there are other possible causes of minor printing misalignment -- printers have minor variations; paper loading and feeding can shift the printed image by more than a millimeter; off-brand label sheets sometimes do not have the exact same dimensions as the brands that they copy.  For these types of misalignment, you may find it helpful to adjust the labels dimensions in the Finale 3D labels template by editing the template ("Script table window > Blue gear menu > Create or edit labels template").  Figure 3 shows the labels template customization dialog. Figure 3 – The interior margins create extra space around the text to prevent minor misalignment from clipping text.   One approach is to adjust the settings of the top and bottom margin in the settings to try compensate for the misalignment. A second approach is to expand the interior margins of the labels to create extra space around the text area of the labels, providing more leeway to accommodate minor misalignment. Neither of these approaches works satisfactorily to resolve printer "scale to fit page" issues, but they are fine for solving minor, non-accumulating alignment problems.   Table 1 – Template file provided by Avery for debugging printer scaling problems Download link Explanation avery-5260-template.pdf Avery template for 5260 labels

Here are some frequently asked questions about Finale 3D features.   Table 1 – Frequently asked questions Question Answer Can Finale 3D export to any firing system Yes, all versions of Finale 3D (Lite, Hobbyist and Pro) export to all major firing systems, about 30 in total, in addition to generic CSV and Excel formats for do-it-yourself firing systems Does Finale 3D have an inventory of stage effects? Yes, Finale 3D includes several thousand example close proximity pyrotechnics, including gerbs, comets, mines, flames, laser comets, photoflash, strobe pots, and many others.  You can also import or create your own effects. How is the library of effects made? You can import your own inventory list of effects if you have it in a CSV or MDB file. Finale 3D creates simulations automatically based on the names of your effects and based on other optional specifications you may have in your inventory file, such as height, duration, etc. (details here) Finale 3D understands effect names written in a number of languages (supported languages). If you want to customize effect simulations, you can adjust the descriptions or use the effect editor to fine tune the graphics. Finale 3D also includes simulation catalogs from a dozen major suppliers. Does Finale 3D come with effect simulations from actual suppliers? Yes, Finale 3D includes a selection of supplier catalogs, which you can enable from finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings. These catalogs are managed and maintained electronically by the fireworks suppliers themselves, so they can be up-to-date with the supplier's latest fireworks. If you represent a supplier and you are interested in adding your catalog to Finale 3D, please review the documentation here and contact support@finale3d.com. Does Finale 3D have sims for SFX like cryo jets, flame, confetti, and lasers? Currently Finale 3D has simulations for flames and lights but does not yet have simulations for other special effects. Finale 3D does export DMX output scripts for the firing systems that support DMX, so you can create placeholder simulations like mines or gerbs to represent other special effects as a workaround until Finale 3D adds these other simulation types. Is there a demo version of the software? Yes! To get started, go to finale3d.com/download to download Finale, then install the software on your computer and create an account. This will allow you to run Finale 3D in demo mode, which includes all the features of the Lite version with saving and exporting disabled. Are there adjustable parameters for prefire, duration, height, etc.? Yes, you can change parameters like prefire, height and duration simply by editing the fields in the effect window. The simulations automatically adjust. You can also adjust simulations by adding adjectives to the VDL description, like "Very Big" or "Slightly Dense" (see VDL effect adjustment terms) Can the software import 3D models?  What about background pictures? Yes, all versions of Finale 3D support not only 2D billboard-style "backdrop" images, but also wrapped sky dome images and ground images. The Pro version also supports 3D models in two formats: SketchUp (SKP) and the Graphics Library Transmission Format or glTF (GLB). You create your own models using a 3D modeling application, or can download free SketchUp models from 3D Warehouse (3dwarehouse.sketchup.com) and GLB models from sketchfab.com. Do I need to have internet access to use the program? No, once you download and login to the Finale 3D once, you can check "Login offline" to use Finale 3D without an internet connection for the next 14 days. After 14 days pass, you will need to login online again to refresh your login credentials. All Finale 3D functionality is available when logged in offline except for receiving or making updates to inventories that are saved in the cloud. That being said, you can store inventories on your local hard drive, which makes online access completely optional. If I modify effects for the specific purpose of a simulation video, will my changes be saved forever? You can store your effects in 'My Effects', which is your personal online collection, or in an offline (.fdb) effect file on your local hard drive, or in your Finale Inventory account (if you subscribe to the inventory management service from finaleinventory.com). The