MIX_SetTrack3DPosition(3)

📦
version 3.2.4 · 2 versions
, in fedora 44

💖 MIX_SetTrack3DPosition(3) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the SDL_mixer3 FUNCTIONS corner of the group chat 💅 this one's all about yeeting a track into 3D space so it can vibe on the correct speakers. no cap.

✨ NAME ✨

MIX_SetTrack3DPosition — set a track's position in 3D space 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <SDL3_mixer/SDL_mixer.h>

bool MIX_SetTrack3DPosition(MIX_Track *track, const MIX_Point3D *position);

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so first, a lil real talk from the manpage itself, and I'm literally quoting the vibe here: SDL_mixer is not trying to be an extremely powerful 3D API. It lacks the 3D features other APIs like OpenAL offer — there's no doppler effect, no distance models, no rolloff, etc. This is meant to be Good Enough for games that can use some positional sounds and can even take advantage of surround-sound configurations. it's giving "cozy small API, big heart" 🫶

so, the actual function:

  • if position is not NULL, this track gets switched into 3D positional mode ✨
  • if position is NULL, this disables positional mixing — and bestie, that means both the full 3D spatialization from this very function and the forced-stereo mode from MIX_SetTrackStereo(). both. gone. 💀

in 3D positional mode, SDL_mixer will mix this track as if it were actually positioned in 3D space, which includes:

  • distance attenuation — quieter as it gets further from the listener 🔉
  • spatialization — positioned on the correct speakers to suggest direction, either with stereo outputs or full surround sound 👑

for a mono speaker output, spatialization is effectively disabled, but distance attenuation will still work — which, honestly, is all you can really do with a single speaker. it's doing its best 🥺

the coordinate system operates like OpenGL or OpenAL: a "right-handed"</> coordinate system. see MIX_Point3D for the details.

the listener is always at coordinate (0,0,0) and can't be changed. periodt. it's the main character and it's not moving 🎀

the track's input will be converted to mono (1 channel) so it can be rendered across the correct speakers. slay.

✨ FUNCTION PARAMETERS ✨

  • track — the track for which to set 3D position 🎧
  • position — the new 3D position for the track. May be NULL.

✨ RETURN VALUE ✨

returns true on success or false on failure 😭 — call SDL_GetError() for more information, she'll tell you what went wrong.

✨ THREAD SAFETY ✨

it is safe to call this function from any thread 🌈 no locking drama, no chaos, we love a queen that plays nice.

✨ AVAILABILITY ✨

this function is available since SDL_mixer 3.0.0 ⭐

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

iykyk 💜

and that's the whole page, bestie!! go forth and position ur sounds in space 🌸 this was brought to you by SDL_mixer 3.2.4, muah 💋 stay iconic 👑

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