COBRA Show Creator version 2.0 release is the next generation of COBRA Show Creator, featuring a refreshed design, an all-new way of working with STEP events, and integrated light inventory management. Under the hood improvements will allow for more advanced features to be added in the future.
Refreshed UI
A modern approach has been taken to the existing UI, allowing users to still be familiar with the location of their favorite features while breathing new life into the design. UI sections that used to open in a separate window, such as the Audio Studio, are now integrated directly into the main window, decreasing the chance the popup window gets lost. The right sidebar has been transitioned from a tabbed system to a compact accordion system allowing for easy access to users Fireworks, DMX Effects, and Show Details. The preferences section has been completely redesigned to allow for easy customizations. The waveform event drawer will now automatically expand when multiple events are stacked on top of each other to allow for easier editing and visibility.
STEP Events Workflow
Working with STEP events has been transformed in version 2.0 allowing for more control while scripting STEP and Combined shows. STEP events now seamlessly integrated into the timeline allowing for easy manipulation. A STEP event will show as a timed event with a STEP flag until export where the correct offset will then be calculated. To assist with scripting, a new Relative Time column has been added to the Event table that will show what the exported offset will be. Events will automatically adjust their absolute time if an event above them gets moved.
A new column has been introduced allowing for users to quickly recognize different event types such as STEP, Timed, Comment, and Alternate events via icons and colors. This new Event Category along with a new Calculated Event Time column has been added to the report designer. The existing Event Time column has been renamed to Absolute Event Time.
Integrated Lite Firework Inventory Management
NOTE: To take advantage of the new inventory upgrade, add the inventory management upgrade to your COBRA Portal account. While the inventory upgrade is in BETA, it will be offered to testers for free and will become a nominal paid upgrade once released.
In conjunction with COBRA Portal, COBRA Show Creator has built-in lite inventory management to allow for easy tracking of user's fireworks from the warehouse to the shoot site. The right sidebar now includes a new Show Details section that allows for setting a budget, show date, show status, and viewing which fireworks are associated to that show. Learn more about the Lite Inventory Management.
Disable Firing Groups Support
COBRA Show Creator now supports COBRA firmware version 7.1 and with that comes support for disable firing groups. In the show settings section, users can create disable groups by setting a color and a name. These disable groups can then be added to events by clicking on that events disable group cell. Users can set default disable groups that automatically get added to new shows just like custom columns in the preferences section. Learn more about the Disable Firing Groups.
Other Changes
- Partially rewritten with a new underlying platform.
- Minor bug fixes and tweaks
- The Find & Replace window now automatically re-focuses on the search field when re-opened with the keyboard shortcut.
- Fixed an issue where the “Disable Group” column could not be hidden through preferences.
- Fixed a problem where selecting “No” on the “Unlink Firework” confirmation didn’t work as expected.
- Resolved an issue where using Undo after unlinking a firework from an event did not relink the firework when using Redo.
- Added the option to edit the Sub-Event Time within an event.
- Fixed an issue where updating an event’s time didn’t immediately update its Sub-Event Time.
- Corrected a minor display issue where the Event Time Editor wasn’t aligned with the table cell when clicking on the event time.
- The Sub-Event Time column now only appears when the show includes STEP events.
- Renamed the “Relative Time” column to “Sub-Event Time” for clarity.
- Fixed a small display issue where the universe cell for a DMX effect appeared disabled.
- Made major improvements to offline mode to ensure smoother data syncing when reconnecting to the internet.