supplier catalog inventories are read-only, though you can copy effects from them into your own inventories. You can modify effects in any of your personal inventory locations. You can also modify effects and choose not to save the modifications at all. I have added racks to my show, but they are empty, how do I load them? See Rack layout basic instructions. In Finale 3D, you script your show, then you do "Racks > Add racks for show", THEN you do "Addressing > Address show..." That last step will assign each effect both to a firing system pin and also to a rack tube. After doing that, if you want to edit the assignments, you can do so in the script window or go to Window > Racks window and select the little "Drag & drop pins" in the upper left. This allows you to drag and drop pins between racks. How do I share a module between multiple positions? Finale 3D Hobbyist and Pro both have the ability to control what positions modules and slats are allowed to be shared among, so you have precise control of whether you want to use scab wire between positions or not. There are a lot of good documentation articles on this subject, including Using piggyback slats and Addressing with sorts and constraints and Sharing modules and Addressing basics. What reports and labels are available in Finale 3D? The Pro version includes a robust set of pre-built report and labels templates. Templates are also extensively customizable in the Pro version. The Hobbyist version includes the same set of built-in report and label template as Pro, but template are not customizable in Hobbyist. The Pro and Hobbyist versions also allow you to export reports in both PDF and XLSX formats. The Lite version includes a basic set of built-in reports that can be exported as PDFs. For a complete list of templates in each version, check out the complete Feature Comparison. Can you replicate what a scene will look like dependent on wind? Yes, go to "File > Render settings..." and you can specify the wind speed and direction for the simulation.  

In Finale 3D, report and label templates are saved as "Blueprints".  In the Hobbyist and Pro versions, blueprints also store the built-in and custom table layouts that are represented as puzzle piece icons in the Effects and Script windows.  In the Pro version, blueprints are further used to store rack layout diagrams, site layouts, and addressing blueprints.  Future versions of the software will support saving blueprints to the user's account in the cloud, or to a company account, but as of December 2023, all blueprints are saved as part of a show.  Thus, if you add or customize a report, label template, or anything that is stored as a blueprint, you will only have access to that blueprint when you open that specific show.   Steps to copy specific blueprint(s) from one show to another show Go to "File > Open" and open the show that includes the blueprint(s) you would like to re-use. Go to "Window > Blueprints window" to open the Blueprints window. In the Blueprints window, press Ctrl, then left-click on the row numbers for the blueprint(s) you would like to copy. Press Ctrl+C to copy the blueprints to your clipboard. Close the Blueprints window. With the blueprints copied, open the show in which you'd like to use the blueprints, or open a new blank show. If the show you want to use the blueprints in was already open before you did step 1, you can switch back to that show from the bottom of the Window menu. Open the Blueprints window again, which now shows the blueprints in the new show, then press Ctrl+V to paste the blueprints from your clipboard. Save the show. Note: If the show that you paste the blueprints into already contains blueprints with the same name, then you may end up with duplicate blueprints. Pasting a blueprint with the same name will result in a new blueprint with (01) at the end of its name, it will not overwrite or update the existing blueprint of the same name. For example, if you copy a blueprint that has the name my_custom_lables into another show that has a blueprint with the exact same name, the name of the pasted blueprint will become my_custom_lables(01). If you end up with obsolete or duplicate blueprints, you can delete rows in the Blueprints window to delete the unneeded blueprints.   Steps to copy all blueprints from one show to another show Go to "File > Open" and open the show that includes the blueprint(s) you would like to re-use. Go to "Window > Blueprints window" to open the Blueprints window. In the Blueprints window, press Ctrl+A to select all, and Ctrl+C to copy all the blueprints to your clipboard. Close the Blueprints window. With the blueprints copied, open the show in which you'd like to use the blueprints, or open a new blank show. If the show you want to use the blueprints in was already open before you did step 1, you can switch back to that show from the bottom of the Window menu. Open the Blueprints window again, which now shows the blueprints in the new show, press Ctrl+A to select all, then press Delete on your keyboard to delete all the blueprints, then press Ctrl+V to paste the blueprints from your clipboard. Save your new show with the customized templates.   If you find that you need to copy and paste the same blueprints each time you create a new show, a better solution is to create a Start-up template. This will replace the default blank show that you see each time you launch Finale 3D with a show that contains your blueprints and settings. To create a start-up template, configure a show with your blueprints and preferred show settings, then go to "File > User settings > Save show as start-up template".

