Dear FWsim Community,
we are working on an exciting new beta update with the following features:
Loading the entire World in 3D
FWsim could load 3D models in the past. But if you wanted to simulate a real place, you might face challenges. You’d either have to make your own 3D models or try to find the desired building models online. Yet, typically, you’d only find isolated buildings, not the entire landscape.
The latest version, FWsim 3.5, solves this problem. Now, you can launch fireworks anywhere in the world, in 3D. It not only provides the location you want, but also includes the entire surrounding area.
Our data is provided by Google and consists of 3D terrain (hills and mountains) for the entire surface of the earth. It also includes 3D buildings for thousands of cities. The data is downloaded on request. Please note, since we rely on an external data provider, there is a risk this feature might stop working in the future.
Here’s how to use it:
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Find the geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) in decimal degrees, for example 51,503° / 0.00° for a location in London. To get coordinates, simply open Google Maps and right-click on the point you want:
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Open an existing show in FWsim or create a new show.
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Click Show → Scenery, and select the “Real Location” option.
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Enter your coordinates and click “Load”. Please make sure to use the right decimal separators. For example, if your Windows is set to German number format, you need to enter “51,50178” whereas on an English computer you would type “51.50178”.
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Depending on the location you load, your camera might be below the terrain. If you don’t see anything, move your camera upwards.
If you would like to preview interesting locations, or find out how good the data is at certain places, use Google Earth. You can download Google Earth, use it online or get it on your mobile device.
New Graphics
We have improved and fine-tuned all aspects of the graphics.
This is a work-in-progress and we will still make improvements over the course of October 2023. For that, we would love to hear your feedback in the beta feedback thread.
Water
Water can be added to any 3D world - you could combine water with a 3D scenery you created yourself, or with the “Real Location” feature. Click Show → Scenery to enable it.
Multi Color Changes
Colors can now change their color four times. You can also turn blinking on or off for each color separately.
Microstars
Tails by default emit sparks. You can now change that to emit Microstars instead.
Better placement of Fireworks on Buildings
In previous versions of FWsim, it was difficult to place fireworks on buildings. In this version, this is much easier and more intuitive.
Improvements made to FWsim Pro
With this update, FWsim Pro receives the following improvements:
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Custom ordering of cues for channel assignment and PDF export
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A number of features to comfortable create single cues and align them in time:
- Smart Clone - select one or multiple single fireworks (not steppers), right-click on them in the timeline, and select “smart clone”
- Equal Spacing: select several cues on the timeline (which are not at the same time), right-click and select “equal spacing” and this will equalize the intervals between them
- When selecting multiple cues in the timeline, it is now possible to change their total duration, which will make the spacing between them smaller or larger. This is useful for building steppers without using a “Stepper” cue.
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Rack Management: FWsim now allows you to define a list of racks in your inventory, and print a plan listing all the racks that are required for the show. This feature is in beta, please let us know how it works for you.
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Import of Drone Shows
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In the effect editor, it is now possible to change the caliber for an effect (without affecting the simulation). To do that, use the Effect Editor, click “File” and then “Change Type”.
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Label Export “per cue”: This now includes all stepper shots, even when a stepper is exported as “one channel”.
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When exporting labels and using the option “Per cue”, there is now an option to omit pyrotechnically connected stepper shots. This affects all steppers that are configured to use “one channel”.
Beta Download
Please note, this is an early beta and there are many problems remaining. Known problems include:
- It’s quite slow
- The light on the environment sometimes looks wrong
- If you select a real location, and later go back to the location selection window and change the distance setting, things will look wrong until you reload the show
- In the 3D world editor, it is currently not possible to insert the same model multiple times (only the first one will be displayed)
If you get crashes or other problems, please post in the FWsim 3.5 Beta Feedback Thread.
Download for FWsim Basic & Creative Edition: The betatest is over, please download the current stable version here. It has all the features listed in this thread. https://www.fwsim.com/fwsim.exe
Download for FWsim Pro: https://fwsim.com/downloads/fwsim_pro_beta.exe
Beta version on Steam
If you are using FWsim on Steam, please right-click FWsim in your Steam Library, and select “Properties”. There you can choose to participate in the beta:
