FINALE FIREWORKS USER GUIDE

Transcription

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2 FINALE FIREWORKS USER GUIDE

3 Contents 1 Introduction... 9 Logging In User Interface Layout Other Views Working with Fireworks The Inventory Firework Categories Expanding your Inventory Adding a Firework to Your Show Click to Add Drag and Drop Note for the Real-World Designer: Obeying the Caliber Deleting Fireworks Launch Positions: The Basics Creating a Launch Position Deleting Fireworks and Launch Positions Adding Fireworks in Time Adding Fireworks as the Playhead Is Moving Modifying a Firework Making a Selection Moving in Space Moving in Time Using Launch Positions to Select Fireworks PAGE 3

4 Introduction 6 Working With the Timeline The Playhead Time Zoom Buttons Time Display Time Zoom Slider Changing the Duration of Your Show Changing Backgrounds Saving, Opening, and Exporting your Show Real-World Show Design Real-World Workflow Assigning Modules to Launch Positions Full Automation Multiple Launches-per-Pin Using Slats Splitting Modules Across Launch Positions The Firing View Positioning the Playhead Re-assigning Addresses and Pins Conflict Detection Creating Your Own Fireworks Editing a Firework Saving your Firework Creating a Cake Managing your Personal Inventory Common Tabs Firework PAGE 4

5 Introduction Field notes Peony Launch Shell tail Shell burst Shell burst sound Star Star body Star tip Star transition Transition tip Pistil Pistil body Pistil tail Pistil glitter Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Launch Shell tail Shell burst Shell burst sound Star Star body Star tip (some diadems, only) Star tail Star glitter... s76 Star transition Transition tip Pistil Pistil body PAGE 5

6 Introduction Pistil tip Palm Launch Shell tail Shell burst Shell burst sound Star Star body Star tip Star tail Star tail, cont Star sparkle Star transition Transition tip Pistil Pistil body Pistil tail Pistil glitter Salute Launch Shell tail Flash Flash colors Salute sound Comet Launch Launch sound Shell PAGE 6

7 Introduction Shell body Shell tip Shell tail Shell sparkle Mine Mine Launch Launch sound Shell Shell body Shell tip Shell tail Shell tail, cont Shell burst Shell burst sound Star Star body Star tip Star tail Star tail, cont Report Report sound Fountain Firework Spray Spray sound Particle Particle body Particle tail Particle tail, cont PAGE 7

8 Introduction Report Report sound Salute, Salute colors, Salute sound Candle Launch Launch sound Mine Shell Shell body Shell tip Shell tail Shell tail, cont Shell burst Shell burst sound Star Star body Star tip Star tail Star tail, cont Report Report sound Cycle Multicycle FINALE CSV Script Format File Layout and Formatting Rules Format Table PAGE 8

9 1 Introduction Welcome to FINALE Fireworks, a visual simulation and choreography program that lets you create and control a complete fireworks display. The program can be used by fireworks professionals and amateurs who are designing real-world fireworks shows, as well as by enthusiasts and artists working in the virtual world. FINALE Fireworks provides a simple and intuitive interface that lets you build a performance by draggingand-dropping individual shells onto a Sky Field canvas. You can add and synchronize music, insert a background that depicts an actual shoot site, capture your creation as a firing script (indispensible for the real-world designer), and even record a video that you can share with your friends. The graphical engine that creates the fireworks simulation in FINALE fireworks doesn t use pre-rendered images or simple wireframe outlines. All of the shots you ll see when you play your show are created in realtime, based on the physical properties of the mortars, shells, and other components that professionals use when designing an event with just enough natural randomness to make each performance a unique experience. The first few chapters of this User Guide tells you everything you need to know to create a fireworks show with FINALE Fireworks. The final chapters explain how to create your own firework effects. Logging In The first thing you have to do, of course, is download the FINALE Fireworks software. If you re reading this, you re probably already running the program, but just in case, you can find the latest version of the program at the FINALE Fireworks website: The Website will step you through the process of creating an account and will download the latest version of the program. If you ve accepted the default installation location, you ll be able to launch FINALE Fireworks by double-clicking... C:\Program Files\FINALE Fireworks\FINALE Fireworks.bat After launching the program, you ll see the login panel: PAGE 9

10 Introduction The only wrinkle, here, is that you must be connected to the Internet so the program can download the latest fireworks catalog. If you see the Network error: communication failure message when you log in check your Internet connection. PAGE 10

11 2 User Interface Layout In this chapter we ll look at the general layout of the FINALE Fireworks user interface. Except for a couple simple editing windows, everything you need to create a fireworks show is presented in a single workspace. The illustration, below, points out the principal components of the workspace: Main Menu Inventory Sky Field Zoom slider Wind slider Playhead Playback Controls Timeline PAGE 11

12 User Interface Layout In subsequent chapters, we ll take a closer look at most of these components. Briefly, they are: Main Menu. The options in the Main Menu let you open and save shows, switch backgrounds, create Launch Positions, add music to your show, and so on. For real-world designers, the File submenu lets you write your show as a firing report in a number of standard formats. Inventory. The Inventory section lists the fireworks that you can drop into your show. Every time you launch program, the application connects to the FINALE Fireworks website and downloads fireworks into your Inventory, so your fireworks list will always be up-to-date. Sky Field. This is where your show is displayed. You can drag-and-drop fireworks into the Sky Field, move their launch and target positions (the target is the firework s highest point), delete individual or groups of fireworks, and so on. Wind Slider. FINALE can add a wind effect to your show. You increase and decrease the wind (and change its direction) by moving the Wind Slider up and down. As you move the slider, the speed and direction of the wind is displayed above the Wind icon. To remove all wind, move the slider to the vertical center of the window. Zoom Slider. When you launch FINALE Fireworks, the Sky Field is set to simulate an area that s about 900 feet high and 2000 feet wide. If you resize the window, the resolution changes your fireworks will appear to be closer or farther away but the dimensions of the simulated area don t change. To zoom in and out of the Sky Field, move the Zoom Slider up and down. The simulated height is displayed above the icon as you move the slider. Timeline. The Timeline shows the temporal positions of your fireworks. In the illustration, we see three fireworks, represented by the white blips along the Timeline. Exactly which part of the firework a blip represents depends on the type of firework: For shells, it s the burst event; for fountains, comets, and mines, it s the launch. If you look closely, you can see a wavy black section superimposed on the Timeline. This is the waveform of the music that you ve added to your show, making it easy to synchronize your show to your soundtrack. The Playhead represents the current moment that s being displayed in the Sky Field, and moves left-toright as you play your show. You can drag the Playhead to quickly scrub through your show. Playback Controls. The Playback Controls that are displayed onscreen let you start and pause your show, and rewind to the beginning. A number of other controls (incremental fast forward and rewind, seek to end, and so on) are provided in the File > Timeline submenu. All of the controls, onscreen or not, are bound to keyboard keys making it easy to control your show. Most notably, the spacebar toggles between Play and Pause, and arrow-left/arrow-right moves a paused show forwards and backwards by a single frame. PAGE 12

13 User Interface Layout Other Views In addition to the default workspace, FINALE presents two other important views: The Firework Editor and the Firing View. The Firework Editor presents a set of sliders, menus, and other controls that let you modify the attributes of a firework. To display the Firework Editor, you double-click on a firework that you ve added to your show. The editor is presented as a series of tabs across the top of the main window: Firework Editor The Firework Editor is described in detail starting with the Creating Your Own Fireworks chapter of this User Guide. PAGE 13

14 User Interface Layout The Firing View is a list of the fireworks that you ve added to your show, in chronological order. To bring up the Firing View, choose File > Firing View or type CONTROL-F: Firing View The Firing View is described in the Real-World Show Design chapter in this book. PAGE 14

15 3 Working with Fireworks In this chapter, we ll look at how you choose a firework and add it to your show. We ll also look at how you select, place, modify, and delete fireworks. The Inventory The Inventory section of the UI contains all the fireworks that you can add to your show. When you log in, the program forms a connection to the FINALE Fireworks website and downloads the latest set of fireworks, including the fireworks that you ve designed and those that you ve selected from other FINALE users. Firework Categories There are a number of ways you can search for a firework. First, you can search by category. There are six firework categories, represented by the six tabs that run across the top of the Inventory: Firework Categories The Inventory provides a UI that lets you search within a category based on collection, subcategory, color, and mortar caliber: Firework Subcategories Collection Color Caliber The subcategories provide a further categorization of the fireworks type. Currently, only the Shells and Candle types have subcategories. You can choose from three collection options: Standard fireworks is the set that s provided by FINALE; My fireworks are the effects that you ve created or have selected from other users; All collections is a combination of the two. PAGE 15

16 Working with Fireworks The color dropdown menu applies to all fireworks types. It lets you search for a firework that paints a particular color, whether in its tail or its burst. Many fireworks have more than one color. The caliber dropdown also applies to all types. The larger the caliber, the bigger (and higher) the firework. Expanding your Inventory You can add fireworks to your inventory through the Edit > Add new fireworks option. This will bring up the Add Fireworks window: To add a firework, click the corresponding copy link. The firework will be add to your My fireworks collection. To delete a firework from your My fireworks collection, go to Edit > Manage my fireworks. A panel similar to the one above will appear that lets you remove individual effects. Adding a Firework to Your Show After you ve found the firework that you want, it s time to add it to the show. There are two ways to add a firework: By clicking on its icon in the Inventory. By dragging and dropping the icon into the Sky Field. The difference between these two methods is the way in which the firework is placed in the scene, as described in the following sections. PAGE 16

17 Working with Fireworks Click to Add When you click an icon, the firework is dropped into the scene with its launch point set just above the launch caret that sits on the imaginary launch line, and its height (or target point) is defined by its caliber. Here, we ve clicked on the 5 Red Ext Comet: Click here Target point Launch point above the launch caret Height determined by caliber Launch line You can drag the launch point after you ve dropped it, but only horizontally. You can t drag a launch point up into the Sky Field it always lies on the launch line at the bottom of the Sky Field. When you drag a firework s launch point, the launch caret goes with it. The next firework you click-to-add will drop into thisnew location. (Note that you can t move the launch caret by hand.) Notice that the firework s trajectory is outlined with white dots. The white dots mean that the firework is selected. If we add another comet the first object becomes unselected, as indicated by the red dots (you have to hover the mouse over the Sky Field to see the unselected outline): PAGE 17

18 Working with Fireworks Unselected Selected The second firework is added at the same position as the first, above the launch caret. The angle of the trajectory, however, is varied so that the two fireworks don t lie on top of each other. The amount of variation depends on the firework s definition. You can select a firework by clicking anywhere along its trajectory. We ll talk more about selection when we get to the Modifying a Firework section. Drag and Drop When you drag and drop an icon, you get to control the firework s launch point and its height (if you re a real-world designer, this probably isn t what you want see the Note for the Real-World Designer, below). As you drag the icon out of the Inventory, the launch caret follows the mouse. When you drop the icon, the firework s launch point drops to the caret, and its target point is wherever you let go of the mouse. However, this is only true for shells and comets; for the other firework types, the height is always controlled by the caliber of the mortar (you can adjust it by hand, later). The illustrations, below, show the caret as we drag a shell, and the placement of the launch and target points when we drop. (Note that the icon itself doesn t actually appear under the mouse as you drag it.) PAGE 18

19 Working with Fireworks Drag Drop Caret moves with the drag Height and launch point are determined by the position of the drop Note for the Real-World Designer: Obeying the Caliber If you re choreographing a real-world show, you want the physics of the fireworks to obey the caliber of the mortar when you drag-and-drop an object, you don t want the drop point to define the placement of the target point. To place the firework so its target point is placed according to the firework s caliber, press the SHIFT key before you drop. Deleting Fireworks To delete a firework, you first must select it and then hit the DELETE key (not the BACKSPACE key). You can also delete a firework by selecting it and choosing the Edit > Delete option. If you want to delete all the fireworks in your show, choose the Edit > Select All option and hit DELETE (or choose Edit > Delete). PAGE 19

20 4 Launch Positions: The Basics Rather than drop you fireworks randomly along the launch line, you can add them to specific launch positions. A launch position is a pre-defined location along the launch line that acts as a magnetic cradle for the fireworks that you add into the scene. If you reposition the launch position, all of the fireworks that have been added to it move as a group. If you re a real-world designer you ll probably use launch positions exclusively (as opposed to dropping fireworks into undefined locations on the launch line). Moreover, you ll probably define all of your launch positions first, before you start adding fireworks. This chapter looks at the basic elements of launch positions. A later chapter, Real-World Show Design looks at move advanced topics, such as how to use launch positions to assign modules and firing pins. Creating a Launch Position To create a launch position, select the Edit > Add launch position menu item: A launch position marker will appear in the center of the launch line: Launch position marker If we zoom in on the marker, we see a caret sitting in the cradle. This means that the launch position is selected. Here s a selected an unselected launch position: PAGE 20