Most firing systems can ignite multiple e-matches from the same pin, so the addressing functions in Finale 3D make efficient use of your firing system hardware by automatically assigning multiple e-matches to the same pin when possible, up to a limit of the maximum number of e-matches per pin that you specify.  For multiple e-matches to use the same pin, two conditions must usually hold: 1) the effects are at the same position, and 2) the ignition times are the same.  Figure 1 shows a pair of shells that could use a single pin.   Figure 1 – Two shells at the same position and with the same ignition time can share a pin.   The red circles illustrate the two effects are at the same position, and have the same ignition time.  These two shells are different sizes, so their effect time (break time) is different, but their event time (time of ignition) is the same.  If these two shells were placed on the timeline with the same effect time, then their ignition times would be different and they would not be candidates to share a single pin. The "Addressing > Address show..." function, and other addressing functions, bring up a dialog such as shown in Figure 2.  The "Max e-matches per pin" limit is right there near the top.  Setting this limit to 1 (the default) will result in each effect utilizing its own pin, with no sharing.  Setting the limit to two or more will allow sharing in the right circumstances. Figure 2 – Specifying a limit of the number of e-matches that can share a pin.   The two conditions mentioned earlier for sharing a pin are the usual conditions.  Getting technical, there are some circumstances in which these conditions are not required.  In Section 3 of the addressing dialog in Figure 2, the modules are restricted to a single position by the word "Position" in the first field.  That restriction means that a module is not allowed to serve multiple positions, which prevents the need for scab wire or long e-matches extending between positions. If the module is restricted to a single position, then all its pins must therefore be restricted to a single position.   That is actually the reason behind the usual condition (1), requiring effects sharing pins to be from the same position.  If you address the show without the "Position" restriction on the module or pin, then condition (1) goes away.   Max e-matches per pin for piggy-back modules Sometimes people address shows using "Piggy-back" modules or slats that are physically located at different positions but have the same module address.  They may be wireless modules configured to have the same channel, or they may be wired modules that are connected to each other in parallel.  From an addressing perspective, modules with the same address are the same module.  The addressing functions don't even realize that you have multiple piggy-back modules at different positions.  The addressing functions think you have a single module, located somewhere, and it serves all of the positions that you imagine sharing the piggy-back modules.  Thus while the image in your mind doesn't have any pin sharing because each effect connects to a piggy-back module at its own position, the image corresponding to the addressing logic does involve pin sharing across the positions because the effects at the piggy-back module positions all reference the same module and pin address.  Thus for the addressing functions to work, the max e-matches per pin limit must be set to at least as many positions as share piggy-back modules.      

