Output & DMX Routing

The Output tab is where Filament turns your canvas layout into live DMX output. Every Surface gets its own output identity: protocol, destination behavior, universe, and start channel.

If you learned Filament back when this area was described as the "Art-Net tab," update that mental model here: the current app supports mixed Art-Net and sACN routing inside the same project.

[GRAPHIC: Screenshot of the full Output tab showing Testing & Preflight, Output transport, the Surface list, and protocol-aware channel maps. It should feel broader than the old Art-Net-only view]

What lives on the Output tab

The Output workspace is split into three operator-facing areas:

• Testing & Preflight for readiness checks, safe-state policy, and output tests
• Output transport for network-interface selection and transport diagnostics
• Channel assignment for per-Surface routing, auto-assignment, discovery, validation, and channel maps

Output FPS

Filament exposes a project-level Output FPS control in the channel-assignment area. This sets the cadence the Player runtime uses when packing and sending live DMX data.

Use a lower value to reduce CPU or network load, and a higher value when you want faster response. The same output cadence is reflected back in the Player diagnostics.

Per-Surface output settings

Each Surface has its own routing controls:

• Protocol - choose Art-Net or sACN
• Target IP / Destination - an explicit IPv4 target when the selected mode uses one
• Universe - the first DMX universe for that Surface
• Addressing - Multicast or Unicast for sACN
• Priority - sACN packet priority
• Start channel - the first DMX channel used by the selected Surface
• Auto-Assign All - repatches the whole project from a chosen starting point

Choosing between Art-Net and sACN

• Art-Net is the best fit when you want compatibility with older Art-Net gear, want to use Filament's built-in node discovery, or want your live output to match Resolume's Art-Net-shaped export model more directly.
• sACN multicast derives its network destination from the selected universe. You set the universe, and Filament handles the multicast target automatically.
• sACN unicast is for receivers that expect a specific destination IP on UDP 5568.
• sACN priority lets you tune how the receiver should rank this sender when multiple sources exist.

Each Surface can use a different protocol, so mixed projects are normal.

[GRAPHIC: Close-up of the Surface settings panel showing Protocol, Destination/Target IP, Universe, sACN Addressing, Priority, Start channel, and Auto-Assign All]

Assigning channels

Auto-assign

The Auto-Assign All button distributes channels across the project's Surfaces and slices in sequence. This is the fastest way to get a clean first pass across a new rig.

After auto-assignment, review the validation summary and channel maps to make sure the resulting patch matches your hardware plan.

Manual adjustments

Need to move one curve or fixture group to a different address range? You have two quick paths:

1. Select the slice or Surface and edit Start channel in the Output panel.
2. Double-click a curve's channel badge in the sidebar and edit it inline.

Channel maps and validation

The Channel Maps section acts like a visual patch bay. Filament groups maps by output identity, not just by universe number, so equal universe numbers do not collapse together when they belong to different protocols or destinations.

That means these stay separate in the UI and diagnostics:

• Art-Net universe 1 to one node vs Art-Net universe 1 to another node
• Art-Net universe 1 vs sACN universe 1
• sACN multicast universe 1 vs sACN unicast universe 1

[GRAPHIC: Screenshot of protocol-aware channel maps where two outputs share the same universe number but appear in separate groups because their protocol/destination differs]

Reading the map

• Gray cells - unused channels
• Colored cells - assigned to a slice or fixture
• Red-striped cells - conflicting assignments inside the same output identity
• Hover tooltips - show the channel number, owning slice, component/value details, and conflict state

A zoom slider lets you inspect the maps at a high level or drill into individual channels.

What counts as a conflict

A conflict happens when two assignments land on the same protocol + destination context + universe + channel combination. Reusing the same universe number on a different output target is fine; overlapping inside the same routed output is not.

Discovery

Filament's discovery panel is Art-Net only.

• Click Refresh to scan the local Art-Net network
• Review discovered node IPs, names, universe reports, and last-scan response state
• Select a discovered node to apply it to the currently selected Art-Net Surface

When the selected Surface uses sACN, discovery stays manual by design:

• sACN multicast derives its destination from the universe
• sACN unicast expects you to enter the destination IP yourself

Output transport

The expandable Output transport section documents how Filament is getting packets off the machine.

Use it to:

• choose the preferred network interface
• inspect the list of detected IPv4 interfaces
• see whether an interface is selected, active, or missing
• review per-output transport diagnostics for route, mode, packets sent, errors, warnings, and resolved local interface

This is the place to check when output is bound to the wrong adapter, multicast capability is unclear, or packets are not leaving the expected NIC.

Testing & Preflight

The top section of the Output tab is meant for show-time verification rather than patch editing.

Output Preflight

Click Run Preflight to open a dedicated readiness report. The dialog summarizes:

• ready / not-ready status
• generated time
• blocking-issue count
• warning count
• the current safe-state policy
• issue-by-issue details with Reveal Surface, Copy Report, and Re-Run Checks

Use this before a show or install handoff when you want one clear report of what still needs attention.

Safe-state policy

Filament lets you decide what happens when output needs to stop safely. You can set Blackout or Hold Last Frame behavior for:

• project unload
• runtime restart
• external input timeout
• app shutdown

Crash recovery is intentionally conservative: playback comes back stopped and output stays idle until the operator resumes.

Output test tools

The built-in Output test panel inherits the selected Surface's output identity and uses the same transport binding as live playback. That makes it useful for validating the real path, not a side-channel simulator.

You can:

• start a test for the selected Surface
• edit start/end channel
• choose Static Level, Ramp, Fixture / Pixel Step, or Identify / Flash
• adjust level, rate, step mode, and fixture span
• review the active route, destination, universe, and channel range

While an output test is active, normal playback is suspended on purpose.

Show-day workflow: Preflight → Transport → Test

Before a show or install handoff, the three top sections of the Output tab combine into a short readiness routine. Run them in order and you'll catch every output problem Filament can detect locally.

1. Run Preflight

Click Run Preflight to open the readiness report. It tells you whether the project is ready, how many blocking issues and warnings exist, and what the current safe-state policy is. Each issue has a Reveal Surface button to jump directly to whatever needs fixing.

Fix every blocking issue and re-run until you get a clean readiness state. Warnings don't block a show but they're worth reading once. Click Copy Report if you want a record for a handoff or a paper trail.

2. Confirm transport binding

Expand Output transport and check that the correct network interface is selected. Filament lists every detected IPv4 interface; the selected one is the NIC packets actually leave through. If a Surface is showing zero packets sent or warnings about the resolved local interface, this is the place that surfaces it.

This step matters because preflight checks routing intent — it doesn't guarantee that the OS will hand packets to the right adapter. Most show-day surprises come from a laptop preferring Wi-Fi when you wanted the wired LED network.

3. Test output through the real path

With the right Surface selected, open the Output test panel and run a quick Identify / Flash or Static Level. The test uses the Surface's actual route and transport, so it validates the full chain — your patch, your NIC, the network, the controller — not a simulator.

When you can see the test reach the fixture, you're ready to start the Player.

If the controller doesn't react, the test panel itself shows you the active route, destination, universe, and channel range. Cross-check those against the controller's expected addressing, then re-run.

Practical Output tips

• Use Art-Net discovery when you are patching WLED or other Art-Net nodes for the first time.
• Use sACN multicast when the receiver is already listening on the standard universe-derived group.
• Switch to sACN unicast when multicast is filtered or the receiver expects a direct destination IP.
• Open Output transport when packets are going out on the wrong interface or counters stay at zero.
• Run Preflight before a show and save or copy the report if you need a handoff record.