It s a 3D World

It's a 3D World

Now that we have loaded and played a sound using DirectX Audio, let's see how easy it is to add a little code to move that sound in 3D.

To do this, we need to start working with AudioPaths. We create a 3D AudioPath that mixes all audio into a DirectSound 3D Buffer. We then use the IDirectSound3D interface on the buffer to move the sound as it plays.

Go back to the InitAudio() call, and change it to create a 3D AudioPath as the default path.

    // Initialize the performance with a default 3D AudioPath.    pPerformance->InitAudio(NULL,NULL,NULL,        DMUS_APATH_DYNAMIC_3D,   // Default AudioPath Type.        2,                       // Only two pchannels needed for this wave.        DMUS_AUDIOF_ALL,NULL); 

This tells the performance to create a 3D AudioPath as its default path. Later, after the wave has been loaded and is ready to play, we access that path.

    // Before we play the wave, get the 3D AudioPath so we can set    // the 3D position before and during playback.    IDirectMusicAudioPath *p3DPath = NULL;    pPerformance->GetDefaultAudioPath(&p3DPath); 

The AudioPath GetObjectInPath() interface method grants direct access to any component within the span of the path. It is called GetObjectInPath(), and you will become quite familiar with it as you work with DirectMusic. In this case, use GetObjectInPath() to directly access the 3D Buffer interface.

      // Extract the 3D buffer interface from the 3D path.      IDirectSound3DBuffer8 *p3DBuffer = NULL;      p3DPath->GetObjectInPath(0,          DMUS_PATH_BUFFER,0,GUID_NULL,0,          IID_IDirectSound3DBuffer,          (void **) &p3DBuffer);      // Don't need this anymore.      p3DPath->Release(); 

Now that we have the 3D interface, we can change the spatial position of any Segments played on this path. Before we play our sound, set its initial position in 3D space.

      // Initialize the 3D position so the sound does not jump      // the first time we move it.      p3DBuffer->SetPosition(-2,0.2,0.2,DS3D_IMMEDIATE); 

Then, go ahead and play the wave.

      pPerformance->PlaySegmentEx(          pSegment,  // Segment to play.          NULL,NULL,0,0,NULL,NULL,NULL); 

Now that the sound is playing, we can progressively move it through space.

      // Loop and slowly move the sound.      float flXPos = (float) -1.99;      for (; flXPos < 2.0; flXPos += (float) 0.01)      {          Sleep(20);    // Equivalent to updating at 50fps          p3DBuffer->SetPosition(flXPos, flXPos, (float) 0.2, DS3D_IMMEDIATE);      } 

Ooh, isn't that cool?

We are finished now, so remember to release the buffer while shutting down.

      // Okay, done. Release the buffer interface.      p3DBuffer->Release(); 

That concludes our whirlwind tour of basic DirectX Audio programming. Believe it or not, we covered most of what you need to know to get sound and music playing in your application. It can get so much more fun if you are willing to dig in deeper and really explore, and that is what we do in the upcoming chapters.