Making real-time 3D visuals controlled by audio (UE4 / Niagara)

04/07/2021

After brainstorming new game ideas with my teammates, I was requested to see if it is possible to use audio to control events and visuals in Unreal Engine 4. So the next day, I started the exploration, and I found that it's possible to extract amplitude and frequency spectrum from an audio file and use it for several purposes.
In a case presented in this blog post, I used Niagara Particle System, where particles are driven by a few forces, including Audio Frequency Spectrum (FFT).

When I finished with particles, I decided to add some planets and make the background looking like cosmos. For planets, I created Blueprint, in which audio amplitude controls lights intensity, colour and radius.
I unattached the camera from the player character so the user can look around, get closer or further away from the particles, etc.

It is possible to try the application here:

Create your website for free! This website was made with Webnode. Create your own for free today! Get started
We use cookies to enable the proper functioning and security of our website, and to offer you the best possible user experience.

Advanced settings

You can customize your cookie preferences here. Enable or disable the following categories and save your selection.