Patch a Fixture
Set the universe and address that place a fixture on the wire.
Patching gives a fixture a DMX address: the universe and start channel where its control data lives. Spectralite needs that address to send the right values to the right light. This page is the step-by-step. For what a patched fixture is, and how it differs from the reusable definition it comes from, see Fixtures and patching. If the fixture is not in your project yet, add it first.
A patch is two numbers and a mode. The universe and address locate the fixture, and the fixture's mode sets how many consecutive channels it claims from that start. An eight-channel mode patched at address 100 occupies channels 100 through 107, so the next fixture starts at 108 or later. Switching a fixture to a mode with a different channel count changes the range it claims.
Open the fixture editor
In the Fixtures panel, right-click the fixture and choose Edit, or click its pencil icon. The edit dialog holds the fixture's universe, address, mode, and network settings.
Set the universe and address
Set Universe and Address. Both are 1-based: universe 1 is the first universe, and address 1 is the first channel in it. These match the numbers printed on the fixture's display and in its manual, so type them exactly as the physical light shows them. Do not pre-subtract for any protocol. Spectralite converts to the numbering each protocol carries on the wire, covered in Output.
Save the patch
Click Save changes. The fixture now claims its channel range, and the Fixtures panel shows its universe and address in the UNI and ADR columns.
Let Spectralite pick the address
When you add a fixture, the two-column Add fixture form can place it for you instead of you typing an address. On the left, the Calculate universes/addresses button finds the next free address after your existing fixtures. Set the Quantity field to patch several identical fixtures in one pass, and Spectralite lays them out end to end. Two options refine the placement: one keeps each fixture inside a single universe rather than straddling a boundary, and one fills gaps left in the address space by earlier fixtures.
On the right, the Address space grid shows what is already patched and where the new fixture would land. Click a cell to set the start address directly, or hover to preview the placement before committing. The same grid and buttons appear when you add a fixture, which is the usual moment to address one.
Patch many fixtures at once
The address and universe fields accept comma-separated values, so one add creates several fixtures at different locations. Enter addresses such as 1,100,200 and universes such as 1,2,3, and each pairing becomes its own fixture. Universe values here are 1-based, the same as everywhere else in the patch. Click Patch N fixtures to create them all.
How universe numbers reach the wire
Your patch universes start at 1. The two output protocols number their first universe differently, and Spectralite reconciles that for you when an output is created, so patch universe 1 arrives where a standard receiver expects it with no manual step. The full mapping, and the one case where you shift it, lives in Output.
The per-output Universe Offset is only for aligning to a third-party receiver that numbers its universes differently from Spectralite's default. It is not how you convert between 1-based and 0-based numbering; Spectralite already does that correctly per protocol. Leave the offset at its default unless a specific receiver forces another number. See Output.
Overlaps are flagged, not prevented
Two fixtures must not share a channel. Spectralite does not block you from patching into an occupied range; it sends whatever addresses you give it, and shared channels produce unpredictable output on stage. What it does is show you the collision. The Address Space panel maps every channel to the fixture holding it and highlights any cell claimed by more than one fixture. Scan it after any bulk re-patch, and before a show, to confirm nothing is fighting over the same channels. The concept behind this check is in Fixtures and patching.
To clear a flagged conflict, move one fixture to a free address, move it to a different universe, or switch it to a mode that uses fewer channels.
See your patches
Two views tell you where everything sits.
The Fixtures panel lists every patched fixture with its universe and address, network status icons for unicast fixtures, and a search box to filter by name.
The Address Space panel shows channel allocation universe by universe, so you can find gaps to fill and conflicts to fix at a glance.
Document and share a patch
From the Fixtures panel toolbar, Print as PDF produces a patch sheet, and Create shareable link publishes one to a public URL. See Share a patch.
Address remotely and per cell
Some fixtures need more than a single start address. A multi-cell fixture may address each cell separately; check the fixture's mode and its manual for how its cells are laid out.
With RDM-capable hardware you can address fixtures over the network instead of at the light. The RDM Devices panel discovers fixtures, reads their current addresses, and changes them over Art-Net.
For unicast output, the fixture editor's Target IP field carries an inline picker that lists nodes found by discovery, so you can select a node instead of typing its address. See the Art-Net Nodes panel.
Related
- Fixtures and patching - What a patched fixture is
- Output - How universes leave Spectralite and reach hardware
- Add a fixture - Bring a fixture in before you patch it
- The Fixtures panel - Manage every patched fixture
- Address Space panel - Visual patch overview