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Working with Switches

A Switch needs to belong to a Switch Group before it can be used in Wwise. By grouping Switches into a Switch Group, you can efficiently manage the alternate sounds, music, and motion objects that are available in the game. For example, to manage the different footstep sounds of your character, you can create a Switch Group called Ground Textures. You would then create a Switch in Wwise for each ground surface that appears in your game. Based on what you already know about the different surfaces in the game, you could add Switches for gravel, grass, and concrete.

After you have created your Switch Groups and Switches, you can create Switch Containers and assign objects to the Switches. For more information about working with Switches and Switch Containers, refer to Defining the contents and behavior of Switch Containers.

To help you easily identify a Switch or a Switch Groups in the interface, Wwise uses a unique icon to identify them.

Icon

Represents

Switch Group

Switch

Creating Switch Groups

It is helpful to organize Switches into switch groups in a logical way to make it easier to work with them. You can create all the Switch Groups that you need in the Game Syncs tab of the Project Explorer.

To create a new Switch Group for your project:

  1. In the Project Explorer, switch to the Game Syncs tab.

  2. In the Switches section, do one of the following:

    • Select a Virtual Folder or Work Unit and click the Switch Group icon in the Project Explorer toolbar.

    • Right-click a Virtual Folder or Work Unit and click New Child > Switch Group from the shortcut menu.

    A new Switch Group is added to the list of Switch Groups.

  3. Replace the default name with one that best represents the Switch Group.

    [Note]Note

    Each Switch Group name must be unique and consist only of letters, digits, and underscores. Use either a letter or underscore as the first character.

  4. Continue to add Switch Groups as needed.

Creating Switches

Each game element that has alternatives, such as ground surfaces, should have a corresponding Switch in Wwise. You can create your Switches in the Game Syncs tab of the Project Explorer.

To create a new Switch:

  1. In the Project Explorer, switch to the Game Syncs tab.

  2. From the Switch Groups list, do one of the following:

    • Select a Switch Group and click the Switch icon in the Project Explorer toolbar.

    • Right-click a Switch Group and select New Child > Switch from the shortcut menu.

    The new Switch is added to the Switch Group.

  3. Replace the default name with one that best represents the Switch.

    [Note]Note

    Each Switch name in a Switch Group must be unique and consist only of letters, digits, and underscores. Use either a letter or an underscore for the first character.

  4. Continue creating Switches as needed.

Deleting Switches or Switch Groups

You may need to delete a Switch or a Switch Group that you no longer need. Keep in mind that deleting a Switch Group also deletes all the Switches in that Switch Group.

Before deleting Switches or Switch Groups verify how the Switches have been integrated into the game. Switches are integrated using one of two mechanisms:

  • By calling an Event with a set Switch action - deleting a Switch or Switch Group will create problems in Wwise as the called Switch will no longer be available.

  • By calling the Switch Group and the Switch itself - sound designer who intends to delete the Switch or Switch Group should advise the programmer of the change.

[Note]Note

Deleted Switches will no longer be available to the Presets and objects that were using them.

To delete a Switch or Switch Group:

  1. In the Project Explorer, switch to the Game Syncs tab.

  2. From the Switch Group list, right-click the Switch Group or Switch that you want to delete, and select Delete Selection.

    The selected Switch or Switch Group is deleted.

[Tip]Tip

If you delete a Switch or Switch Group by mistake, you can undo the delete by pressing Ctrl+Z, or by clicking Edit > Undo.

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