Art-Net Nodes

The Art-Net Nodes panel lists every Art-Net node Spectralite has heard on the local network. About every 2.75 seconds, Spectralite broadcasts an ArtPoll out of the network interface of each configured Art-Net output. Each node sends back an ArtPollReply, and Spectralite collects it. As a result, a node shows up on whichever interface its Art-Net output is bound to, even a non-default NIC. Each row carries the node's IP address and its short and long names. It also shows the universes the node accepts on its Art-Net output ports, its ESTA manufacturer id, and the age of the last reply.

Related concept: Output.

Discovery only reports which nodes are on the wire and which universes they accept. It never changes where Spectralite sends Art-Net. Each fixture's Target IP and the output's network mode decide where output goes. You write a node's own configuration as a separate action, field by field, as Configuring a node describes.

The panel sits outside the default workspace presets. To add it, use Window > Add panel > Art-Net Nodes.

Enable toggleCopy Anchor Link

The Art-Net discovery toggle at the top of the panel turns discovery on or off for the whole application. It is on by default. While it is on, Spectralite keeps broadcasting ArtPoll and updates the table as replies arrive.

If you run on a locked-down show network that forbids unsolicited broadcast traffic, turn it off. Also turn it off where another controller owns the discovery role. With discovery off, Spectralite sends no ArtPoll, the table clears, and the Target IP field has no nodes to suggest. Output stays the same either way, because discovery and routing are separate.

RDM discovery builds on this list. The RDM Devices panel asks each discovered node that advertises RDM to scan the universes it exposes. For RDM to find fixtures, this toggle must stay on.

Node columnsCopy Anchor Link

• IP is the source address the node replied from, and the value the Target IP field fills in for a fixture. A node that answers on more than one bind index shows one row per bind, with the extra binds suffixed #2, #3, and so on.
• Name is the short name field from the node's ArtPollReply. A spinner sits beside the name while a configuration write to this node is in flight. If a write fails, a warning icon replaces the spinner until a later write succeeds.
• Description is the node's longer descriptive name.
• Universes lists the universes the node accepts on its Art-Net output ports, which are the universes it converts to DMX.
• Mfr is the node's ESTA manufacturer id as a hex code.
• Last seen is the age of the most recent ArtPollReply from this node.

A search field in the toolbar filters the table by IP, name, description, or manufacturer id.

Spectralite drops a node from the list after it stops replying for about eight seconds. When it starts answering again, it reappears on the next poll.

Configuring a nodeCopy Anchor Link

When you select a row, a configuration editor for that node bind opens below the table. The editor writes to the node itself over Art-Net, so nothing applies while you type. You edit a value, apply it, and the panel reports back when the node acknowledges it.

Every editable field works the same way. When you edit a field, it shows an apply (check) button and a discard (cross) button. Enter applies and Esc discards. While the write is in flight, the field shows a spinner.

The write counts as confirmed only when the node reports the new value back. Names and ports confirm in the node's next ArtPollReply, and network changes confirm in its ArtIpProgReply. A brief check mark flags the confirmation. Spectralite sends a follow-up poll right after the write, so a live node confirms within a couple of seconds. If no confirmation arrives in about two seconds, the field marks the write as failed. It then falls back to the value the node last reported.

If a selected node stops replying for more than about six seconds, the editor disables every control. It notes that the node is not responding, because a write to a silent node can never confirm. You can edit again when the node answers a poll.

NamesCopy Anchor Link

Sets the node's Short name and Long name. You apply each one on its own. Art-Net caps the short name at 17 bytes and the long name at 63 bytes of UTF-8, and the fields stop accepting input at that limit. Plain ASCII is one byte per character, and accented or non-Latin characters use more.

PortsCopy Anchor Link

Sets the universe each output port converts to DMX. Output ports are editable. Input-only ports show their universe, but you cannot change it here. Universes range from 0 to 32767.

