How to Set Up ArtNet and sACN Pixel Output

How to Set Up ArtNet and sACN Pixel Output

Backstage can drive LED pixel fixtures, architectural lighting, and other DMX-controlled devices directly over the network using ArtNet or sACN (E1.31). This guide covers both the pixel-mapped ArtNet output adapter and the Node Editor workflow for programmatic DMX control.

Before you start

• A Backstage project is open with at least one surface and a projector or display routed to it
• Your LED controller or lighting node is on the same network as the Backstage server
• You know the ArtNet universe numbers and IP addresses your fixtures expect
• Port 6454 (UDP) is open on the network for ArtNet, or port 5568 (UDP) for sACN

How ArtNet output works in Backstage

Backstage provides two ways to send DMX data over the network:

• ArtNet Output Adapter — a dedicated output type that reads rendered pixel colour values from a virtual framebuffer and transmits them as ArtNet DMX packets. Best for pixel-mapped LED installations where each LED corresponds to a pixel in your content.

• Node Editor encode/decode nodes — the Network:ArtNetEncode, Network:ArtNetDecode, Network:sACNEncode, and Network:sACNDecode nodes. These convert DMX channel values to/from the ArtNet or sACN wire format. Use them when you need programmatic control of DMX data — for example, driving individual fixture parameters, integrating with external lighting consoles, or building custom show logic.

Steps

1. Add an ArtNet output

Open the Outputs panel (top-left). Expand the Artnet section and click the + button to create a new ArtNet output. A new output slot appears in the list.

2. Set the output resolution

Select the new ArtNet output. In the Inspector, expand Artnet Output Properties. Set Width and Height to match your pixel layout. For example, a strip of 170 RGB LEDs would be 170 x 1. A 32x32 pixel panel would be 32 x 32.

3. Route a projector or display to the ArtNet output

Open Video Routing. Find the ArtNet output column and check the routing cell for the projector or display that should supply the pixel content. Backstage renders the scene from that projector's viewpoint and sends the resulting pixel values as DMX data.

4. Add a DMX universe

In the Inspector, expand the DMX Mapping section. Click Add Universe. Set the universe number (1–32768) and the destination IP address of the ArtNet node or controller. Each universe supports up to 512 DMX channels (170 RGB pixels).

5. Map pixels to DMX channels

Expand Pixel Mappings inside the DMX Mapping section. Click Add pixel to DMX mapping to create a mapping entry. Configure:

• X / Y — the start pixel position in the output framebuffer (1-based)

• Pixel — number of consecutive pixels to map

• Direction — which direction to read pixels: Up, Down, Left, or Right

• DMX address — the starting DMX channel (1–512) for the first pixel in this mapping

• Skip addresses — comma-separated DMX start channels to skip (e.g. channels used by other fixture attributes)

Each pixel consumes 3 consecutive DMX channels (R, G, B). Add multiple mapping entries per universe to cover different fixture runs.

6. Import or export a CSV mapping (optional)

For large installations, prepare a CSV file with your pixel mapping instead of adding entries manually. The CSV has 8 columns:

IP,Universe,X Pos,Y Pos,Direction(L/R/T/B),Number of Pixels,Startchannel,Skip Channels

Click Import CSV in the DMX Mapping section to load it. Click Export CSV to save your current mapping for backup or transfer to another project.

7. Verify with the Mapping View

Click Show Mapping Window in the DMX Mapping section to open the DMX Mapping View. This displays a grid representing your output resolution, colour-coded by universe. Mapped pixels show their DMX start channel number. Unmapped pixels appear dark grey.

Use Ctrl + scroll to zoom, and middle-mouse drag to pan. Right-click a mapped pixel for options including Locate — this sends a cycling colour pattern (red, green, blue, white) to the selected pixel(s) on the physical fixtures so you can confirm the mapping is correct.

8. Configure network binding

In the Artnet Output Properties section, set Bind to interface to the network adapter connected to your ArtNet network. The default setting (Auto) uses the global default from Settings > Artnet Output Defaults. If your server has multiple NICs, always bind explicitly to avoid ArtNet traffic going out the wrong interface.

Node Editor workflow: ArtNet and sACN encode/decode

For programmatic DMX control — integrating with lighting consoles, generating DMX values from logic, or bridging between protocols — use the encode and decode nodes in the Node Editor.