COBRA Show Creator Version 2.0 was released on November 11th, 2024 (2024-11-11)
Incremental Build Updates
Build 2025.2.20.1
- Fixed an issue where certain event durations were sometimes not displayed in the Waveform Event Drawer when the lift time caused the event to be underneath previous events. (EVS-527)
- Improved usability by automatically focusing on the input field when editing a custom column name for quicker and easier updates. (EVS-532)
Build 2025.2.11.1
- Fixed an issue where scrolling to a new event caused it to be hidden behind the table header (EVS-508)
- You can now edit and reorder custom columns in Show Settings. (EVS-517)
- Added a confirmation prompt before deleting a custom column to prevent accidental removal. (EVS-517)
- Updated popup text for Step Show Migration to Step 2.0. (EVS-518)
- Fixed an issue where the "/app" page was not being cached correctly for offline use. (EVS-522)
- Fixed offline support for some icons. (EVS-521)
- Prevented the hover card in the Waveform Event Drawer from shifting the entire viewport. (EVS-525 & EVS-528)
- Fixed an issue where a "Max Re-Fire" warning appeared incorrectly when an event was only fired once. (EVS-533)
Build 2025.1.27.1
- Fixed an issue that made it impossible to adjust event times using the shift events feature.
Build 2025.1.22.1
- Resolved an issue where loading a show altered column visibility preferences, ensuring settings remained consistent.
- Improved performance for selecting events in large shows, making the process significantly faster.
- Enhanced Audio Studio by adding a "Processing..." message for timecode handling, with clear success and error notifications.
- Fixed a bug where timecode settings did not update properly without refreshing the application.
- Ensured hidden events were no longer included when copying data.
- Corrected an issue where undo/redo operations failed to reload the waveform UI properly.
- Improved snapping logic for step events in older shows to ensure alignment with the previous event.
- Fixed the context menu in event editing to ensure it opens in the correct location.
- Streamlined scrolling when adding multiple events, resulting in smoother performance.
- Added extra space at the bottom of the "My Fireworks" section to prevent the refresh button from overlapping items.
- Resolved an issue where clicking certain Event Table cells incorrectly showed that a change was made when it wasn't.
- Ensured DMX shows do not include step events similar to those in CSC shows.
- Fixed date display issues when editing show details, ensuring accurate synchronization without requiring a refresh.
- Added a new report setting to control table width in the Report Designer.
- Addressed rounding issues to ensure decimal calculations were accurate.
- Validated and corrected minor issues when switching between DMX-only and Pyro-only show types.
- Updated group selection to ensure all events in a group are selected when clicking a group pill in the Waveform Event Drawer.
- Resolved a display issue in the "My Shows" section on Safari, ensuring dates were shown correctly.
Build 2025.1.8.1
- Fixed an issue that prevented the event time editor from opening when clicking on sub-event time text.
- Introduced automatic event selection and scrolling to newly added events in the Event Table.
- Enabled undo/redo functionality directly via the event table's context menu for convenience.
- Fixed issues with waveform UI not updating when undoing a deleted event.
- Allowed pressing Enter to submit changes in the Event Time Editor and ensured the modal focuses on open allowing easy tabbing to desired input field.
- Corrected an issue where events were displayed out of order in the Event Report for shows with STEP events.
- Resolved a problem with dragging fireworks into events with existing descriptions for certain events.
Build 2025.1.6.1 - Initially released as BETA Builds 2024.12.27.1, 2024.12.30.1, and 2025.1.2.1
- Fixed an issue where pyro events with a cue value of 0 were not flagged as errors, ensuring accurate event validation.
- Resolved a bug where the edited "Use COBRA Audio Box" setting was being overwritten when the application was reloaded.
- Corrected an issue where show dates appeared as one day earlier than what was set.
- Fixed an issue from a previous BETA release that broke dragging and dropping events in the Waveform Event Drawer.
- Addressed a bug where selecting an event (other than the first) in a group from the Events Table did not highlight the group of events in the Waveform Event Drawer.
- Added the ability to undo changes if an error occurs when updating multiple events, ensuring progress is not lost.
- Fixed an issue where the comma key no longer opened the preferences menu.
- Prevented timed comment events from being changed to STEP or ALTERNATE event types, resolving potential conflicts.
- Corrected DMX show behavior to properly support "0" as a value for cue/value, fixing a misidentification issue.
