Replacing footsteps on a surface with own sounds

[jaytaylor]

Hello! I am exploring Unreal engine and looking at creating a very short machinima as my own project, and as a demo reel clip for my sound design (sfx, foley, music, voice over recording).

I've gotten ambient, sfx & music tracks into the unreal engine & been able to trigger them, but it seems its harder to replace the footsteps as I imagined, due to the protection the unreal engine has of its cooked packages, and the fact all the floor materials are pre-assigned to sounds within those UT3 cooked packages. I can assign footstep sounds from "other surfaces" - but using my own footstep soundcues in place (not as well) as the default footsteps, I am having difficulty with.

Just wondering if anybody can help me out. I would like to replace the footstep sounds in gameplay if possible, just to demonstrate a map with 100% original sounds & music (for myself and others).

Cheers!

Jay

[Sjosz]

You could open the material editor for the floor materials you are using footstepsounds on, and duplicate the setup to new materials of your own. This way, you have the look of the material you want to use. Then you set up your physical material for your custom footstepsounds and apply that to the material you made based on Epic's material. That's probably the most straightforward way of doing things.

[jaytaylor]

Originally Posted by Sjosz

You could open the material editor for the floor materials you are using footstepsounds on, and duplicate the setup to new materials of your own. This way, you have the look of the material you want to use. Then you set up your physical material for your custom footstepsounds and apply that to the material you made based on Epic's material. That's probably the most straightforward way of doing things.

Thanks I will give that a shot

[jaytaylor]

Tried that, unfortunately though apparently the engine to that for the sounds, but rather it's a scripted thing (my knowledge of it isn't very strong to describe it better).

[Sjosz]

Your sentence also does not really make a whole lot of sense. If you can screenshot or whatever to describe your problem, I can probably tell you if I can help in any way or not.

[Angel_Mapper]

You'll need a custom Pawn class with its own UTPawnSoundGroup class assigned to it through a custom UTFamilyInfo class.

[jaytaylor]

Sorry you are right - I need a vacation! I meant to say "Apparently the engine doesn't look to the physical material to determine the footstep sounds to play, rather it is "scripted" to look at the character name and the material surface type to find the relevant footstep soundcue to use. Ie it is not something easily changed via one of the table properties, in the physical material for example." That is what I seem to be finding, unless I am missing something.

I did find this - http://www.unrealplayground.com/foru...63&postcount=1

Although that must be for a previous Unreal and I am unable to recreate what he has done

[jaytaylor]

Originally Posted by Angel_Mapper

You'll need a custom Pawn class with its own UTPawnSoundGroup class assigned to it through a custom UTFamilyInfo class.

Thanks, I will look into this method.

[thefalcore]

Hey Jay,

Hopefully this isn't too late.

I was looking into doing the exact same thing you are, and came across your post. I was super let down to see everyone saying it must be done through scripting and a friend of mine that works at EA said that some of it does. BUT, I was goofing around and I found that its actually pretty simple.

Just open up a map and find the package A_Character_Footsteps. This should be all the footstep sound in the level. You can hear them, look at the sound cue editor, and all that but you cant import your files directly into that package. Atleast thats what I thought until I clicked the little "plus" arrow next to the package and it brought up the group "FootSteps" which WILL let your import your sounds into the package and save and what not.

So then, all you have to do is take the preexisting sound out of the SoundCues and add yours, modify the volumes/pitch/etc. parameters to your liking and viola! You are good to go.

Now I am just having trouble with the delays. For some reason if I have a delay node between a Sound Wave and the output, I must click the "play soundcue" button and then click something else before the delayed sound plays.

I hope this helps. It has worked for me so far and I will let you know if I run into any trouble down the road.

Cheers

www.toddhelsley.com

[jaytaylor]

OMG thanks I will check this out. I let this go after I couldn't get the footsteps working, but it would still be useful so I am going to get back into UT3. I have probably forgotten everything by now =p Lucky I have receive email notifications enabled =p

[thefalcore]

Sweet! Yeah I was getting bummed at the prospect of trying to learn all the scripting. Kismet in itself kinda freaks me out but that is my next goal.

Let us know if you get it to work or need some help. And in general just keep in touch. I can never know enough sound designers!

[Jetfire]

This will destroy your ability to play ut3 online.

[thefalcore]

Yeah, that's cool though. I believe (at least in my case) that this is for personal use to prove that we can actually implement our own sounds into the engine. And then record a video with our own sounds in place to show to potential employers!

Thanks though, man. I will have to remember to revert back to the original files before I play online.

[Kantham]

Originally Posted by Jetfire

This will destroy your ability to play ut3 online.

Sorry. I just had to do it.

[Waffnuffly]

Originally Posted by thefalcore

Yeah, that's cool though. I believe (at least in my case) that this is for personal use to prove that we can actually implement our own sounds into the engine. And then record a video with our own sounds in place to show to potential employers!

I don't think potential employers would be very impressed with you modifying a stock package (unless the video is just to demo your sounds, in which case you might as well just do a quick-n-dirty mockup in UT99 since it's way easier to make a new pawn subclass and change its footstep sounds).

What you really need to figure out how to do is make a custom package with your sounds, your Pawn subclass, etc. in it and then include that package with your map. This won't break anything and it shows you have some basic competence with the editor and engine.

[Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Kantham

Sorry. I just had to do it.

I c wut you did there!

[thefalcore]

@Waffnuffly:

That will definitely end up being something I learn down the road. But I do know that employers still look for even this much knowledge of the editor and engine, because I have a friend in LA who showed hers at GDC and instantly got a job......so good enough for now.

[jaytaylor]

If it's possible for me to do my own footstep soundcues in packages and use that for footsteps then I am happy to. I just can't find a way to? If anybody has any ideas speak up! =p

How do professional mods do it?