The tech behind pyrotechnics

I'm a day or two late with this one, but PC Magazine has an interesting article on the software and hardware behind professional fireworks displays. In it, Eric Tucker, the "lead creator" for Boston's Fourth of July fireworks show, describes how he gets the job done using a program called Visual Show Director--$3,750, in case you're curious--and $30-50,000 worth of digital firing equipment.  There's also FireOne, which bills itself as "The Photoshop of the Fireworks Industry!" and starts at $795 for the barest-bone package. The programs let firework choreographers set their displays to music with hundredth-of-a-second accuracy and precice placement in the sky. Cool stuff.

[Via Digg]

Tags: fireone, fireworks, july4, pyrotechnics, visualshowdirector