Patching Fixtures

Patching is the process of linking the fixtures in your project to device ports. Until a fixture is patched, it exists only on the Mapping field — it is visible and takes part in effects, but no data ever leaves it, neither to real hardware nor into exported *.cue files. Patching answers the question "through which physical connector of which device does this fixture receive its light."

All of this happens in the Fixtures window, by dragging fixtures from the bottom list into device ports. Below is how this window is organized, how to patch fixtures one at a time or in batches, what Autopatching does, and how to make sure the addressing is set up correctly.

For addresses, universes and channels themselves, see Виды и типы приборов. For the parameters of the devices you patch into, see Light Stream Converter Parameters.

The "Fixtures" Window

The window is split into two areas; the border between them can be dragged with the mouse.

Upper area — devices: A four-level tree: Light Stream Player → converters → converter ports → fixtures patched into a port. The arrow to the left of a row expands and collapses that level.
Lower area — unpatched fixtures: Fixtures and splines that are not linked to any port. Every new fixture drawn on the Mapping field outside a port ends up here.

The goal of patching is to empty the bottom list: whatever stays in it does not light up on the object.

Fixture rows read the same way in both areas:

Column	What it shows
Checkbox	Fixture visibility. Clearing the checkbox turns the fixture off without touching its addresses. If several fixtures are selected in the list, the checkbox toggles for all of them at once
Icon	How the fixture is drawn on the mapping: a dot for a single fixture, a polyline for a spline
Name	The fixture's name. Changed by double-clicking the name
Address	The first and last occupied address, e.g. 1-300
Universe	The universes the fixture occupies: U1, or U1-U2 if the fixture does not fit into one. This column exists only for patched fixtures

A port row shows its name and the universe numbers assigned to it — for example U1 or U1 U2. A port is renamed by double-clicking its name or via Right-click → Rename; descriptive names such as "Facade, left section" save a lot of time on a large project.

At the bottom of the window are four buttons:

Add Device (plus) — adds a Player, a Light Stream converter, or an Art-Net converter with the required number of ports to the project.
Search — searches the network for devices and lets you add an already configured one to the project.
Collapse — collapses the entire device tree with a single click; clicking again expands it fully. Indispensable when there are many converters and ports.
Autopatching — the automatic addressing mode, see the section below.

How to Patch Fixtures

Make sure the project has a device with the required number of ports. If not, add one with the Add Device button.
In the bottom list, select the fixtures that will go into a single port. Select a consecutive range with Shift, or individual items with Ctrl.
Drag the selection onto the row of the target port. The fixtures are placed at the end of the port's list.
The port expands automatically, and you immediately see the fixtures with their assigned addresses and universes.

Repeat for the remaining ports. A few notes that save time:

You can drag by any one of the selected fixtures — the entire selected group moves along with it.
If fixtures need to go not to the end but to a specific spot within the port, drop them between fixtures that are already patched rather than onto the port row.
A spline moves as a whole, as a single row, no matter how many fixtures are on it. You cannot split the fixtures of one spline across different ports — to do that, first convert the spline into individual fixtures, see Сплайны и одиночные приборы.
Fixtures can also be dragged from port to port, including to a different converter.
Any move can be undone with Ctrl+Z and redone with Ctrl+Shift+Z.

Selection in the Fixtures window and on the Mapping field is shared: select a fixture in the list and you'll see where it sits on the object, and vice versa. This is the simplest way to understand exactly what you are patching at any given moment.

Fixture Order Within a Port

The order of rows within a port is the addressing order. The first fixture in the list gets the port's first address, the next one gets the address right after it, and so on. That's why fixtures within a port should be arranged in the same order as they are wired on the object: the one closest to the device comes first.

The order is changed by dragging fixtures within the port. With Autopatching turned on, addresses are recalculated immediately.

Autopatching

Autopatching is a mode in which the program assigns addresses on its own. The button appears in two places: at the bottom of the Fixtures window and on the toolbar of the Mapping window. The setting is global for the program and applies to all ports at once.

What happens	Autopatching on	Autopatching off
Fixtures are added to a port	Addresses for the whole port are recalculated in sequence, starting from address 1 of its first universe	Fixtures keep their addresses; the program only assigns them a universe number
The order of fixtures in a port is changed	Addresses are recalculated to match the new order	Addresses stay the same
A new fixture is drawn on the mapping	It gets the next free address	It gets address 1 — you set the address yourself from there
A fixture is copied	The copy gets the next free address in the same port	The copy keeps the address of the original

Rule of thumb: turn Autopatching on when fixtures are wired in sequence and addresses need to run without gaps — this covers the vast majority of pixel projects. Turn it off when addresses are dictated by hardware that is already installed and must stay exactly as they are.

Autopatching being off doesn't mean "no help at all": addresses can always be assigned once, on demand. Right-click a port and choose Recalculate Fixture Addresses — the port's fixtures get sequential addresses following the current row order, while the mode itself stays off.

Exactly how addresses fall at universe boundaries depends on the converter's Controller Type: in DMX mode channels flow as a continuous stream, in SPI mode a fixture moves into the next universe as a whole. For more, see Light Stream Converter Parameters.