21 Launch Positions: The Basics Selected Unselected When you click an icon in the firework Inventory, the firework is automatically added to the currentlyselected launch position. You can also add a firework to a launch position by dragging the firework near the launch position marker. As you drag the firework near the marker, the firework s launch point caret snaps to the launch position marker (that s the magnetic aspect). When you drop, the firework s launch point falls into the launch position, and its height is determined by the firework s caliber: When you drag a launch position, the fireworks that it cradles move with it. Deleting Fireworks and Launch Positions To delete a launch position, hover the mouse over it (it will light up ), hold down the CONTROL key, and right-click. Launch positions aren t affected by the Edit > Delete menu item. When you delete a launch position, the fireworks it contains remain on the screen. PAGE 21

22 5 Adding Fireworks in Time So far, we ve only discussed how to add a firework in space along the launch line. A firework s position in time is just as important. The rule for adding a firework in time is simple: It s placed at the current position of the Playhead. However, there s a wrinkle, here: For shells, the event that s dropped onto the Playhead (when the shell is added) is the burst. For all other fireworks, it s the launch. In the UI Layout chapter, we mentioned that a firework is represented as a blip on the Timeline. There s actually more to it than that. If we zoom into the Timeline, you ll see that the blip leaves a trail. When we add a shell, the trail looks like this: The blip (the burst, for a shell) is aligned with the Playhead. The trail leading up to the blip shows the duration of the launch; the trail to the right is the fall off. For comets, fountains, and mines, the burst (essentially) coincides with the launch point: Adding Fireworks as the Playhead Is Moving Our simple rule of adding a firework at the Playhead doesn t mean that the Playhead has to be sitting still. Another nice feature of FINALE Fireworks is that you can start the Playhead moving and add fireworks as it travels along the Timeline. To add a firework while the Playhead is moving, you use the same methods that were previously described: Click a firework icon, or drag-and-drop the icon into the Sky Field. By default, the firework s launch moment is added to the scene when you click or drop, the firework is added and immediately launched. In some cases, this might not be what you want. Most notably, if you re adding fireworks as you play your show in order to coordinate bursts with specific moments in your soundtrack, you don t want the fireworks to be PAGE 22

23 Adding Fireworks in Time added at their launch moments, you want a click-means-burst effect. To do this, hold down the SHIFT key when you click (or drop). The firework will be added at its burst moment. Modifying a Firework You can modify a firework you ve placed in the scene by moving its launch point, bending or stretching its target point, and moving it in time. All three modifications are performed by grabbing some part of the firework and dragging the mouse. But before you do any of this, you have to select the firework. Making a Selection To select a firework, you simply click anywhere along its trail in the Sky Field or on its blip on the Timeline. As you hover over the firework, its outline and blip will glow red. When you click, the glow changes to white. Here we see the effect as you approach, hover over, and then click on the firework: PAGE 23

24 Adding Fireworks in Time You can expand the selection by SHIFT-clicking on other fireworks. In the illustration, below, we ve selected two of the three shells in the scene: SHIFT-clicking a selected firework will remove it from the selection. Moving in Space Once you ve made your selection, you can move the selected fireworks launch points or target points. To move the launch, mouse down anywhere along the trajectory of a selected firework (this won t change the selection) and drag. All selected fireworks move together. As you drag, a measuring stick appears that shows you the distance from the center of the screen to the launch point of whichever firework you clicked on. Here, we drag our selection to the left: To bend or stretch the target points, click within the target circle at the top of the firework and drag. You can drag in any direction; again, the target points of all selected fireworks move in concert while the launch points remain where they are: PAGE 24

25 Adding Fireworks in Time When you move the target point, a measuring stick (not shown in the illustration) shows you the height and angle of the target. By default, you can only move the targets to specific spots in the Sky Field the targets snap to and invisible grid. If you want to smoothly adjust the targets, hold down the SHIFT key as you drag. Moving in Time Moving a firework in time is similar to moving it in space: You make your selection as before, but this time you click on one of the Timeline blips and drag. Moving to the left pushes the selected fireworks backwards in time; moving to the right is into the future. As you drag, you ll see your fireworks perform. For example, here we drag a green mine forward in time (to the right). In relation to the Playhead, the mine is getting younger, so it appears to run backwards. If you push the firework past the Playhead, the connection to the Sky Field disappears, and a message tells you that the object is no longer visible. PAGE 25

26 Adding Fireworks in Time Using Launch Positions to Select Fireworks Launch positions aren t just a convenient way to co-locate multiple fireworks; you can also use them as a selection tool. In the illustration, below, we see a group of mines that have been added to a launch position. Rather than selecting each firework one-by-one, you can click on the launch position marker; all of its fireworks are selected: As mentioned earlier, if you drag the launch position marker, all of the fireworks go with it. If you want to drag the fireworks out of the launch position, click on the marker (to select the fireworks), and then click and drag by the collected launch points: PAGE 26

27 6 Working With the Timeline This chapter looks at the tools you use to change the resolution and playback position of the Timeline, and the duration of your show. The Timeline components are illustrated below: Playhead Time Zoom Buttons Time Display Time Zoom Slider The Playhead The Playhead shows you the current temporal position in your show. There are a number of ways to position the Playhead: You can drag it. As you drag the Playhead, your fireworks launch and explode accordingly. You can jump to the beginning or end of the show by pressing the HOME and END keys, respectively. You can step the Playhead incrementally forward (toward the end of the show) by pressing PAGE UP (big step) or the RIGHT-ARROW key (small step). Similarly, PAGE DOWN and LEFT-ARROW bump the Playhead back toward the beginning of the show. You can start and stop the show by using the Playback Controls (which we saw in the first chapter), or by pressing the spacebar. You can also move the Playhead by dragging the zoom slider, which we ll describe later in this chapter. PAGE 27

28 Working With the Timeline Time Zoom Buttons The Time Zoom Buttons let you expand and contract the Timeline. When you click the button, you expand the Timeline. A smaller portion of your show is represented on the Timeline, but the Timeline blips spread out making it easier to select a specific firework. Here we see the before-and-after effect of zooming into the Timeline: The button contracts time; more of your show is represented, but the blips are closer together. You can also zoom in and out with the Time Zoom Slider. Which method you use for zooming is a matter of taste. Time Display The Time Display shows you the current time location of the Playhead (on the left) and the duration of the entire show (on the right). Both measurements are in minutes:seconds.hundredths-of-seconds: Playhead location Show duration Time Zoom Slider The Time Zoom Slider fulfills a number of functions. It represents the portion of the show that s displayed on the Timeline, it lets you quickly move to a different part of your show, and it lets you zoom in and out. The track that the zoom slider sits on represents the duration of your entire show. The zoom slider itself maps to the portion that s currently displayed in the Timeline: PAGE 28

29 Working With the Timeline You can move the Time Zoom Slider by grabbing anywhere along the middle portion and dragging. This is a great way to quickly jump to a different part of your show. Notice that when you drag, the Playhead sticks to one edge or the other the Playhead can t scroll out of view: A particularly welcome feature of the Time Zoom Slider is that it s resizable. Resizing the Slider is a convenient way to expand and contract the Timeline. As opposed to the zoom buttons, which zoom in and out in discrete steps, the Time Zoom Slider is continuous, letting you quickly zoom into exactly the portion of your show that you want to examine. For example, let s say you want to see the eight-second slice of your show that starts at exactly 90 seconds in. First, you drag the Time Zoom Slider so the section is in view: Next, you drag the Slider s left thumb to the right until the 1:30 mark is at the left edge of the Timeline. (Note that contracting the slider zooms in; expanding it zooms out): Now drag the right thumb to the left: With just three quick mouse moves, you ve zoomed into the part of the show that you re interested in. PAGE 29

30 Working With the Timeline Changing the Duration of Your Show By default, all shows are two minutes long. To change the duration, select the Edit > Set show duration option. The Set show duration window will open. Type in the new duration, in seconds, and click Set: When you increase the duration, a blank portion is added to the end of the show. If you want to add time to the beginning of the show, increase the show s length, select all of the fireworks, click on a firework blip on the Timeline, and drag to the right. Be aware that the undo command (Edit > Undo or CONTROL-Z) doesn t apply to modifications to the show s duration. PAGE 30

31 7 Changing Backgrounds You set your show s background image by selecting an image from the Background menu. If you want to add an image of your own, select Background > Add new background and browsing to an image file. The file must be in this format: 5x3 ratio, width to height. (The images that are shipped with FINALE Fireworks are 1667 x1000 pixels). Your image will be scaled to fit the Sky Field, so it can be as small or as large as you like. JPEG format. When you add your own background, the image is copied into the backgrounds/user directory in the FINALE Fireworks installation directory, and the name of the image is added to the Background menu. Keep in mind that the image that you see in the program is a copy of the file that you added. If you make changes to the original file, you have to re-add the image and then restart the program. If you want to delete an image from the Background list, remove it from the backgrounds/user directory. PAGE 31

32 8 Saving, Opening, and Exporting your Show To save your show, go to the File menu and select an option: Save. This will upload your show to the FINALE Fireworks website where it can be viewed by other FINALE users. The show will be rendered as a high-resolution movie and added to the website s Show page. It takes about an hour to complete the rendering, so you won t see it on the Show page immediately. When you select Save, you re asked to give your show a name. Save to disk. This saves your show to your local disk as an HBS file. The file contains everything FINALE needs to reconstruct your show firework placements, background image name, soundfile name, and so on. The file is text-based; if you re intrepid, you can modify your show directly by editing the file. Note, however, that the HBS format isn t currently documented, and you can easily corrupt the file so that FINALE won t be able to load it. Save as to disk. This is the same as the above, but lets you save the show as a new HBS file. The File menu s show-opening options are: Open. When you select Open, FINALE opens a panel that lists the shows that you ve uploaded to the FINALE website. Note that it only lists your own shows you can t open shows that were created by other FINALE users. Open from disk lets you browse to and open a previously-saved HBS file. The rest of the File items are meant for real-world designers: Print Inventory Report creates a printable list of the fireworks that you re using in your show. Print Loading Report creates a printable mapping of fireworks-to-launch positions, and the mapping between launch positions and modules/pins. Print Firing Report creates a printable version of the firing script. It lists your fireworks in chronological order, along with their firing times and launch position information. The Export Script options create firing scripts in various industry-standard formats. PAGE 32

33 9 Real-World Show Design This chapter proposes a workflow for real-world show design and looks at the advanced aspects of FINALE that let you (the real-world designer) create and export the reports and scripts that you ll use in the field. We ve already looked at some of the FINALE tools that can be an aid to real-world design launch positions, in particular. In this chapter, we ll show you how to assign firing modules (including devices with slats) to launch positions, how to use the Firing View to view the module and pin assignments of individual fireworks, and how to export the reports that FINALE will generate for you. Real-World Workflow If you re a real-world designer, your work in FINALE will probably follow this workflow. 1 Add launch positions. Define and name a set of launch positions. 2 Assign modules or slats. Assign one or more firing modules or slats to each of the launch positions. 3 Add fireworks. Add fireworks to the launch positions. 4 Assign module addresses and firing pins. Modify the fireworks modules and pin assignments by using the Firing View. 5 Export your show. Save your show and export it as a set of reports and a firing script. FINALE can automate some of this work for you. Specifically, it can create and assign modules and firing pins automatically. Whether you take advantage of this automation depends, primarily, on your resources. If the number of modules that you can use isn t an issue, and if all of the modules are the same type, then you can let FINALE automate all (or much) of the process for you. If your resources are limited, if your modules are of different types (different numbers of firing pins, specifically), of if you want to split modules across launch points, then you may need to create assignments by hand. The next few sections will concentrate on the second and fourth steps outlined above. We ll assume that you ve already added launch positions to your show, a subject that we ve already discussed. (To review, you add a launch position by choosing the Edit > Add launch position menu item.) PAGE 33

