Pyrotechnics Guide > Effects

This is a page to explain how to generate certain effects.

Feel free to add your own effects. ... or ask for an explanation of a particular effect. Maybe someone will show How They Did It.

The simple hovering platform

Often the first effect you will (want to) learn. The easiest way is to start stage 0 at some velocity (not thrust) multiple of 33. Give the stage a duration of (the multiple in seconds). Base stage 1 off of stage 0, going forward (IE up), with an initial velocity of 0 and a THRUST forward of 33.

The more complex hovering platform

You can give stage 0 any velocity and any thrust, and still get a hovering platform. Simply calculate where it stops, give it that duration, and base stage 1 off of it as before. Where it stops is

     0 (units/second) = Initial Velocity + (thrust forward - gravity) * time

or the value you want...

     time =  velocity / (thrust forward - gravity)

... It may be easier just to play around with it, and get something close... :)

How did it get there?

Two ways to hide where things are going to appear next:

• use poppers. They are nigh invisible against a night sky.
• use the earth. Just because it looks solid, doesn't mean it'll stop a pyrotechnic star in motion. Aim down if you like, make sure that it curves back up, and there you are: fireworks appearing from the earth. (You might want to practice the effect from a high-level hovering star, to make sure your "suprises" are actually going to come back to light.)

It floats! It flees!

Just like you can counter gravity and have a star hover, you can have a star remain at much the same altitude, if you send it out parallel to the ground, and use "Thrust pitch up" to counter gravity. How do you get it parallel to the ground? Easy. From a shell going straight up, use a ring. (The ring is always at 90 degrees to the angle of travel.)