Connecting Two PC Together Using ArtNet

[FLC]

Hi
This may be a very simple question and I have tried searching the forum for a solution but to no avail.
I'm currently running the latest version 4.x.x on both a Mac and Windows 10 pc and want to, for example,
control lighting sequences on the Win 10 PC by sending button press across from the Win 10 PC using ArtNet.
My DMX controller is attached to the Mac PC and works well as a standalone operation.

(1) First of all, I don't have a wealth of experience with QLC+ although I have been using it now for simple
lighting task for several years.
(2) I've never used the Artnet feature and don't current have a MIDI controller.
(3) Is it even possible to use ArtNet to control lighting functions across two PCs?

I have set ArtNet to output on the the Win 10 PC and input on the Mac PC. Both PCs seems to indicate
that they recognize each other and show what appear to relevent Node information and packet transmit and receive
respectively.
(4) Is there more that has to be configured to make this communication process work or am I missing something?
(5) Both ArtNets are configured for Universe #2.
(6) I was expecting that if I push a button on the Win 10 PC, the corresponding button would activate on the Mac PC
via the ArtNet communication.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[GGGss]

You have to bind the input (from the WIn 10 Pc) to the button on your Mac. Use the External Input section of the VC widget.
To make it easy for you, you also can create an input profile: See https://www.qlcplus.org/docs/html_en_EN ... annel.html
(6) please don't expect that when Artnet is connected, you all in once are in the same 'session' sharing controls.

But I really am very interested ~why~ you would need such a setup? Your midi controller is accepted both on Mac and on Win, so why add such complexity to your setup?

Before giving more lecturing details, I let you answer the ~why~ question first...

[MichelSliepenbeek]

Be aware that ARTNET is nothing more than DMX over Ethernet. It provides you with a number of universes (node and cable type mostly restrict it to not more than 8), each universe has 512 channels, each channel has a value between 000 and 255 and it will refresh around 30 times a second.
You use Artnet mainly because Ethernet cables are a lot cheaper than DMX Cables and/or to make use of the cabling that is already available in a building.
DMX is a protocol specifically designed for sending information from a console to (a number of) fixtures (only in that direction, there is no FeedBack).

If you want 2 computers to work together its likely to have them communicate over Ethernet, but you need other protocols than DMX to do that.
(It's a bit like wanting to transfer a WORD document from one PC to another PC, by printing it on the first PC then scanning it on the other PC and use OCR software to retreive the data out of it. It might work, but there are easier and better ways to do that.)

If you are looking for a better option (two use 2 computers) you could try OSC. Check this video [youtube]https://youtu.be/AtVj61ShJ2o[/youtube]
Pay attention to the restrictions that Richards mentions in his video, you can only use it to control some basic buttons and sliders.

If you just want to add some buttons and/or Sliders you could also use something like a Launchpad or AKAI APC (best you go for the older versions , if you want complete RGB buttons where you also can control the intensity, it's getting very very very complex) .
If you just want to use 2 screens, you could connect a second screen to one of you PC's and give QLC5 a try.

Finally you should be aware that QLC is developed in a Linux environment and from there ported to Windows and MAC.
What might work from one Linux PC to another Linux PC, might not work the same from Linux to Windows or from Linux to MAC.
From that point of view wanting QLC on Windows to connect with QLC on MAC might add some extra complications.

[FLC]

Thanks for all the replies. My intent was to use ProPresenter software running on on PC to control the lighting software on another PC. Following a discussion with the technical support team from RenewedVision (ProPresenter software vendor), I was instructed to use MIDI instead. Originally, I was under the mistaken impression that I needed a MIDI hardware box but now I know that is not the case and I can use MIDI across the network and as you guys have clearly pointed out, it is much less complicated. I'm now in the process of setting up a MIDI link.

Really appreciate the help.
Again, thanks

FLC

[GGGss]

Aha ... Propresenter ... that will be fun.
On Windows: only midi. And if you need midi over the network, there is a little tool for that rtpMidi https://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/rtpmidi.html