- Fixed an error that occurred when determining already used cue values for channels, improving reliability and performance.
- Fixed an issue where adding an event while zoomed in caused the waveform to unexpectedly zoom out.
- Improved error handling for creating silent audio files to avoid loading issues with very long show durations.
- Restored the "snapping" feature for STEP events to align them after the previous event, preventing all events from clustering at 00:00.00.
- Fixed a bug where hovering over an event in the Waveform Event Drawer (hover card) with a long description caused the page to expand, introducing scroll bars and prevented drag-and-drop.
- Resolved an issue where the waveform event drawer hover card appeared underneath the selected audio file name text.
- Enhanced the functionality for pasting multiple rows into custom columns, ensuring accurate data application.
- Fixed a problem where converting all STEP events to timed events using the "Delay after previous event ends" option caused invalid event times when the total duration exceeded the estimated show time.
- Corrected an error where the "Delay after previous event ends" option used the input field from a different option instead of its own.
- Fixed an issue where downloading a show's audio file from the export modal didn’t respect the updated file name from the show settings.
- Resolved a bug where entering a decimal without a leading zero in the event time editor’s second input field caused a "non-number input" error.
BETA Build 2025.1.2.1 - Available at BETA COBRA Show Creator
- Fixed an issue where pyro events with a cue value of 0 were not flagged as errors, ensuring accurate event validation.
- Resolved a bug where the edited "Use COBRA Audio Box" setting was being overwritten when the application was reloaded.
- Corrected an issue where show dates appeared as one day earlier than what was set.
- Fixed an issue from a previous BETA release that broke dragging and dropping events in the Waveform Event Drawer.
- Addressed a bug where selecting an event (other than the first) in a group from the Events Table did not highlight the group of events in the Waveform Event Drawer.
- Added the ability to undo changes if an error occurs when updating multiple events, ensuring progress is not lost.
BETA Build 2024.12.30.1 - Available at BETA COBRA Show Creator
- Fixed an issue where the comma key no longer opened the preferences menu.
- Prevented timed comment events from being changed to STEP or ALTERNATE event types, resolving potential conflicts.
- Corrected DMX show behavior to properly support "0" as a value for cue/value, fixing a misidentification issue.
- Fixed an error that occurred when determining already used cue values for channels, improving reliability and performance.
BETA Build 2024.12.27.1 - Available at BETA COBRA Show Creator
- Fixed an issue where adding an event while zoomed in caused the waveform to unexpectedly zoom out.
- Improved error handling for creating silent audio files to avoid loading issues with very long show durations.
- Restored the "snapping" feature for STEP events to align them after the previous event, preventing all events from clustering at 00:00.00.
- Fixed a bug where hovering over an event in the Waveform Event Drawer (hover card) with a long description caused the page to expand, introducing scroll bars and prevented drag-and-drop.
- Resolved an issue where the waveform event drawer hover card appeared underneath the selected audio file name text.
- Enhanced the functionality for pasting multiple rows into custom columns, ensuring accurate data application.
- Fixed a problem where converting all STEP events to timed events using the "Delay after previous event ends" option caused invalid event times when the total duration exceeded the estimated show time.
- Corrected an error where the "Delay after previous event ends" option used the input field from a different option instead of its own.
- Fixed an issue where downloading a show's audio file from the export modal didn’t respect the updated file name from the show settings.
- Resolved a bug where entering a decimal without a leading zero in the event time editor’s second input field caused a "non-number input" error.
Build 2024.12.18.1
- Improved validation for event values, such as channel and cue inputs.
- Fixed an issue where auto cue-increment did not update the cue value after clicking into the cue cell.
- Resolved a problem where the max-refire warning did not appear immediately.
- Enhanced performance when editing events in large shows for a smoother experience.
- Fixed an issue where rows did not scroll into view when using Shift + Up or Shift + Down arrow keys.
- Corrected the Universe cell display so it now appears disabled for Pyro Events.