Converting effect inventories from Finale Business to Finale 3D requires 3 or 4 steps (depending how your effects are stored).  The first couple steps can be done in one sitting.  The third step is usually something you do incrementally over time. The fourth step is simply connect your inventory (if applicable). Regardless of how your effects are stored in Finale Business the best way to convert them Finale 3D is using the "Noah's Ark Strategy" as detailed below. Figure 1 – Video overview of "Noah's Ark Strategy for migrating effects from Finale Business to Finale 3D   Create a "Noah's Ark" file in Finale Business.  This step involves creating a show (HBS file) in Finale Business with one of each of your effects. Instructions for this step are exactly the same regardless of whether your effects are stored in "My Fireworks" or in a Master Inventory / Finale Inventory. Finale Business doesn't have an export function for "My Fireworks", so some manual work is required to transfer the effects to Finale 3D.  A Master Inventory / Finale Inventory account can be connected to Finale 3D, but a "Noah's Ark" file is still required to retain custom simulations created in Finale Business. Creating a "Noah's Ark" file is the only way to retain custom simulations created in Finale Business. Figure 2 – Video tutorial: create "Noah's Ark" file   Import "Noah's Ark" file in Finale 3D.  After creating your "Noah's Ark" HBS file in Finale Business, the next step is to import the file into Finale 3D. If your effects were created using VDL in Finale Business, the VDL will be imported into Finale 3D. If you created custom simulations using the colorful graphics editing panels at the top of the Finale Business screen, the import process will reverse engineer your effects and automatically generate the best possible VDL representation for each effect. Figure 3 – Video tutorial: import "Noah's Ark" file into Finale 3D   Improve the quality of the simulations.  Having imported your "Noah's Ark" file into Finale 3D, the next step is to tune the simulations. Finale 3D uses an entirely new, upgraded rendering engine. The import process does the best possible job transferring VDL and reverse engineering custom simulations, however, some adjustments to imported effects are usually necessary. Tuning of effects can be accomplished by updating the various fields in the Finale 3D effects window, and especially by editing the effect VDL. Precision fine tuning of effects is also possible using the Finale 3D effect editor (not yet available, anticipated May 2020). Figure 4 – Video tutorial: tune simulations   Connecting Master Inventory / Finale Inventory and merge "Noah's Ark".  If your effects are in a Master Inventory / Finale Inventory, you will need establish the connection to Finale 3D by going to "finale3d.com > My Account > Connect To Finale Inventory" page, as described in Account setup. Once the connection is successful, the inventory will then appear in your effects window in Finale 3D and still appear in your Finale Business inventory view. Please note that there are some tricky backwards compatibility issues for making effect simulations look good in both Finale Business and Finale 3D. We do not recommend making changes to your Master Inventory / Finale Inventory until you are 100% ready to make the transition to Finale 3D. For more information, please see Inventory compatibility with Finale Business (and how to fix cakes). After connecting your inventory to Finale 3D, the final action is to merge your "Noah's Ark" and inventory by doing "Effects > Paste clipboard into effects window, add or update". Figure 5 – Video tutorial: connect to Finale Inventory   Get the effects to show up in 3D If your effects are in "My Fireworks" in Finale Business, then you'll need to copy them out of Finale Business in an HBS file and import them into Finale 3D. Once imported into Finale 3D, these effects will no longer have any connection to the "My Fireworks" of Finale Business, so you can improve the simulations in Finale 3D without worrying about backward compatibility. To copy the effects out of "My Fireworks", you need to create a show in Finale Business with one each of each of your effects, one after another. Then save the show as an HBS file and import it into Finale 3D with "File > Import > Import Effects from HBS file...". Once your effects show up in Finale 3D as rows in the effects window, you will probably need to edit some of the simulations or the effect parameters to make them look good. The editing process depends on how the simulations were created in Finale Business originally, as described in Table 1. For most effects, the process begins with right-clicking on the effect row in the effects window in Finale 3D, and selecting "Edit this effect simulation or rack..." from the context menu. That command brings up a dialog that incorporates the original VDL description and any other parameters that affect the simulation, such as the prefire, duration, height, and number of shells if it is chain. The dialog displays the combined information in the "Input description" field, which you can edit. As you edit the description, you can see the interpretation of what you are typing, and resulting specifications of the simulation below, in the green read-only boxes. Table 1 – Editing process to adapt Finale Business effect simulations to Finale 3D Simulation in Finale Business What to expect in Finale 3D How to fix it in Finale 3D Imported or created with the control-G "Create simulation" dialog. Simulation should look pretty good. No editing required. Optionally you can add adjectives like "Big" or "Dense" to the VDL as described in VDL effect adjustment terms. Created on the timeline using "Combine into cake..." (cakes only) . Simulation will be reverse engineered upon import and should contain the correct number of shots, timing and firing pattern. If the cake simulation has the correct number of effects and timing but the effects themselves look bad, insert the cake into a test show in Finale 3D and do "Effects > Break apart cake" to break it apart into its constituents arranged on the timeline.  