DMX fixtures with gobos or moving heads or color wheels require setting up the wheels or head angles in advance of when the effect begins.  The time between the events that setup these conditions and the events that turn the effect on is called the DMX setup time.  Finale 3D effects automatically add the setup events in the exported script, so users generally do not need to worry about setup events or setup time at all, except if: You are examining the exported script and you want to understand why it contains events whose times don't seem to correspond to the script window in Finale 3D. Your show has separately triggered tracks that begin with an effect that requires setup time, and you want to shorten the setup time to make the track start more responsively when triggered. Regarding the first reason, a full explanation is given in The DMX Patch field.  The DMX Patch of an effect may specify setup events to prepare DMX channels, along with the ideal setup time to ensure the fixture motors accomplish preparing the wheels or angles by the time the effect begins.  If you insert an effect in the show at 10 seconds, and the effect has a 340ms DMX setup time, then the setup events would be inserted at 9.66 seconds -- unless the fixture has other effects ending closer to 10 seconds, in which case the setup events will be inserted with less of a time delta, to avoid overlap. Also, the Prefire column has a special meaning for exported DMX effects: it is the maximum "reach back" time for Move-To effects; and it is ignored for all other effects.  In spite of the fact that the Event Time in the script window takes the Prefire into account for all effects -- including DMX effects -- the DMX events in the exported script are based solely on the Effect Time and the setup time, not the Event Time and not the Prefire.  The reach back time is the time between a Move-To effect and the previous effect that defines the "from" angle. Regarding the second reason, if your show contains separately triggered tracks, the event times in the track are relative to the first event in the track.  If the first effect in the track adds setup events in advance of the visual effect, then the track will be relative to the earliest of those setup events, which creates a delay between when the track is triggered and the appearance of its first visual effect. Setup times in effects are conservatively long, giving the fixture motors enough time in even the worst conditions.  There's no reason for the setup times not to be conservative in a designed show, because it doesn't hurt to be a little early in preparation.  But for the first effect in a separately triggered track, the conservative setup time might introduce more latency than you want, relative to the consequences of possibly being a little late in preparation. The per-show setting called maxInitialDmxSetupDelayMs gives you the ability to shorten the maximum setup time in your show for the specific situation of the first effects in separately triggered tracks.  You can set this setting to any value, including zero, to limit the latency between when a track is triggered and when its first visual effect occurs.   Table 1 – Per-show settings that affect setup time Function name Type Meaning maxInitialDmxSetupDelayMs Integer count of milliseconds Limits setup time of first effect in separately triggered tracks

Finale 3D has the capability of importing show scripts created in other design software in a variety of formats, as well as do-it-yourself style CSV files.  Various script formats have different information.  For example, some have position names, and others don't.  Some have durations or prefires, and others don't.  For all imported script formats, Finale 3D will fill in any missing information with defaults, or will try to infer the missing information from other fields.   For example, if a script format includes effect size but doesn't include prefire or duration, Finale 3D can infer a reasonable default for the prefire and duration based on the effect description and size.   Table 1 – Supporting import formats. Script Being Imported File Type Variations Options When Importing Cobra / Show Creator CSV Standard script, Step script by events, Step script by tracks, Separate scripts for tracks None Do-it-yourself / Excel CSV Any columns matching Finale 3D script window Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Explo / Show Creator SHW --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Finale Business HBS --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Finale Generic CSV CSV Any columns matching Finale 3D script window Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation FireOne FIR --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Galaxis / Pyrotec Composer GS2 --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Pyromate / SmartShow CSV --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Pyrotronix PTX --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation Show Director SCX --- Angle convention, prefire units, duration units, chain interpretation     Many script formats -- especially from non-visual scripting programs -- include information fields that are not defined to have formal semantics, or meaning.  A user who enters information into a "Size" field, for example, may enter the number 12 without specifying whether that means millimeters or inches (or in some cases the number of shots of a cake!).  A user who enters an "Angle" of 0 may mean "straight up" or "horizontal to the left" or "horizontal to the right" depending on whatever angle convention the user follows. Since Finale 3D is a visual scripting program, the meaning of fields like the size or angle obviously matter.  When you import a script, Finale 3D can do a pretty good job guessing the correct meaning of information based on the numbers in the file and the file type and the conventions in the industry, so in many cases importing is a simple, one-click process.  