The Attenuation Editor allows you to define the distance-based attenuation properties for a particular object. By creating a series of curves to define the relationship between specific Wwise properties, such as volume and low pass filter, and the distance between the emitting source and the listener, you can simulate sophisticated distance-based attenuation for the sounds, music, and motion in your game. You can further refine your attenuation using sound cones, which simulate attenuation based on the orientation of the game object in relation to the listener.
You can create detailed and complex attenuation curves by defining the shape of each curve segment. A curve segment is any part of the curve between two control points. You can choose from a variety of curve shapes, including linear, constant, logarithmic, exponential, and s-curve.
These attenuation settings can also be saved as ShareSets, which means you can share these settings across several objects in your project.
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The attenuation values are always added to the existing property values of the associated objects. So if you have a hierarchy of sounds or music with a cumulative volume level of -20 dB and then attenuate the volume by -64 dB, the volume of the object will be -84 dB. |
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The graph view will also display the distance between Game Objects and Listeners. Note that only Game Objects and Listeners added to the Watches Tab of the Game Object Explorer will be displayed. |
A few of the attenuation properties can be controlled using RTPCs. For a description of the RTPC properties, switch to the RTPC tab and click the Help icon. For more information on how to apply RTPCs, refer to Chapter 18, Working with RTPCs.
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Interface Element |
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Name |
The name of the attenuation ShareSet. |
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Shared by |
A list of objects that currently subscribe to the selected ShareSet. |
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Reset Attenuation |
Returns the attenuation settings to their default values. This option is only available when editing a custom attenuation instance. |
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Notes |
Additional information about the ShareSet or the attenuation settings that have been applied. |
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Attenuation Settings | ||
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Graph view |
A graphical representation of the relationship between specific Wwise properties, such as volume and low pass filter, and distance. The combination of all of these curves simulates the distance-based attenuation for the sounds, music, and motion objects within your game. The X axis is represented in distance units. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is determined by the current max distance value. The values along the Y axis will depend on which property curves are selected in the Curves list. The two default control points in the Graph view represent the values for the following properties: Radius center Max distance The radius center cannot be deleted or moved along the X axis because it is defined by the game object (3D game-defined) or listener's position (3D User-defined) in game. You can add additional points to modify the shape of the attenuation curve. You can preview the attenuation curves by dragging the Distance cursor during playback. The graph view can display several curves simultaneously. |
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Zooms in towards the center of the graph view. |
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Resets the graph view to the default zoom factor ratio of 1:1. |
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Zooms out from the center of the graph view. |
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Game Object Explorer... |
Clicking this button opens the Game Object Explorer view. |
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Show Game Objects |
Enables the display of game object values in the graph view. The game objects shown will be those that are added to the watch list in the Game Object Explorer. |
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Coordinates | ||
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X |
The coordinate along the X axis of the selected control point. The x value represents distance. If more than one control point is selected, the field displays a value of 0, so that you can increase or decrease the value of all selected control points relative to their current values. For example, if you select two control points and type -5 in the X text box, both control points will move to the left by 5 units. |
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Y |
The coordinate along the Y axis of the selected control point. The values along the Y axis may be different depending on which curve is selected in the Curves list. If more than one control point is selected, the field displays a value of 0, so that you can increase or decrease the value of all selected control points relative to their current values. For example, if you select two control points and type -5 in the Y text box, both control points will move down by 5 units. |
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Curves | ||
(Pin/Unpin) |
Determines whether the attenuation curve is displayed in the graph view. When the Pin icon is selected, the attenuation curve will be displayed in the graph view whether the curve is selected or not. |
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(Color block) |
Displays the color of the attenuation curve in the graph view. Each property curve is assigned a different color. |
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Properties |
The Wwise property upon which distance attenuation is applied. You can create attenuation curves for the following Wwise properties: Output Bus Volume - Offsets the main volume controlling the signal routed to the bus. Corresponds to the dry portion in a wet/dry scenario. Auxiliary send volumes - Offsets the game-defined and user-defined auxiliary send volumes. Corresponds to the wet portion in a wet/dry scenario. Low-pass filter - The recursive filter that attenuates high frequencies based on a specified value. High-pass filter - The recursive filter that attenuates low frequencies based on a specified value. Spread - The amount or percentage of audio that is spread to neighboring speakers allowing for sounds to change over distance from a point source at low values to a completely diffused propagation at high values. For multi-channel sounds, each channel is spread separately. Focus-the percentage value is used to condense the virtual emitters generated by the spread value. For a focus of 0%, the virtual emitters remain unchanged, but at higher values each virtual points are moved closer around the source channel origin. These properties are displayed along the Y axis in the graph view. The Wet Volume, LFE, and Low pass filter properties have no effect on motion FX objects. |
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Curve |
Specifies which attenuation curve will be used for each property. You can chose one of the following options: None - No attenuation curve is created for the corresponding property. When “None” is selected, the corresponding property is NOT attenuated and remains at its full strength. Use Output Bus Volume - The Output Bus Volume attenuation curve is used for the corresponding property. This option is only available for the Wet Volume. Custom - A custom attenuation curve is created for the corresponding property. Keep in mind that each new curve you create will require additional processing power. For motion FX objects, the Wet Volume, and Low pass filter curves should be set to None, because these properties have no effect on these types of objects. |
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Max distance |
The distance from the emitting source where the sound/motion reaches its lowest level. The attenuation of the object remains constant beyond the max distance. Sound and motion propagation is omni-directional, so the max distance value creates a spherical boundary around the emitting source. The max distance is represented in the Graph view by the last control point. Default Value: 100 Default Slider Range: 1 to 200 Input Range: 1 to 10,000,000,000 Units: Wwise distance units Wwise distance units will match the distance units that you are using in game, for example, centimeters, meters, and so on. |
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Cone Attenuation |
Creates a sound cone where attenuation is controlled using a series of cones with varying angles. The direction of the cone-shaped boundaries are ultimately controlled by the orientation of the game object. The cone attenuation value is added to the distance-based attenuation values. |
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Inner angle |
The angle that defines an area where no attenuation occurs. The inner angle defines the top boundary in the mini cone display. It is re-drawn in real time as the value is modified. Default Value: 90 Range: 0 to 360 Units: Degrees The area between the inner and outer angle is called the transition area. The volume attenuation within this area is linearly interpolated between zero attenuation and the max attenuation value. |
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Outer angle |
The angle that defines the area where volume, low pass filter, spread and focus attenuation remain at their maximum levels. The outer angle defines the bottom boundary in the mini cone display. It is re-drawn in real time as the value is modified. Default Value: 245 Range: 0 to 360 Units: Degrees The area between the inner and outer angle is called the transition area. The volume attenuation within this area is linearly interpolated between zero attenuation and the max attenuation value. |
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Max attenuation |
The amount by which the volume is attenuated when the emitting source falls outside the transition area. Default Value: -6 |
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Attenuation Preview | ||
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A graphical representation of the maximum radius attenuation of a sound, where the source of the sound is located directly in the middle of the circle. This tool is not a panner so moving the red circle won't position your sound in the surround field. This tool can only be used to preview your attenuation settings. The Attenuation Preview has the following two functions: Displays the different areas of the cone attenuation. The different areas of the sound cone are updated in real time as the inner and outer angle values are modified. Allows you to preview the attenuation of a sound by modifying the position of the listener during playback. The position of the listener is defined by its angle (black line) and distance (red circle) from the sound source. You can modify the distance and angle controls by clicking/dragging directly in the Attenuation Preview display. The Attenuation Preview only works for objects that use 3D Game-defined positioning. |
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