34 Real-World Show Design Assigning Modules to Launch Positions To configure a launch position s attributes, right-click or double-click on the launch position marker. This will bring up the Edit position properties panel: The is provided as a convenience and is reproduced in some of the reports. Distance from audience sets the location of the launch position. As you increase the distance, the launch position is pushed away from the audience. In the Sky Field, the launch position will get smaller and rise up towards the horizon in a simulation of its real-world location. The fireworks that you add to a more distant launch position will appear smaller or farther away than those that are added to a closer launch position The most important control is Add module or slat. You can either add modules/slats to the launch position yourself or let FINALE add them for you. When FINALE adds a module, it creates a generic module with these characteristics: Module type: Generic32. The type is the name of the device, used both as a convenience for the user in the printed reports and as information to FINALE so consideration can be made for the specific features or constraints of different types of modules. For example, the type m156 tells FINALE that you re using an ATF m156. In this case, FINALE will adjust its assignment algorithm (and possibly move fireworks in time) to accommodate the characteristics of the m156 module. We ll discuss the details, later; the point, here, is that if you re using an ATF m156, you may want to add a module if only to assign the proper type. Address: Starts with 1 and increases monotonically as more modules are needed. First pin #: Starts with 1 and increases until the No. of pins has been reached. No. of pins: 32 Launches/pin: 1. This attribute lets you declare the number of e-matches that are assigned to each pin, thus letting you economize your pin assignments. If you set the value to be greater than 1, FINALE will automatically assign simultaneous fireworks to the same pin until the Launches/pin setting is reached. PAGE 34

35 Real-World Show Design If these characteristics match your system, then you can let FINALE automate everything for you you don t need to add a module/slat to the launch position. However, if you need to modify the settings, click the Add module or slat link. This will add a new entry to the table in the middle of the panel: By adding a single module, you can re-define the default settings that FINALE will use when it creates new modules and makes pin assignments. If you re using different types of modules at the same launch point, add and define more modules as needed. If you assign more fireworks to the launch point then are accommodated by the modules you ve added, FINALE will automatically create modules that match the characteristics of the last module in the list, and will set the module s address to the first available address value. Bear in mind that if you want to be able to assign module addresses and firing pins to specific fireworks, you must provide an address in the form, above. There are a lot more details to FINALE s assignment algorithm that you should understand, but first we ll look at some examples that introduces the basic concepts, and also introduce the Firework View. PAGE 35

36 Real-World Show Design Full Automation In this example, we ll add two launch positions, PositionA and PositionB. Both launch positions use the FINALE default module (no slats, 32 pins, one launch per pin, etc). We add 36 fireworks to each position (in order to get over the 32 pin limit), but in three groups each, as illustrated below: 16 at PosA 16 at PosB 16 more at PosA 16 more at PosB Final 4 at PosA Final 4 at PosB The modules and firing pins assignments are listed in the Firing View. To bring up the view, choose File > Firing View (or type CONTROL-F): The columns in the view should be reasonably self-explanatory (PFT means prefire time ). We ve scrolled forward to the point in the show between the first 16 fireworks at PosA and the first of PosB. Notice that the module addresses jump from 1 to 3 between the two modules. If we scroll much farther forward, to the juncture between 16 more at PosB and the Final 4 at PosA, we ll see that address 2 was assigned to the second module in PosA: PAGE 36

37 Real-World Show Design We should note, here, that of all the values in the table, only the Addr and Pin values are (potentially) editable you can modify the settings that they display in order to manually configure the assignments. However, this only applies to modules that have been added manually. If we click on an Addr in the current configuration, the only option we see is auto: We ll look at effective manual assignment in a later example. The point, here, is that in order to edit the address and pin assignments, you must first add a module manually and assign an address to it in the Edit position properties panel. Also, be aware that while you can continue to add fireworks and edit launch positions while the Firing View is onscreen, the changes that you make aren t immediately reflected in the Firing View s table. To refresh the view, you must dismiss it and then bring it up again. You can dismiss the Firing View by clicking the X in the upper right hand corner, or by (again) typing CONTROL-F. Multiple Launches-per-Pin In this example, we ll edit the PosA launch position so that it supports 2 launches-per-pin. We double-click the PosA launch position to bring up the Edit position properties panel, add a module/slat, and set launches/pin to 2. However, in order to increase the number of launches per pin, we must assign an address. We ll use 2. For the purposes of this example, we re also going to set the number of pins to 1: When we bring up the Firing View and scroll to the top of the list, we see this: PAGE 37

38 Real-World Show Design Even though the module only has one pin, two fireworks are assigned to each module (and to the same pin), as we wanted. Also, notice that while the address of the first module is 2, the address of the next module (which is added automatically) is 1. As mentioned earlier, when FINALE assigns module addresses automatically, it picks the first available address and since address 1 wasn t used, that s the address it chose. Using Slats To add a module that contains slats, double-click a launch position to bring up the Edit position properties panel, click the Add module or slat link, and construct the address so that it contains a number and a letter. (For this example we ve set the number of pins to 2 and the launches-per-pin to 1): When you use the numberletter address format, FINALE knows that you re using slats. As you exhaust the pins on one slat, FINALE creates another for you, incrementing the letter portion of the address: FINALE will automatically create 12 slats, with addresses that run from a to l. Splitting Modules Across Launch Positions So far, we ve assigned all the launches from a module to a single launch position. But let s say that you want a single module to control two groups of fireworks that are assigned to different launch positions. The first group is set of 16 fountains that are launched 200 feet from the audience this is the main launch position. You then run scab wire to a second group of three large, important peonies that are launched 100 feet farther back and to the right. In the field, the setup looks like this: To simulate this in FINALE, you create two launch positions (Main and Accent) and add the fireworks: PAGE 38

39 Real-World Show Design For both launch positions, bring up the Edit position properties panel and add a module with the same address (we ll use 1): By assigning the same address, you tell FINALE that the two launch positions are using the same module. Bring up the Firing View and scroll to the Accent fireworks: PAGE 39

40 Real-World Show Design Because the Accent fireworks appear later than the Main fireworks, FINALE has automatically assigned pins to them. But let s say that you want them to be on pins 1-3. To change the assignments, click on the pin number and select another value: When you re finished, the assignments look like this: Notice that the Accent information is presented in bold. This means that the assignments have been manually configured. FINALE won t alter settings that have been manually configured. Also notice that the pin assignments for Main have been bumped up that s because pins 1, 2, and 3 are no longer available for automatic assignment. The Firing View We just saw an example of how to use the Firing View to change a pin assignment. In this section, we ll take a closer look at the Firing View UI and functionality. But, first, a general principle: You can move your fireworks and edit launch positions while the Firing View is onscreen. However, the changes that you make won t be immediately reflected in the Firing View list. Whenever you make a change to a firework or launch position, you should close the Firing View and then re-open it (by typing CONTROL-F twice). PAGE 40

41 Real-World Show Design Positioning the Playhead As mentioned earlier, the Firing View gives you a chronological listing of the fireworks in your show. This list will, of course, become extremely long. To jump to a specific point in the list, move the Playhead near the section that you re interested in before you type CONTROL- F. The list will scroll to the chosen point and color the row of the next firework that s scheduled to be launched. For example, here we ve placed the Playhead just before the three peonies from our previous example: Playhead When we bring up the Firing View, it scrolls to our current position and colors the next firework: Next firework Re-assigning Addresses and Pins As you add fireworks to a launch position, FINALE automatically assigns module addresses and firing pins (as we demonstrated previously). If you want to re-assign a setting, click on the Addr or Pin value and select a value from the dropdown menu that appears. The address values that you can select from in the Firing View dropdown menus are restricted to the module addresses that have been specifically assigned to that launch position. For example, let s say we have two launch positions, PosA and PosB. We bring up the Edit position properties panel and add two module addresses to each launch position, 1/2 for PosA and 3/4 for PosB: PAGE 41

42 Real-World Show Design Add some fireworks to both launch positions, bring up the Firing View, scroll to a PosB firework, and open the Address dropdown menu: The only choices you have are 3, 4, and auto. Conflict Detection The Firing View can help you find and resolve questionable pin conflicts. FINALE lets you assign any number of fireworks to the same pin, but warns you if the fireworks aren t all launched at the same time. If two or more non-simultaneous fireworks are assigned to the same pin, the Firing View marks the conflicting fireworks in red. In the example, below, we ve created a Zippers launch position that contains a sequence of zipper effects that are launched one after another. We ve edited the launch position to contain a single 32-pin module: PAGE 42

43 Real-World Show Design We add the zippers, bring up the Firing View, and set the pin number of the first firework to 1. The font changes to bold to show that the value has been manually set: Now we set the pin for a later firework to 1, as well. Because the two fireworks aren t launched at the same time, FINALE detects a conflict and marks the second assignment in red: FINALE doesn t try to correct this sort of conflict for you, it just points them out. By scanning the Firing View, you can easily see (and correct, if necessary) your module s pin conflicts. PAGE 43

44 10 Creating Your Own Fireworks There are two ways to create a new firework in FINALE: By editing a single firework in order to create a new effect, by selecting a group of fireworks and saving them as a cake. This chapter looks at both methods of firework creation. The following chapters look at the tabs in the Firework Editor. Editing a Firework To create a new firework effect, you select an existing firework from the Inventory, add it to the scene, and then double-click it to bring up the Firework Editor. The Firework Editor contains a set of sliders, menus, and other controls that let you modify the attributes of the firework there s no programming or file editing involved. N O T E If you re going to edit a firework, you shouldn t modify its height or angle by dragging its target point in the Sky Field. Any hand-modifications that you make will be ignored when you save your new creation. To get started, select an existing firework that s similar to the one you want to create and add it to the scene by clicking its icon. When you add the firework, it will automatically become selected.here, we ve selected the Red Ext Tail Comet 6 Double-click anywhere along the firework s outlined path or click the Edit button that will appear onscreen to open the Firework Editor. 1. Click to add 2. Double-click the selected firework or click the Edit button The Firework Editor will appear at the top of the window: PAGE 44

45 Creating Your Own Fireworks As long as the Firework Editor is open, the firework will remain selected (although it might not to appear to be). You won t be able modify the firework by hand, nor can you select another firework, but the Timeline and Playhead are still live. As you re editing your firework, you ll be able to play your show Add some sparkle You use the controls in the Firework Editor tabs to modify the firework. (You ll need to use the slider at the bottom of the menu to reach all of the tabs.) The changes that you make are immediately applied to the selected firework. Here, we ve increased the size of the comet s shell and added some sparkle. We ve also moved the Playhead forward so we can get a better view of the changes we re making: To make the changes permanent and dismiss the menu, click Apply. If you re dissatisfied with what you ve done, click Cancel. All of the modifications that you made will be forgotten. Increase the size Adjust the Playhead for better viewing PAGE 45

46 Creating Your Own Fireworks Saving your Firework After you re finished with your modifications (and have clicked Apply), you ll return to the normal view of your scene. To save your creation, make sure the firework is still selected and choose Edit > Save selected firework from the Main Menu. This will bring up the Save Firework panel: If you re editing a new firework, you should change the name so it doesn t overwrite the original object. The Public checkbox lets you share your firework with other FINALE users. Leave it unchecked if you want to keep the firework to yourself. The image below the Public checkbox is the icon that will be used to display the firework in the Inventory. FINALE makes a best guess at creating the icon, but you may need to use the Snapshot delay and Zoom sliders to adjust it. PAGE 46

47 Creating Your Own Fireworks When you re ready to publish your firework, click SAVE. Your firework will be added to your local Inventory and uploaded to the FINALE Website. If the save is successful, you ll see this message: The panel will disappear after a few seconds, or you can dismiss it by clicking the close button. If you tried to save a firework without changing its name, you ll see this: This isn t necessarily an error. You ll see this message if you re making iterative changes to your own fireworks; in this case, click UPDATE. You re not allowed to update the standard fireworks or those created by other users. To find your firework in the Inventory, select My private fireworks from the first pulldown menu (make sure you re in the correct category, and have selected the proper caliber): Creating a Cake A cake combines any number of other fireworks into a single effect. The individual fireworks that you add to a cake can include the fireworks that you ve edited, and can come from any of the firework categories you can even create a cake by combining other cakes. An important difference between editing a firework and creating a cake is that you are allowed to hand-modify the heights and angles of the individual fireworks that comprise the cake. The modifications that you ve made will become part of the cake s definition. PAGE 47

48 Creating Your Own Fireworks To get started, add some number of fireworks to the scene. Here, we ve added a mine, two comets, and two fountains. We ve also adjust the angles of the fountains and comets so they re symmetrically distributed around the mine. Next, shift-click to select all of the fireworks, and then choose Edit > Save selected fireworks as cake. You ll see the same Save Firework panel that we described earlier. Give your cake a name, make it public (or not), adjust the snapshot, and click SAVE. The original fireworks that you used to create the cake don t become a cake, themselves they remain as separate fireworks. To find the cake you created and add an instance of it to the show, go to the Cake category of your inventory and look in the My private fireworks section. As mentioned above, a cake is treated as a single effect. When you modify a cake s launch position or its placement on the timeline, all of the fireworks that make up the cake move together. However, you can t change a cake s height or its angle. You can break apart a cake, and thus turn it back into individual fireworks, by selecting the cake and then choosing the Edit > Break apart cake menu item. PAGE 48

