Lightact supports multi-server syncing and playback. It does that with LightNet and LightSync functionality introduced in v3.0.5. LightNet allows different Lightact instances on the same network to communicate with each other whereas LightSync is Lightact’s proprietary timecode protocol, which allows one Lightact instance to act as a master to which all other instances (the slaves) sync to.
LightNet
You enable LightNet in the Devices window. When no other node is selected you should see your computer’s properties on the right as well as 2 checkboxes below: Enable LightNet and Enable LightSync.
Check the Enable LightNet to enable LightNet.
Searching for other LightNet devices on the network
If there are 2 Lightact devices on the network and both of them have LightNet enabled, you’ll be able to scan the network and find them.
If you click on scan and wait for a second or two, you’ll see new nodes pop up for every LightNet enabled device on the network. Clicking on Scan also enables LightNet for you in case you haven’t done it manually before.
LightSync
When you enable LightSync you’ll see several options below the checkbox.
First, you have to decide whether your device will be a Master or a Slave. A master is sending LightSync signal to which all the slaves sync to. Then, you need to decide whether you are going to multicast LightSync to all LightNet devices (recommended) or broadcast it. Please remember, that Multicast is much more efficient in terms of network traffic because LightSync is sent only to the IP addresses of other LightNet devices and is not broadcast throughout the network. A possible downside is that LightSync is going to be sent only to LightNet devices that have their corresponding node in the Devices window, so if you don’t know the IP addresses of other LightNet devices and are, for some reason, unable to find them when you click on Scan, you should use Broadcast.
Setup a Master LightSync device
If you are on the master LightSync device, the only thing you need to do is to check either Broadcast or Multicast in the Send as Master section.
Now, the master Lightact is constantly sending LightSync signal to the network.
Setup a Slave LightSync device
To set up a slave LightSync device, you should, of course, check either Broadcast or Multicast in the Listen as Slave section. Please note, that all slaves and the master should use the same option.
Now go to the main window and in the Sync tab right at the top of the properties section on the right, select To LightSync.
If LightSync is being received correctly, you should see a yellow label below the sequence name in the Visualizer.
Also, if you try to move the transport, you’ll see it jumps back to where LightSync is telling it to be.