For script formats in which there are significant questions, Finale 3D also gives you the ability to specify your conventions so as not to leave it up to chance.  The options are shown in Figure 1.   Figure 1 – Does “Quantity = 5” mean 5 chains or 5 shells?   Do-it-yourself CSV files A do-it-yourself CSV file is just a text file with comma separated values (that's what CSV means), which has a single header row indicating the field names, followed by one row per script line.  Each script line row contains the fields specified in the header row. If you make the field names match the column names in Finale 3D's script window exactly, then Finale 3D will be able to import the columns in your file.  You obviously don't need to import all the columns of the Finale 3D script window.  Just import the columns you need.  For example, if you import just "Description" and "Event Time", Finale 3D will be able to fill in the details.  If you add a "Position" column, then your effects will be spread out in their specified launch positions.   Importing coordinates and angles Finale 3D provides three options for importing angles: 1) an Angle column that contains side-to-side angles (the angle column may have a different name in some script formats), 2) a Coordinates column that contains position coordinates, 3D position angles, and 3D effect angles, and 3) individual columns named Pan, Tilt, and Spin.  Do-it-yourself CSV and Finale Generic CSV are the only formats that support options (2) and (3).  The other formats support (1) or don't support importing angles at all. The Angle column, option 1, interprets the angle as a side-to-side tilt angle.  If the imported effect is a cake, its imported pan = 0 so the cake faces the audience; if not a cake, its imported pan = 90 so the tilt angle, if present, tilts the effect from side to side instead of toward the audience.  The pan, tilt, and spin angles are explained in Effects coordinate system.  The import dialog shown in Figure 1 provides various options for interpreting the angles, such as whether up is zero or up is 90 degrees.  If the row represents multiple effects in a fan, the angles of all the effects in the fan can be represented in the Angle column as numbers separated by dashes, e.g., 60-90-120, a convention popularized by the Show Director software.  This convention is usually used in combination with the choice of up = 90 degrees to avoid confusion between dashes and minus signs. A Coordinates column, option 2, imports either three numbers separated by spaces or nine numbers separated by spaces.  If three numbers, they are the global coordinates of the positions in meters, as explained in Positions coordinate system: heading, pitch, roll.  If nine numbers, the first three are the global position coordinates; the next three are the global position angles as heading, pitch and roll; the last three are the position-relative effect angles as pan, tilt, and spin.  These coordinates and angles are explained in Positions coordinate system: heading, pitch, roll, and Effects coordinate system: pan, tilt, spin and also in the Coordinates row of Table 3 of Finale Generic CSV (full show export format). The Pan, Tilt, and Spin columns, option 3, directly import the position-relative effect angles. If using this method to import Pan angles, pay special attention to the choices for "Angle convention" in the import options dialog.  Choose an option that does not include "Ignore pan", and do not choose 'Guess based on file type'. Choosing either of these will result in the Pan angles not being imported.     Figure 2 – The Angle convention choice of "Guess" and the next four options all ignore the Pan column for importing.   Default position coordinates If the imported script file does not contain position coordinates, Finale 3D comes up with initial coordinates for the positions based on the maximum effect sizes in the positions, which determines the distance from the audience, and the position names.  Sometimes these initial coordinates look good, but they are just a guess.  

The Fire Control G2 firing system supports DMX for lights or special effects, and a variety of module types for pyro.  To create and export a script for the Fire Control G2 firing system, please follow these steps: Design the show. Choose module type per-position (right-click position and "Edit position properties"; optional). Address the show ("Addressing > Address show"). Export the script ("File > Export > Export firing scripts"). If your show uses a single type of module along with, optionally, DMX, then you can skip Step 2 and choose the module type for the entire show when you address the show in Step 3.  Step 3 creates the script ".fcp" file, which is a JSON file with a length header that you can import into your firing system or look at in a text browser.   Figure 1 – The Fire Control G2 firing system   The various different module types use different formatting for their pin numbers -- letters for Fire Control's own FM modules; hexadecimal numbers beginning with zero for Pyrodigital modules; and decimal numbers beginning with one for FireOne modules.  As you can see in Figure 2, Finale 3D supports all three formatting conventions, and applies the matching formatting convention for the module type in the script window.   Table 1 – File format and encoding File format Extension Text encoding Field delimiter End-of-line JSON fcp UTF-8, no BOM, preceded by 32 bit big-endian integer representing the length of the rest of the file N/A CRLF    The JSON script file for Fire Control G2 controllers is a "project" file that contains an "equipment" section and a "shows" section that together contain the information required to fire the show and to populate the user interface of the controller in a human readable way, including channel label names for any DMX fixtures used in the project. The "shows" section may contain multiple shows, and each show may contain multiple "cues", and each cue may contain multiple "events".  