My 3 biggest feature requests for FWsim! Lmk thoughts

3 things I have always thought would really just make FWsim feel more real, and maybe more fun are:

  1. Zooming in/out cues for Cameras
  • This would really help the realism segment and allow for much more realistic ‘filming’ of shows, especially in recreations of eg. London. Especially for that one shot of big ben with fireworks behind it.
  1. Ability to export to 360° VR Video
  • The option to see your firework display as if it were real has always really seemed like a great idea to me, for the obvious reasons! Imagine how cool that’d be to watch your own show as If you were in the crowd!!
  1. The ability to remove and replace certain parts of Google Earth 3d data
  • I understand this may not be possible to do for certain reasons but sometimes I notice - specifically on big ben - that sometimes it can render quite badly. I think the ability to be able to remove a certain area and then place in and then accurately size a big ben asset would be great!

  • Please let me know what you think about these features! I’d love to see them one day! Have a great Monday :slight_smile:

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Here’s my thoughts on these suggestions:

  1. Love this suggestion. Also allow the camera to “teleport” so it can instantly teleport to different angles of the fireworks.

  2. True immersion. It can also turn into VR when the video file gets uploaded onto Youtube and that’s what I call “IMMERSION”.

  3. Bad rendering is Google’s fault actually. Satellites don’t render the areas that great as having to render in high resolution would require a horrifically large storage at Google. However, if stuff render worse than usual, or you lag from the amount of scenery included, I would ask for that feature too.

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I agree with your ideas too! It’d really be great to watch shows as if we were there yes

Rewards could be interesting

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I won’t be using the program for a while until FWSim starts letting us redeem the gift cards there. I’m one of the people who don’t have the money but have the time to grind on the program. Take Roblox as an example. Roblox collaborated with Microsoft specifically for the rewards program. As there are people like me who prefer to spend my time browsing instead of pulling out my pocket money, Microsoft Rewards is PERFECT and purchases for robux has increased and Roblox earnt more money.

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If I had to choose 3 features, it’d be incredibly hard to me.
But thinking on a professional’s perspective - as FWsim is addressed to Professional pyrotechnicians - I’d say Ghost/Time lag shells, better smoke simulation and VR support. A fourth one would be swarmer-type motor shells.

Why this choice?

  • Ghost/Time lag shells: while currently it’s possible to do so with external software (in very complex spreadsheets or code I currently do not know how to do), these are very heavy files. Nowadays these types of shells are becoming more common than ever.
  • Enhanced smoke simulation: if I was a professional pyrotechnician, I need to know when there is too much smoke that reduces visibility of fireworks, or how it impacts the surrounding light. This can be used to an advantage (less fireworks, less expense!)
  • VR Support: to offer a modern preview of the show from a simulated point of view. This can be beneficial both the pyrotechnian, but also the client of a show that wants an impactful preview.

Extra request:

  • Swarmer effects/motor effects: these are very popular as well. Other competitor software offer these but are not very detailed. FWsim could very well do an overtake and have a solid, robust motor shell system.
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Wouldn’t ask for this but why not bring this in after all?

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Thanks for the feedback everyone! We are definitely interested to improve the effects throughout 2026, but we don’t have a definite roadmap yet.

I’ll keep reading all the comments here. Your input is appreciated!

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Thanks Lukas! Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings for FWsim!

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One thing that I already have suggested in the past is an option to have casual cues. At the moment it’s very difficult to recreate a finale like the one below, with the possibility to create a cue were you can select multiple fireworks (or different colors of the same one) that will be shot in random order it would be very easier and with a better result.

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx-YL9JKCpTI2tsY-Ld3FG4sg3-nRP8pkM?si=5AfvyYiAVHq7ut_P

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