Total found:3007
Hazard /Disable groups question for Cobra V7.x
Is there a way to set an entire position and/or rack cluster to a hazard group ? example 1: a position dedicated to salutes, everything that got put in that position would be part of a hazard definition / disable group automatically example 2: a specific rack cluster with effects that could “touch down” that may need to be excluded based on site conditions/wind
Reply To: Cobra Custom Module Virtual Slats
Looking in the Positions window, it appears there can only be one Custom_Module in the entire display, is this accurate? Shouldn’t you be able to do custom modules for each firing system or at the very least, for each universe? Isn’t the point of the addressing blueprints to be able to set address settings for each position and therefore setting virtual slats for an address blueprint should be included there. I hope this feature is built in and I’m missing something with virtual slats. There should be a virtual slats window that lets you define slats for each type of firing system, right?
Cobra Custom Module Virtual Slats
I’m using two universes, one is a cobra, one is using the custom CSV feature. Both systems are addressing but I’m running into a bug or something. I have a row of 18M’s that will run Dragons Breath fuel mines and ground salutes using a 6s slat for each position. My middle row is in my own universe called FanFire, with a Firing system in position properties called Csv and a Module or Slat Type “Custom Module”, this works fine. For the 18M’s, when I pick Firing System: Cobra, Module or Slat Type: Custom Module it changes the Firing System back to CSV. I need to be able to select Cobra for the firing system with a custom module so it creates the virtual slats (cues 1-6, 7-12, 13-18) for each section. The Firing positions that use a single 18M have the same section listed. Can there be only one “Custom Module” in the entire show, if so, doesn’t this defeat the whole point of the Universe system? When I go to Custom Module and choose the Firing System and adjust the Rail address template, why does it apply to all custom modules. You should be able to define custom modules for each firing system. The help documents talk about virtual slats, is there some field I’m not seeing somewhere to define virtual slats for the Cobra system while still having another universe that uses CSV and its own custom modules? Derrick
Reply To: Rack Layout Image
Thank you for this clarification.
Reply To: Degrees specifications (potential bug???)
Hey Curtis B, I’m having trouble reproducing the fan + pan issue. Below is a video showing my steps. If you’re still encountering the problem, reply with a Loom video (loom.com) to help me understand the reproduction path.
Reply To: Gold Strobe Breaks
Strobing Willow is one of the newest VDL terms/effects. It’s a dramatic improvement from not having strobing Willow, but there’s no question it needs some more love. Gold Tip Strobing Willow is a case where you won’t get a good result – it doesn’t produce a trail containing gold tipped micro stars. Another current limitation is that adding a tip to a strobing willow star requires the effect editor. The good news is these are easy tweaks to make in the effect editor and I’m also confident we’ll be able to further improve the VDL capabilities at some point.
Reply To: Nov 2023 Cakes Contest // Official Topic & FAQ
Hey Walker Pyrotechnics, prioritizing catalog development by most requested is exactly what we are doing. For example, the demand for Raccoon and Wizard pro line catalogs was massive, so we tackled those earlier this year. One exception is when a catalog is developed by a manufacturer or distributor themselves. In those cases, we simply publish what we’re given which doesn’t interrupt the ongoing focus on most requested.
Reply To: Monitor Scaling
Hey MT Pyro, in you display settings, you should have separate options for resolution and scaling for each monitor. Have you tried adjusting both? Keep in mind, you will have to restart Finale 3D after each display settings adjustment in order to see how the adjustment impacts the appearance of Finale 3D.