49 Creating Your Own Fireworks Managing your Personal Inventory If you want to delete a firework that you ve created, go to Edit > Manage personal inventory: This will bring up the Personal Inventory panel: The panel lists all the fireworks that you ve saved (both individual fireworks and cakes). To delete a firework, click the delete button at the far right. When you ve finished, click Done. PAGE 49

50 11 Common Tabs This chapter lists the tabs that are common (or nearly so) to all fireworks. Firework The Firework tab sets some basic attributes of your firework. Text The name of the firework as it s displayed to the user. The name mustn t contain accented characters or any other formatting. The text field only accepts simple ASCII characters; non-ascii characters are removed from the text that you supply. Category Menu The category in which the firework will be listed in the FINALE application. You should rarely need to change a firework s category. The choice you make won t affect the firework s appearance; for example, if you re editing a mine, setting the Category to Fountain won t turn your design into a fountain. The firework isn t placed in the selected category until you publish it through the Edit > Save selected firework. If you change the Category setting for an existing firework (and Save), the firework is removed from its current category and moved to the new one. Caliber Menu N O T E Fountains don t have a Caliber control. Instead, they have a Duration. This is explained in the Fountain chapter. The caliber of the launching device. The menu provides options that let you choose from among a dozen industry-standard sizes, from 1 inch to 10 inches. The caliber affects almost all aspects of a firework it s size, velocity, and duration, and so on. It also indirectly influences the velocity of the stars that a shell produces. PAGE 50

51 Common Tabs Prefire Slider (seconds) Prefire is the delay between the time a firework is launched and the time that it reveals itself. What this means depends on the type of firework: Non-shells (mines, comets, fountains, and candles) reveal themselves almost immediately, so their prefire durations are extremely short (0.3 seconds by default). For these fireworks, the Prefire setting places the blip on the Timeline, but it doesn t affect the firework itself. For example, if you increase the Prefire value, the blip will move to the right, but the firework itself won t look any different. You should rarely need to change the Prefire value for a non-shell. For a shell, the Prefire setting also sets the Timeline blip; in addition, it sets the amount of time between the shell s launch and its burst. The greater the Prefire value, the farther the shell will travel before it bursts. If you set the value to 0.0 (for a shell), FINALE computes the prefire duration for you based on the shell s caliber. PAGE 51

52 Common Tabs Field notes The Field notes tab lets you add a description, explanation, instruction or any other arbitrary text to your firework. Provided primarily for the pro, the notes that you supply will appear in the reports that you generate. Notes Text Arbitrary text that s added to the firework. The text can be of any length, but may only contain normal ASCII characters it can t contain accents or other special characters. Non-ASCII characters are removed from the text. PAGE 52

53 12 Peony A peony is a shell that bursts into a spherical set of stars and pistils. The stars can have two layers of pyrotechnic material. After a star burns through its first layer, it transitions into a second effect. PAGE 53

54 Peony Launch The Launch tab defines the attributes of the shell s launch. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A shell s cone angle is the angle across which successive launches are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. N O T E The adjustments that you make to the cone angle won t affect the firework that you re currently editing. The setting is applied after you ve saved your firework and added a new instance to the scene. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a shell s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the mortar s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the shell s velocity (and so its height). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the firework won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the shell s velocity. The duration of its trajectory will be the same regardless of this slider s value. Thus, you can adjust the cone height without invalidating the shell s prefire setting. Randomness Slider (Fraction; only affects new fireworks) The velocity with which a shell is launched is set naturally by its caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the velocity. As you increase the slider s value, the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the shell s caliber. For example, let s say you re creating firework that launches a shell with an initial velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.00, the shells will always emerge with (nearly) the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). A value of 0.5 means shell could emerge with an initial velocity that s anywhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. PAGE 54

55 Peony Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it bursts. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color through the other control. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. PAGE 55

56 Peony Shell burst The Shell burst controls set some basic attributes of the stars that emerge when the shell bursts (or breaks ). No. of Stars Slider (Count) Sets the number of stars that each shell contains. When the shell bursts, the stars are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating a peony effect. If you set No. of stars to 0, the shell won t throw any stars. The stars attributes (color, weight, sound, and so on) are set through the various Star tabs. Burst force Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the power with which the stars break from the shell. 1.0 is the shell s natural burst power, based on the caliber of the shell and other physical properties. Other values are applied as scalers on the natural power: 0.5 means the stars are thrown half has hard; 2.0 means they re thrown twice as hard. A setting of 0.0 means that there s virtually no power the stars fall out of the break with very little outward momentum. Note that the Burst force setting affects the sound volume of the report. If you want to create a weak shell with a loud report, you have to increase the Report > Loudness setting. No. of Pistils Pistil burst force Slider (Count) Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) These two controls are similar to the first two, but are applied to the shell s pistils. A pistil creates a trail effect that s similar to a star s tail; however, pistils are independent of stars. When the shell bursts, the pistils are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating the spokes in a peony effect. The pistil s other attributes are set in the various Pistil tabs. PAGE 56

57 Peony Shell burst sound The Shell burst sound controls let you select and modify the sound that s played when the firework s shell finishes its trajectory (the sound is played even if the shell doesn t actually burst). Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the shell bursts. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by the firework s caliber or the Shell burst > Burst force setting; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the shell s burst sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each shell burst. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific burst will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 57

58 Peony Star A star is created when particles of pyrotechnic composition material are ignited and emitted by a bursting shell. The Star tab defines the basic attributes of a star, such as its duration and whether it s accompanied by a tip. A star s force but not its duration is affected by the Shell burst > Burst force setting. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the star s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the star s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the star is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the stars trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the star s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all stars that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a star may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a star s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the star to display: No tip. Turns off the tip. Constant. All star tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. PAGE 58

59 Peony Star body The Star body controls let you fine-tune a star s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the stars trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the star s weight. A value of 1.0 is the star s natural weight. If you increase the value, the star becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the star lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a star consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the star s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the star maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the star loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the star s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the star less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the star, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 59

60 Peony Star tip The tip of a star is its leading edge as it burst from a shell. The tip can begin glowing as soon as the star emerges and can continue through the star s duration. You make the tip visible by setting the Star > Tip effect to something other than No tip. You then set the tip s other attributes through the controls in this tab. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Second color Color picker If you set the star s second color, half of the stars will be painted with the main color (the Color setting) and the other half will be painted with the second color. The colors are randomly distributed amongst the stars. Not all palms have a Second color control. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. Unlike a shell tip, a star tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. PAGE 60

61 Peony Star transition After a star has exhausted a layer of its pyrotechnic material, it can transition into a second layer of material that can create an effect that s different from the first. This second effect displays tips but not tails. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the transition effect to display: No tip. Turns off the tip. Constant. All tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. Delay Slider (Seconds) Sets the amount of time, in seconds, that the transition effect appears after the original effect has burned through its pyrotechnic material. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the transition effect s initial appearance and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the effect s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the trajectories, increase the longevity value. PAGE 61

62 Peony Transition tip The Transition tip tab sets the color and size of the tips that are displayed by the transition effect. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. The tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. PAGE 62

63 Peony Pistil A pistil is a star that s notable more for its tail than its tip. When a shell bursts, its pistils are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating the spokes in a peony effect. The pistil s other attributes are set in the various Pistil tabs. You set the number of pistils in the Shell burst tab. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the pistil s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the pistil s natural duration, which is determined by the firework s caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the pistil is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the pistil trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the pistil s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all pistils that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a pistil may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a pistil s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. PAGE 63

64 Peony Pistil body The Pistil body controls let you fine-tune a pistil s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the pistil trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight of a single pistil. A value of 1.0 is the pistil s natural weight. If you increase the value, the pistil becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly (it appears to droop). Smaller values make the pistil lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. The Pistil tail tab also has a Weight attribute. The two Weight controls affect different aspects of the pistil s trajectory: This attribute affects the weight of the pistil s star, bending its trajectory. The Weight controls in the Pistil tail tab set the weight of the particles along the entire tail. When you increase the weight of this attribute, you cause the stars to arc and then droop; when you increase the weight of the pistil s tail, the effect is that of pulling down the entire tail from the pistil s initial burst point. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a pistil consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the pistil s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the pistil maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the pistil loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the pistil s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the pistil less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the pistil, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 64

65 Peony Pistil tail This tab sets the attributes of the pistil s tail. Additional pistil tail attributes are set through the Pistil glitter tab. Color Color picker Sets the color of the pistil s tail. (NOTE: The Bright: slider in the Color picker is ignored. The tail s brightness is set by the Brightness control.) Brightness Slider (Scaler) Controls the brightness of the tail s color. Increasing the value of the slider causes the tail to become more intense. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the pistil s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. The Pistil tab also has a Weight attribute. A discussion of the difference between the two weights is provided in the Weight description in the Pistil tab. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the pistil s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. PAGE 65

66 Peony Pistil glitter A pistil s tail can contain glitter. These are particles that have more of a shimmer when compared to the tail s normal particles. Brightness Slider (Scaler) Controls the brightness of the tail s glitter particles. Increasing the value of the slider causes the glitter to become more intense. Density Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = no glitter) Adjusts the proportion of glitter compared to the tail s normal particles. If you set the value to 0.0, you get no glitter; if you set it to 1.0, all of the particles will glitter. PAGE 66

67 13 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia The fireworks in this chapter are composed much like peonies: They re shells that burst into stars (which can transition into a second effect) and pistils. PAGE 67

68 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Launch The Launch tab defines the attributes of the shell s launch.. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A shell s cone angle is the angle across which successive launches are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. N O T E The adjustments that you make to the cone angle won t affect on firework that you re currently editing. The setting is applied after you ve saved your firework and added a new instance to the scene. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a shell s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the mortar s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the shell s velocity (and so its height). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the firework won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the shell s velocity. The duration of its trajectory will be the same regardless of this slider s value. Thus, you can adjust the cone height without invalidating the shell s prefire setting. Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The velocity with which a shell is launched is set naturally by its caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the velocity. As you increase the slider s value, the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the shell s caliber. For example, let s say you re creating firework that launches a shell with an initial velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.01, the shells will always emerge with (nearly) the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). If you set the value to 0.5, a shell could emerge with an initial velocity that s somewhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. A value of 0.0 tells FINALE to select a physically reasonable but fairly small range of velocities. PAGE 68

69 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it bursts. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color through the other control. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. PAGE 69

70 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Shell burst The Shell burst controls set some basic attributes of the stars that emerge when the shell bursts (or breaks ). No. of Stars Slider (Count) Sets the number of stars that each shell contains. When the shell bursts, the stars are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating a peony effect. If you set No. of stars to 0, the shell won t throw any stars. The stars attributes (color, weight, sound, and so on) are set through the various Star tabs. Burst force Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the power with which the stars break from the shell. 1.0 is the shell s natural burst power, based on the caliber of the shell and other physical properties. Other values are applied as scalers on this natural power: 0.5 means the stars are thrown half has hard; 2.0 means they re thrown twice as hard. A setting of 0.0 means that there s virtually no power the stars fall out of the break with very little outward momentum. Note that the Burst force setting affects the sound volume of the report. If you want to create a weak shell with a loud report, you have to increase the Report > Loudness setting. No. of Pistils Pistil burst force Slider (Count) Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) These two controls are similar to the first two, but are applied to the shell s pistils. A pistil creates an effect that s similar to a star s tail; however, pistils are independent of stars. When the shell bursts, the pistils are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating the spokes in a peony effect. The pistil s other attributes are set in the various Pistil tabs. PAGE 70

71 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Shell burst sound The Shell burst sound controls let you select and modify the sound that s played when the firework s shell finishes its trajectory (the sound is played even if the shell doesn t actually burst ). Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the shell bursts. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its natural amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by the firework s caliber or the Shell burst > Burst force setting; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the shell s burst sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each shell burst. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific burst will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 71

72 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Star A star is created when particles of pyrotechnic composition material are ignited and emitted by a bursting shell. The Star tab defines the basic attributes of a star. A star s force but not its duration is affected by the Shell burst > Burst force setting. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the star s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the star s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the star is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the stars trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the star s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all stars that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a star may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a star s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the star to display: No tip. Turns off the tip. Constant. All star tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. Only some of the diadems have a Tip effect slider. None of the other types in this chapter do. PAGE 72

73 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Star body The Star body controls let you fine-tune a star s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the stars trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the star s weight. A value of 1.0 is the star s natural weight. If you increase the value, the star becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the star lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a star consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the star s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the star maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the star loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the star s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the star less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the star, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 73

