If you are new to choreography or show scripting in general, you will find this tool a valuable learning aid in addition to a functional scripting tool, allowing you to build your show design skills before firing any real product.   Traditional scripting software forces you to rely on imagination and extensive experience to get the feel for timing the effects in your shows.  ShowSim eliminates this visualization barrier, giving you both the sights and sounds of a real fireworks display played along with your music soundtrack.

The diagram above shows how ShowSim fits into the process of designing a fireworks display. A .wav (wave) file containing your soundtrack is prepared outside of showsim and linked into your show, along with an optional background image.  All data used in ShowSim is managed by a centralized SQL database server, which is a powerful database engine that allows efficient manipulation and storage of all your data.  Because ShowSim is powered by a real database server, working with shows, effects and inventories is much faster and safer than if all your data had to be managed as separate files stored on your hard drive.  You can quickly browse your show inventory without having to go searching for individual files.  More importantly, data is stored as you work rather than requiring you to periodically click a “Save” button to make the changes permanent.  This means that long scripting sessions can not be lost by power outages, program crashes or other unpredictable scenarios that could lock up your system before you had a chance to click “Save.”

It is also possible to export all types of data from the database server into a text file.  This is desirable when you wish to make file-based backups of your work in order to save it on CD or migrate your ShowSim installation to a new computer.  You can also export effect libraries and shows for the purpose of sending the text file to another ShowSim user, who can then import your effects and shows in order to review your work.  In addition to being able to import and export ShowSim’s native file formats, you can also import and export in a variety of other industry standard formats such as FireOne .SCR and .FIR files, SmartShow files, PyroDigital etc.  The ability to export into native firing system file formats is how you transfer your shows from ShowSim into the computer firing system that will actually fire the show.

While shows created in other scripting software such as FireOne and SmartShow can be imported and simulated with ShowSim, you will find it more efficient to design your shows using ShowSim to start with.  This is because ShowSim features a very powerful user interface that integrates simulation with the design process, giving you instant feedback at any time.  The visual effect browser allows you to quickly locate what you are looking for, and even test it right on the screen with a click of the mouse to see what it looks like before adding it to your show.  You will probably find yourself testing the show frequently at various intervals as you create it, rather than creating the entire show blindly only to play it back when you are finished.

Because ShowSim supports importing and exporting native database formats from other manufacturers, you now have the capability to create scripts that can be used in many different systems.  Rather than tying yourself to one hardware platform due to an expensive software investment, you can do all your scripting in ShowSim with the freedom to use whatever hardware system you want.  If you are a free-lance show designer, there is no longer a need to worry about having the scripting software to go with the hardware your client is using.  If you are a display operator who wants to switch to a new brand of hardware on the market while still scripting for your existing hardware, there is no need to purchase and train yourself on new scripting software.

If ShowSim does not support importing from the file formats that you use, you can contact support and work with us to get the data filters for your file formats added to ShowSim.  Once your data format has been added and tested, you will be able to download a new version of ShowSim from the customer support website in order to add the new functionality to your installed application.  Keeping current with new and existing hardware systems is a high development priority for ShowSim, and new hardware support updates are made available to all licensed ShowSim users free of charge.

Getting Started
The contents of this document are arranged in the order that you will most likely want to follow.  Begin by familiarizing yourself with the controls on the main screen, as described in the next section.  Then open a few demo shows and play them with the simulator.  The next several sections that follow after playing a show will run you through the process of creating your own show.