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Wwise Unity Integration Documentation
Wwise Picker

The Wwise Picker window shows the available objects (such as Events and Switches) from your Wwise project, using the same structure. The project displayed in the Wwise Picker view is the same project that is entered in the Wwise Settings window (menu Edit > Project Settings > Wwise Editor). Normally, this project is specified when the Wwise plug-in was installed in Unity.

As of version 2021.1, the Wwise Picker has two modes: File System and Wwise Authoring. The mode can be changed using the menu in the upper-left corner of the picker window.

In File System mode, the available objects are updated in the Wwise Picker view when the Wwise project is saved. If you don't see objects that you created, it is probably because your project wasn't saved. You can force a refresh of the Wwise Picker view by clicking Refresh Project. Note that this also refreshes all Wwise-related data, including data found in the XML metadata files that are created when generating the SoundBanks.

Note:Do not keep AkWwiseProjectData.asset under version control! This is a temporary cache file for the Wwise project data, so as to avoid having the Wwise Picker continuously parse the Work Unit files. Adding it to version control could cause problems.
Note:It is necessary to specify the Wwise Windows Installation Path (or Wwise Application on the Mac) within the Wwise Settings dialog. Unity needs to use the Wwise path when clicking Generate SoundBanks in Unity.

In Wwise Authoring mode, the picker uses WAAPI to communicate with the open project in Wwise. In addition to the features available in File System mode, this mode provides the following functionality:

  • Available objects are immediately updated when they are modified in Wwise Authoring
  • Playback of sound Events from within the Picker
  • Synchronized selection between Unity and Wwise
  • Renaming and deletion of Wwise objects from within Unity.
Caution: The Wwise project must be open in Wwise Authoring and you must ensure that your WAAPI settings are properly configured for this mode to function properly. Refer to the WAAPI Utilities page for more information on setting up WAAPI for your project.

Features

The features described in the following sections are available in both the File System and Wwise Authoring modes.

Adding Audio to your Scenes with the Picker

To add any object from the Wwise Picker to your scene, drag the object onto an existing Game Object or into the Inspector window. Refer to each component's documentation for further details about the components:

  • Dragging and dropping an Event creates an AkAmbient.
  • Dragging and dropping a SoundBank creates an AkBank.
  • Dragging and dropping a Switch Value creates an AkSwitch.
  • Dragging and dropping a State Value creates an AkState.
  • Dragging and dropping an Aux Bus creates an AkEnvironment.

Search and Navigation

Use the filter box near the top of the Wwise Picker to search for a specific item. Simply write the name of the item you're looking for and the Picker will automatically filter the items that don't match your search.

You can expand and close items by clicking on the + and - buttons or by double-clicking the item's name. You can also select and expand items by using the keyboard's arrow keys.

You might need to expand some items if the one you're looking for has a closed parent.

Generating SoundBanks

Click Generate SoundBanks to generate all SoundBanks for all platforms and languages. The generated SoundBanks will appear under the Wwise Picker's SoundBanks folder, the same as if they were generated from within Wwise. Additionally, the Unity status bar will display one of the following messages:

  • WwiseUnity: SoundBanks generation successful, if there were no errors or warnings;
  • WwiseUnity: SoundBanks generation has warning(s) , if there were warnings ;
  • WwiseUnity: SoundBanks generation error, if there were errors. Click on the message to move focus to the Console tab, which displays information from the SoundBank generation process.

Finding References in Scene

When you right-click a Wwise object in the picker you can choose the option to find its references in the scene. This will add a custom search to the Hierarchy window that will isolate GameObjects containing a reference to the Wwise object. This can also be accomplished by selecting the item and pressing Shift + R.

Auto Populate

This option only appears in File System mode. When it is enabled, the picker will update its contents as soon as change is detected in Wwise project files (this is usually triggered by saving the project). If the option is disabled, you will have to click the Refresh Project button to update the picker contents.

Select in Wwise Picker

When you right-click a Wwise component referencing a Wwise Object, there is now a menu option to select it in the picker. This will highlight the referenced object in the picker window.

WAAPI Features

When in Wwise Authoring mode, modifications to the Wwise project are immediately reflected in the picker window. If you copy, rename, delete, or move an object in the Wwise Project Explorer, the contents of the Picker window will always correspond. There are also many additional features available when right clicking items in the picker window:

Synchronized Selection

The Autosync selection option lets you decide whether you want your selection to be synchronized across Unity and Wwise authoring. This can help ease the transition between programs as the last selected item will be the same.

Event Playback

You can right-click an event in the WAAPi Picker and choose to audition it. The same option also allows you to stop the Event that is currently playing, after it has been started.

Shortcuts: Space bar or a fast double click.

In case you lose track of which events are playing, you can right click any item in the picker and select Stop All.

Renaming Wwise Objects

You can rename Wwise objects within the picker window by selecting the option from the shortcut menu.

Shortcuts: F2 or a slow double click.

Note:It is not possible to rename Work Units or Physical Folders.

Open Containing Folder

The Open Containing Folder option in the shortcut menu opens the folder containing the Wwise object's Work Unit in the file explorer.

Shortcut: Ctrl + O

Open SoundBank Folder

If the selected item is a SoundBank, there will be an additional option to open the SoundBank folder. This will open the file explorer to the Generated SoundBanks folder of the currently active platform in Wwise Authoring.

Note:If you have not yet generated your SoundBanks this will likely open the root directory of your OS.

Refreshing the Project

In Wwise Authoring mode, clicking the Refresh button will clear the picker window refetch the project contents using WAAPI.

Connection Status

Connection status and any error messages resulting from unsuccessful WAAPI request will be displayed in the upper-right corner of the Wwise Picker Window.

For more information on setting up WAAPI for your project, refer to the WAAPI Utilities page. If WAAPI is enabled but the Unity project is not able to successfully open the websocket connnection, a specific error message will be displayed in the Wwise Picker window.

Connection error messages:

  • Connection refused
    • Caused by the project not being open.
    • Caused by the wrong port/IP address being specified in the Unity or Wwise WAAPI settings.
    • Caused by WAAPI being disabled in the Wwise Authoring User preferences
  • The wrong project is open in Wwise
    • Make sure you have opened the correct project
  • No project is open in Wwise yet
    • Make sure you have opened the project

Other error messages:

  • Cannot execute call because Wwise has an exclusive lock
    • Caused by a modal or settings window being open in Wwise Authoring.

After each failed connection, the Unity integration will attempt to reconnect after 2^N seconds, where N is the amount of failed connection attempts. This wait time will never exceed 32 seconds.


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