74 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Star tip (some diadems, only) The tip of a star is its leading edge as it burst from a shell. The tip can begin glowing as soon as the star emerges and can continue through the star s duration. You make the tip visible by setting the Star > Tip effect to something other than No tip. Only some of the diadems have Star tip tabs. None of the other types in this chapter do. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Second color Color picker If you set the star s second color, half of the stars will be painted with the main color (the Color setting) and the other half will be painted with the second color. The colors are randomly distributed amongst the stars. Not all palms have a Second color control. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. Unlike a shell tip, a star tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. PAGE 74

75 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Star tail A star s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s emerged from its shell, and lasting until it dies. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. (NOTE: The Bright: slider in the Color picker is ignored. The tail s brightness is set by the Brightness control.) Brightness Slider (Scaler) Controls the brightness of the tail s particles. Increasing the value of the slider causes the tail to become more intense. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the star s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the star s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. PAGE 75

76 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Star glitter A star s tail can contain glitter. These are particles that have more of a shimmer when compared to the tail s normal particles. Brightness Slider (Scaler) Controls the brightness of the tail s glitter particles. Increasing the value of the slider causes the glitter to become more intense. Density Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = no glitter) Adjusts the proportion of glitter compared to the tail s normal particles. If you set the value to 0.0, you get no glitter; if you set it to 1.0, all of the particles will glitter. PAGE 76

77 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Star transition After a star has exhausted a layer of its pyrotechnic material, it can transition into a second layer of material that can create an effect that s different from the first. This second effect displays tips but not tails. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the transition effect to display: No tip. Turns off the tip. Constant. All tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. Delay Slider (Seconds) Sets the amount of time, in seconds, that the transition effect appears after the original effect has burned through its pyrotechnic material. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the transition effect s initial appearance and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the effect s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the trajectories, increase the longevity value. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. The tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. PAGE 77

78 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Transition tip The Transition tip tab sets the color and size of the tips that are displayed by the transition effect. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. The tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. PAGE 78

79 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Pistil A pistil is one of a second set of stars. For the fireworks in this chapter, the pistils don t have tails; instead, they have tips. You set the number of pistils in the Shell burst tab. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the pistil s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the pistil s natural duration, which is determined by the firework s caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the pistil is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the pistil trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the pistil s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all pistils that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a pistil may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a pistil s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the pistil to display: Constant. All tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. PAGE 79

80 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Pistil body The Pistil body controls let you fine-tune the mass of the pistils, such that they re more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the pistils trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight of a single pistil. A value of 1.0 is the pistil s natural weight. If you increase the value, the pistil becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly (it appears to droop). Smaller values make the pistil lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a pistil consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the pistil s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the pistil maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the pistil loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the pistil s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the pistil less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the pistil, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 80

81 Chrysanthemum, Kamuro, Diadem, Brocade, Willow, and Dahlia Pistil tip Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Second color Color picker If you set the pistil tip s second color, half of the tips will be painted with the main color (the Color setting) and the other half will be painted with the second color. The colors are randomly distributed amongst the pistils. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. Unlike a shell tip, a pistil s tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. Begin Slider (Fraction) Determines the point, along the pistil s trajectory, at which the tip starts glowing. If you set this slider to 0.0, the tips will appear immediately after the shell bursts. If you set it to 0.5, they ll appear halfway through the pistil s duration (as set by the Pistil > Longevity slider). If you set it to 1.0, they won t appear at all. PAGE 81

82 14 Palm A palm is a shell with stars and pistils that typically have a pronounced droop. PAGE 82

83 Palm Launch The Launch tab defines the attributes of the shell s launch. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A shell s cone angle is the angle across which successive launches are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. N O T E The adjustments that you make to the cone angle won t affect the firework that you re currently editing. The setting is applied after you ve saved your firework and added a new instance to the scene. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a shell s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the mortar s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the shell s velocity (and so its height). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the firework won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the shell s velocity. The duration of its trajectory will be the same regardless of this slider s value. Thus, you can adjust the cone height without invalidating the shell s prefire setting. Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The velocity with which a shell is launched is set naturally by its caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the velocity. As you increase the slider s value, the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the shell s caliber. For example, let s say you re creating firework that launches a shell with an initial velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.01, the shells will always emerge with (nearly) the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). If you set the value to 0.5, a shell could emerge with an initial velocity that s somewhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. A value of 0.0 tells FINALE to select a physically reasonable but fairly small range of velocities. PAGE 83

84 Palm Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it bursts. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color through the other control. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. PAGE 84

85 Palm Shell burst The Shell burst controls set some basic attributes of the stars that emerge when the shell bursts (or breaks ). No. of Stars Slider (Count) Sets the number of stars that each shell contains. When the shell bursts, the stars are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating a peony effect. If you set No. of stars to 0, the shell won t throw any stars. The stars attributes (color, weight, sound, and so on) are set through the various Star tabs. Burst force Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the power with which the stars break from the shell. 1.0 is the shell s natural burst power, based on the caliber of the shell and other physical properties. Other values are applied as scalers on the natural power: 0.5 means the stars are thrown half has hard; 2.0 means they re thrown twice as hard. A setting of 0.0 means that there s virtually no power the stars fall out of the break with very little outward momentum. Note that the Burst force setting affects the sound volume of the report. If you want to create a weak shell with a loud report, you have to increase the Report > Loudness setting. No. of Pistils Pistil burst force Slider (Count) Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) These two controls are similar to the first two, but are applied to the shell s pistils. A pistil creates a trail effect that s similar to a star s tail; however, pistils are independent of stars. When the shell bursts, the pistils are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating the spokes in a peony effect. The pistil s other attributes are set in the various Pistil tabs. PAGE 85

86 Palm Shell burst sound The Shell burst sound controls let you select and modify the sound that s played when the firework s shell finishes its trajectory (the sound is played even if the shell doesn t actually burst ). Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the shell bursts. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its natural amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by the firework s caliber or the Shell burst > Burst force setting; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the shell s burst sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each shell burst. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific burst will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 86

87 Palm Star A star is created when particles of pyrotechnic composition material are ignited and emitted by a bursting shell. The Star tab defines the basic attributes of a star, such as its duration and whether it s accompanied by a tip. A star s force but not its duration is affected by the Shell burst > Burst force setting. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the star s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the star s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the star is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the stars trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the star s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all stars that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a star may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a star s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the star to display: No tip. Turns off the tip. Constant. All star tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. PAGE 87

88 Palm Star body The Star body controls let you fine-tune a star s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the stars trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the star s weight. A value of 1.0 is the star s natural weight. If you increase the value, the star becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the star lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a star consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the star s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the star maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the star loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the star s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the star less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the star, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 88

89 Palm Star tip The tip of a star is its leading edge as it burst from a shell. The tip can begin glowing as soon as the star emerges and can continue through the star s duration. You make the tip visible by setting the Star > Tip effect to something other than No tip. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Second color Color picker If you set the star s second color, half of the stars will be painted with the main color (the Color setting) and the other half will be painted with the second color. The colors are randomly distributed amongst the stars. Not all palms have a Second color control. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. Unlike a shell tip, a star tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the star s trajectory, at which the tip starts and stops glowing. The default settings mean that the tip starts glowing as soon as the star emerges from the shell, and it disappears when the star dies. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 (for example) would start the glow a quarter of the way along the trajectory and extinguish it a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tip won t appear. Not all palms have Begin and End controls. PAGE 89

90 Palm Star tail A star s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s emerged from its shell, and lasting until it dies. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s other attributes through the rest of the controls. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Glitter. The glitter tail is like the Thick tail, but with the randomness turned up. The increased variation in particle and brightness gives the tail a glittery or twinkling effect. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the length of the star s tail measured along the star s trajectory. Settings of 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, mean that the tail begins as soon as the star emerges from the shell, and it disappears when the star dies. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 (for example) would cause the tail to appear a quarter of the way along the trajectory and die out a quarter of the way from the end of the trajectory. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tail won t appear. PAGE 90

91 Palm Star tail, cont. This tab sets additional attributes of the star s tail. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the star s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the star s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. PAGE 91

92 Palm Star sparkle A sparkle is a small series of sparks that are left behind along the star s trajectory. It s similar to the star s tail, but is much shorter-lived and more intense. Has sparkle Checkbox If checked, the star has a sparkle; if not, it doesn t. Color Color picker Sets the color of a star s sparkle. PAGE 92

93 Palm Star transition After a star has exhausted a layer of its pyrotechnic material, it can transition into a second layer of material that can create an effect that s different from the first. This second effect displays tips but not tails. Tip effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tip you want the transition effect to display: No tip. Turns off the tip. Constant. All tips appear together, last for the same amount of time, and burn with the same intensity. Strobe. Some randomness is added to the initial appearances, durations, and intensities of the tips, creating a strobe effect. Delay Slider (Seconds) Sets the amount of time, in seconds, that the transition effect appears after the original effect has burned through its pyrotechnic material. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the transition effect s initial appearance and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the effect s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the trajectories, increase the longevity value. PAGE 93

94 Palm Transition tip The Transition tip tab sets the color and size of the tips that are displayed by the transition effect. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. The tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. PAGE 94

95 Palm Pistil A pistil is a star that s notable more for its tail than its tip. When a shell bursts, its pistils are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating the spokes in a peony effect. The pistil s other attributes are set in the various Pistil tabs. You set the number of pistils in the Shell burst tab. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the pistil s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the pistil s natural duration, which is determined by the firework s caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the pistil is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the pistil trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the pistil s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all pistils that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a pistil may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a pistil s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. PAGE 95

96 Palm Pistil body The Pistil body controls let you fine-tune the mass of the pistil s stars, such that they re more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the pistils trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight of a single pistil. A value of 1.0 is the pistil s natural weight. If you increase the value, the pistil becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly (it appears to droop). Smaller values make the pistil lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. The Pistil tail tab also has a Weight attribute. The two Weight controls affect different aspects of the pistil s trajectory: This attribute affects the weight of the pistil s star, bending its trajectory. The Weight controls in the Pistil tail tab set the weight of the particles along the entire tail. When you increase the weight of this attribute, you cause the stars to arc and then droop; when you increase the weight of the pistil s tail, the effect is that of pulling down the entire tail from the pistil s initial burst point. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a pistil consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the pistil s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the pistil maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the pistil loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the pistil s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the pistil less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the pistil, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 96

97 Palm Pistil tail This tab sets the attributes of the pistil s tail. Additional pistil tail attributes are set through the Pistil glitter tab. Color Color picker Sets the color of the pistil s tail. (NOTE: The Bright: slider in the Color picker is ignored. The tail s brightness is set by the Brightness control.) Brightness Slider (Scaler) Controls the brightness of the tail s color. Increasing the value of the slider causes the tail to become more intense. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the pistil s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. The Pistil tab also has a Weight attribute. A discussion of the difference between the two weights is provided in the Weight description in the Pistil tab. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the pistil s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. PAGE 97

98 Palm Pistil glitter A pistil s tail can contain glitter. These are particles that have more of a shimmer when compared to the tail s normal particles. Brightness Slider (Scaler) Controls the brightness of the tail s glitter particles. Increasing the value of the slider causes the glitter to become more intense. Density Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = no glitter) Adjusts the proportion of glitter compared to the tail s normal particles. If you set the value to 0.0, you get no glitter; if you set it to 1.0, all of the particles will glitter. PAGE 98

99 15 Salute A salute is a shell that produces a report (a bright flash and a loud bang). PAGE 99

100 Salute Launch The Launch tab defines the attributes of the shell s launch. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A shell s cone angle is the angle across which successive launches are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. N O T E The adjustments that you make to the cone angle won t affect the firework that you re currently editing. The setting is applied after you ve saved your firework and added a new instance to the scene. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a shell s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the mortar s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the shell s velocity (and so its height). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the firework won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the shell s velocity. The duration of its trajectory will be the same regardless of this slider s value. Thus, you can adjust the cone height without invalidating the shell s prefire setting. Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The velocity with which a shell is launched is set naturally by its caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the velocity. As you increase the slider s value, the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the shell s caliber. For example, let s say you re creating firework that launches a shell with an initial velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.01, the shells will always emerge with (nearly) the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). If you set the value to 0.5, a shell could emerge with an initial velocity that s somewhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. A value of 0.0 tells FINALE to select a physically reasonable but fairly small range of velocities. PAGE 100

101 Salute Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it bursts. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color through the other control. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. PAGE 101

102 Salute Flash The Flash tab sets the graphical attributes of the salute (aside from color). Shape Menu Sets the figuration of the salute. There are three shapes: Spoke, Ring, and Star, as shown below. More examples are given in the Flash color tab description. Spoke Ring Star Size Slider (Meters) The size of the sweet spot of the salute, in meters. The size setting isn t affected by the caliber of the firework. Sky brightening Slider (Scaler) Part of the spectacle of a salute is that it can light up the night sky. The Sky brightening attribute adds an extremely brief, non-linear lightening mask on the show s background image as the salute explodes. Dark parts of the image remain dark while the brightness of lighter pixels is increased, creating an effect that seems to cast shadows. Sky brightening isn t affected by the salute s size or color. PAGE 102

