Using COBRA Show Creator to Create DMX Scripts

COBRA Show Creator can now be used to create both pyro and DMX scripts.

COBRA Show Creator can support the following types of scripts:

• Pyro Only - You are firing traditional pyro only using traditional igniters such as e-match of Talon/Clip-On igniters.
• DMX Only - You are only controlling DMX hardware devices such as lights and flame.
• Pyro and DMX - You are firing both traditional pyro and DMX hardware devices such as light and flame in the same show.

In addition, for each type of script, COBRA can support the following:

• Timed Event Only - You press one button and the show fires automatically from start to finish.
• STEP Only - Every event requires the operator to press the STEP button. There are no timed sequences in the show.
• Timed and STEP Events - The show has built-in time sequences, but the show pauses automatically where STEP events occur requiring the operator to press the STEP button to manually fire an event or start a new timed sequence.

This gives you the flexibility to create any type of script including DMX step scripts, pyro and DMX timed scripts and more. For an introduction to scripting, see What is Scripting?

1) Creating a New DMX Script

When creating a new show (My Shows > New Show) using COBRA Show Creator, make sure to select firmware version 6.0 or higher. This will enable the Show Type option. If your show has only DMX events, select DMX Only. If you plan to have both Pyro and DMX events in the same show, you can choose Pyro & DMX.

After creating a show, you can always change the show type from the Show Settings section. Changing the show type will never remove events, but rather hide events. For example, changing a show from Pyro & DMX to Pyro Only won't remove the DMX events. You can always change back to Pyro & DMX to unhide the DMX events.

2) Adding DMX Events

To add a DMX event, click the icon below to toggle between adding timed, STEP, and DMX events. Click Add DMX Event to add an event to your show.

You can also right-click on any event row and choose to add an event above or below the selected event.

All DMX events display either a Pyro or DMX icon as shown below.

The following provides a brief description of each DMX event field. For a detailed explanation, see Understanding DMX Events.

• Event Time - The time the event fires. You can double-click the event time to edit the event time or change it to a STEP event.
• Universe - The DMX universe (1-99).
• Channel - The DMX channel (1-200).
• Cue / Value - The DMX value (0-255).
• Event Description - The event description.
• Duration - For DMX events, this is informational only. Use Pulse Time to control the total "fire" time.
• Pre-Fire - Not commonly used for DMX events, the pre-fire time is subtracted from the event time when exporting to the COBRA 18R2.
• Lift Time - Not commonly used for DMX events, the lift time is subtracted from the event time when exporting to the COBRA 18R2.
• Pulse Time - The actual "fire" time for the DMX event. By leaving this value blank, the DMX event is continually sent until another event changes the value for the associated channel and universe. You can use this field creatively to design DMX scripts with fewer events. For example, if your RGB LED has a "master on" channel and value combination, set this once at the beginning of your script and do not specify a pulse time to allow the RGB LED to be "on" the entire script length. Then, use the color-specific channels to turn lights on and off for desired times.

3) Managing DMX Effects

Similar to managing a personal database of fireworks, you can also manage a personal database of DMX Effects.

To add new effects, click the Add button. For each DMX effect, you can add default fields such as the universe, channel, value, and pulse time.

To add a DMX Effect to a DMX event, click into the row # column to highlight the DMX event.

Then, click the + icon next to the DMX Effect to assign the effect to the DMX event. This works the same as assigning a firework to a Pyro event.

4) Exporting and Executing the Script on the 18R2

The process for exporting and executing a DMX script on the 18R2 is the same as a traditional pyro script. However, there are some differences and improvements that are specific to DMX given the high quantity of events fired by a single module. To learn about these specifics, see Executing a DMX Script using the 18R2.