3D RSX Contents Interfaces Data Structures Previous Next
We are pleased to introduce you to Intel's Realistic 3D Sound
Experience Software Developer's Kit (SDK). This online
documentation describes how 3D RSX audio complements graphics for
creating a more realistic 3D environment and highlights the
benefits and features of using 3D RSX to add sound to your
applications' 3D environments. It also provides a brief overview
of the the other topics you will find in this documentation.
The introduction discusses these topics:
The 3D RSX audio library, provides a simple interface for
audio rendering. This library makes adding audio to 3D
environments very straightforward. 3D RSX's modeling of sound's
physical properties and its ability to represent a wide range of
audio sources can help you create a 3D audio environment for your
application.
Now applications can use the capabilities of both sight and
sound to make the user's experience more compelling. Sound can
complement the use of graphic objects in three key areas:
- Spaciousness. While the user's eyes are focused in
a relatively narrow field of view, sound can provide
information about the full surrounding environment. It
can guide the eyes to points of interest.
- Quality. Through sound it is possible to virtually
recreate the sensory experience of a real environment.
Sound provides an essential element to the total
illusion.
- Information Content. Sound adds a high-bandwidth
information channel that directly influences the user's
perception of a virtual environment.
The 3D RSX system provides a number of significant benefits to
content developers and application/game developers. These
include:
- Sound Source Definition. The 3D RSX system uses an
elliptical model for sound sources to create 3D audio.
- Environmental Effects. The 3D RSX libraries let
you make adjustments to model the effect that the outside
environment has on audio.
- Advanced Options. 3D RSX provides options that let
you have maximum control over audio data, files and
parameters. These options can help you achieve higher
levels of audio realism in your application.
- Industry Standard Support. Another benefit of 3D RSX
is its support for industry standards such as VRML
2.0, Windows
95, and Windows NT.
- Application Support. Because 3D RSX is a
general-purpose 3D audio rendering engine, diverse
applications, such as Internet browsers, plug-ins, VRML
viewers, 3D modeling tools, games and stand-alone
applications can use this library.
- Peripheral Support. 3D RSX supports stereo
speakers and headphones and makes it easy to switch from
one to the other. 3D RSX automatically adjusts parameters
to optimize sound for each peripheral type.
- Standard Audio Output. 3D RSX utilizes standard
Windows device drivers such as DirectSound and Wave API.
- Scalable Technology. Fully immersive sound can run
efficiently and effectively on the volume platform. 3D RSX
optimizes sound quality for low-end, volume, and
high-end processors. There is no need for you to make
programming adjustments for each processor; your
application will automatically sound better when it runs
on a high-end processor.
- Ease of Use. 3D RSX offers object-oriented
interfaces for creating and manipulating audio objects
and devices. 3D RSX's high-level interfaces eliminate the
need to deal with low-level details, leaving you free to
concentrate on your programming task. However, if you
want more control, 3D RSX lets you access low-level
details of your application's audio environment.
- Performance Improvements. The 3D RSX system
provides transparent support for future performance
improvements in the underlying hardware and software.
- Redistribution Rights. Contact Intel for a
commercial, redistribution license.
The 3D RSX system provides a set of high-level services for
the playback of realistic audio. The key to RSX's realism is the
sound model it uses to reproduce 3D audio for sound sources (see
Section 2.2). This algorithm forms the basis for the library of
interfaces that 3D RSX provides to let you control streaming,
audio localization, mixing, reverberation, Doppler effects,
pitch, and MIDI files.
Figure 1 shows the context of the 3D RSX library in the
Windows environment and shows how 3D RSX integrates with on-line
documents, other Intel products, third-party products, and OS
(Operating System) services.
Figure 1. Architectural Overview
RSX includes these features:
- Streaming. Audio objects can accept and process
real-time data. 3D RSX can handle multi-channel streams
with multiple sample rates.
- Audio Localization. 3D RSX enables an application
to specify a relative processor-loading budget. 3D RSX
uses this budget as a guide to determine to what extent
it should localize a sound. 3D RSX automatically
calculates and applies sound adjustments based on the
distance between the listener and the sound emitters. You
can turn this feature on or off when you create an audio
object.
- Mixing. 3D RSX acts as an audio mixer by
supporting multiple sound-emitting audio objects that are
audible simultaneously.
- Reverberation. 3D RSX provides an interface to
model room acoustics or simulate sound effects that occur
in a confined space. This enables you to add further
realism to an audio environment.
- Doppler Effects. 3D RSX automatically calculates
the change in frequency of a sound wave resulting from
the relative motion of the sound source and the listener
when rendering an audio object (if the speed of sound is
non-zero). You can turn this feature on or off when you
create an audio object.
- Pitch. 3D RSX lets you alter the height, depth,
and timing of a tone to create effects such as
acceleration or fadeout.
- MIDI. 3D RSX has the ability to play back a single
MIDI file with distance attenuation.
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