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Priority and Arbitration

sACN Priorities

A Net3 / sACN source can have a priority of 1-200. 200 is highest, and 1 is lowest. This property decides the priority status of this source if there are multiple sources, for example having Eos, Cobalt, and Unison Paradigm on the same network. Sources with the same priority arbitrate levels using HTP logic (highest level wins). If there are different priorities, the highest priority will "win". All sACN outputs and DMX inputs within LightDesigner are assigned a default priority of 100. The allowable range is 1-200, where 200 is the highest priority. Lower priority control of an object will not operate if a higher priority control for the same object is active. This can be used to designate "more important controls.

Priority mode displays the priority mode of the DMX input port or the sACN universe. Available priority modes in the Property Editor include "Per Port" and "Per Address".

"Per Port" - a single priority is used for all addresses on this universe. You can apply a single port priority in this mode.
"Per Address" - a separate priority is available for each address on this universe. Each address supports a unique priority setting in all tabular "Patch" views. The port priority setting still applies for any sACN devices that do not support "Per Address" priorities.

To view priority settings in the tabular "Patch" views, the access level must be set to at least the advanced access level.

Arbitration of Input Sources

As outputs are patched to architectural control channels, an equal input patch is created by default. For instance, if you patch channels to DMX B output, the same addresses are also patched to DMX A input.

Input sources can be directly mapped to an output universe which allows data to pass-through the Paradigm processor to the selected output, using the Input Universe Editor. There can be multiple input sources mapped to the same output universe. When an input source is mapped to an output universe the actual output becomes a combination of any of the following signals (based on which inputs are assigned to that output)

External DMX input source data
External sACN input data
Paradigm processor generated levels (architectural control channel levels)

When considering multiple input sources, the Paradigm processor evaluates levels, first by priority then uses arbitration rules to compare with architectural control channel levels.

When the signal comes into the processor, the level of the highest priority source "wins" and is compared against the architectural levels according to one of the nine possible arbitration rules:

Arbitration's
Type	Description
HTP with Priority (default)	Input sources are evaluated based on priority, then pile on highest level takes precedence between DMX, architectural control channels, and sACN. This is the default setting.
Use Internal	ignores all external levels (formally known as Replace mode). Internal architectural control channel levels takes priority and is output.
Use External	ignores all internal architectural control channel levels and passes though external DMX and / or sACN levels (formally known as Pass-Through).
HTP ignore priority	ignores (or flattens) the priorities of all inputs to the system, and will HTP all internal and external levels. This setting is uncommon.
Use External if Active	uses external levels only when Paradigm is receiving them. If none are present, then the architectural control channel level is used (formally known as PTIA).
Use Internal if Non-Zero	uses architectural control channel levels when they are both active AND at a level greater than zero.
Use External if Non-Zero	uses external levels when they are both active AND at a level greater than zero.
Use External as Master	uses external level to act as a grand master for architectural control channel levels.
Use Internal as Master	uses architectural control channel levels to act as a grand master for incoming levels.

Set Arbitration Dynamically in a Net3 Control System

LightDesigner provides an action called "Space EZ Set Arbitration". This action provides three options that affect arbitration and priority; "Use Internal", "HTP with Priority", and "Use External If Active". Running this action will not only change the arbitration to the selected type, but will also apply a defaulted Net3 sACN priority to the patched sACN outputs of all architectural control channels within the specified space.

For example, a button may be configured to apply "Use External If Active" setting to allow another sACN source to control a space or to apply "Use Internal" to prevent another sACN source from applying control.

Assign Arbitration to an Output

Double-click on a DMX output universe in the Browser (located beneath "Processors").
Click on the "Universe Summary" tab located on the bottom of the Patch view.
Locate the output address to be modified.
Double-click on "Arbitration" for that output.
Select the arbitration type from the drop-down list.

If there are multiple external sources (local DMX in and sACN) they are compared first by the priority then by highest level until the output is reduced to a single level before the arbitration type is applied. Arbitration is purely a determination between incoming levels of external devices and the Paradigm processor generated or Architectural levels.