Then right click on the constituents to edit them, and/or change the timing by rearranging them on the timeline.  When they look right do "Effects > Create cake from selected items..." to re-create the cake.   Alternatively, if you just want to create a quick placeholder simulations, follow the instructions in Creating or importing a simple “placeholder” cake simulation. Customized using the colorful graphics editing panels. Simulation will be reverse engineered upon import and should look decent subject to several factors. Some editing may be required. Right click and do "Edit this effect simulation or rack..." from the context menu. You can add adjectives like "Big" or "Dense" to the VDL as described in VDL effect adjustment terms. Precise fine tuning of the effect simulation will be possible when the Finale 3D effect editor is released (not yet available, anticipated May 2020).   Improve the quality of the simulations To fine tune effect parameters in Finale 3D you can use the Finale 3D effect editor (not yet available, anticipated May 2020), and you can create cake simulations from individual effects using the Effects > Create cake from selected items..." function. You can also create complex effects including multi-effect cakes by typing in the VDL directly, but the syntax of VDL for cakes is a little complicated. You can do some degree of customization by adding adjectives like "Big" and "Dense" to the VDL, as described in VDL effect adjustment terms. You can also edit the prefire, duration, height, and chain number of shells (devices) directly in the columns of the effect table. These parameters will apply to the simulation directly. For example, if you change the duration of a comet from 1 second to 10 seconds without changing its height, the comet will shoot up into the air to an apex at its original height but then it will come crashing back down to the ground. Changing the prefire of a shell to anything >= 0.5 affects the lift delay for the shell to break without affecting the height of the apex of the full trajectory, so a prefire of 0.5 seconds would cause a shell to break on the way up, looking like a flower pot. Changing the prefire of a shell to anything < 0.5 introduces a delay before the simulation begins, and results in the default lift delay based on the caliber of shell. Changing the duration of a shell affects the lifetime of the stars; whereas changing the duration of a cake affects the timing of the shots within the cake. The full explanations are shown in Table 2. Table 2 – Editing specifications fields directly in the effect table Field (column) For shells For comets and mines For cakes and candles Prefire If prefire >= 0.5, it represents the time to break, and adjusts whether the break is before or after the apex. Does not affect exit velocity and thus does not affect the apex of the trajectory. If prefire < 0.5, it introduces a delay before the simulation to represent the time between firing system ignition and the effect actually getting started. If prefire >= 0.5, it does not affect simulation but does affect the scripting delay between ignition and effect time on the timeline. If prefire < 0.5, it introduces a delay before the simulation to represent the time between firing system ignition and the effect actually getting started. Affects the lift time of shells in the cake as described in detail in Cake and candle duration (and prefire) Duration Lifetime of stars, adjusts whether stars expire quickly or linger all the way to the ground. Lifetime of stars, adjusts whether stars expire quickly or linger all the way to the ground. Affects the timing of the cake shots (first launch to last break) as described in detail in Cake and candle duration (and prefire) Height Height of the apex of the trajectory in meters. Height of the apex of the trajectory in meters. To make "Ultra-fast" or "Laser" comets, set the height high and the duration small. Affects the height of all effects in the cake. Devices Affects number of shells in the chain, if the item is a chain. No effect. No effect.  

Creating and exporting a script for your firing system is basically a four-step process: DESIGN. Create the show by inserting effects. See Getting Started Basic Instructions. ADDRESS. Assign firing system addresses for all the effects ("Addressing > Address show"). EXPORT. Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing system script file(s)"). DOWNLOAD. Transfer the script file to your firing system controller. Depending on your firing system, the script may be downloaded using a USB flash drive (example: Cobra, Pyrosure, StarFire), or downloaded using the firing system's software (example: FireOne, Galaxis, Explo), or by downloaded directly from Finale 3D (Pyrodigital, Pyromate). At a finer level of detail, the first three steps often expand into this list of steps: Set the show duration and other show information from the "Show" menu. Layout your shoot site by adding firing positions ("Positions > Add...") and dragging them on the grass. Add your music ("Music > Add song or soundtrack"). Press the yellow play button or the spacebar on your keyboard to place the music, and tap "i" to insert empty cues. Insert effects by selecting a position, then selecting a time or empty cue on the timeline, then clicking the thumbnail icon for the item in the effects window. Assign firing system addresses for all the effects ("Addressing > Address show"). Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing system script file(s)"). Print a "Wiring Script" report for the crew to set up the show ("File > Reports > Basic reports > Wiring Script"). Even this deeper level of detail doesn't include all the functions the software can perform for you, such as making videos, printing labels, or creating rack layout diagrams, but these basic steps are the steps that are common for almost all scripted shows, so they are good starting point.