How to Patch Fixtures While Placing Them

Fixtures don't have to be drawn first and patched afterward. Select a port in the Fixtures window, and every fixture you then draw on the Mapping field will drop straight into it, with addresses already assigned (if Autopatching is on). The port's list scrolls automatically to the last added fixture, and a collapsed Player and converter expand on their own.

Copies behave the same way: fixtures copied with Ctrl held on the mapping, duplicated, or pasted from the clipboard stay in the same port as the original and, with Autopatching on, get the next free addresses. This is how matrices and identical rows are assembled quickly: patch one row, then just keep copying.

To make new fixtures land in the bottom list again, deselect the port — click an empty spot in the Fixtures window.

How to Remove a Fixture from a Port

Select the fixtures within the port, Right-click and choose Unpatch — the fixtures return to the bottom list of the Fixtures window and stay in place on the mapping.

To free an entire port at once, Right-click the port and choose Unpatch All. The same item is available by Right-click on a converter — it unpatches all of its ports at once.

The Delete key does not unpatch fixtures — it deletes them from the project, along with their place on the mapping and their link to the 3D scene. If you only need to take a fixture out of a port, use Unpatch.

Fixtures also return to the bottom list on their own if a converter's Number of Ports is reduced: fixtures from removed ports are not lost, they become unpatched.

How to Check That Everything Is Set Up Correctly

Red Highlighting

The program marks addressing errors on its own: a fixture's row, along with the name of its port and converter, turns red. There are two reasons for this:

fixture addresses overlap — two fixtures claim the same channels;
a fixture goes beyond the port's universes — its last address is greater than what the port has been allotted.

In the first case, fix the addresses or turn on Autopatching; in the second, increase the converter's Universes per Port or move some fixtures to a neighboring port.

Port Fill Indicator

To the left of a port's name is a small image — a map of its universes, with occupied channels shown in orange. It lets you see at a glance how full the port is and whether there are gaps in it. Clicking this image opens the same map in a separate window, larger and with the universes labeled.

Addresses on the Mapping Field

Addresses are labeled right next to fixtures on the mapping. What is shown — universe numbers, pixel numbers, or continuous multi-addresses — is set in the View → 2D Mapping menu. This is the fastest way to check that addresses on the object run in the direction you expect.

Highlighting Fixtures on the Real Object

When you need to figure out which fixture on the object corresponds to which row in the list, use the Highlight Fixtures and DMX Data button on the right side of the Timeline panel. Selected fixtures start glowing on top of the animation — both in the program and on the real hardware.

Right-click the button to open the highlight modes:

Solid White — steady glow;
Blinking White — blinking, the most noticeable on the object;
RGBW Colors — cycling through colors, which also helps check the order of the color channels.

The interval, in seconds, is set in the same place. If the button isn't on the timeline, enable it via Right-click on the playback panel → Show Fixture Highlight Button.

To check that the program is talking to the right box, click the converter's icon in the Fixtures window: the real device's indicators will blink.

Workflow for a Large Project

Set the converters' Start Universe, Number of Ports and Universes per Port before patching, not after — changing these parameters later shifts the addressing of ports that are already assembled.
Check the Controller Type — DMX or SPI. Changing it recalculates the addresses of all of the converter's fixtures.
Give ports meaningful names based on the sections of the object.
Turn on Autopatching and patch fixtures one wiring run at a time, making sure the row order in the port matches the wiring order.
After each port, check the fill indicator: if it's packed full, the next fixtures won't fit.
Once the bottom list is empty, go through all the ports and make sure none of them show red highlighting.

Frequently Asked Questions

The fixtures are on the mapping, effects play, but there's no light. The fixtures most likely remained in the bottom list of the Fixtures window — they aren't patched. Also check the visibility checkboxes of the fixture, the port and the converter.
A fixture's row turned red. Its addresses overlap a neighbor's or go beyond the port's universes. Turn on Autopatching or choose Recalculate Fixture Addresses via Right-click on the port.
How do I take a fixture out of a port without deleting it? Right-click → Unpatch. The Delete key removes the fixture from the project entirely.
The first fixture in a port always gets address 1, but I need a different one. That's how Autopatching works: it always starts a port at the first address of its first universe. Turn it off and set the fixture's address manually in the Properties window.
I set an address for one fixture, and it changed for several. The value in the Address field is applied to every fixture selected at that moment. Clear the extra selection and try again.
I need to split one spline across two ports. A spline can only be patched as a whole. Convert it into individual fixtures (see Сплайны и одиночные приборы) and distribute them across the ports.
Fixtures no longer fit in the port. Increase the converter's Universes per Port or move some fixtures to a neighboring port. Keep in mind that the number of universes in the project is limited by the license.
After changing a fixture's type, the addresses shifted. The new type has a different number of channels. Recalculate the port's addresses or turn on Autopatching.
Fixtures disappeared from the ports. Check whether you reduced the converter's Number of Ports — fixtures from removed ports return to the bottom list.
The port won't expand. It has no fixtures in it: there's nothing to expand in an empty port.