Control of audio effects using volumetric data

A method for processing sound in a virtual environment, the method comprising:

• recognizing a listener voxel corresponding to a location of a listener in the virtual environment;
• defining a plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors, each sound-agnostic direction vector originating at the listener voxel, passing through a different listener-neighbor voxel, and terminating at a terminal voxel in the virtual environment, the plurality of direction vectors spanning a 3D volume surrounding the listener voxel irrespective of sound propagation in the virtual environment;
• computing a shape matrix including, for each of the plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors, a first element specifying distance from the listener voxel to the terminal voxel of that direction vector, and a second element specifying a level of sound opacity at the terminal voxel;
• selecting a listener audio filter based on the shape matrix;
• filtering the sound based on the listener audio filter and
• outputting the filtered sound.

A computing system for providing directional audio in a voxelized virtual environment, the computing system comprising:

• a logic machine;
• and
• a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to:
• recognize a listener voxel corresponding to a location of a listener in the virtual environment;
• recognize an emitter voxel corresponding to a location of a sound emitter in the virtual environment;
• define a first plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors, each of the first plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors originating at the listener voxel, passing through a different listener-neighbor voxel, and terminating at a terminal voxel in the virtual environment, the first plurality of direction vectors spanning a 3D volume surrounding the listener voxel, irrespective of sound propagation in the virtual environment;
• compute a listener shape matrix including, for each of the first plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors, a first element specifying distance from the listener voxel to the terminal voxel of that direction vector, and a second element specifying a level of sound opacity at the terminal voxel of that direction vector;
• define a second plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors, each of the second plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors originating at the emitter voxel, passing through a different emitter-neighbor voxel, and terminating at a terminal voxel in the virtual environment, the second plurality of direction vectors spanning a 3D volume surrounding the emitter voxel irrespective of sound propagation in the virtual environment;
• compute an emitter shape matrix including, for each of the second plurality of sound-agnostic direction vectors, a third element specifying distance from the emitter voxel to the terminal voxel of that direction vector, and a fourth element specifying a level of sound opacity at the terminal voxel of that direction vector;
• select a listener audio filter based on the listener shape matrix;
• select an emitter audio filter based on the emitter shape matrix;
• and
• output audio filtered by the by the emitter audio filter and by the listener audio filter.