Finale 3D's rendering engine runs almost entirely on a computer's video card, also called a graphics card or graphics processing unit (GPU), so if you are considering buying a new computer to run Finale 3D, the most important specification for your new computer is its GPU. By and large, Finale 3D will run on almost any Windows computer sold in 2018 or later, and will run on many computers as old as 2016 or older if they have good GPUs.  In the Mac world, Finale 3D works on any Mac from 2016 or later running Windows over Bootcamp or Parallels. All versions of Finale 3D have the same system requirements. Regardless of whether you are running the Lite, Hobbyist or Pro version of Finale 3D, the system requirements are exactly the same. Overview of recommended system requirements: Get a computer with at least 8GB of RAM, a solid-state drive (SSD), and the best GPU you can afford. If you can't remember those details, you can just buy a "gaming computer" or a "multi-media computer", because computers advertised as such will generally have the right specifications. Avoid buying a computer whose graphics capabilities are described as "Intel integrated graphics" or "Intel HD graphics" or really anything that says "Intel" or "integrated" (from a graphics perspective). The reason is because those words mean is that the computer does not actually have a dedicated GPU. Expect to pay about USD $1100 to USD $1300 for a brand-new computer with our recommended configuration.  However, you can get an acceptable new computer with a decent GPU for as low as USD $800 if you are willing to compromise on other specifications. You can save even more by purchasing a used, refurbished, or manufacturer re-certified computer; these are readily available from a wide variety of online retailers.   Table 1 – Minimum specifications and recommended specifications Specifications Operating System (OS) Graphic Card (GPU) RAM CPU Graphics driver Minimum Windows 10 64bit Intel HD Graphics 4400 8GB Any 2018 up-to-date Recommended Windows 10 64bit, Windows 11 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (or better) 16GB Any 2018 up-to-date   How to compare video cards The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card was released in 2016, but we continue to recommend it because it is a fast GPU for a reasonable price. Obviously, you can spend more for a faster GPU, which will make Finale 3D run smoother on complex shows, but the GTX 1060 is good middle ground. However, because of its age, you are not likely to find new computers that include the GTX 1060. Fortunately, you can easily compare graphics cards on the market today by simply following these steps. Go to videocardbenchmark.net Use the search box to find the GPU you are considering. For example, suppose you found a laptop that advertises the "GeForce GTX 1650" GPU. Simply enter "GeForce GTX 1650" or "GTX 1650" (without the quotes) and click Find Videocard. Note that there are often multiple versions of a given card. In the case of the GTX 1650, you will see "GTX 1650", "GTX 1650 (Mobile)", "GTX 1650 Ti", amongst others. If the computer you're considering is a laptop, assume you will get the "Mobile" version of the GPU unless the specifications specifically say otherwise. Note the "G3D Mark", which is the number in the first column of the table, this is the GPU's benchmark. In our example using the GTX 1650, the G3D Mark is about 7000. Compare the G3D Mark value to our recommended card (the GTX 1060). For reference, the mobile version of the GTX 1060 has a G3D Mark of about 8000. Looking back at step 3, we can see the G3D Mark for the GTX 1650 is about 7000. This isn't quite as good as our recommended card, but Finale 3D will still perform well. For best performance, select a GPU with a G3D Mark of at least 6000. Video 1 – How to select a computer to run Finale 3D  

Finale 3D supports a variety of Pyromate controllers, including 32 pin and 45 pin digital controllers, 45 pin analog controllers, and SmartShow 32 pin systems.  To create and download a script for the Pyromate firing system, please follow these three steps: Address the show ("Addressing > Address show"). Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing scripts"). Download the show to your controller ("File > Download > Download firing system script to Pyromate") Step 2 creates the script file, which is a text file with a "PMM" extension.  While it is possible to open this file in a text editor, the file is not meant for humans to read or write.  It contains only the data that the controller requires for shooting the show.  Thus, most Pyromate users will not need to concern themselves with the file format described in this section, except for some notes on module addresses for the 45 pin modules, mentioned in Table 2. Finale 3D also supports the Pyromate SmartShow-based firing systems.  If you use SmartShow, then you will only do step (1) and (2).  