Sound Component

Abstract base class for all vehicle sound effects. Handles multiple clips, spatial audio and master volume integration.

Features

Multi-clip support - Random selection for audio variation
Automatic AudioSource management - Creates and configures AudioSources during initialization
Master volume integration - Per-component volume control with global master volume
3D spatial audio - Configurable falloff and doppler effects
Audio Mixer support - Route through Unity Audio Mixer for advanced processing
LOD-aware - Automatic enable/disable based on vehicle LOD state

Key Properties

Property	Description
`baseVolume`	Base volume level (0-1) before master volume is applied. Final volume = `baseVolume * masterVolume`
`clips`	List of audio clips this component can use. Components supporting multiple clips choose randomly for variation. Single-clip components use only the first clip
`source`	The Unity AudioSource component. Created automatically during initialization

Abstract Members (Override Required)

Derived classes must implement:

Member	Description
`ContainerGO`	GameObject where the AudioSource is created
`AudioMixerGroup`	Audio Mixer Group for routing
`Priority`	AudioSource priority (0-256, lower = higher priority)

Virtual Properties (Optional Override)

Property	Description
`InitLoop`	Whether AudioSource should loop (default: false)
`InitClip`	Initial clip to assign (default: first clip in list)
`InitVolume`	Initial volume (default: baseVolume)
`InitSpatialBlend`	2D/3D blend, 0=2D, 1=3D (default: from SoundManager)
`InitDopplerLevel`	Doppler effect intensity (default: from SoundManager)
`InitPlayOnAwake`	Auto-play on initialization (default: false)
`InitializeWithNoClips`	Allow initialization without clips (default: false)

Methods

Play / Stop

Play()                      // Play current clip
Play(int clipIndex)         // Play specific clip by index
PlayRandomClip()            // Play random clip from list
Stop()                      // Stop playback

Volume & Pitch

SetVolume(float volume)     // Set volume (master volume applied automatically)
SetPitch(float pitch)       // Set pitch (0-5 range)

Clip Management

AddDefaultClip(string clipName)  // Load default clip from Resources

Usage Example

[Serializable]
public class MyEngineSound : SoundComponent
{
    public override GameObject ContainerGO => vehicleController.soundManager.engineSourceGO;
    public override AudioMixerGroup AudioMixerGroup => vehicleController.soundManager.engineMixerGroup;
    public override int Priority => 50;
    public override bool InitLoop => true;

    protected override void VC_Update()
    {
        if (!Active) return;

        float engineRPM = vehicleController.powertrain.engine.RPM;
        SetPitch(engineRPM / 1000f);
        SetVolume(baseVolume * Mathf.Clamp01(engineRPM / 5000f));
    }
}

Built-in Sound Components

Vehicle Physics 2 includes these SoundComponent implementations:

EngineRunningComponent
EngineStartStopComponent
EngineFanComponent
ExhaustPopComponent
TransmissionWhineComponent
GearChangeComponent
TurboFlutterComponent
ForcedInductionComponent
HornComponent
BlinkerComponent
CrashComponent
AirBrakeComponent
ReverseBeepComponent
SuspensionBumpComponent
WheelSkidComponent
WheelTireNoiseComponent

See SoundManager for configuration and usage of these components.

Notes

Always use SetVolume() instead of directly modifying source.volume to ensure master volume is applied
AudioSources are automatically created in VC_Initialize()
Components are LOD-aware via VehicleComponent inheritance
Uses VehicleComponent lifecycle: VC_Initialize → VC_Enable/VC_Disable → VC_Update/VC_FixedUpdate

Inherits from VehicleComponent.