The hierarchical organization of the project as shows and cues is based on the use of the "Track" field of the script in Finale 3D, as explained in Table 2 below (please unhide the "Track" field in the script window to see it).  If the you leave the Track field in Finale 3D blank, the project will contain a single show, which will have a single cue representing the entire show, and the event times in the cue will be relative to the beginning of the show in Finale 3D unless you have explicitly added a show export offset in the "Show > Set show information..." dialog.  In other words, leaving the Track column blank in Finale 3D results in a full show script, as you would use for a pyromusical. If you want to organize parts of the show in Finale 3D as shows and cues on the Fire Control G2 controller, you will use the Track field in Finale 3D as shown in Table 2.   Table 2 – Special characteristics Special characteristics Description Module types For exported Fire Control G2 scripts, Finale 3D supports Pyrodigital, FireOne, and Fire Control FM16 modules, in addition to DMX, in the same show. Pyrodigital (16 pins) and DMX FireOne (32 pins) and DMX Fire Control G2 FM16 (16 pins) and DMX You can set the module type on a per-position based by right-clicking the position in Finale 3D and doing "Edit position properties".  If all modules are in the show are the same type, then you can simply select the module type when addressing the show; and setting the position properties is unnecessary. Tracks (shows and cues) The Fire Control G2 script organizes sections and subsections of the Finale 3D show file as "shows" and "cues", corresponding to values in Finale 3D's "Track" field. If you leave the Track field in Finale 3D empty, then the exported script file will contain a single "show" named "Show #1" with a single cue named "Cue #1", and the times of the events will be relative to the beginning of the show in Finale 3D. If you specify one or more Track values, then the exported script file can contain multiple "shows" or "cues", and the times of the events will be relative to the first event in each cue. To use the Track field to divide the Finale 3D show into "shows" and "cues", set the Track value to : show name : cue name to specify a show and cue for the event (no spaces before or after the colon).  If you set the Track value to a name without a colon, that will define a cue name alone, for a default show name.  Thus if you want a single show and multiple cues, you do not need to concern yourself with entering show names or colon characters.  Likewise, if you want multiple shows each with one default cue for the entire show, then you can set the Track value to the show name, followed by colon, with no cue name. In the Finale 3D script, the track sections can be in any order, but must not contain any interwoven or overlapping events.  Separate tracks in DMX scripts therefore need separate safety channels. Wing (backup cues) The Fire Control G2 user interface supports binding cues to faders on the system wing panel.   The cues available to bind are in a special show called "backups" in the "shows" section of the script file.  If you want to designate some sections of your show as backup cues that can be bound to wing faders, use the "Track" field in Finale 3D to create a show in the show section of the script file named "backups".  See the "Shows section" paragraph below for further details. Structure of G2 script file The Fire Control G2 script is a JSON file with these four key/value pairs: { "id": "1068bbe1-f0f2-4e74-93ba-9cb9fe4d49c3", "name": "test-fire-control01", "equipment": <equipment section>, "shows": <shows section> } The "id" is a GUID created at the time of export, identifying the project.  The "name" is the name of the show in Finale 3D.  The "equipment" and "shows" are explained below.  The term "show" in Fire Control's terminology is different from the definition of a "show" in Finale 3D, which is a separate .fin file. Equipment section Finale 3D writes fields for fm, pd, f1, and dmx in the equipment section if they are used in the show. "equipment": { "fm": [{ "addr": "1", "id": "{c612ca16-8dc1-4714-ba38-0832557e492d}", "pos": ["0", "0"], "hwgen": "G1", "relay": "false", "wless": "false"}], "pd": [{ "addr": "2", "id": "{2bda2bbe-f86b-406c-9d42-1f81cf60eae4}", "pos": ["0", "0"]}], "f1": [{ "addr": "3", "id": "{90da29c8-6d29-45f8-a3c5-694d4a87b2fa}", "pos": ["0", "0"]}], "dmx": [{"addr": "1", "id": "{f74a2dab-52a6-4680-ae23-40db816ff285}", "name": "04DMX","channels": [{ "address": "1", "name": "ON/OFF"}] }, {"addr": "10", "id": "{ebb4a6d1-3d25-4972-ae9f-65e43d6b9a24}", "name": "05DMX", "channels": [{"address": "10", "name": "Angle"}, {"address": "11", "name": "Speed"}, {"address": "12", "name": "Ignition" }, {"address": "13","name": "Open Time"}, {"address": "14","name": "Macro"}, {"address": "15","name": "Safety Channel"}]}]} In the equipment section of the script, all equipment (modules) other than DMX fixtures will contain the following variable properties: "addr": "1" "id": "{c612ca16-8dc1-4714-ba38-0832557e492d}" "pos": ["0", "0"] The "addr" field is the integer module number beginning with "1", a global address for all modules in the project of all types, excluding DMX.   The "id" is a GUID used to identify the piece of equipment, created at time of export.  The "pos" coordinates are zero since they appear to be unsupported in Fire Control G2. The Fire Control G2 FM16 module equipment definitions exported by Finale 3D will also contain the following constant properties with pre-defined values: "hwgen": "G1" "relay": "false" "wless": "false" The DMX fixtures in the equipment section contain properties of the form, "addr": "1" "id": "{f74a2dab-52a6-4680-ae23-40db816ff285}" "name": "04DMX" "channels": [{ "address": "1", "name": "ON/OFF" }] wherein "addr" is the DMX Channel Base from Finale 3D, "name" is the position name, "id" is a GUID created at time of export, and "channels" are an array of absolute channel numbers (as you would see on the fixture itself, not offsets relative to the DMX Channel Base) and their names. Shows section The shows section of the script contains an array of "shows" each with the fields shown below.  