103 Salute Flash colors The Flash colors tab sets the colors that are used in the salute. All four sliders are color pickers that attribute a certain aspect of the graphic. Rather than describe them in a table, we ll explain them with some examples. A salute consists of three discrete parts and a blur. The discrete parts are the big spikes, the small spikes, and the ring. As you can see from the example, the color of the big spikes is set through Color A. That of the small spikes is Color C, and the ring is Color B. The Gradient color is the blur that s placed on top of the entire effect, and that fades out spherically from the center. Here s the same effect, but now we ve desaturated the blur (the Gradient color), in order to make the blur more pronounced. Notice that we re using the Ring shape. The ring is the only shape that uses all four colors. So what if we choose another shape?... PAGE 103

104 Salute Here, we ve changed to the Star shape without changing the color settings. Notice that the ring disappears the star doesn t use Color B but we can still see the effects of the spike colors and the blur. Finally, we shift to Spoke and dim the Gradient color. The ring comes back, but the spokes are painted with the small spike color (Color C) only. The spoke shape doesn t use Color A. PAGE 104

105 Salute Salute sound The Salute sound controls let you select and modify the sound that s played when the salute explodes. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the salute explodes. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by the salute s caliber or the Flash > size setting. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific salute will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 105

106 16 Comet A comet is an effect that launches a single, vivid shell that doesn t burst. PAGE 106

107 Comet Launch The Launch tab defines the attributes of the comet s launch. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A comet s cone angle is the angle across which successive launches are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a comet s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the mortar s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the comet s velocity (and so its height). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the firework won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the comet s velocity. The duration of its trajectory will be the same regardless of this slider s value. Thus, you can adjust the cone height without invalidating the comet s prefire setting. Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The velocity with which a comet shoots its shell is set naturally by the comet s caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the velocity. As you increase the slider s value, the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the comet s caliber. For example, let s say you re creating a comet that shoots its shell with an initial velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.0, the comet s shell will always emerge with the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). If you set the value to 0.5, the shell could emerge with an initial velocity that s somewhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. A value of 1.0 means that the shell could emerge at anywhere from 0 to 400 ft/sec. N O T E Unlike for other firework types, a value of 0.0 for a comet is interpreted literally it means that no randomness is applied to the velocity. PAGE 107

108 Comet Launch sound The Launch sound tab lets you select and modify the sound that s played when the comet is launched. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the comet is launched. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its natural amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by caliber; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the launch sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each launch. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to 0.5 (half an octave higher than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to -0.3, the pitch shift for a specific launch will be somewhere between 0.2 (a fifth of an octave above the natural pitch) and 0.5 (a half an octave higher than natural). PAGE 108

109 Comet Shell The Shell tab defines the basic attributes of the comet s shell. Other shell attributes are provided through Shell body, Shell tip, and so on. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the shell s emergence and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the shell s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the launch and the time that the shell is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the shells trajectories, increase the longevity value. Has tip Checkbox These two checkboxes determine whether or not the comet has a tip. The tip and report attributes are set in the Shell tip tab. PAGE 109

110 Comet Shell body The Shell body controls let you fine-tune a shell s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the shell s trajectory; they don t modify the size or appearance of the shell. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight of the comet s shell. A value of 1.0 is the shell s natural weight. If you increase the value, the shell becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the shell lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a shell consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the shell s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its launch momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the shell maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the shell loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the shell s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the shell less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the shell, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 110

111 Comet Shell tip The tip of a comet s shell is its leading edge. You make the tip visible by checking the Shell > Has tip checkbox. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. A value of 1.0 is the natural size, based on the Firework > Caliber setting. Other values act as scalers on the natural size: 0.5 makes the tip half as large; 2.0 makes it twice as large. PAGE 111

112 Comet Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched, and lasting until it dies. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Glitter. The glitter tail is like the Thick tail, but with the randomness turned up. The increased variation in particle and brightness gives the tail a glittery or twinkling effect. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. PAGE 112

113 Comet Shell sparkle A sparkle is a small series of sparks that are left behind along the shell s trajectory. It s similar to the shell s tail, but is much shorter-lived and more intense. Has sparkle Checkbox If checked, the shell has a sparkle; if not, it doesn t. Color Color picker Sets the color of a shell s sparkle. PAGE 113

114 17 Mine A mine is a dense, overpowering effect that sprays a number of shells (or projectiles) that can burst into stars that finish with a report. PAGE 114

115 Mine Mine Launch The Mine launch tab defines the number and distribution of projectiles that are launched at a time. Thickness Slider (Scaler; 0.0 = one projectile) This slider controls the number of projectiles that are launched during a single launch. If you want a single projectile, set the slider to 0.0. Greater values increase the count. The maximum value produces about 200 projectiles. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A mine s cone angle is the angle across which the projectiles in a single launch are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a projectile s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the mine s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the projectiles velocities (and so they re heights). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the projectiles won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the velocity of the projectiles. Their durations will be the same regardless of this slider s value. N O T E If you ve modified the mine s height by dragging the target in the Sky Field, this control will have no effect. PAGE 115

116 Mine Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The velocities of a mine s projectiles are set naturally by the mine s caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the distribution of velocities. As you increase the slider s value the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the caliber. For example, let s say you re creating a 6 mine that produces a stream of projectiles that are shot at an initial default velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.01, all projectiles will emerge with (very nearly) the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). If you set the value to 0.5, each projectile will emerge with an initial velocity that s somewhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. A value of 1.0 means that a projectile could emerge at anywhere from 0 to 400 ft/sec. A value of 0.0 tells FINALE to select a physically reasonable but fairly small range of velocities. PAGE 116

117 Mine Launch sound The Launch sound tab lets you select and modify the sound that s played when the mine is launched. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the mine is launched. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by caliber; for example, if you increase a mine s caliber, the launch sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each launch. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to 0.5 (half an octave higher than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to -0.3, the pitch shift for a specific launch will be somewhere between 0.2 (a fifth of an octave above the natural pitch) and 0.5 (a half an octave higher than natural). PAGE 117

118 Mine Shell The Shell tab defines the basic attributes of a mine s projectiles. More detailed attributes are provided through the Shell body, Shell burst, Shell tip, and so on. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the shell s launch and its burst. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the shell s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. The natural duration causes the shell to burst right about the time it has reached its apex. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between launch and burst will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want the shell to start to fall back to earth before it bursts, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the shell s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all shells that are fired in a single launch will burst at (approximately) the same time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.1 means that a shell may burst at any time after 9/10ths of the shell s longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a shell s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Has tip Has report Checkbox Checkbox These two checkboxes determine whether or not the firework has a tip and a report, respectively. The tip and report attributes are set in the Shell tip, Report, and Report sound tabs. Note that shells and stars use the same Report and Report sound settings. PAGE 118

119 Mine Shell body The Shell body controls let you fine-tune the shell s mass, such that the shell is more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the shell s trajectory; they don t modify the size or appearance of the shell. Also, the Shell body values that you set here don t affect the similar values in the Star body tab. If you want to make similar changes to both the shell and its stars, you have to visit both tabs. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the shell s weight. A value of 1.0 is the shell s natural weight. If you increase the value, the shell becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the shell lighter and so the upward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a shell consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the shell s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its launch momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the shell maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the shell loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the shell s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the shell less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the shell, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 119

120 Mine Shell tip The tip of a shell is its leading edge. Depending on the values you set in this tab, the tip can begin glowing as soon as the shell is launched and can continue through the shell s duration, ending at the burst point. You make the tip visible by checking the Shell > Has tip checkbox. You then set the tip s attributes through the controls in this tab. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the size of the tip s glow. A value of 1.0 is the natural size, based on the Firework > Caliber setting. Other values act as scalers on the natural size: 0.5 makes the tip half as large; 2.0 makes it twice as large. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the shell s trajectory, at which the tip starts and stops glowing. If you set the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, the tip will start glowing as soon as the shell is launched, and disappears when the shell bursts. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 would start the glow a quarter of the way from the launch and extinguish it a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tip won t appear. PAGE 120

121 Mine Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it bursts. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color and duration through the other controls. Additional attributes are set through the Shell tail, cont. tab. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Glitter. The glitter tail is like the Thick tail, but with the randomness turned up. The increased variation gives the tail a glittery or twinkling effect. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the shell s entire trajectory, at which the tail starts and stops. If you set the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, the tail will be visible from the moment the shell is launched until the shell bursts. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 would draw a tail that lasts from a quarter of the way from the launch to a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tail won t appear. PAGE 121

122 Mine Shell tail, cont. This tab sets additional attributes of the shell s tail. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the shell s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the shell s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. Ramp up Slider (Fraction) It takes some amount of time after the launch of a shell for the particles in the shell s tail to reach their maximum density. This slider lets you control this ramp up time as a fraction of the shell s duration. If you set the slider to 1.0, the tail continues to thicken across its entire duration, reaching its maximum density near the end of its trajectory. If you set the slider to 0.0, the tail becomes maximally dense almost immediately upon launch. PAGE 122

123 Mine Shell burst The Shell burst controls set some basic attributes of the stars that emerge when the shell bursts (or breaks ). No. of Stars Slider (Count) Sets the number of stars that each shell contains. When the shell bursts, the stars are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating a peony effect. If you set No. of stars to 0, the shell won t throw any stars. The stars attributes (color, weight, sound, and so on) are set through the various Star tabs. Burst force Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the power with which the stars break from the shell. 1.0 is the shell s natural burst power, based on the caliber of the shell and other physical properties. Other values are applied as scalers on the natural power: 0.5 means the stars are thrown half has hard; 2.0 means they re thrown twice as hard. A setting of 0.0 means that there s virtually no power the stars fall out of the break with very little outward momentum. Note that the Burst force setting affects the sound volume of the report. If you want to create a weak shell with a loud report, you have to increase the Report > Loudness setting. PAGE 123

124 Mine Shell burst sound The Shell burst sound controls let you select and modify the sound that s played when the mine s shell finishes its trajectory (the sound is played even if the shell doesn t actually burst ). Be aware that if the mine has a report sound, the shell burst sound will not be played. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the shell bursts. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by the firework s caliber or the Shell burst > Burst force setting; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the shell s burst sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each shell burst. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific burst will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 124

125 Mine Star A star is created when particles of pyrotechnic material are ignited and emitted by a bursting shell. The Star tab defines the basic attributes of a star, such as its duration and whether it s accompanied by a report. Other star attributes are provided through Star body, Star tip, Star tail, and so on. A star s force but not its duration is affected by the Shell burst > Burst force setting. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the star s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the star s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the star is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the stars trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the star s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all stars that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a star may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a star s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Has tip Has report Checkbox Checkbox These two checkboxes determine whether or not the firework has a tip and a report, respectively. The tip and report attributes are set in the Shell tip, Report, and Report sound tabs. Note that shells and stars use the same Report and Report sound settings. PAGE 125

126 Mine Star body The Star body controls let you fine-tune a star s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the stars trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. The Star body values aren t affected by changes in the Shell body tab. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight of a single star. A value of 1.0 is the star s natural weight. If you increase the value, the star becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the star lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a star consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the star s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the star maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the star loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the star s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the star less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the star, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 126

127 Mine Star tip The tip of a star is its leading edge as it burst from a shell. The tip can begin glowing as soon as the star emerges and can continue through the star s duration. You make the tip visible by checking the Star > Has tip checkbox. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. Unlike a shell tip, a star tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the star s trajectory, at which the tip starts and stops glowing. The default settings mean that the tip starts glowing as soon as the star emerges from the shell, and it disappears when the star dies. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 (for example) would start the glow a quarter of the way along the trajectory and extinguish it a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tip won t appear. PAGE 127

128 Mine Star tail A star s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s emerged from its shell, and lasting until it dies. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s other attributes through the rest of the controls. Additional attributes are set through the Star tail, cont. tab. Effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Glitter. The glitter tail is like the Thick tail, but with the randomness turned up. The increased variation in particle and brightness gives the tail a glittery or twinkling effect. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the length of the star s tail measured along the star s trajectory. Settings of 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, mean that the tail begins as soon as the star emerges from the shell, and it disappears when the star dies. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 (for example) would cause the tail to appear a quarter of the way along the trajectory and die out a quarter of the way from the end of the trajectory. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tail won t appear. PAGE 128

129 Mine Star tail, cont. This tab sets additional attributes of the star s tail. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the star s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the star s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. PAGE 129

