Documentation for FWsim Pro

This page documents the extra features of FWsim Pro. The manual for the standard FWsim features is available here.

Multi-Monitor support

In single monitor mode, firework effects are selected via a popup.

FWsim in single-monitor mode

FWsim Pro offers an additional two-monitor mode. The entire show designer uses one monitor, and the fireworks selection is embedded into the window. The simulation is displayed on the other screen.

FWsim in two-monitor mode

Firework Database

In FWsim Pro, you can store custom data with your effects, for example:

Manufacturer
Price
Article Number

Click Tools -> Firework Database Editor to view and modify this data. All fields support Unicode. That means you can use Chinese characters, for example, and they will work on all computers.

To configure the Data Fields

What you store is completely up to you. You can configure the fields under Tools -> Preferences. This just defines the data fields that will be visible all the time. When you delete a field there, you will not lose the effect data you have already entered, and you will still see it in the Firework Database Editor.

Video export for individual effects

All editions of FWsim can export shows as videos. The pro edition can additionally export individual effects.
To render a single effect as a video: Open it in the fireworks editor and click File -> Export Video.
To render multiple effects: Click Tools -> Firework Database Editor. Tick the box on several effects and click the "Export Video" button to render them all. You can select a directory and all effect videos will be stored there.

Video Export with Company Logo

You can select a company logo or company name to be included in videos. Go to Tools -> Preferences and select the "Pro" tab. The logo can be alpha-transparent. It is recommended to use a PNG file if your logo has transparency.

Sub-Shows: Insert shows into other shows

As a professional pyrotechnician, you may need to create several shows in a short timeframe, and react to different client demands (budget, location, ...). FWsim Pro allows you to build a show consisting of several individual parts. For example, you could create several 1-minute-shows with music. Later, you could combine several of them to create a 3-minute show.
To combine several small parts into a big show:

Create the small parts first. Save them as individual .fws files.
Select File -> New to create a new empty show.
Select "Insert Another Show" at the bottom left of the screen.
Select the show file you created previously.
Repeat 2-4 for all the individual parts.

Note that after you insert show A into show B, any changes you do in A will not show up in B. You can even delete or move the original show file A.
The camera moves defined inside the sub-show are ignored, as they might conflict with those you setup in the main show. The music in the sub-show is played normally.

Channel Numbers

FWsim Pro supports a simple channel numbering system. Future versions will support box numbers as well.
To auto-assign channel numbers: Click Export -> Auto-Assign Channels. This will assign a channel number to all cues, which is ordered ascending by firing time. The channel assignment will be saved in the show file. If you move cues around, you have to click "Auto-Assign Channels" again to ensure the correct ordering.
The channel numbers are displayed right inside the timeline. If a cue is too short, you might not be able to read the channel number. In that case, just hover with the mouse over the cue to see it. Alternatively, you can also zoom in the timeline (use the trackbar to the right).

Channel Assignment Settings Per Cue

Click on a cue and select the "Data Export" tab. Depending on the cue type, you can change how the channel assignment will behave:

Single Fireworks always get one channel.
Camera Moves are ignored, they never get a channel.
Music gets no channel by default. To assign a channel, tick the box in the "Data Export" tab.
Stepper and Batteries have three modes (see the "Fire Mode" box in the "Data Export" tab). In "Default" fire mode, the setting is taken from the show settings. In the "One Channel" mode, there is only a channel assigned to the first shot. In the "Multiple Channels" mode, every shot gets its own channel.
The cues within Sub-Shows get channels just as if they were directly in the show.

Channel Assignment Settings Per Show

In addition to the per-cue settings, there are also settings for the entire show. Open the "Data Export" tab. You can change:

The firing system you want to use (see below)
The default stepper export mode. This will be applied to all steppers and batteries with the "Default" fire mode. (see above)

Firing Data Export

You can export your data as an HTML firing plan or as CSV. CSV is useful if you want to import the data into other software or your own firing system. HTML is useful for printing.

Firing System Support

We can create a custom export plugin for your firing system. Contact us for more information.
Starting in early 2012, a plugin for the Explo firing system will be available. This plugin is developed in direct cooperation with Explo.