- Fixed an issue where clicking on any cell of an event changed playback time; now playback time only updates when clicking the event's row number.
- Enhanced the user account dropdown with new options to open the COBRA Portal account page and preferences directly from the top header.
- Fixed an issue where attaching an audio file did not update the “Use COBRA Audio Box” setting and Audiobox File Name correctly.
- Ensured the Audiobox File Name updates properly when changing audio filenames in the audio studio.
Build 2024.12.6.2
- Fixed an issue where the close button on the "What's New" banner didn’t work, allowing users to dismiss the banner as expected.
Build 2024.12.6.1
- Resolved an issue where exporting scripts with firmware version 7.0+ placed pulse time values in the wrong column.
Build 2024.12.4.1
- Enhanced playback performance for medium to large shows, ensuring smoother and more reliable viewing.
- Resolved an issue where column widths in the Event Table shifted unexpectedly while scrolling, providing a more consistent layout.
- Fixed a bug where clicking on a cell in the Event Table sometimes failed to highlight all the text, improving accuracy and ease of editing.
Build 2024.11.25.1
- Show settings now highlight unsaved changes to help avoid accidental loss of updates.
- Fixed an issue where show name updates in Show Settings weren't appearing in My Shows.
- Switched to the Cobra Firing Systems support widget for improved customer assistance.
- Adjusted the settings loading process to prevent navigation issues if secondary settings are blocked, preventing the software from getting stuck on the loading screen.
- Added an error indicator to show when there’s a problem saving a preference.
- Renamed "Relative Time" to "Sub-Event Time" for better clarity in the hide sub-event time preference.
- Fixed a broken "Learn More" link in the preference section for disabling firing groups.
- Introduced a new preference to control the maximum height of the waveform event drawer, with an option to limit the number of stacked events for better readability.
Build 2024.11.15.1
- Fixed an issue where the total cost in the Show Details section was incorrect if a firework's cost was left blank.
- Resolved a rare issue that occurred when dropping fireworks or DMX effects directly onto the waveform.
- Corrected a problem where deleting a show incorrectly marked the open show's status as "Canceled" instead of the one being deleted.
Build 2024.11.14.1
- Fixed an issue where the Fireworks section did not return to the first page when switching collections or searching.
- Added a helpful tooltip to the share feedback icon for clearer instructions.
- Changed the default import option to open the legacy import show file instead of the new Show Code importer.
- Resolved an issue where unsaved changes were lost when changing the audio file in the Audio Studio.
- Made sure the "Pulse Time" column displayed correctly for 6.1+ non-DMX shows.
- Enhanced the firework list refresh, ensuring that all loaded fireworks were properly shown.
Build 2024.11.13.1
- Fixed an issue where the default image in the Report Designer would keep loading if it was unavailable.
- Resolved a problem where the print button wasn’t working in the Report Designer.
- Fixed an issue where tooltips weren’t displaying correctly in the Report Designer.
- The Feedback UI now automatically uploads the debug log for faster support.
- Fixed a bug that caused previously selected files to re-upload when choosing a new file in the Feedback UI.
- Updated the Help modal so both bug reports and feedback links now go to the new Feedback UI.
- Improved the Show Details UI when the right sidebar is at its minimum width.
- Added the option to collapse the right sidebar for more flexible screen management.
- Resolved an issue where only the first page of "My Fireworks" was loading.
- Fixed a bug that entered "0" instead of 0.1 for Lift Time when inserting a My Firework.
- Added a blank row at the end of the fireworks list to prevent the refresh button from covering the last item.
- Corrected an issue with MP3 export to use the audiobox file name from show settings.
Build 2024.11.12.1
- Resolved an issue where an error message appeared when creating a new show, even though the show was successfully created.
- Improved warning and error notifications for certain STEP actions to enhance clarity.
Build 2024.11.11.2
- Fixed a rare issue that occasionally prevented existing users from logging in through COBRA Portal.
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