Step (2) will save a CSV file instead of a PMM file, which you will open in the SmartShow software for firing the show.     Figure 1 – Pyromate Digital NightHawk firing system     Table 1 – File format and encoding File format Extension Text encoding Field delimiter End-of-line Text .PMM ASCII Tab CRLF The script contains rows for the firing events, i.e., unique combinations of module, pin, and ignition-time.  Multiple effects can be combined on a single cue.  The special characteristics of the script are shown in the following table:   Table 2 – Special characteristics Special characteristics Description Sort order of rows Rows sorted ascending by effect time, then by module number, then by pin number. What rows represent Each row represents a unique firing event, a module/pin/event-time combination.  For example, a chain of five shells will be one row, not five.  A pair of shells shot together from the same position will be one row, not two, even if the shells are different effects.  A flight of shells shot together from multiple positions with the same module-pin using scab wire is still one row. Events at different times are necessarily different rows, even if their addresses are the same.  For example, two flame projector shots at different times, triggered by the same module-pin address, will be two rows because they are at different times. Header The file contains a single header row consisting of the letter N, followed by tab, followed by the show name in a padded field of 16 characters. Time resolution The Pyromate digital systems support 1/100th second time resolution; the analog systems support 1/10th second resolution. Finale 3D rounds events to the required time resolution in the export process, and displays a warning in the summary dialog indicating the number of adjustments made. Module numbering The Pyromate SmartShow-based firing systems number modules 1-99. All other Pyromate digital systems number modules 1-99 for 32 pin modules or 100-199 for 45 pin modules. Pyromate analog systems number modules 1-12 or A-L, corresponding to the 12 connectors on the right side of the panel labelled A-L (Finale 3D supports both 1-12 and A-L formats in the script window).   Module numbers formatted as letters A-L in the script window are converted to the corresponding numbers 1-12 in the exported file. Electrical constraints The Pyromate analog systems can fire multiple pins simultaneously on the same module, but cannot fire pins on different modules simultaneously. In the analog Pyromate export function, Finale 3D automatically separates simultaneous shows on different modules by a tenth of a second, or more if there are cascading conflicts, in order to satisfy this electrical constraint. End-of-file row The file contains a single end of file row consisting of the letter S, followed by tab, followed by 0, followed by tab again, followed by 0 again. This row also includes trailing CRLF characters, even though it is the last row in the file. Module addresses of 45-pin modules Digital Pyromate controllers use module address range 1-99 for 32-pin modules, and 100-199 for 45-pin modules.  Thus if you address a show for 45-pin module types, the module addresses start at 101 and count up; whereas if you address a show for 32-pin modules types, the module addresses start at 1. If you address a show for 45-pin modules and 32-pin modules (indicating the module types by right clicking positions and editing their position properties), the addressing function will address all the modules in the same sequence of numbers, but it will add 100 to all the 45-pin module addresses.  Thus a sequence with three 32-pin modules, followed by three 45-pin modules, followed by three 32-pin modules would be 1, 2, 3, 104, 105, 106, 7, 8, 9. If you prefer a sequence like 1, 2, 3, 101, 102, 103, 4, 5, 6, or any other sequence, you can set the "Start Module" field for all the positions by editing their position properties.  Make sure that positions with 45-pin modules get addresses >= 100, and make sure if positions have multiple modules that their ranges do not overlap. After the header, each row in the script has a number of fields separated by the tab character.  The names of these fields and their descriptions are the following: Table 3 – Specifications of script fields Field name Description Row designation The letter "s" (denoting a digital script) or "S" (denoting a script for the analog system). Line number The row count, beginning with 1. Shot number The count of unique event times, beginning with 1; multiple rows with the same event time have the same shot number. Group number Finale 3D writes the number 0. Event time The time of ignition in hundredths of a second for digital systems, and tenths for analog systems. Module number For digital systems, a number from 1-99 for 32-pin modules, or 100-199 for 45-pin modules; for analog systems, a number from 1-99. Pin number A number from 1-32 for 32-pin modules, or 1-45 for 45-pin modules.   An example script is shown below.  Notice the last two rows are at the same event time but have different modules and therefore cannot be combined into a single row. N test_pyromate.pm s 1 1 0 276 101 1 s 2 2 0 286 102 1 s 3 3 0 296 103 1 s 4 4 0 306 104 1 s 5 5 0 316 105 1 s 6 6 0 326 106 1 s 7 7 0 336 107 1 s 8 8 0 346 108 1 s 9 9 0 356 108 2 s 10 9 0 356 109 1 S 0 0 Figure 1 – Example Pyromate script   Table 4 – Example files Download link Explanation test_pyromate.pmm Example exported file to be downloaded to controller (PMM) test_pyromate.fin Example show file test_smart_show.csv Example SmartShow exported file (CSV)

