Volume Proxies Quick Start

You can use Volume Proxy Components to interact with the Audio Gameplay Volume system without a traditional Audio Gameplay Volume object.

This guide will teach you how to create dynamic volumes using both Proxy types: Primitive and Condition.

Prerequisites

• Create a new First Person Template project.

• Enable the Audio Gameplay Volumes plugin from the Plugin panel by selecting Edit > Plugins, using the search bar to find the plugin, and then clicking the corresponding checkbox.

1 - Set Up an Ambient Volume Sound Class

Create and configure a new Sound Class for the project to support Audio Gameplay Volumes.

1. Create a new Sound Class.

   1. In the Content Browser, click the Add button.

   2. Select Audio > Classes > Sound Class.

   3. Give the newly created Asset a name, such as AGV_SoundClass.

2. Double-click the Sound Class to open the Sound Class Editor.

3. In the Details panel:

   1. Enable Routing > Apply Ambient Volumes.

   2. Set Submix > Default 2DReverb Send Amount to 1.0, then save it.

4. Set the Sound Class as the Project default. This will assign it to all sound sources without a specified Sound Class override.

   1. Open the Project Settings by clicking Edit > Project Settings from the top menu bar.

   2. Enter "Default Sound Class" into the search bar.

   3. Click the dropdown beside Audio > Default Sound Class and select your new Sound Class.

2 - Create a Blueprint Actor with a Reverb Component

Create a new Blueprint Actor with a Reverb Component as a base for the Proxy Components you will add in following steps.

1. Create a new Blueprint Actor for the Audio Gameplay Volume Proxy.

   1. In the Content Browser, click the Add button.

   2. Select Blueprint Class.

   3. From the Pick Parent Class window, select Actor.

   4. Give the newly created Asset a name, such as AGV_Proxy.

2. Double-click the Proxy Blueprint Class in the Content Browser to open the Blueprint Editor.

3. Add a Reverb Component.

   1. In the Components panel, click the Add button.

   2. Type "Reverb" into the search bar and press Enter.

4. Select the new Reverb Component (named ReverbVolume by default).

5. Adjust the Reverb Component's properties in the Details panel.

   1. Set Reverb > Volume to 1.0.

   2. Set Reverb > Fade Time to 0.0.

   3. Click the dropdown beside Reverb > Reverb Effect. Under the Create New Asset heading, select Reverb Effect.

   4. Give the new Reverb Effect a name, such as AGV_Reverb, and save it.

6. Modify the Reverb Effect.

   1. Double-click the icon beside Reverb > Reverb Effect to open the Reverb Effect Editor.

   2. Set Late Reflections > Gain to 1.0 to make the effect easier to hear.

   3. Save the Reverb Effect and close the Reverb Effect Editor.

3 - Construct a Primitive Proxy

A Primitive Proxy uses a primitive Static Mesh on the Actor as the basis for collision to trigger enter and exit events.

3A - Add the Primitive Proxy Component

Add the base Volume Proxy Component and then set its type to Primitive.

1. Add a Volume Proxy Component.

   1. In the Components panel, click the Add button.

   2. Type "Volume Proxy" into the search bar and press Enter.

   3. Name the Component PrimitiveProxy.

2. Select the PrimitiveProxy Component.

3. In the Details panel, set Audio Gameplay > Proxy to AGV Primitive Proxy.

3B - Add the Static Mesh Component

Add a Static Mesh and configure its collision so you can enter and exit it.

1. Add any Static Mesh Component.

   1. In the Component panel, click the Add button.

   2. Type "Static Mesh" into the search bar and select one of the Basic Shapes from the list, such as Sphere.

2. Select the Static Mesh Component.

3. Set the Collision parameters in the Details panel.

   1. Disable Collision > Generate Overlap Events.

   2. Set Collision > Can Character Step Up On to No.

   3. Set Collision > Presets to Custom.

   4. Under Collision > Collision Presets > Collision Responses, select Overlap. This selects Overlap for all response types.

4. Save the Blueprint.

3C - Place the Proxy Actor into the Level

1. Place the Proxy Actor by dragging it from the Content Browser into the Level.

2. Using the transformation widget, place the Actor so your character can move in and out of it.

3D - Build the Level Blueprint

Build the Blueprint Graph to control the scale of the Proxy Actor with mouse wheel input.

