Art-Net is a very common DMX over network protocol; Pixelmapper supports Art-Net Versions 1, 2 and 3 as well as discovery and Artsync.
Net:
Used for Art-Net 3, Net increases the number of universes that can be carried in Art-Net’s address space.
For devices that do not support Art-Net 3 this setting should normally be left at 0.
| Note: Art-Net 3 has a larger capacity to address universes however it does not have any better data handling than previous iterations, as such do not expect any higher capacity than Art-Net 1 or 2. |
Universe and Sub-Net:
Output Universe assignment used for Art-Net 1 and 2.
Unicast Mode:
Unicast sends data to a specific IP address instead of using broadcast. To use unicast, a destination IP address for each node must be set.
Many Art-Net Nodes support discovery, this is accessed from the devices section of Pixelmapper. and can simplify the process of setting unicast addresses.
| Note: Using unicast as opposed to broadcast dramatically reduces network load and will increase the amount of channels. |
How many universes can be sent?
The question of how many universes can be sent from a particular system type is not easily answered; the natural response is always (and unhelpfully) “it depends”.
There is no software limit in Hippotizer on how many universes can be created or sent. Most commonly the limit is dictated by the network or the receivers.
Best practices to maximise Art-Net data carrying capacity
- Use unicast addressing for all universes
- Reduce the Art-Net refresh rate if receivers start to flicker or fail
- Use a gigabit switched network that have non-blocking switches (are capable of switching at full wire speed). Most modern models from reputable brands have this.
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