What kind of choreography software are you using?

[Trike21]

Hello all, is anyone one using any kind of choregraphing software?

Is there a software that is modern enough, and or, up to date that it allows you to watch different brands of fireworks, cakes, etc. visually on the software and apply music to it?

[Engineer Cat]

I believe most people here use the Cobra Show Creator https://www.cobrashowcreator.com/ but I don't think it has cakes you can pull into it. It's more about creating the effect and timing the show.

Finale 3D seems to be popular but it doesn't have cakes that I'm aware of, just effects. You can create the type of cake you want to use by putting together different effects but it doesn't have a list of products to pick from. It's pretty pricey for the average backyard enthusiast but for the pros it's a very powerful tool from what I hear.

If someone could program their software to go to https://www.wikifireworks.com which is the largest database of fireworks and pull video of the cakes into the software that would be awesome and save me a lot of time. However I have a few cakes I looked up on there that they don't have.

What I do to accomplish what you are trying to do is download the videos of the cakes, shells etc and then drop them into video editing software. I put the audio track I want to try to use in there also and then I basically drag the different video files around to the music to see what cake effect I can put where to get the desired effect I'm looking for. I only use 1.4g so I'm a bit limited when trying to script quasi pyromusicals but I'll take apart cakes if I want a single effect out of it to emphasize certain parts of the show. Being the video editing software has a timecode I use that to create an excel file with the time signatures and cues. I then upload the excel file to my Firelinx system and let it shoot the show. For timing things such as lift time, I use wikifireworks and if they don't have that info I time it myself using the video. The video created gives you a rough idea of what the show will look like to the music but most importaint it gives you the time code you need to make that show happen if you are using any sort of firing system where you can upload a show script file.

I've also done this when I had one of the chinese firing systems but I had to manual hit each cue to fire it while trying to follow a stopwatch and a cue list. Not very much fun because I was never looking up in the sky, only looking at the clock and the cue list.

[Sassy Hatter OZFL]

I believe most people here use the Cobra Show Creator https://www.cobrashowcreator.com/ but I don't think it has cakes you can pull into it. It's more about creating the effect and timing the show.

Finale 3D seems to be popular but it doesn't have cakes that I'm aware of, just effects. You can create the type of cake you want to use by putting together different effects but it doesn't have a list of products to pick from. It's pretty pricey for the average backyard enthusiast but for the pros it's a very powerful tool from what I hear.

If someone could program their software to go to https://www.wikifireworks.com which is the largest database of fireworks and pull video of the cakes into the software that would be awesome and save me a lot of time. However I have a few cakes I looked up on there that they don't have.

What I do to accomplish what you are trying to do is download the videos of the cakes, shells etc and then drop them into video editing software. I put the audio track I want to try to use in there also and then I basically drag the different video files around to the music to see what cake effect I can put where to get the desired effect I'm looking for. I only use 1.4g so I'm a bit limited when trying to script quasi pyromusicals but I'll take apart cakes if I want a single effect out of it to emphasize certain parts of the show. Being the video editing software has a timecode I use that to create an excel file with the time signatures and cues. I then upload the excel file to my Firelinx system and let it shoot the show. For timing things such as lift time, I use wikifireworks and if they don't have that info I time it myself using the video. The video created gives you a rough idea of what the show will look like to the music but most importaint it gives you the time code you need to make that show happen if you are using any sort of firing system where you can upload a show script file.

I've also done this when I had one of the chinese firing systems but I had to manual hit each cue to fire it while trying to follow a stopwatch and a cue list. Not very much fun because I was never looking up in the sky, only looking at the clock and the cue list.


cobra show creator lets you import from wikifireworks, if available it includes sku, duration, video link etc. you can also edit effects in showcreator and add the video links or change the included one.

since im still using part crackle cube/bilusocn modules and cobra this year, along with sequencers, i wrote my script in show creator printed the cue list then cut/paste it into crackle show creator, and you EXPORT your stash list from cobra show creator into .csv and import into crackle (its free to use crackles show creator, which is handy for stash management if you dont have cobra. )

[Engineer Cat]

cobra show creator lets you import from wikifireworks, if available it includes sku, duration, video link etc. you can also edit effects in showcreator and add the video links or change the included one.

since im still using part crackle cube/bilusocn modules and cobra this year, along with sequencers, i wrote my script in show creator printed the cue list then cut/paste it into crackle show creator, and you EXPORT your stash list from cobra show creator into .csv and import into crackle (its free to use crackles show creator, which is handy for stash management if you dont have cobra. )

Interesting. That's fantastic, I may have to purchase that and see if it helps me get the show together quicker.

[PyroWalker]

I have the hobby version of Finale 3D. I got hooked on it during the winter months, just using it to create shows for fun, even though I won't ever be able to shoot them. I do use it for designing my backyard shows. While I can visualize the effects using Cobra Show Creator in my head, my hubby cannot. He appreciates the visual aspect.
Here is a link to 2 shows I created just for fun in the past 2 weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5ixz0pYfs&t=198s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwBogNyvrJ0

[esgrillo]

show creator

[Scotty Rockets]

I have the hobby version of Finale 3D. I got hooked on it during the winter months, just using it to create shows for fun, even though I won't ever be able to shoot them. I do use it for designing my backyard shows. While I can visualize the effects using Cobra Show Creator in my head, my hubby cannot. He appreciates the visual aspect.
Here is a link to 2 shows I created just for fun in the past 2 weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5ixz0pYfs&t=198s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwBogNyvrJ0

The first video looks all to familiar lol, Pyrojam template? I put together a entry this last winter, so I immediately recognized the scenery, lol.

[Scotty Rockets]

I have both FWSIM and finale 3D, these are both visual choreography software. I would say both are more for the advance and professional pyros. I began with FWSIM a few years ago and had created an extensive Dominator AOP library but now I mostly use finale 3D because of its powerful features and large library of DMX devices. Creating cakes in either platform is a daunting and a time consuming task to say the least. Personally I use 90% AOP and shoot my consumer cakes modified to just singles and individual rows, it’s much easier to create slice and single effect sims rather than entire cakes, makes a much nicer cleaner show as well.

[PyroWalker]

The first video looks all to familiar lol, Pyrojam template? I put together a entry this last winter, so I immediately recognized the scenery, lol.

Yup, just a fun setup to script from when its a simulation show and not a real one.

[hatsgoods]

i use the ignite design website as i have the ignite system ( only 1 mod ) i like it cuz you can put in a list of what fireworks you have on hand and then import them into your script. I'm also a beta tester for the android control app.

[Salutecake]

Hey Scotty Rockets, is the Finale that much better that the FWSIM? Visual and ease of use that much better? The price tag on both are pretty hefty for the hobbyist, but I do see trials and a 45 dollar subscription for the FWSIM, that I might eventually try this winter. In general in your opinion, just wondering how much better?

[Scotty Rockets]

Finale has a growing vendor library, fwsim does not.
Once you have fully learned all the features of finale, it’s amazing software.
The finale reports are much much better than fwsim.