COBRA Show Creator version 2.2 is a significant update that brings powerful new tools for show design, live show operation, and overall workflow efficiency. With the introduction of Defined Positions, support for Firmware 8.0 and its new DMX Ramp and Module Timeout capabilities, and the next phase of COBRA Show Operator with full Show Controls support, this release gives users more control and visibility from design through execution. Version 2.2 also includes a broad set of usability improvements, performance gains, and important fixes that make the platform faster, clearer, and more dependable to use every day.
Defined Positions
The new Defined Positions feature makes it easier to organize shoot site positions within a show. A new Positions column has been added to the events table, allowing users to assign an existing position to an event or create a new one directly from the table. Positions can be color-coded for quick visual identification, making it easier to see which events belong to each location at a glance. Show-specific positions can be managed in Show Settings, and default positions can now be configured in Preferences so they are automatically added to new shows. Defined Positions are also supported in the Report Designer, where they can be used for filtering, grouping, and sorting.
DMX Ramp
Version 2.2 adds support for the new DMX Ramp feature available with Firmware 8.0. When editing a show set to firmware 8.0, clicking the DMX value field on an event opens a new interface that allows users to either assign a fixed DMX value or configure a ramp between a start value and an end value. The hardware will transition between these values over the duration specified in the pulse field.
Firmware 8.0 Support
Firmware 8.0 is now available as an option when creating or editing a show. For shows using firmware version 8.0 or later, a new Module Timeout setting is available in Show Settings. This value can be configured between 10 and 300 seconds, or set to Disable, to control how long a module continues firing if it stops receiving the heartbeat signal from the controller.
COBRA Show Operator Show Controls [Phase 2]
The next phase of COBRA Show Operator (CSO) is now available with full Show Controls support. This new functionality is designed to help operators monitor and control shows live in the field with a clearer, more informative interface.
A new tab selector in the header makes it easy to switch between the main CSC editor, the CSO device list, and the new CSO Show Controls view. The Show Controls screen provides a clean, intuitive workspace for operating and monitoring live shows.
A large events table displays both fired and upcoming events, making it easier to follow show progress in real time. Operators can quickly search events, apply filters, and save commonly used filter and display combinations as custom views. To improve usability during live operation, the table intelligently pauses auto-scrolling while the cursor is hovering over it, preventing important data from moving out of view.
The right-hand sidebar includes a detailed summary section with key information such as elapsed time, time remaining, time until the next event, and events remaining. Below the summary is a new Timers feature that supports four timer types: continuous clock, elapsed time, countdown, and countdown to time.
The Channel Usage section gives operators a quick way to see which cues on each module have already fired, making it easier to identify when a module has finished firing. Show Controls also allows operators to start, pause, and stop shows, as well as use the STEP feature and fire ALTERNATE events.
Other Changes
Added the ability to choose inches or millimeters for cue label dimensions, automatically selecting Metric for A4 and Imperial for all other page sizes. (EVS-747)
Allowed users to fix invalid duration values by typing “0” directly when correcting imported data. (EVS-839)
Fixed CSV parsing so descriptions containing commas were imported correctly without corrupting fields. (EVS-839)
Added a notification when approaching offline storage limits. (EVS-850)
Introduced a full storage-management system that cleaned up old revisions safely and prevented data loss. (EVS-851)
Ensured that adding events with keyboard shortcuts was not available for Free Tier users if the maximum number of events per show was reached. (EVS-900)
Stored which method last changed an event’s time for clearer tracking. (EVS-778)
Fixed an issue that prevented the correct STEP child event from being highlighted when playback paused automatically on STEP events. (EVS-905)
Improved Find & Replace performance, speeding up large replacements by 50-70%. (EVS-745)
Fixed an issue that made the scrollbar visibility preferences not work in some cases, including hidden, auto, and always-visible modes. (EVS-85)
[CSO] Ensured module information scaled properly on lower-resolution screens. (EVS-912)
Improved context-menu behavior by clearing previous selections when right-clicking unselected events or editable cells. (EVS-143)
Prevented crashes by adding a safety check for missing duration values during import. (EVS-839)
Prevented changing a show's type if the show contains STEP events. (EVS-899)
Fixed an issue where typing quickly in the My Fireworks search bar caused results to stop updating correctly, making searches more reliable (EVS-827)
Added a new bulk option for loading firework details, allowing information to be retrieved faster and more efficiently (EVS-895)
Improved how disabled firing groups were managed so they could be edited or deleted more reliably in all settings areas (EVS-119)
Added unique identifiers for firing groups to ensure actions like editing and deleting always affected the correct group (EVS-119)
Ensured disable firing groups could be removed consistently across all parts of the app without unexpected behavior (EVS-119)
[CSO] Fixed an issue where some connected modules were not refreshing their data properly, ensuring all modules now update as expected
[CSO] Fixed an issue where automatic reconnection would fail after a manual reconnect, improving long-term connection reliability
Fixed an issue that prevented DMX effects from being edited, restoring full control over effects (EVS-977)
Fixed an issue where the pulse value in a DMX effect could not be left empty, allowing more flexible effect configurations (EVS-977)
Updated the minimum required COBRA Agent version to 0.5.0
Removed an analytics endpoint used to improve overall stability and reduce unintended behavior. (EVS-984)
Fixed an issue where some action options of the more menu of an audio file in the Audio Studio extended past the bottom of the screen. (EVS-95)
Cleared selected events in the event table when opening show settings to help prevent confusion and accidental changes. (EVS-1030)
[CSO] Updated the Troubleshooting Help button link shown when no controller was connected to the correct help page. (EVS-975)
Fixed an issue that prevented adding a preference disable group or defined position when it was already being used in the current show. (EVS-971)
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