Sending ArtNet from the Node Editor

Build a graph like this:

1. Create your DMX channel values as a Pack of integers (0–255) or a Signal array.

2. Connect the values to the DMX signal or DMX data input of a Network:ArtNetEncode node. Set the Net (0–127), Subnet (0–15), and Universe (0–15) on the node to match your target device.

3. Connect the Art-Net buffer output to a Network:UDPSender node. Set the destination IP and port 6454.

Receiving ArtNet in the Node Editor

1. Add a Network:UDPReceiver node listening on port 6454.

2. Connect its output to a Network:ArtNetDecode node. Set the Net, Subnet, and Universe to match the incoming stream. The node only passes through packets that match all three values.

3. The DMX data outputs (Pack and Signal) carry the decoded channel values (0–255) for use in your graph.

sACN encode/decode

The Network:sACNEncode and Network:sACNDecode nodes work the same way as their ArtNet counterparts, with one key difference: sACN uses a single Universe number (1–63999) instead of the ArtNet Net/Subnet/Universe hierarchy. sACN packets are typically sent to the multicast address 239.255.x.x (derived from the universe number) on port 5568.

Use sACN when your infrastructure requires multicast delivery or when integrating with systems that prefer E1.31 over ArtNet (common in architectural lighting and ETC Eos environments).

ArtNet vs. sACN: when to use which

Options explained

ArtNet Output Properties

DMX Mapping — per-universe settings

DMX Mapping — per-entry (pixel mapping) settings

Node Editor nodes

The ArtNetEncode node has three on-node settings: Net (0–127), Subnet (0–15), and Universe (0–15). The ArtNetDecode node has the same three settings and only passes through packets matching all three. The sACN nodes have a single Universe setting (1–63999).

Global ArtNet defaults

Open Settings and expand Artnet Output Defaults. These apply to any ArtNet output set to Auto:

Common Mistakes

• Pixels appear in the wrong order — The pixel direction in the mapping does not match the physical wiring of the LED strip. Check whether your strip runs left-to-right, right-to-left, or in a serpentine pattern, and adjust the Direction setting for each mapping entry accordingly.

• No output on the fixtures — The ArtNet output is not routed to a projector or display in Video Routing. An unrouted output has nothing to render, so no packets are sent. Also check that the destination IP address is correct and port 6454 is not blocked by a firewall.

• ArtNet packets go to the wrong NIC — On servers with multiple network adapters, the default (Auto) binding may pick the wrong one. Set Bind to interface explicitly on the ArtNet output or in the global Artnet Output Defaults.

• DMX channels overlap or have gaps — Each pixel uses 3 channels (R, G, B). If a fixture has extra channels (dimmer, strobe, white), use Skip addresses to jump over them. Otherwise those channels will be filled with adjacent pixel data.

• Universe numbers do not match between Backstage and the ArtNet node — Be aware that the ArtNet output adapter uses universe numbers 1–32768 (displayed as-is in the UI), while the Node Editor's ArtNetEncode/Decode nodes use the Art-Net 4 addressing scheme: Net (0–127), Subnet (0–15), Universe (0–15). Universe 1 in the adapter corresponds to Net 0, Subnet 0, Universe 0 in the node (the adapter subtracts 1 when building the packet).

• CSV import fails with parse errors — The CSV expects at least 7 columns. Both comma and semicolon delimiters are supported. IP addresses and skip channels containing commas must be enclosed in double quotes. The first line is treated as a header and skipped.

Tips

• Use Save Pixelmask to export a mask image showing which pixels in the output are mapped. This is useful for verifying coverage.

• The Locate feature in the DMX Mapping View cycles through red, green, blue, and white on the selected pixel(s). Enable Dim other pixels during locate to make the located pixels stand out on large installations.

• Set Dimmer above 100% (up to 150%) if your fixtures need a boost. Values above 100% will clip channel values at 255 but can be useful when feeding into fixtures that expect higher drive levels.

• When adding a new universe, Backstage copies the IP address from the previous highest universe. This saves time when all your ArtNet nodes share the same IP.

• For sACN multicast, the standard destination address is 239.255. followed by the universe number encoded as two octets. For example, universe 1 = 239.255.0.1. Configure this on your Network:UDPSender or Network:UDPMulticast node.

Related

Trigger Playback via UDP — Send UDP commands to Backstage from an external controller.

Integrate with Conductor — Connect Backstage to Conductor for DMX show control.

Your First Graph — Introduction to the Node Editor for building show logic.

Node Reference — Full index of all available nodes.

[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the DMX Mapping View window here showing the colour-coded universe grid]

[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the Artnet Output Properties section in the Inspector here]