Port universes apply as a group with the Apply port addressing button. A single Art-Net address command programs one net and subnet across the whole node bind. As a result, all ports of a bind must sit in the same block of sixteen universes and differ only in the low four bits. If the universes you enter fall in different blocks, the editor refuses the write and says so. Each port row shows its own spinner or failure icon while the write settles.

NetworkCopy Anchor Link

This section shows the node's current IP. If the node got that IP from a DHCP server, it carries a DHCP tag. You can write a Static IP and Subnet mask here. On nodes that report DHCP capability, a DHCP switch requests an address from a DHCP server instead. To leave DHCP again, write a static IP.

A new address can drop a node off the network, so Spectralite asks you to confirm these writes in a dialog first. For a static IP, the dialog shows the current and new address side by side before you commit. For DHCP, it warns that the node will leave its current address and may become unreachable if no DHCP server answers.

CommandsCopy Anchor Link

Commands are one-shot actions with no field to edit. Locate flashes the node's identify LED so you can find it in a rig. LED normal returns the LED to its usual behavior, and LED mute turns it off. Cancel merge ends an active merge on the node. These four send immediately.

Two more commands use the same confirmation dialog as network changes, because they interrupt output or move the node. Each output port offers Clear output. It zeroes the DMX buffer of that port until the next frame arrives, so attached fixtures go dark for a moment. Reset network to defaults reverts the node to its factory IP configuration. The node drops off the network and may reappear on a different address.

Filling a fixture's Target IPCopy Anchor Link

The Target IP field in the fixture edit dialog sets the address for unicast output. It also lists the addresses you are likely to want. To open the list, press the button beside the field, or press ↓ in it. While the list is open, type to narrow it to the matching addresses. Choose an address to write it into the field. You can also type an address by hand.

The list holds each IP once, on one line that says what uses it. First come the IPs that other fixtures on the fixture's universe already send to. The IP that most of them use comes first, and each line says how many fixtures use it.

Then come the nodes discovered here. Each line shows the node's name and the Art-Net universes it accepts, numbered from 0 as in this panel. A node that answers on several binds gets one line. A node that replies before it has an address does not appear. A discovered node that fixtures on the universe already use appears with those fixtures.

The nodes come from the same live list as this panel. If no node is discovered and no fixture on the universe uses an IP, the field has no button and stays manual.

Empty and disabled statesCopy Anchor Link

With discovery on, the table stays empty until the first node replies, and it shows a short waiting notice. Nodes appear as their replies arrive, usually within one poll cycle.

When discovery is off, the table clears and the panel shows that the enable toggle is off. To resume polling, turn the toggle back on.

TroubleshootingCopy Anchor Link

Node does not appearCopy Anchor Link

1. Confirm the enable toggle at the top of the panel is on.
2. Check that the node sits on the same subnet as an Art-Net output's configured network interface. Spectralite broadcasts the ArtPoll out of each configured output interface. Most setups do not forward that broadcast across subnets. A node that is reachable only through an unconfigured interface thus stays hidden.
3. Confirm that the node has power and is cabled to the same physical network as the host.
4. Give it a poll cycle. The table updates roughly every 2.75 seconds, and a node that just powered on may take a reply or two to show.

If the node still does not appear but you know its address, type the Target IP by hand. Sending works without discovery.

A write keeps failingCopy Anchor Link

1. Check that the node is still replying. A fresh Last seen age means the node is alive and rejects or ignores the change.
2. Some nodes ignore remote configuration entirely, or lock it behind a setting on the node itself. Check the node's own front panel or web page for a remote-config or lock option.
3. For port universes, make sure every output universe sits in the same block of sixteen. The editor rejects mixed blocks before it sends.
4. After an IP change, the node re-keys to its new address and briefly drops off the table. Wait a poll cycle and select the new row.

Related panelsCopy Anchor Link

• RDM Devices: discover and configure E1.20 responders behind an Art-Net node.
• Fixtures: set a fixture's Target IP for unicast output.
• Address Space: see which universes each fixture occupies.