Adding Sounds

[Kato]

Andy said he was having problems with sounds, so I figured I'd post this simple guide.

Sounds require three things. An emitter, an actual sound file, and AlcScript. Let's start with the first thing, an emitter.

In Blender's 3D window, SPACE > Add > Empty. This will be your emitter. Name it to something quick and meaningful (I'll use "Emitter01").

Now, your sound file. You will need the file in WAV and OGG format. The free program Audacity supports exporting of these files. I've made a very, very simple white noise file with it, which I'll use. I'll name it "WhiteNoise01" for now. This will do nicely. I'll export it in WAV and OGG format. I'll put the WAV in my Age's BLEND file's folder. I will also need to copy it to my URU directory (usually C:\Program Files\URU - Complete Chronicles\ or something similar)\sfx\streamingCache, and I will need to copy the OGG file to my URU directory\sfx. This being done, we can now start setting it up.

Open a Video Sequence Editor window in Blender. Use Add > Audio (RAM) to place the file somewhere you'll remember it in this editor. Now save your BLEND, because you've come a long way already.

Open up a Text Editor window (we're done with the Video Sequence Editor, so you can use that) and load up your AlcScript file. Write the following (pay attention to what's in parentheses, they need to be replaced with something else):

Code: Select all

(your emitter's name, mine's Emitter01):
   type: soundemit
   sound:
      flags: loop | start
      file: (your sound file's name, mine's WhiteNoise01)
      volume: 0.05
      type: SoundFX

Save your BLEND again and export. There you have it--sound!

BackgroundMusic, Ambience, and a few other things work instead of SoundFX--but I can't see the difference between them yet. Does anyone know?

-Kato

[D'Lanor]

BackgroundMusic, Ambience, and a few other things work instead of SoundFX--but I can't see the difference between them yet. Does anyone know?

All I know is that it is important to separate them since in game they use different volume sliders. I also wonder what the "few other things" are because AFAIK there are 3 volume sliders.

Edit: And a question... do sounds fade in and out automatically like they sometimes do in Uru (even if the source sound does not)? Or does that require additional properties in the script?

[Kato]

That requires additional properties which I am currently looking into.

You can also use SoftVolumes with sounds, but my understanding of SoftVolumes is VERY limited

-Kato

[andylegate]

YES! Finally! A hint on how to do these!

Now I must do the dance of joy!!!!

[Kato]

Glad to help Andy...let us know how it turns out!

The other possible types are GUISound and NPCVoices.

-Kato

EDIT: Nad and I (well, Nad now, since I gave up ) are looking into 3D sounds at the moment and he I'll refer him to this thread if he gets anything working. -K

[andylegate]

Working on it now........

I know I'm going to have questions later.......'course I've got question now. Like the background music. You might not want it to loop. Instead, have it trigger at some point, play once, then stop. So I imagine the flag for it is something other than Loop? Er'cana does this. They have the sound trigger in different places, like the Train ladder when you first find the train, then again where you first leave the hopper car and enter the facility.......

Then there are one shot sounds. Like pulling a lever. You'd want that nice mechanical sound, but it only happens when you move the lever.

[Trylon]

That's done with sound messages - IIRC those aren't scriptable yet.

*Trylon suddenly notices all those people who stare at him waiting for him to finally start documenting that bloody logic scripting system.

[andylegate]

Ooops.....got an error trying to export.....

Says it doesn't know where the sound file is..... I put it in the same folder as my blend file for my Age as Kato said....

Hmmmm, guess I'll try moving it around.

EDIT: duh, der, duh........Typo! Just love it when I do that. It was fine, I just can't type!

[Kato]

3D sounds are WAY easy, as Paradox informed us

All you have to do is add " | 3d" after "| start". This makes it 3D automatically, but it also sets the min and max falloff to 0 unfortunately, which means you'd be unable to hear it by just exporting. So what you do in this case is open up the sound in PRPExplorer (it's a Win32StreamingSound) and change the "Max Falloff" and "Min Falloff" to your liking. Min Falloff is the distance before it starts fading, and Max is when it stops completely.

Andy: You did open up the sound in the Video Sequence Editor, right?

-Kato

[andylegate]

THAT'S JUST TOO FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's just.....too.....#%^&^&%^$% cool!

YES! Now THAT's what I'm talking about!!!!!!

Uhm, hey, do have another question though. Let's say I have an area that my avie goes too. Now outside, he'd hear crickets. But inside the crickets would not be heard anymore. Is there a way to null the sound?