If there's only one type of rack that matches an effect in the show, then the "Racks > Add racks for show" function and the addressing functions will assign the effect to that kind of rack, obviously, but if there are multiple types of racks that match an effect in the show, which rack should the functions choose?  This question often arises for companies that use fan racks and straight racks in the same show, or different kinds of racks for finale chains than for the regular shells in the show.  Some companies also have racks of specific lengths to match chains of the same length.  For all these cases, you can control what kinds of racks are used for specific shells with the "Rack Type Default" and "Rack Type" fields that you can unhide in the effects window and the script window from the blue gear menus. The Rack Type is an optional matching condition.  If a rack has a non-empty Rack Type, then it will only match effects in the script that have the same Rack Type.  Thus to make a set of fanned effects in the show get assigned to fan racks, instead of regular straight racks, you can set the Rack Type Default field of the fan racks in the effect window to "fan" (or any other word of your choice), and then set the Rack Type field of the fanned rows in the script window that you want to be assigned to these racks to "fan" also.  The matching condition will cause the fan racks to be used for these fanned effects in the show! The example in Figure 1 shows the default rack layout for a show that includes a trident of three shells in a fan, plus four additional shells straight up. Since no Rack Type was specified, the "Addressing > Add racks for show" function just adds regular straight racks for all the shells, tilting the racks as required for angled shells.   Figure 1 - Without "Rack Type", tilted racks may be used for fanned effects   If you specify the Rack Type of "fan" for the three trident shells in the script window (leaving the Rack Type of the other shells blank), and specify the Rack Type Default of your fan rack that has tubes fanned out, then the fan rack will be used for those shells, as shown in Figure 2.  Comparing Figure 1 and Figure 2, you can see that Figure 1 shows two tilted racks on the left and right sides, whereas Figure 2 doesn't show any tilted racks.  The fan rack in Figure 2 is rotated sideways so that its fanned out tubes are aligned with the angles of the shell trajectories.   Figure 2 – The "Rack Type" field can force fan racks to be used for the fanned effects   The Rack Type field can be used for any circumstance in which you want to specify the kind of rack that is used for specific effects in the show.  The circumstances relating to fans are usually dependent on the angles of the effects, obviously, rather than the type of effects, because the angles are the reason you are choosing the fan rack in the first place.  You can also use the Rack Type field to control what racks are used for specific types of effects. You may be wondering why the Rack Type field is called "Rack Type Default" in the effects window, and just "Rack Type" in the script window.  It's a small difference, but it does have meaning.  Most of the properties shown in the effects window are intrinsic properties of effects, meaning that every instance of the effect in the show has the exact value specified in the effects window.  For intrinsic properties, if you change the property in the effects window, the change automatically applies to all of the effects in the script that reference it. Because the Rack Type can depend on the circumstance (you set the Rack Type to "fan" for fanned effects but leave it blank for non-fanned effects), the Rack Type values in the script can be different for different rows referring to the same effect in the effect window.   Thus the Rack Type values can't just be references to an intrinsic property of the effect definition, or they would all be same in the script, and you therefore wouldn't be able to change them in the script. The field in the effect window is called "Rack Type Default" because that is the initial value for the "Rack Type" of the effect when it is inserted into the script, even though you can change it in the script after it is inserted.