Royal Fireworks is a pyrotechnics company from the Netherlands with a passion for storytelling through pyromusicals. In three appearances at the prestigious Philippine International Pyromusical Competition (PIPC) in Manila, they reached the podium twice—winning 3rd place and the People’s Choice Award in 2012, and taking home the championship title in 2015. We spoke with Jozef Royal about how FWsim fits into their creative process.
Royal Fireworks is a group of pyro enthusiasts from the Netherlands who enjoy designing and building pyromusicals with a strong emphasis on storytelling. They have competed at the PIPC three times—placing 3rd and winning the People’s Choice Award in 2012, then returning to claim the championship in 2015. They competed again in 2024, making them one of the most experienced international teams at the competition.
“For us to be crowned winner at an event where a lot of companies we personally look up to were competing was an incredibly rewarding feeling. These journeys also allowed us to meet a lot of pyro enthusiasts from across the world and make awesome friends.”
— Jozef Royal
Royal Fireworks has been using FWsim since the early beta days. For a team that is focused on making the simulation match the real show as closely as possible, the choice was clear.
“We like designing in a way that the visuals of the simulation software match the final production as closely as possible. For us, FWsim is simply the best tool for this.”
Their long-standing relationship with FWsim has also meant features were added over the years to support their increasingly complex productions—keeping FWsim their preferred tool for well over a decade.
How close does the FWsim simulation get to the real thing? According to Jozef, remarkably close.
“Sometimes we model the products so their effects have a slightly different scale compared to real life, but the overall look and feel of the production remains very similar to what was designed.”
For Royal Fireworks, visualization software isn’t just a convenience—it’s essential to the way they create. Their pyromusicals are built around stories, and seeing the visual elements combined with music is what lets them craft the right emotions.
“We are very focused on storytelling with the pyromusical, and so we want the visual elements of the fireworks and the music combined to evoke certain emotions in accordance with the story we want to tell. For us, the combination of designing with accurately simulated effects is an absolute must.”
FWsim also plays a key role in team collaboration and communicating with manufacturers:
Jozef shared three key pieces of advice for getting the most out of FWsim:
“For us, the combination of designing with accurately simulated effects is an absolute must. It also helps to share the design iterations with the team as accurately as possible and maybe come up with even better ideas together. FWsim has remained our preferred tool for well over a decade now.”
— Jozef Royal, Royal Fireworks, Netherlands Read the full story →
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