Interactive Engine Audio Sandbox (Unity + FMOD)
A playable spaceship prototype where player input drives engine sound in real time. A C# controller turns throttle into RPM and Load values and streams them to FMOD, which blends engine layers, bends pitch, and fades in mechanical strain as the ship accelerates.
▶ Play it in the browser: deniztugluaudio.com/demo (hold W to accelerate, ← / → to switch ships, headphones recommended)
Signal flow
Player input (throttle) → SpaceshipController.cs → Engine_RPM + Engine_Load → FMOD event → layered engine sound
How it works
C# controller — Assets/Scripts/SpaceshipController.cs
- Maps throttle input to a target RPM between
idleRPM and maxRPM.
- Smooths RPM with
Mathf.SmoothDamp, using separate spool-up (timeToReachMax) and spool-down (timeToDropToIdle) times, so engines rev and settle believably.
- Derives Load from how fast RPM is rising compared with the ship's maximum expected acceleration (0–1), so hard acceleration reads as strain.
- Sends both values to FMOD every frame with
setParameterByName, and keeps the event's 3D position in sync with the ship.
- All tuning values are exposed in the Inspector, so one script can power different ships: a heavy transport that revs slowly, or a fighter that responds instantly.
FMOD event — TechDemoFMOD/
- RPM drives pitch (AutoPitch) and crossfades between idle, mid, and high recordings without audible seams.
- Load fades in layers of mechanical strain and exhaust rumble when the ship accelerates hard.
- Swapping the source recordings creates a new ship profile while the mixing logic stays the same.
Opening the project
- Unity 6000.3.0f1 (Unity 6) with the FMOD for Unity integration (included under
Assets/Plugins/FMOD).
- The FMOD Studio project lives in
TechDemoFMOD/; built banks are in Assets/StreamingAssets/.
- Open
Assets/Scenes/Main.unity and press Play.
Credits
- Design, programming, implementation and sound design: Deniz Tuglu
- Shaders and UI: Onur Şahin Şentürk
- 360° skybox image: José Francisco
- Spaceship models: Niko-3D-Models
License
My code in this repository is MIT licensed (see LICENSE). Third-party assets keep their own licenses: the FMOD for Unity integration, TextMesh Pro, the spaceship models, the skybox image, and the shaders/UI credited above.
More of my work: deniztugluaudio.com · LinkedIn