The "shows" in an exported Fire Control G2 script are parts of a single show file in Finale 3D. "shows": [{ "project": "1068bbe1-f0f2-4e74-93ba-9cb9fe4d49c3", "id": "6c72fe99-1bba-4dee-9015-018c55507c73", "name": "showx", "timer": "internal", "cues": <cues section> }, { "project": "1068bbe1-f0f2-4e74-93ba-9cb9fe4d49c3", etc... }] The "project" field refers to the GUID of the project file.  The "id" field is a GUID created at time of export identifying the show -- unless the show is named "backups" in which case the "id" field value is "backups" instead of a GUID.   In the Fire Control G2 software, cues in the "backups" show can be bound to faders on the wing. The name of the show is either "Show #1" by default, or a name extracted from the "Track" field in Finale 3D, as explained below.  The "timer" field is always "internal" for shows exported from Finale 3D.  The cue section is defined below. Cues section The cues sections of shows define separately triggerable sections of a show.  Cues and shows in Fire Control G2 terminology are both extracted from the "Track" field in Finale 3D.  If the Track fields are blank in Finale 3D, the single show in the exported script will contain a single cue called "Cue #1" by default.  In this case, the event times will be relative to the beginning of the show in Finale 3D unless you have explicitly added a show export offset in the "Show > Set show information..." dialog. "cues": [{ "note": "B", "state": "NotFired", "events": <events section> }, { "note": "C", etc... }] The "note" field is the name of the cue, which is extracted from the Track field in Finale 3D.  The "state" field is always written as "NotFired" from Finale 3D.  The "events" field is an array explained below. Events section  The events section contains the firing events and DMX events, sorted by time and intermixed.  The events refer to the hardware in the equipment section by GUID.  The key/value pairs in the events have some differences between the module types and additional differences for DMX events. "events": [{ "time": "0", "out": "0", "note": "Red Comet", "type": "pyro", "fm": "{c612ca16-8dc1-4714-ba38-0832557e492d}" }, { "time": "0", "out": "0", "note": "Red Comet", "type": "pd", "pd": "{2bda2bbe-f86b-406c-9d42-1f81cf60eae4}" }, { "time": "0", "out": "0", "note": "Red Comet", "type": "f1", "f1": "{90da29c8-6d29-45f8-a3c5-694d4a87b2fa}" }, { "time": "0", "dmx": "{f74a2dab-52a6-4680-ae23-40db816ff285}", "type": "dmx", "chan": "0", "holdlevel": "255", "holdtime": "300" }] The "time" is an integer in milliseconds, relative to the start of the cue.  The "out" field is the pin number represented as a decimal integer index beginning with zero, independent of the module type.  Pin numbers for Pyrodigital modules are thus 0-15, not 0-F; and for FireOne are 0-31, not 1-32; and for Pyro Control modules are 0-15, not A-P.  The "note" is the effect name.  The "type" is "pyro" for fm modules, and is "pd" or "f1" for pd and f1 modules, respectively; and is "dmx" for dmx events.  The "fm" or "pd" or "f1" or "dmx" field contains a GUID referring to the corresponding module or fixture defined in the equipment section. DMX events contain "chan" which is a 0-based index into the channels of the DMX personality of the fixture defined in the equipment section.  The "holdlevel" is the channel value and "holdtime" is the duration for which the value is held before being reset to zero.  Fire Control G2 controllers support additional DMX controls for fading up and down before and after a hold time, but Finale 3D does not currently use these capabilities. Exported scripts from Finale 3D may contain long "holdtime" values for events that are held indefinitely in the show design, such as an angle of a moving head or a flamer nozzle, for which it may not be desirable to reset the value to zero in between shots.  While these long "holdtime" values may appear awkward when viewed in the Pyro Control G2 interface, they are not errors.   When you address a show containing different module types for the Fire Control G2 controller, the rail and pin addresses in Finale 3D may be in different formats, as shown in Figure 2.   Figure 2 – Script with three positions using three different types of modules -- FM, PD, and F1.   Table 3 – Example files Download link Explanation test-fire-control01.fcp Example exported file  (CSV) test-fire-control01.fin Example show file (FIN)

The Sigma Services FireFly unit is a single or multi-head flame projector that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.  The Standard Fixture IDs are 037 for the 4-head version, and 038 for the 8-head version.   Figure 1 – Sigma Services FireFly   Unlike fixed multi-head fixtures, the heads of the FireFly can be positioned independently.  It is thus natural when designing a show visually in Finale 3D to represent each head as an independent fixture position, located and oriented however you want -- while at the same time keeping all the heads as part of the same fixture in the exported DMX script. The DMX personality of the FireFly organizes the channels for each head sequentially for each DMX attribute.  In other words, for each attribute the DMX channel for head #2 is equal to the DMX channel for head #1 + 1; and the DMX channel for head #3 is equal to the DMX channel for head #1 + 2, etc.  Thus,  to keep all the heads of a FireFly as part of the same fixture in the exported DMX script, you simply need to assign the heads' fixture positions to have the same DMX Universe and sequential DMX Channel Base numbers.  