Definition
A smoke effect is a device that produces thick white or coloured smoke by slow combustion of a composition based on potassium chlorate, lactose and a sublimable organic dye. Ground smoke pots burn from 30 seconds to three minutes and release a cloud several metres across that follows the wind; handheld smokes, carried by a pyrotechnician or an actor, serve stage tableaux; aerial smokes are packed into daytime shells and smoke candles. Coloured smoke reads by day against a clear sky and supports light beams at night. Depending on load and use, smoke devices fall into categories F1 to F3, P1, or T1 and T2 for low-emission stage versions.
In practice, for the display company
Smoke is first of all a question of wind: a cloud drifting toward the audience, a road or a stage spoils the tableau and hampers safety. PyroDesk records the forecast wind direction in the file and positions the pots on the site plan; PyroSimulator in day and night mode shows the drift so you can choose the position and the ignition time.