Set Up Art-Net Output

Art-Net is the standard protocol for sending DMX over Ethernet. This guide covers setup and configuration.

What is Art-Net?

Art-Net sends DMX512 data over standard Ethernet networks. A single cable carries multiple universes, runs up to 100m per segment, and integrates with standard network infrastructure.

Requirements

Hardware

• Mac with Ethernet (built-in or adapter)
• Art-Net node (converts to DMX)
• Ethernet switch (for multiple nodes)
• Ethernet cables

Network

• All devices on the same subnet
• Recommended: 2.x.x.x or 10.x.x.x range
• Static IPs for production use

Basic setup

Step 1: Physical connection

1. Connect your computer to the network switch.
2. Connect Art-Net nodes to the same switch.
3. Power on all devices.

Step 2: Configure Mac network

1. Open System Preferences > Network.
2. Select your Ethernet interface.
3. Set Configure IPv4 to Manually, IP Address to 2.0.0.1 (or your preference), and Subnet Mask to 255.0.0.0.
4. Click Apply.

Step 3: Configure Art-Net node

Using your node's configuration tool:

1. Set IP in same subnet (for example 2.0.0.2).
2. Configure universe assignment.
3. Set to Art-Net output mode.

Step 4: Configure Spectralite

1. Open Edit > Outputs.
2. Click Add Art-Net (or select the default Art-Net output if present).
3. Pick your Ethernet interface under Network Interface.
4. Leave the Universe Offset at 0 unless your downstream hardware expects a different numbering.

Step 5: Verify connection

1. Open Window > Add panel > Spectralite Controllers.
2. Confirm your node appears. If not, check network settings.

Universe configuration

In Spectralite

Universes are assigned per fixture in the Fixtures panel, not on the output itself. Each Art-Net output transmits every patched universe that reaches it. To narrow that down:

1. Open Edit > Outputs and select your Art-Net output.
2. Enable Universe range filter to restrict which internal universes the output transmits.
3. Set Universe Offset if the receiver expects different universe numbers than the internal ones.

Art-Net addressing

Art-Net uses a hierarchy with Net (0-127, usually 0), Subnet (0-15), and Universe (0-15). This gives 32,768 possible universes.

Simple setup

For most shows, use Net 0, Subnet 0, and Universes 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on.

Multiple nodes

Same universe to multiple nodes

For backup or distribution, configure both nodes for the same universe. Both receive identical data.

Different universes

Each node handles specific universes. For example, Node A receives universes 0-3 and Node B receives universes 4-7. Configure the universe range in each node's settings.

Broadcast vs unicast

Broadcast (the default) sends packets to every device on the subnet. It is simple to set up but produces more network traffic. Unicast sends packets to specific IP addresses, reducing traffic at the cost of per-node configuration.

To configure unicast:

1. Open Edit > Outputs and select your Art-Net output.
2. Set Network Mode to Unicast.
3. Assign the destination IP per fixture via the Fixtures panel (each fixture has a target IP field). The field's inline picker can fill the address from a node found by the Art-Net Nodes panel.

Advanced configuration

Multiple network interfaces

If using multiple networks, configure each interface with a different subnet and assign universes to specific interfaces to isolate traffic.

sACN (Streaming ACN)

Spectralite also supports sACN:

1. Open Edit > Outputs and click Add sACN.
2. Pick the network interface connected to your lighting network.
3. Adjust the source name, priority, and optionally a sync universe under the sACN-specific settings.

RDM over Art-Net

For RDM-capable nodes, enable RDM in the node's settings, then discover and configure fixtures from Spectralite.

Related

• Spectralite Controllers - View network controllers
• Address Space - Manage universes
• Troubleshooting - Fix common issues