Reply To: Trouble creating Double Wing Slice Cake – RA143035
Hi Barehm and Curtis B, I think there may be a little confusion on terminology or about the function of the “effect editor” versus the “exact syntax”. These are independent aspects of VDL. The effect editor allows you to customize the visual appearance of individual effect simulations. This result in effects being represented by stings of text inside curly braces { }. Separately, the exact syntax is used to specify the firing pattern and timing of a cake when it can’t be represented by one of the standard firing patterns. Here’s an example of a cake that contains a custom effect and uses exact syntax. The custom effect is highlighted in bold. 1.2″ 24 Shot (a) {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} Cake, 1 Row (-15a48/15a/-15a/15a/-23a/23a/-31a/31a/-39a/39a47/-47a/47a/-55a/55a/-55a/55a/-47a/47a/-39a/39a/-31a/31a/-23a/23a/CAK) Here’s an example of a cake that doesn’t contain a custom simulation and uses the exact syntax. The exact syntax portion is highlighted in bold. 1.2″ 72 Shot Cake (a) 1.8 DUR 35 HTM Small Very Bright Very Sparse Very Sparse Sparse Very Long Blue Mine Above + (b) 1.2 DUR 10 HTM Slightly Big Very Dense Green Strobing Mine + (c) 0.8 DUR 25 HTM Small Very Sparse Very Sparse Sparse Short Orange Strobing Willow Mine, 1 Row (-15a0/b/c/15a/b/c45/-25a0/b/c/25a/b/c60/-35a0/b/c/35a/b/c60/-45a0/b/c/45a/b/c60/-55a0/b/c/55a/b/c60/-65a0/b/c/65a/b/c289/-65a0/b/c/65a/b/c60/-55a0/b/c/55a/b/c60/-45a0/b/c/45a/b/c60/-35a0/b/c/35a/b/c60/-25a0/b/c/25a/b/c60/-15a0/b/c/15a/b/c/CAK)
Rack “row” and standard orientation
To create a rack with multiple rows of tubes or tube holders, and to have that rack appear in rack layout diagrams with the pin number text oriented upright, it is necessary to understand Finale 3D‘s definition of “row” and “standard orientation”. The meaning of “row” in rack definitions in Finale 3D is a line of tubes that either tilt together or fan out along the line. This meaning makes sense for wooden racks for shells, because everyone would agree that the rack in Figure 1 is one row of tubes. Figure 1 –The meaning of “row” in rack definitions is a line of tubes that either tilt together or fan out along the line. For racks with multiple rows, row #1 is on the left in the orientation of the rack definition, which would point toward the audience or down in the rack layout view if the rack is not rotated. Imagine if the rack of Figure 1 had four rows, side by side, and the tubes could fan out within the rows, i.e., a Fan row rack. It would look a lot like the rack in Figure 2. Figure 2 –In fan row racks, the rows are perpendicular to the pivot rods that the holders rotate around. In fan row racks, the rows are perpendicular to the pivot rods that the holders rotate around. It is easy to tell how many rows a fan row rack has by just by looking at the knobs on the ends of the rods. Count the number of tube holders that rotate around a rod. That’s the number of rows! Fan row racks are usually rotated 90° counter-clockwise to make the rows aim sideways for tubes within them to make left/right fans from the audience perspective. Figure 3 –In tiltable row racks, the rows are the tracks that the tubes slide onto. In a Tiltable Row Rack like in Figure 3, the rows are the tracks that the tubes slide onto. To tell how many rows a tiltable row rack has, just count the tracks. Tiltable row racks are usually not rotated in the rack layout because the rows aim forward and tilt sideways to make left/right fans from the audience perspective. A trick to remember A trick to remember the row orientation in the rack definitions versus when rotated in the rack layout view is: Hold your left arm out in front of you, wrist bent, fingers together pointing down. Your fingers are the rows, pinky finger being row #1. The tube numbers counting “By rows, left to right” start with the first pin at the base of the pinky finger, progressing down to the finger tip, then continuing at the base of the ring finger. If the rack is rotated 90° counter-clockwise to make the rows horizontal from the audience perspective, that’s like rotating your hand 90° counter-clockwise. In that orientation the first row represented by your pinky finger is closest to the ground, which is equivalent to closest to the audience in the rack layout view. Finale 3D includes options to count tubes in other orders like “By rows, right to left” and “Across rows, right to left” (see Tube loading order). You can use the hand/finger trick to visualize the tube numbers in the rack definition versus rotated in the rack layout. The order definitions are interpreted in the orientation of the rack definition (left hand fingers pointing down). Thus the order “By rows, right to left” begins with pin 1 at the base of the index finger, progressing to the finger tip. If the rack is rotated 90° counter-clockwise in the rack layout, pin 1 would be in the back left, and pins 2, 3, 4, … would progress to the right. Standard orientation In shows, fan row racks are usually oriented with the fan angles going from side to side. Finale 3D offers the choice in the “Create rack” dialog to change the standard orientation of the rack to be rotated 90° counter-clockwise to make rows sideways to the audience by default. Changing the standard orientation doesn’t change the meaning of rows in the rack definition. It just changes the default orientation that the rack will appear in when added to the show, and it changes the orientation of the pin number text and other text to be upright when the rack is in its standard orientation. Figure 4 –The standard orientation dictates the orientation of the pin number text and other text. When adding racks to the rack layout of a show, the racks must be in the correct orientation to accommodate the effect angles. If the effects are angled left and right, the rack’s rows need to be aiming left/right. It is hard to tell from looking at a single-shot rack’s tube circles in the rack layout view which direction the rows are aiming since the rows could run in either direction, so Finale 3D draws the rod end knobs on the sides of the rack, indicating the direction of the rods. It is easy to imagine the tubes rotating around the rods, which tells you whether the rows are aiming in the right direction. Figure 5 –The little knobs on the sides of the rack are the ends of the rods that the tube holders rotate around.