Is there a way to globally update my lift times in a DB so that it will auto update what is already dropped in my show?

 

 

Yes there is a way. First go to the Show Settings form and set the default prefire times to the values you want them to be, then click Save. Then return to the Script Editor screen and right click the mouse on any of the table cells. A drop down menu should appear with several options on it, one of them being "Refresh prefire column." This will replace all the prefire times for all cues with the ones specified in the Show Settings screen.

Note that a bug was recently fixed in this area that didn't make it into the 4.0.4.8 release. In versions 4.0.4.8 or earlier, the burst times will move forward or backwards based on the differences in prefire times that you made. What should happen is that the burst times remain the same and the fire times are what move forward or backwards. This bug has been fixed already, but won't be officially available until version 4.0.4.9 is released. I can send you a pre-release on request though if you want this fix right away. Just email admin@showsim.com requesting the pre-release.

In general, how are new releases handled? Does ShowSim prompt the user when the software pings the server on startup?

Yes, when there is a new release you will get a popup message telling you about it when showsim first starts up. It will also list what the changes are and give you a few different options for doing the update. There is also an option to check for updates in the Help menu too. Since the update method changed between versions 4.0.4.6 and 4.0.4.7, anyone running version 4.0.4.6 or earlier will no longer see the update notices and must reinstall with the latest version to get that function working again. The latest version is currently 4.0.5.0.

So back to your post about the prefire time bug, is that fixed in 4.0.5? Let's say I wanted to try some things:

1. Candles--> if your generic rainbow candle was 'close enough' for me that I didn't want to simulate another, different candle, but mine was 1.4 not 1.3, I'd need to add a prefire to the script for the visco fuse (the 1.4 candles aren't ported for ematch directly). Generally, we might use spray adhesive and dip the fuse(s) of the candle(s) into some powder to prime the fuse(s), then stick an ematch over them and cover them with foil. While this gets reliable ignition, you still have the 3-4 sec (and sometimes longer) delay for the visco to burn down to the first star. I tried adjusting the prefire time on the rainbow candle included with the software, and it simply started firing earlier. At this point, I'm guessing I'd have to A) manually adjust the prefire time in my script after I export it, or B) build a new candle with a delay somehow included before the first shot. Am I in the ballpark?

2. 1.4 cakes--I noticed that none of them seem to have a prefire time built-in. They're all 0 sec. For example, Roping by Red Rhino. It needs a prefire delay of roughly 2s. Would I need to change that manually every time I include it in a show? I'd like to be able to save my prefire times for each cake so I don't have to keep a separate list of them (or watch the model every time to time it). To automate this process, would I need to build a new model of the cake and assign it a different prefire time? Is that even possible?

Thanks,

Donnie
ShowSim Backyard 4.0.5.0

The bug mentioned earlier is already fixed in the current version.

The prefire time on cakes and candles (candles are actually just cakes that fire comets) represents the rise time of each shot. When the prefire time is set to zero, the default rise time built into the cake is used. This can be either the prefire time specified in the cake editor, or if the "use shot prefire times" option in the cake definition is checked then it will be the prefire time assigned to each shot in the shell editor. The commercial C cake libraries are all pre-configured to use the rise times measured from product demo videos. There really is no way to alter the prefire time on these since they can not be edited.

The term "prefire" normally means the rise time between when a shell is fired and when it bursts. However, sometimes show designers attempt to use this same value to notate a delay between when the cue fires and when the effect actually ignites. What would really be required for this alternate use is a separate prefire column called "ignition delay" or something like that. Currently ShowSim does not have a field such as this, but there is a lesser known feature that can be used to compensate for very short ignition delays. When the ignition delay on a cake, comet or other items is very small (which normally it would be if no visco is involved) then it is assumed you are compensating for the delay between when the ematch fires and when the effect actually launches. This delay can be up to and including .5 seconds, then any thing larger than .5 seconds is assumed to be a traditional prefire time. To simulate a long ignition delay caused by visco you would have to get creative. Perhaps one way to do this would be to script a two-shot chain, with the first shot being the N.A. effect (an empty effect found in the non-pyro library which does nothing when fired). The second shot would then be the cake, and the chain delay between these two items would then be the ignition delay caused by the visco fuse.

OK, that makes sense.

However, I don't seem to be seeing any prefire times built into any of the 1.4 cake libraries. For example, if you look at Roping by Red Rhino (a fairly large bore cake for 1.4 with no tails or rising effects), it has a prefire time of 0.0s when you place it into a script. That's my issue.

I did some more testing and the prefire times seem to automatically set on individual generic shells (a 2in willow, for example) from the effects browser, just not the cakes.

I looked in the help documentation but didn't find anything. Is there something I need to do to tell the software to use the rise times pre-configured in the commercial C libraries?

Thanks.

The commercial cake libraries currently don't use the prefire time setting in the cake editor, they are all set to use the shot prefire times instead. This mode causes the script time of the cake to equal the fire time however, so the point you drop them into the script at is the point where they start firing. In the case of cakes that fire comets, mines or shells with long tails this is usually how you would want it to be, but I can see the case for wanting to assign the prefire time of the cake to the prefire time of the first shell the cake fires in some cases. You can still manually enter a prefire time for the cake once it is in the script to convert it over from using the shot prefire times, but I can see where that would be a hassle. It might be a good idea for me to just go in and assign prefire times to all the cakes in the C libraries where the first shot is a shell. This is one of those things that gets into the grey area of personal preference though, as some people like it the way it currently is while others want the prefire times utilized.

Thanks for the prompt response.

I previously used Pyro Ignition Control for scripting, so I have a fairly substantial database (non-visual) that includes lift times on cakes without rising effects. I'll probably just cross-reference for now, but will likely build that time in for models that don't currently exist in the ShowSim libraries.

I think you'll find that many shooters who are taking the time to visually choreograph a 1.4 (or mixed 1.3/1.4) show are going to want to pre-fire cakes (or individual rows, tubes, etc) to hit specific points with the music, just like the all-1.3 shows.

The other thing I could do is just put an option somewhere that allows you to toggle between using prefire times on cakes. When the option is turned on, the prefire time is pulled from the first shot in the cake if it is a shell that has no rising effect. So comets, mines and shells with long tails would still have a prefire time of zero, but others would use the prefire time of the shells.

The toggle option would work just fine as well. And, like you said, only use for no rising effects.

*Bump*

Any updates on being able to use the built-in lift time as pre-fire time on cakes without rising effects / tails / etc.?

Thanks!

I haven't implemented that yet. It probably won't be in this next release, but the one after that.