Working with animation paths

You can define the positioning of an object by using one source point or by using several control points to create a path. When you create a path, the object will be animated along that path over a specified period of time. To give you added power and flexibility, you can create many paths for the same object, modify each of their durations, and then play them back according to a specific sequence, or in a completely random order.

Animation paths are created using the graph view and timeline. For specific information on moving or deleting points, and zooming or panning in the graph view and timeline, refer to Getting to know the graph view.

Creating animation paths

Before you can define the positioning of an object, you must create an animation path. An animation path is made of one or more control points. When several points are used, an animation path is created along which the object will travel over a specified period of time.

These paths are created in a graph view. The graph view displays the location of each control point as a percentage of the max distance value. This means that the values for each control point will fall between 0 and +/- 100 depending on which quadrant of the graph it is located in.

	Note
	When you first create a path, Wwise automatically names it "ObjectName_01_Path". You can rename the path at any time to give it a more meaningful name. Each path, however, must have a unique name.

To create an animation path:

In the Position Editor (3D Automation), click New.
A new animation path is added to the list, and a single control point is added to both the graph view and timeline.
In the Path Name text box, type a representative name.
Position the first point of your path by dragging it anywhere within the graph view.
To add additional points, double-click in the graph view.
The points in the graph view are automatically connected to form an animation path.

	Tip
	You can fine-tune the position of any point by dragging it in the graph view or by typing values directly in the X and Y coordinate text boxes. You can also change the timing between points by moving them in the timeline.

Randomizing the position of each point along a path

To add realism and avoid repetition in your game, you can easily randomize the position of each point along each of your paths. To do so, you simply need to define a range of possible values for each point, in both the horizontal and vertical planes. At runtime, Wwise picks a random value from within these ranges to specify the actual position of the control point.

	Note
	The position of each control point in the graph view is measured as a percentage of the max distance value. Since the Random Range values modify the X, Y, and Z coordinates of these points, they are measured in the same units.

To randomize the position of each point along a path:

In the Position Editor (3D Automation), select a path from the path list.
In the Random Range group, specify a value for the following two properties:
- Horizontal - Acts as a +/- offset to the X and Y coordinate values of each point, creating a range of possible values. At runtime, Wwise chooses a value from within this range to define the horizontal position of the control point.
- Vertical - Acts as a +/- offset to the Z coordinate value of each point, creating a range of possible values. At runtime, Wwise chooses a value from within this range to define the vertical position of the control point.
  Note
  The default vertical position (Z value) of each point is 0.

Displaying the attenuation radius and cone in the graph view

If you are using attenuation to simulate the natural roll-off of a signal as it moves away from the listener, you may want to use the max distance radius and sound cone as a reference so you can see the different areas of attenuation when creating your paths in the graph view.

To change the display of the graph view:

In the Display Option group, select either of the following options:
- Show Radius to display a representation of the attenuation max distance radius in the graph view.
- Show Cone to display a representation of the cone angles (inner and outer) in the graph view.

	Note
	The Show Radius and Show Cone options are only available if an Attenuation instance has been applied to the current object.

Changing the path duration

Each path that you create can have a different duration. To change the duration of a path, you must change the length of the timeline. If the existing points along the timeline are not spaced at even intervals (in non-linear mode) then you must specify whether you want the points to be stretched proportionally across the timeline or to keep the points at their existing position.

To change the duration of an animation path:

In the Path list, click the path whose duration you want to change.
Click the Configure Timeline button.
The Configure Timeline dialog opens.
In the Length text box, specify a new duration for the selected path.
If the timeline already contains controls points and is in non-linear mode, you must select one of the following options:
- Stretch proportionally to reposition the existing control points while maintaining their relative positions to one another on the timeline.
- Preserve key values to keep the control points at their existing positions on the timeline. Control points that exceed the length of the new timeline will be deleted.
Click OK.
The length of the animation path is updated. The timeline also changes to reflect the new duration.

Reordering the animation path list

You can reorder the paths in the animation path list if you want them to appear or playback in a particular order.

To reorder the path list:

In the path list, click the path that you want to move.
Drag the selected path to its new location.

	Tip
	When moving paths within the path list, a red line appears to help you know where in the list the path will be dropped.

Deleting animation paths

If you no longer need a path, you can remove it from the list.

To delete an animation path:

In the Path list, click the path that you want to delete.
Click Delete.
A confirmation message box is displayed.
Click OK.
The path is removed from the list.

Determining how animation paths are played back

After creating your paths, you must decide how they will be played back. Like containers, you can decide to play back the paths that you have created randomly or following the order specified in the path list. You can also decide to play all paths one after the other or only one path each time the object is played.

To determine how animation paths are played back:

In the Position Editor (3D Automation), select one of the following options as the play type:
- Sequence to play the paths in a sequential order from the start of the list to the end.
- Random to play the paths in a random order until all paths have been played.
In the Play Mode group, select one of the following options:
- Continuous to play the paths one after the other until all paths have been played.
- Step to play a single path from the list each time the object is played.
If you selected Continuous, the Loop and Transition time options become available.
To play the entire animation path list indefinitely, select the Loop option.
To add a linear transition between the end of one path and the start of another, select the Transition time option and then specify the amount of time for the transition in the corresponding text box.
If you selected Step, the Pick new path when sound starts option becomes available.
Select the Pick new path when sound starts option to force Wwise to use a new path each time a new sound is played regardless of whether the sound is triggered by a play event. This option is particularly useful when you want a different path to be used for each sound within a continuous container.

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