The DMX Channel Base of head #1 is the DMX Channel Base for the entire fixture.  The DMX Channel Base of head #2 is that number + 1, etc. Normally, Finale 3D puts up warning dialogs if fixtures have overlapping channel ranges.  The fixture definition for FireFly includes a special parameter "disableOverlappingChannelRangeWarnings" since what Finale 3D would perceive as overlapping channel ranges is actually your way of splitting up the channel range of the fixture into multiple fixture positions representing the heads.   Table 1 – DMX channels for 4CH fixture DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Head #1 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Head #2 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Head #3 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Head #4 ON/OFF (0-127 = OFF; 128-255 = ON) Various part numbers in the range SGMA1000- SGMA1013 Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Head #1 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013 Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Head #2 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013 Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Head #3 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013 Channel 8 (DMX Channel Base + 7) Head #4 arm and pilot light (0-127 = disarmed and pilot light off; 128-255 = armed and pilot light on) SGMA1006 and SGMA1013   Usage guidance from Sigma Services Do not leave the pilot flame on for more than 5 minutes at a time without a cool down to minimize temperature buildup. Try to arrange safety pilot periods of 45 seconds or longer, to avoid turning it on and off too frequently. Turn the pilot flame on 10 seconds before it is needed for an effect sequence. To ensure the gas valve fully opens, set flame durations to a minimum of 1/3 second. The pilot flame is turned on by way of the "With Safety Channel And Pilot Flame" effect in Finale 3D, so in keeping with the manufacturer guidance you should insert safety channel effects for each head in Finale 3D approximately 10 seconds before effect sequences applying to the head; and adjust the durations of the safety channel effects to cover the periods of activity, aiming for periods of 45 seconds or longer with cool down periods in between. On account of guidance item #4, the durations for the Standard Effects in Finale 3D for FireFly fixtures are longer than for other fixtures, beginning at 0.33 seconds instead of 0.1 seconds.   Pilot Light / Safety Channel effects For the Sigma Services FireFly fixtures, Finale 3D treats the pilot light, arming, and safety channel functions as one and the same.  Thus turning on the pilot light is the same thing as turning on the safety channel.  The name of the effect is "FFLY8CH [038/0000] With Pilot Light / Safety Channel". Each head has its own pilot light, and thus each head, represented by its own position in Finale 3D configured as the fixture with the appropriate DMX Channel Base, needs its own "With Pilot Light / Safety Channel" effect to turn on its pilot light for its duration of operation.  Since the fixture requires separate safety channels per head, Finale 3D does not provide a warning dialog for missing safety channel as it does for other simpler fixtures that only need a single safety channel.   Instructions To design a show for Sigma Services FireFly units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Generally follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems  except that for FireFly fixture you will create a separate fixture position for each head of the fixture, as described above. Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each fixture its own DMX universe, or give each fixture a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical fixture's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture to match the Start Address exactly. Add the Assorted DMX supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the Assorted DMX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Assorted DMX catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of Assorted fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the fixture positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each multi-head fixture requires twice the number of DMX channels as it has heads, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the head #1 position of the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  Successive heads for the same fixture, represented by separate fixture positions in Finale 3D, should have the DMX Channel Base of the first head + n, where n is 0 for the first head, 1 for the second head, and so on. A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 4-head fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 4-head fixture Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-8 (the four positions representing the four heads having DMX Channel Base of 1, 2, 3, and 4) 2 9 9-16 (the four positions representing the four heads having DMX Channel Base of 9, 10, 11, and 12) 3 17 17-24 4 25 25-32 5 33 33-40 6 41 41-48 7 49 49-56 8 57 57-64 9 65 65-72 10 73 73-81 ... 64 505 505-512     Taking a closer look at the 4-head fixture channel range example of Table 2, consider a possible plan that uses two fixtures in the first two ranges, from channel 1-17.  Both fixtures have four heads, each represented as a fixture position in Finale 3D.  The DMX Channel Bases of those eight heads are shown in Table 3.   Table 3 – Example DMX Channel Base for heads of two 4-head fixtures, back-to-back Head DMX Channel Base Specific Channels Used Fixture 1, Head #1 1 1, 5 Fixture 1, Head #2 2 2, 6 Fixture 1, Head #3 3 3, 7 Fixture 1, Head #4 4 4, 8 Fixture 2, Head #1 9 9, 13 Fixture 2, Head #2 10 10, 14 Fixture 2, Head #3 11 11, 15 Fixture 2, Head #4 12 12, 16     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation Firefly Manual with Four Channel Control_Revision 00_05_16_2017.pdf Sigma Services FireFly user manual test-show-3-x-4-channel-sigma-fixtures.fin Example show

The Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH unit is a 5-head flame projector that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH   The Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH does not have a safety channel.  Its 7-channel DMX personality includes channels for independent control of the five heads, and a macro channel for eight pre-programmed sequences that can be played at several different speeds based on a speed/max duration channel.  Initiating a flame shot requires both the speed/max duration channel and the ON/OFF channel for the flame head to be ON; terminating a flame shot occurs immediately when either the speed/max duration channel or the ON/OFF channel for the flame head is reset to zero.     Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Speed and max duration (1-99 = OFF; 100-120 = ON for 0.2s; 121-140 = ON for 0.5s; 141-160 = ON for 1s; 161-180 = ON for 1.4s; 181-200 = ON for 1.85s; 201-220 = ON for 2.11s; 221-240 = ON for 2.33s; 241-255 = ON for 3s; for macros, the max duration is the time of each individual shot in the macro pattern; these are measured times, which are believed to be more accurate than the times specified in the attached documentation) Part numbers ANON1000 - ANON1047 Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Head 1 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Head 2 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 4 (DMX Channel Base + 3) Head 3 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 5 (DMX Channel Base + 4) Head 4 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 6 (DMX Channel Base + 5) Head 5 ON/OFF (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; set to 0 to reset after automatic shutoff after max duration) Various part numbers in the range ANON1000 - ANON1020 Channel 7 (DMX Channel Base + 6) Fire macro (1-33 = sequence 1>2>3>4>5; 34-50 = sequence 5>4>3>2>1; 51-76 = sequence 1>5>2>4>3; 77-109 = sequence 3>4+2>5+1; 110-136 sequence 1+5>4+2>3; 137-160 = sequence 5>1>2>4>3; 161-179 = sequence 3>4>2>1>5; 180-203 = sequence 3>4>2>5>1; 204-255 = all together 1+2+3+4+5) Part numbers ANON1021 - ANON1047   Instructions To design a show for Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems.  Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each 5 Head Flamer its own DMX universe, or give each 5 Head Flamer a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical 5 Head Flamer unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture to match the Start Address exactly. Add the Assorted DMX supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the Assorted DMX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Assorted DMX catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of Assorted fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the 5 Head Flamer positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each 5 Head Flamer fixture requires multiple channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Table 2 shows an example for 5 Head Flamer fixtures.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for 5 Head Flamer 7CH fixtures Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-7 2 8 8-14 3 15 15-21 4 22 22-28 5 29 29-35 6 36 36-42 7 43 43-49 8 50 50-56 9 57 57-63 10 64 64-70 ... 73 505 505-511     Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation Fan Flame Machine.pdf Anonymous 5 Head Flamer 7CH user manual

The Auvi Spark unit is a variable height, vertical sparks machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   Figure 1 – Auvi Spark   The Spark has a three-channel DMX personality.   The first channel turns on the heater and enables the effect (Pre-Heat And Safety Channel).  The second channel is the density setting.  The third channel is the height setting and ON/OFF (height = 0 means OFF).   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Pre-heat on (255 = ON) Part number AUV1018, "AUVSPK [014/0000] With Pre-Heat And Safety Channel" Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) Density (0 = OFF; 255 = ON; intermediate values appear to be same as 255) Part numbers AUV1000- AUV1017 Channel 3 (DMX Channel Base + 2) Sparks off (0 = OFF) or on at varying height (0-99 = a little unreliable; 100 = about 5ft, 255 = about 10ft) Part numbers AUV1000- AUV1017 representing spark fountain effects with small, medium, large height at durations from 0.1s to 1s   Instructions To design a show for Auvi Spark units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems.  Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each Spark its own DMX universe, or give each Spark a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Spark unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture to match the Start Address exactly. Add the Assorted DMX supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the Assorted DMX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The Assorted DMX catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of Assorted fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add spark fountain effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Spark positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Also add a "With Pre-Heat And Safety Channel" effect (e.g., part number GFX2018) and adjust its duration to cover the active time range.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Spark fixture requires three channels, so if you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 2 – Example channel ranges for Spark fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used 1 1 1-3 2 4 4-6 3 7 7-9 4 10 10-12 5 13 13-15 6 16 16-18 7 19 19-21 8 22 22-24 9 25 25-27 10 28 28-30 ... 169 508 508-510   Table 3 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation auvi-spark-user-manual.pdf Auvi Spark user manual

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