1. Select the Proxy Actor in the Level.

2. On the Level Editor Toolbar, click the Blueprint button and select Open Level Blueprint.

3. Right-click in an empty space and Create a Reference to the Proxy Actor.

4. On the Actor Reference node, drag off the output pin and create a Get Actor Scale 3D node.

5. On the Get Actor Scale 3D node, drag off the Return Value pin and create an Add and a Subtract node.

6. On both the Add and Subtract nodes, enter 1.0 in the X, Y, and Z of the bottom inputs.

7. On the Actor Reference node, drag off the output pin and create two Set Actor Scale 3D nodes.

8. Connect the output of the Add node to one of the Set Actor Scale 3D nodes.

9. On the same Set Actor Scale 3D node, drag off the Exec Input (>) pin and create a Mouse Wheel Up node.

10. Connect the output of the Subtract node to the other Set Actor Scale 3D node.

11. On the same Set Actor Scale 3D node, drag off the Exec Input (>) pin and create a Mouse Wheel Down node.

3E - Test the Level

Click the Play button on the Level Editor Toolbar, pick up the rifle by moving into it, and shoot it by left-clicking. You can alter the scale of the Proxy using the mouse wheel.

Move in and out of the Audio Gameplay Volume Proxy and notice how it affects the rifle firing sound. The reverb effect still applies within a dynamically resized Proxy.

4 - Construct a Condition Proxy

A Condition Proxy triggers the enter and exit events based on a condition specified in Blueprint through the Audio Gameplay Condition interface.

4A - Add the Condition Proxy Component and Interface

Add the base Volume Proxy Component and then set its type to Condition.

1. Double-click the Proxy Blueprint Class in the Content Browser to open the Blueprint Editor.

2. Add a Volume Proxy Component.

   1. In the Components panel, click the Add button.

   2. Type "Volume Proxy" into the search bar and press Enter.

   3. Name the Component ConditionProxy.

3. Select the ConditionProxy Component.

4. In the Details panel, set Audio Gameplay > Proxy to AGV Condition Proxy.

4B - Add the Audio Gameplay Condition Interface

Add the Audio Gameplay Condition interface so you can build the conditions in Blueprint. This adds two new interfaces, Condition Met and Condition Met Position.

1. On the Blueprint Editor Toolbar, click Class Settings.

2. Click the Add dropdown for Interfaces > Implemented Interfaces.

3. Type "AudioGameplayCondition" into the search bar and press Enter.

4C - Build the Condition Met Interface

The Condition Met interface is used to set up any condition that results in a boolean value. With it, you can make your own custom criteria for what defines being inside or outside of the volume.

Construct a shift key state check in Blueprint to drive the Condition Met interface.

1. In the My Blueprint panel, under Interfaces > Audio Gameplay Condition, double-click the Condition Met interface.

2. On the Return Node, drag off the Return Value input pin and create an Is Shift Down node.

3. On the Is Shift Down node, drag off the Keys State input pin and create a Get Modifier Keys State node.

4D - Build the Condition Met Position Interface

The Condition Met Position interface is similar to the Condition Met interface but gives you access to the listener's position for use within your custom condition.

Construct a listener height check in Blueprint to drive the Condition Met Position interface.

1. In the My Blueprint panel, under Interfaces > Audio Gameplay Condition, double-click the Condition Met Position interface.

2. On the Condition Met Position node, drag off the Position output pin and create a Break Vector 3f node.

3. On the Break Vector 3f node, drag off the Z output pin and create a Greater node.

4. On the Greater node:

   1. Enter 350.0 in the bottom input.

   2. Connect the output pin to the Return Node.

5. Save the Blueprint.

4E - Test the Level

Click the Play button on the Level Editor Toolbar and test the rifle firing sound. The reverb effect from the Proxy applies when holding Shift or when shooting on top of a platform.

5 - On Your Own!

Now that you've finished creating some basic Volume Proxies, consider taking it even further. Below are a couple of suggestions you can explore on your own.

• You've added custom triggers, but you can also add custom responses using the On Proxy Enter and On Proxy Exit event nodes in Blueprint. To create one, select the target Volume Proxy Component for the event, right-click in an empty space on the Event Graph, and add the On Proxy event node.

• By default, the camera is considered to be the listener and is used to determine enter and exit events. With a third-person camera, you may want the listener to be the Player Character instead. Try using a Condition Proxy to override the default volume collision in the Third Person Template project.