130 Mine Report A report is an explosive device that creates a bright flash and a loud bang. This tab defines the report s appearance. A companion tab, Report sound, defines its sound. The report settings are shared by the shell and the star. Color Color picker Sets the color of the report s flash. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the report s flash. Unlike other objects, a report doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting (or any other attributes). As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. Adjusting the Size setting could automatically adjust the volume of the report s sound, depending on the volume of the Report sound > Volume setting. PAGE 130

131 Mine Report sound A report is an explosive device that creates a bright flash and a loud bang. This tab defines the report s sound. A companion tab, Report, defines its appearance. If you set the mine s report sound, the Shell burst sound is suppressed. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the report explodes. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Scaler; 0.0 = natural volume) Sets the amplitude of the report s sound. If you set the slider to 0.0, the amplitude is automatically adjusted to match the Report > Size setting. Any other value sets the amplitude as a percentage of the soundfile s unattenuated amplitude. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each report. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific report will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 131

132 18 Fountain A fountain is a groundwork that sprays a continuous stream of particles. Some fountains can end with a report, others with a salute. PAGE 132

133 Fountain Firework The Firework tab for a fountain is different from the other firework types: It has a Duration control rather than Caliber. Duration Slider (Seconds) The duration of the fountain, in seconds. For an explanation of the other controls in the Firework tab, see the Common Tabs chapter. PAGE 133

134 Fountain Spray The Spray tab defines the number and distribution of particles that are launched at a time. Thickness Slider (Scaler; 0.0 = one particle at a time) This slider controls the frequency with which the particles are sprayed. If you set the slider to 0.0, particles are shot one a time the second particle doesn t emerge until the first one has finished. Greater values decrease the time-between-particles and thus increase the density of the fountain s spray. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A fountain s cone angle is the angle across which the particles are randomly distributed. The center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) The Cone height slider lets you adjust the fountain s height by modifying the velocity with which the particles are sprayed. If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the fountain s natural height. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the particles won t lift off at all. The cone height doesn t affect the particles durations. At a height of 1.0, a particle will consume its pyrotechnic material just after it reaches the apex of the cone. If you decrease the height, the particles will droop and fall back to Earth before burning out. If you increase the height to the maximum, the particles could burn out before they reach the apex. You can counteract (or even compound) this affect by adjusting the particles durations through the Particle > Longevity control. N O T E If you ve modified the fountain s height by dragging the target in the Sky Field, this control will have no effect. PAGE 134

135 Fountain Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the heights of individual particles. As you increase the slider s value the range of heights widens, but the maximum will never be greater than the height that s set by the Cone height control. For example, let s say you ve set Cone height so that the fountain is 200 feet height. If you set Randomness to 0.01, all particles will (very nearly) reach the 200 foot maximum. If you set the value to 0.5, each particle will rise somewhere between 100 and 200 feet. Set it to.75 and the range will be between 50 and 200 feet, and so on. A value of 0.0 tells FINALE to add a natural but fairly small amount of randomness. PAGE 135

136 Fountain Spray sound The Spray sound tab lets you select and modify the sound that s played while the fountain is spraying particles. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. The sound is layered to match the fountain s density, as set through the Spray > Thickness control. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. Because the sound is layered, the cumulative amplitude will increase as the fountain s thickness is increased. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to each instance of the sound. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to 0.5 (half an octave higher than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to -0.3, the pitch shift for a specific instance will be somewhere between 0.2 (a fifth of an octave above the natural pitch) and 0.5 (a half an octave higher than natural). PAGE 136

137 Fountain Particle The Particle tab defines the basic attributes of a fountain s particles. More detailed attributes are provided through the Particle body and Particle tail tabs. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time it takes for a particle to consume its pyrotechnic material. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on a particle s natural duration. The natural duration causes a particle to burn out just after it s reached its apex (depending on the Spray > Cone height setting). This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, the particle will last half as long as the natural duration. If you increase the value, the particle will fall back to earth before dying. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to a particle s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all particles last the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.1 means that a particle will burn out any time after 9/10ths of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a particle s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. PAGE 137

138 Fountain Particle body Particle body lets you fine-tune the particle s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the particle s weight. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight. If you increase the value, the particle becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the particle lighter and so the upward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a particle consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the particle s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its launch momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the particle maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the particle loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the particle s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the particle less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction, shortening the particle s trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 138

139 Fountain Particle tail A particle s tail is the trail of sparks that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it has consumed its pyrotechnic material. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color and duration through the other controls. Additional attributes are set through the Particle tail, cont. tab. Color Color picker Sets the color of the sparks in a particle s tail. Brightness Slider (Scaler) This is an additional brightness control that s compounded with the color picker s Bright: slider. It lets you enhance the brightness of the tail so that it becomes more intense. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the particle s entire trajectory, at which the tail starts and stops. If you set the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, the tail will be visible from the moment the particle is launched until the particle burns out. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 would draw a tail that lasts from a quarter of the way from the launch to a quarter of the way from the end. For a fountain, you typically want to leave the End slider set to 1.0 and use the Particle > Longevity control to adjust the length of the tail (which is analogous to adjusting the particle s endpoint). The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tail won t appear. PAGE 139

140 Fountain Particle tail, cont. This tab sets additional attributes of the particles tails. Not all fountains have Weight and Ramp up controls Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the length of the tail that a particle produces. By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. Fadeaway Slider (Fraction) As a particle nears the end of its trajectory, it emits fewer and fewer sparks. Fadeaway lets you control the rate at which the emission of sparks tapers off. A setting of 0.5 is a natural decrease; if you set the slider to 0.0, there s no decrease at all: The spark spigot remains full on until the very end. As you increase the slider s value, the particle will begin to decrease its spark emission earlier in its trajectory. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight of the sparks in the fountain s tails. A value of 1.0 is a spark s natural weight. If you increase the value, the spark becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the spark lighter and so the upward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Ramp up Slider (Fraction) It takes some amount of time after the launch of a particle for its tail to reach its maximum spark density. This slider lets you control this ramp up time as a fraction of the tail s duration. If you set the slider to 1.0, the tail continues to thicken across its entire duration, reaching its maximum density near the end of its trajectory. If you set the slider to 0.0, the tail becomes maximally dense almost immediately upon launch. PAGE 140

141 Fountain Report A report is an explosive device that creates a bright flash and a loud bang that occurs at the very end of the fountain s trajectory. This tab sets the graphical attributes of the fountain s reports. A companion tab, Report sound, defines the sound it makes. Not all fountains have reports. Size Slider (Meters) The size of the sweet spot of the report, in meters. Sky brightening Slider (Scaler) The Sky brightening attribute adds an extremely brief, non-linear lightening mask on the show s background image as the report explodes. Dark parts of the image remain dark while the brightness of lighter pixels is increased, creating an effect that seems to cast shadows. Sky brightening isn t affected by the report s size. PAGE 141

142 Fountain Report sound This tab defines the report s sound. A companion tab, Report, defines its appearance. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the report explodes. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Scaler; 0.0 = natural volume) Sets the amplitude of the report s sound. If you set the slider to 0.0, the amplitude is automatically adjusted to match the Report > Size setting. Any other value sets the amplitude as a percentage of the soundfile s unattenuated amplitude. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each report. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific report will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 142

143 Fountain Salute, Salute colors, Salute sound The Salute and Salute colors tabs sets the graphical attributes of the salute. For an explanation of these tabs with examples see the Flash and Flash colors tabs in the Salute chapter. The Salute sound tab sets the salute s sound. For an explanation of its controls, see the Report sound tab in this chapter. PAGE 143

144 19 Candle A candle is a single tube device that shoots a sequence of effects such as comets or mines. Individual candles are often fused together at different angles to create a pattern of repeated shots that fan or zigzag across the sky. Instead of manually configuring dozens of individual fireworks at the desired angles and times and then saving the construction as a cake, you can edit a single firework in the Candle category to create an entire pattern of shots. The Candle editor lets you set the pattern and timing of the firework sequence through its Cycle and Multicycle tabs. In contrast with cakes, which can combine any number of different firework types, the sequence of shots in a Candle firework are all the same effect. PAGE 144

145 Candle Launch The Launch tab defines the attributes of the candle s launch. Cone angle Slider (degrees) A firework s cone angle is the angle across which the projectiles in a single launch are randomly distributed. If you re not using a cyclical effect (as created through the Cycle tab), the center of the angle is straight up. As you increase the cone angle value, the cone widens symmetrically around the center. If you are using a cycle, the center of the cone will swing as the successive shots are distributed over time across the fan angle (again, this is explained in the Cycle description). In this case, you ll probably want to drastically reduce the cone angle so that you don t spoil the effect of the pattern. Cone height Slider (scaler; 1.0 = natural height) By default, the height (or distance) of a firework s trajectory is determined by the velocity with which it s launched, and velocity is directly related to the firework s caliber (and some other physical properties). The Cone height slider lets you adjust the firework s velocity (and so its height). If you set the slider to 1.0, you get the velocity/height that s determined by the caliber. Values greater than 1.0 produce greater heights, as much as twice as high as the natural caliber height. Values less than 1.0 reduce the height. If you set the value to 0.0, the firework won t lift off at all. Keep in mind that you re increasing and decreasing the firework s velocity. The duration of its trajectory will be the same regardless of this slider s value. Thus, you can adjust the cone height without invalidating the firework s prefire setting. Randomness Slider (Fraction; 0.0 = autocompute) The velocities of a candle s shells are set naturally by the candle s caliber. The Randomness slider lets you add some randomness to the distribution of velocities. As you increase the slider s value the range of velocities widens, but they re always less than the natural velocity that s set by the caliber. For example, let s say you re creating a candle that launches shells at an initial default velocity of 400 ft/sec. If you set the Randomness to 0.01, all shells will emerge with (very nearly) the same initial velocity (400 ft/sec). If you set the value to 0.5, each shell will emerge with an initial velocity that s somewhere between 200 and 400 ft/sec. A value of 1.0 means that a shell could emerge at anywhere from 0 to 400 ft/sec. A value of 0.0 tells FINALE to select a physically reasonable but fairly small range of velocities. PAGE 145

146 Candle Launch sound The Launch sound tab lets you select and modify the sound that s played when the firework is launched. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the firework is launched. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by caliber; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the launch sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each launch. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to 0.5 (half an octave higher than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to -0.3, the pitch shift for a specific launch will be somewhere between 0.2 (a fifth of an octave above the natural pitch) and 0.5 (a half an octave higher than natural). PAGE 146

147 Candle Mine The Mine tab defines the number of projectiles (shells, sparks, stars) that are launched at a time. Is mine Checkbox If this checkbox is checked, the firework behaves like a mine in that it can launch more than one projectile. The number of projectiles is controlled by the Mine thickness slider. If the checkbox is unchecked, the firework will only launch one projectile, regardless of the Mine thickness setting. Mine thickness Slider (Scaler; 0.0 = one projectile) If Is mine is checked, this slider controls the number of projectiles that are launched during a single launch. If you want a single projectile, set the slider to 0.0. Greater values increase the count. The maximum value produces about 200 projectiles per launch. If Is mine is unchecked, the Mine thickness slider is ignored and the firework launches a single projectile. PAGE 147

148 Candle Shell The Shell tab defines the basic attributes of a firework s shell (or projectiles). More detailed attributes are provided through the Shell body, Shell burst, Shell tip, Shell tail, and Report tabs. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the shell s launch and its burst. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the shell s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. The natural duration causes the shell to burst right about the time it has reached its apex. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between launch and burst will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want the shell to start to fall back to earth before it bursts, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the shell s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all shells that are fired in a single launch will burst at (approximately) the same time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.1 means that a shell may burst at any time after 9/10ths of the shell s longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a shell s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Has tip Has report Checkbox Checkbox These two checkboxes determine whether or not the firework has a tip and a report, respectively. The tip and report attributes are set in the Shell tip, Report, and Report sound tabs. Note that shells and stars use the same Report and Report sound settings. PAGE 148

149 Candle Shell body The Shell body controls let you fine-tune the shell s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the shell s trajectory; they don t modify the size or appearance of the shell. Also, the Shell body values that you set here don t affect the similar values in the Star body tab. If you want to make similar changes to both the shell and its stars, you have to visit both tabs. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the shell s weight. A value of 1.0 is the shell s natural weight. If you increase the value, the shell becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the shell lighter and so the upward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a shell consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the shell s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its launch momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the shell maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the shell loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the shell s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the shell less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the shell, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 149