The MagicFX Flameblazer unit (Standard Fixture ID 025) is a vertical, fixed height flame machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   It generates a flame column 6-10 meters high, depending on nozzle used.   Figure 1 – MagicFX Flameblazer   The Flameblazer fixture has a one-channel DMX personality, plus a separately configurable safety channel address.   Since the safety channel address is configured separately from the DMX personality for MagicFX Flameblazer fixtures, you need to create a separate safety channel fixture position with the DMX channel base address equal to the safety channel address for which your fixture was configured.   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) ON/OFF (0-199 = OFF, 200-255 = ON) See supplier catalog.     Table 2 – DMX channels for safety position (DMX Fixture Type of "MagicFX [017] Safety Channel") DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Safety channel (0-99 = OFF, 100-154 = ON, 165-255 = OFF) Part number MAFX9799, “MAGFX [017/0000] Safety Channel”   Instructions To design a show for MagicFX Flameblazer units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems.  Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each Flameblazer its own DMX universe, or give each Flameblazer a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Stage Flame unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture position to match the Start Address exactly.  (D) In the real world configure each physical Flameblazer unit's "Safety Channel Address"; multiple fixtures can share the same safety channel address even if they do not share the same address range for their DMX personalities. (E) In Finale 3D create one or more safety channel fixture positions, and configure their "DMX Channel Base" to match the Safety Channel Address exactly. Add the MagicFX supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the MagicFX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The MagicFX catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of MagicFX fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Flameblazer positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Add a "Safety Channel" effect to the safety channel fixture position and adjust its duration to cover the time range of activity.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Flameblazer fixture requires one channel plus the safety channel, configured separately to an independent address.  If you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 3 – Example channel ranges for Flameblazer fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used Safety 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 ... 511 512 512     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation MAGICFX_FLAMEBLAZER_MANUAL_HR.pdf MagicFX Flameblazer user manual

The MagicFX Stage Flame unit (Standard Fixture IDs 021, 022, and 023) is a vertical, fixed height flame machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   It generates a flame column approximately 3-6 meters high, depending on whether it is operating in Aerosol mode (Standard Fixture ID021), Gas mode (Standard Fixture ID 022), or Big-flame mode (Standard Fixture ID 023).   Figure 1 – MagicFX Stage Flame   In Aerosol mode and Gas mode, the Stage Flame fixture has a one-channel DMX personality, plus a separately configurable safety channel address.   The Big-flame mode requires two channels, plus the separately configurable safety channel address.  Finale 3D requires the two channels of the Big-flame mode to be consecutive channel numbers.  Thus if you are allocating channel ranges in a DMX universe for Big-flame mode Stage Flame fixtures, you should allocate a pair of channels for each independent fixture. The first channel in the personality specifies the height.  The second channel turns on the effect.  A safety channel effect is also required to enable the fixture.  Since the safety channel address is configured separately from the DMX personality for MagicFX Stage Flame fixtures, you need to create a separate safety channel fixture position and set the DMX channel base to a independent address.  When you configure your physical fixture in the real world using the LED display, you need to set both the safety channel address and the start address for the flame channels.   Table 1 – DMX channels for Aerosol mode and Gas mode (Fixture ID 021 and 022) DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) ON/OFF (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) See supplier catalog.     Table 2 – DMX channels for Big-flame mode (Fixture ID 023) DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) ON/OFF for aerosol (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) See supplier catalog. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) ON/OFF for gas (0 = OFF, 255 = ON) See supplier catalog.   Table 3 – DMX channels for safety position (DMX Fixture Type of "MagicFX [017] Safety Channel") DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Safety channel (0-101 = OFF, 102-163 = ON, 164-255 = OFF) Part number MAFX9799, “MAGFX [017/0000] Safety Channel”   Instructions To design a show for MagicFX Stage Flame units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems.  Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each Stage Flame its own DMX universe, or give each Stage Flame a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Stage Flame unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture position to match the Start Address exactly.  (D) In the real world configure each physical Stage Flame unit's "Safety Channel Address"; multiple fixtures can share the same safety channel address even if they do not share the same address range for their DMX personalities. (E) In Finale 3D create one or more safety channel fixture positions, and configure their "DMX Channel Base" to match the Safety Channel Address exactly. Add the MagicFX supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the MagicFX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The MagicFX catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of MagicFX fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add flame effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Stage Flame positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Add a "Safety Channel" effect to the safety channel fixture position and adjust its duration to cover the time range of activity.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Stage Flame fixture requires one or two channels plus the safety channel, configured separately to an independent address.  If you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 4 – Example channel ranges for Stage Flame fixtures in Big-flame mode (two-channel DMX personality) in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used Safety 1 1 1 2 2-3 2 4 4-5 3 6 6-7 4 8 8-9 5 10 10-11 6 12 12-13 7 14 14-15 8 16 16-17 9 18 18-19 ... 255 510 510-511     Table 5 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation MAGICFX_STAGE-FLAME_MANUAL MagicFX Stage Flame user manual

The MagicFX Sparxtar unit (Standard Fixture ID 019) is a vertical, variable height sparks machine that can be controlled by any of the DMX-capable firing systems, such as Piroshow, Pyromac, PyroSure, fireTEK, Cobra, and Mongoose.   It generates spark fountains approximately 2-5 meters high, with variable height specified in the DMX signal.   Figure 1 – MagicFX Sparxtar   The Sparxtar has variable height.  The MagicFX supplier catalog of effects in Finale 3D contains Sparxtar effects for a range of durations and three heights (small, medium, and large).  You can create your own custom duration or height effects as described below. The Sparxtar has a two-channel DMX personality, plus a separately configurable safety channel address.   The first channel in the personality specifies the height.  The second channel turns on the effect.  A safety channel effect is also required to enable the fixture.  Since the safety channel address is configured separately from the two-channel DMX personality for MagicFX Sparxtar fixtures, you need to create a separate safety channel fixture position with the DMX channel base address equal to the safety channel address for which your fixture was configured.   Table 1 – DMX channels DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Height (0 = about 2m; 255 = about 4.5m) See supplier catalog. Channel 2 (DMX Channel Base + 1) ON/OFF (0-63 = OFF; 64-127 = empty heater; 128-255 = ON). See supplier catalog.   Table 2 – DMX channels for safety position (DMX Fixture Type of "MagicFX [017] Safety Channel") DMX Channel Meaning Effect in Finale 3D that controls channel Channel 1 (DMX Channel Base + 0) Safety channel (0-101 = OFF, 102-163 = ON, 164-255 = OFF) Part number MAFX9799, “MAGFX [017/0000] Safety Channel”   Instructions To design a show for MagicFX Sparxtar units, please follow these steps:  Set up.  (A) Follow the flame set up instructions in the Flame systems basic instructions and Exporting a firing system script for flame systems.  Depending on your DMX controller, you may choose to give each Sparxtar its own DMX universe, or give each Sparxtar a channel range in a shared DMX universe.  (B) In the real world configure each physical Sparxtar unit's "Start Address" to be the start of the channel range you allocate for it. (C) In Finale 3D configure the "DMX Channel Base" of the fixture position to match the Start Address exactly.  (D) In the real world configure each physical Sparxtar unit's "Safety Channel Address"; multiple fixtures can share the same safety channel address even if they do not share the same address range for their two-channel DMX personalities. (E) In Finale 3D create one or more safety channel fixture positions, and configure their "DMX Channel Base" to match the Safety Channel Address exactly. Add the MagicFX supplier catalog to your Finale 3D account.  Login to the finale3d.com website.  At the top of the page, go to “My Account > Supplier Catalog Settings” (www.finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings/).  Find the MagicFX supplier catalog in the table, and turn the switch to ON.  Then launch the Finale 3D application and synch to network.  The MagicFX catalog will appear as one of the available collections in the effects window, which you can choose from the selector at the top of the window.  This catalog contains effects for all types of MagicFX fixtures currently supported in Finale 3D, together. Add spark fountain effects to the show.  (A) Right-click on the Sparxtar positions to add compatible effects from the context menu or to filter the effects window to compatible effects.   (B)  Add a "Safety Channel" effect to the safety channel fixture position and adjust its duration to cover the time range of activity.   Choosing the DMX channel ranges for fixtures Each Sparxtar fixture requires two channels plus the safety channel, configured separately to an independent address.  If you are putting multiple fixtures in the same DMX Universe, you need to set the Start Address on the fixture in the real world and the corresponding DMX Channel Base on the fixture in Finale 3D to a range of channels that doesn't overlap with others.  A DMX universe has channels 1-512.  If you want to pack as many fixtures into the 512 channels of a DMX universe as you can, back-to-back ranges are the most efficient.  Some DMX firing systems only support 50 or 100 channels, so you may not have all 512 channels to work with.   Table 3 – Example channel ranges for Sparxtar fixtures in a DMX universe Fixture DMX Channel Base Channels Used Safety 1 1 1 2 2-3 2 4 4-5 3 6 6-7 4 8 8-9 5 10 10-11 6 12 12-13 7 14 14-15 8 16 16-17 9 18 18-19 ... 255 510 510-511     Table 4 – Example files and downloads Download link Explanation MAGICFX_SPARXTAR_MANUAL.pdf MagicFX Sparxtar user manual