150 Candle Shell tip The tip of a shell is its leading edge. Depending on the values you set in this tab, the tip can begin glowing as soon as the shell is launched and can continue through the shell s duration, ending at the burst point. You make the tip visible by checking the Shell > Has tip checkbox. You then set the tip s attributes through the controls in this tab. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the size of the tip s glow. A value of 1.0 is the natural size, based on the Firework > Caliber setting. Other values act as scalers on the natural size: 0.5 makes the tip half as large; 2.0 makes it twice as large. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the shell s trajectory, at which the tip starts and stops glowing. If you set the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, the tip will start glowing as soon as the shell is launched, and disappears when the shell bursts. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 would start the glow a quarter of the way from the launch and extinguish it a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tip won t appear. PAGE 150

151 Candle Shell tail A shell s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s launched and that lasts until it bursts. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s color and duration through the other controls. Additional attributes are set through the Shell tail, cont. tab. Tail effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Glitter. The glitter tail is like the Thick tail, but with the randomness turned up. The increased variation gives the tail a glittery or twinkling effect. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the shell s entire trajectory, at which the tail starts and stops. If you set the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, the tail will be visible from the moment the shell is launched until the shell bursts. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 would draw a tail that lasts from a quarter of the way from the launch to a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tail won t appear. PAGE 151

152 Candle Shell tail, cont. This tab sets additional attributes of the shell s tail. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the shell s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the shell s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. Ramp up Slider (Fraction) It takes some amount of time after the launch of a shell for the particles in the shell s tail to reach their maximum density. This slider lets you control this ramp up time as a fraction of the shell s duration. If you set the slider to 1.0, the tail continues to thicken across its entire duration, reaching its maximum density near the end of its trajectory. If you set the slider to 0.0, the tail becomes maximally dense almost immediately upon launch. PAGE 152

153 Candle Shell burst The Shell burst controls set some basic attributes of the stars that emerge when the shell bursts (or breaks ). No. of Stars Slider (Count) Sets the number of stars that each shell contains. When the shell bursts, the stars are thrown in random directions away from the shell, creating a peony effect. If you set No. of stars to 0, the shell won t throw any stars. The stars attributes (color, weight, sound, and so on) are set through the various Star tabs. Burst force Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural size) Sets the power with which the stars break from the shell. 1.0 is the shell s natural burst power, based on the caliber of the shell and other physical properties. Other values are applied as scalers on the natural power: 0.5 means the stars are thrown half has hard; 2.0 means they re thrown twice as hard. A setting of 0.0 means that there s virtually no power the stars fall out of the break with very little outward momentum. Note that the Burst force setting affects the sound volume of the report. If you want to create a weak shell with a loud report, you have to increase the Report > Loudness setting. PAGE 153

154 Candle Shell burst sound The Shell burst sound controls let you select and modify the sound that s played when the firework s shell finishes its trajectory (the sound is played even if the shell doesn t actually burst ). Be aware that if the shell burst has a report, the shell s burst sound will not be played. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the shell bursts. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Fraction) Sets the amplitude of the sound as a percentage of its unattenuated amplitude. A volume of 1.0 is completely unattenuated; a volume of 0.0 is silent. The amplitude isn t affected by the firework s caliber or the Shell burst > Burst force setting; for example, if you increase a firework s caliber, the shell s burst sound doesn t get louder. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each shell burst. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific burst will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 154

155 Candle Star A star is created when particles of pyrotechnic composition material are ignited and emitted by a bursting shell. The Star tab defines the basic attributes of a star, such as its duration and whether it s accompanied by a report. Other star attributes are provided through Star body, Star tip, Star tail, and so on. A star s force but not its duration is affected by the Shell burst > Burst force setting. Longevity Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural longevity) Sets the amount of time between the star s emergence from the bursting shell and the time that its pyrotechnic material is exhausted. The slider value isn t an amount of time in seconds: It s a scaler on the star s natural duration, which is determined by its caliber, speed, and other factors. This natural duration is represented by a value of 1.0. If you set the slider to 0.5, for example, the duration between the burst and the time that the star is exhausted will be half as long as the natural duration. If you want to extend the stars trajectories, increase the longevity value. Abridgment Slider (Fraction) Abridgment adds a bit of randomness to the star s longevity. With a setting of 0.0, there s no randomness all stars that burst from a shell last (approximately) the same amount of time (as set through the Longevity slider). As you increase the Abridgment value, you reduce the duration range. For example, a setting of 0.5 means that a star may die out any time after half of its longevity has expired. The Abrigment setting never increases a star s duration so that it lasts longer than the Longevity setting it can only decrease it. Has tip Has report Checkbox Checkbox These two checkboxes determine whether or not the firework has a tip and a report, respectively. The tip and report attributes are set in the Shell tip, Report, and Report sound tabs. Note that shells and stars use the same Report and Report sound settings. PAGE 155

156 Candle Star body The Star body controls let you fine-tune a star s mass so that it s more or less susceptible to air friction, gravity, and wind. These attributes only affect the stars trajectories; they don t modify the size or appearance of the stars. The Star body values aren t affected by changes in the Shell body tab. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the star s weight. A value of 1.0 is the star s natural weight. If you increase the value, the star becomes heavier and is pulled back to Earth more quickly. Smaller values make the star lighter and so the straight-outward portion of its trajectory is less affected by gravity. Momentum Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural momentum loss) As a star consumes its pyrotechnic material, it loses mass and momentum, and thus slows down and becomes increasingly more susceptible to the effects of the wind and air friction. This attribute lets you set the scale of the star s ultimate momentum (the point at which it has exhausted its material) compared to its burst momentum. A value of 1.0 produces a natural momentum loss. If you increase the value, the star maintains more of its momentum over the course of its trajectory. If you decrease the value, the star loses momentum more quickly. Wind resistance Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural wind resistance) Sets the star s susceptibility to the wind and air friction. A value of 1.0 produces a slight, natural resistance. Decreasing the slider s value makes the star less affected by the wind, causing its trajectory to straighten and elongate. Increasing the value increases the effect of the wind and air friction on the star, shortening its trajectory and bending it in the direction of the wind. PAGE 156

157 Candle Star tip The tip of a star is its leading edge as it burst from a shell. The tip can begin glowing as soon as the star emerges and can continue through the star s duration. You make the tip visible by checking the Star > Has tip checkbox. Color Color picker Sets the tip s color. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the tip s glow. Unlike a shell tip, a star tip doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting. As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the points, along the star s trajectory, at which the tip starts and stops glowing. The default settings mean that the tip starts glowing as soon as the star emerges from the shell, and it disappears when the star dies. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 (for example) would start the glow a quarter of the way along the trajectory and extinguish it a quarter of the way from the burst. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tip won t appear. PAGE 157

158 Candle Star tail A star s tail is the trail of glowing particles that it leaves behind after it s emerged from its shell, and lasting until it dies. You make the tail visible by setting the Tail effect, below, to something other than No tail. You can then set the tail s other attributes through the rest of the controls. Effect Menu Lets you choose the type of tail you want the shell to display: No tail. Use this effect to turn off the tail. Thin. The particles are equally-spaced along the trajectory, and are of the same brightness and duration (although with some randomness thrown in). The particles stay fairly close to the path of the trajectory. Thick. This is the same as Thin but there are more particles, and they trace a wider path. Glitter. The glitter tail is like the Thick tail, but with the randomness turned up. The increased variation in particle and brightness gives the tail a glittery or twinkling effect. Color Color picker Sets the tail s color. Begin End Slider (Fraction) Slider (Fraction) These two sliders determine the length of the star s tail measured along the star s trajectory. Settings of 0.0 and 1.0, respectively, mean that the tail begins as soon as the star emerges from the shell, and it disappears when the star dies. Settings of 0.25 and 0.75 (for example) would cause the tail to appear a quarter of the way along the trajectory and die out a quarter of the way from the end of the trajectory. The End value must be greater than the Begin value; if it isn t, the tail won t appear. PAGE 158

159 Candle Star tail, cont. This tab sets additional attributes of the star s tail. Weight Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural weight) Sets the weight the individual particles in the star s tail. A value of 1.0 is a particle s natural weight (which is very close to weightless). If you increase the value, the particles become heavier and are pulled back to Earth, causing the entire tail to appear to be pulled down from its launch point. Smaller values make the particles lighter and less affected by gravity. Length Slider (Scaler; 1.0 = natural length) Sets the longevity of the particles in the star s tail (in other words, the amount of time before they re extinguished). By increasing or decreasing this value, you can cause more or less of the tail to be visible at a given time. PAGE 159

160 Candle Report A report is an explosive device that creates a bright flash and a loud bang. This tab defines the report s appearance. A companion tab, Report sound, defines its sound. The report settings are shared by the shell and the star. Color Color picker Sets the color of the report s flash. Size Slider (Scaler) Sets the magnitude of the report s flash. Unlike other objects, a report doesn t have a natural size that s based on the Fireworks > Caliber setting (or any other attributes). As you select larger or smaller caliber settings, you may want to increase or decrease the value of this attribute. Adjusting the Size setting could automatically adjust the volume of the report s sound, depending on the volume of the Report sound > Volume setting. PAGE 160

161 Candle Report sound A report is an explosive device that creates a bright flash and a loud bang. This tab defines the report s sound. A companion tab, Report, defines its appearance. The report settings are shared by the shell and the star. If a shell contains a report, the report s sound is played and the Shell burst sound is suppressed. Sound Menu The Sound menu gives you a choice of sounds that are played when the shell bursts. The names of the sounds that you can choose from are self-descriptive: Whoosh, Pop, Thud shriek, and so on. Volume Slider (Scaler; 0.0 = natural volume) Sets the amplitude of the report s sound. If you set the slider to 0.0, the amplitude is automatically adjusted to match the Report > Size setting. Any other value sets the amplitude as a percentage of the soundfile s unattenuated amplitude. Pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Shifts the pitch of the sound by as much as an octave lower (-1.0) to an octave higher (1.0). Pitch shifting is effected by changing the playback speed of the soundfile. Shifting the sound lower will increase its duration; shifting it higher will increase the duration. Random pitch shift Slider (-1.0 = one octave lower; 1.0 = one octave higher) Adds a random amount of pitch shift to the sound of each report. You can declare a random pitch shift from an octave lower to an octave higher than the pitch defined by the Pitch shift attribute. For example, if you set Pitch shift to -0.5 (half an octave lower than the natural pitch of the sound) and set Random pitch shift to 0.3, the pitch shift for a specific report will be somewhere between -0.2 (a fifth of an octave below the natural pitch) and -0.5 (a half an octave lower than natural). PAGE 161

162 Candle Cycle A cycle is a series of events that can be distributed in a pattern in the sky. Each event is a single performance of the effect that s defined by the preceding tabs. The Cycle tab lets you set the number of events in a cycle, the amount of time between events, and the pattern that the cycle of events creates. A companion tab, Multicycle, lets you create a series of cycles. The entire performance, from the first launch until the moment of the last launch (including multicycle repetitions), can last no more than 120 seconds. Because of this, the number of events and cycles that you can ask for may be less than the maximum values that are proclaimed by the number of X sliders. The lingering effect of the last event can stretch beyond the 120-second barrier it just has to be launched within 120 seconds of the first event s launch. Events per cycle Seconds per event Slider (Count) Slider (Seconds) These two controls set the number of events in a single cycle, and the amount of time, in seconds, between the start times of successive events. By multiplying the seconds-per-event by the events-per-cycle (minus 1), you get the duration of a single cycle. Pattern Fan angle Menu Slider (degrees) These two controls work together to create a fan effect over time by changing the angle of the launch of successive events. The range or pie wedge of the fan is set by the Fan angle; the fan effect is defined by the Pattern selection. There are nine effects: Straight up. This turns off the fan pattern. All events are projected straight up. Note, however, that the Shell > Cone angle is still applied; individual projectiles in an event are distributed randomly within the cone angle. Fan left to right. In this pattern, the first event is fired at an angle that s half of the Fan angle to the left of center, and successive events move in equal steps to the right, reaching the far right side of the Fan angle at the last event (see the illustration, below). Again, the cone angle is applied around each step. If you re using this pattern or any of the following patterns you may want to set the Launch > Cone angle value to 0.0 (or very close) so that you don t spoil the effect. Fan right to left. This is the same as the above but moves right-to-left. Fan left to right to left. The events move twice as fast, from the left edge to the right edge and back again in a single cycle. Fan right to left to right. This is the same as the above, but from right-to-left and back again. Fan open. Pairs of events are fired at the same time, one on the far left edge of the Fan angle, and the other PAGE 162

163 Candle on the far right side. Successive events close the gap, and the final events are fired (nearly) straight up. When you use this pattern (and the other fan open/close patterns), you effectively double the Events per cycle setting. Fan close. The same as the above, but the fan opens from the center to the extremes. Fan open and close. Events move twice as fast, opening and then closing the fan. Fan close and open. The same as the above, but the fan closes and then opens. Keep in mind that in order to see the effect of the pattern, you must have multiple events within a cycle. Fan left to right pattern PAGE 163