AudioSource not playing from system

[granite dome]

This code doesn't work and I dont' know why, I just want to play an AudioSource when the Entity Gameobject from Prefab is spawned, AudioSource is on the GameObject's child with his Authoring component

[queen lagoon]

Are you sure that state.EntityManager.HasComponent<AudioSource> returns true?

[granite dome]

Pretti sure, log is logging

[queen lagoon]

I doubt that AudioSource can work without GameObject

[granite dome]

My AudioSource is on a GameObject which is then baked as Entity as part of a Prefab, what is the difference between doing this and simply put an audio source on a subscene as a component of a GameObject?

It should still make a companion GameObject with an AudioSource, right?

[queen lagoon]

Mmm instead of adding the AudioSource component to the entity, try using a component with the UnityObjectRef<AudioSource> field

And create AudioSources in runtime

In new GameObjects

[queen lagoon]

I doubt

Something like this is implemented only in Netcode for entities

[granite dome]

Ok... What happens to child gameobjects of prefabs then?

Because something is happening here

Engine Audio source is just a GameObject with Audiosource

[queen lagoon]

Can i see authorings?

[queen lagoon]

AudioSource is added like managed component

[granite dome]

yes, exactly what I was thinking

But why doesn't work then

[queen lagoon]

Didn't you write your custom Baker for that?

[granite dome]

I don't do Authoring for Audiosource, only on the CarShiftAudioModuleAuthoring which is the component under the Audiosource as you can see

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1465377902274023496/1465377903046037564/image.png?ex=6978e305&is=69779185&hm=a2471eec9d8bb83f2e42fcbbe929e4c4bef1ee40fe90bef960cd7a940f3a97b8&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=1067&height=993

[queen lagoon]

Ok

[granite dome]

CarAudioModule is a scriptableobject with settings

[queen lagoon]

I have not heard of an official implementation of audio systems for entities.

[granite dome]

I know, but, if the component is managed it should work, right?

[queen lagoon]

No

For this you need system

[granite dome]

Yea, i know

[queen lagoon]

Which is not implemented

AudioSource implemented only for GameObject update loop

[granite dome]

ok but why it works when on a single gameobject on a subscene then?

[queen lagoon]

Idk why it works

Maybe it can only work in the editor but not in the build

[granite dome]

maybe because awake is called differently from update, and still works on entity world

in someway

Example:

This works even outside play mode

But it only works when AudioSource play on awake is checked

[queen lagoon]

I think this is due to a feature of the entities in editor implementation.

So it shouldn't work in the build

[granite dome]

Ok

@queen lagoon I can see that there are a bunch of systems for graphics and physics already working but nothing for the audio so it's probably that

[queen lagoon]

For audio you need create custom systems

You can use GameObjects pool with AudioSource components

Or use other audio systems like FMOD

[thorny fulcrum]

audio source is an officially supported companion object

you should not need your own system or anything like that

    internal class CompanionComponentSupportedTypes
    {
        public static ComponentType[] Types =
        {
            typeof(Light),
            typeof(LightProbeProxyVolume),
            typeof(ReflectionProbe),
            typeof(TextMesh),
            typeof(MeshRenderer),
            typeof(SpriteRenderer),
            typeof(VisualEffect),
            typeof(AudioSource),
            typeof(SphereCollider),
            typeof(BoxCollider),
            typeof(CapsuleCollider),
            typeof(MeshCollider),
#if PARTICLE_SYSTEM_MODULE
            typeof(ParticleSystem),
            typeof(ParticleSystemRenderer),
#endif
#if SRP_7_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(Volume),

#endif
#if URP_7_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(UnityEngine.Rendering.Universal.DecalProjector),
#endif
#if HDRP_7_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(UnityEngine.Rendering.HighDefinition.DecalProjector),
            typeof(HDAdditionalLightData),
            typeof(HDAdditionalReflectionData),
            typeof(PlanarReflectionProbe),
            typeof(LocalVolumetricFog),
#endif
#if URP_7_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(UniversalAdditionalLightData),
#endif
#if HYBRID_ENTITIES_CAMERA_CONVERSION
            typeof(Camera),
#if HDRP_7_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(HDAdditionalCameraData),
#endif
#if URP_7_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(UniversalAdditionalCameraData),
#endif
#endif
#if SRP_17_0_0_OR_NEWER
            typeof(ProbeVolume),
            typeof(ProbeVolumePerSceneData),
#endif
        };
    }```
unity supports companion gameobjects for these components

[queen lagoon]

Is it in the documentation somewhere at all?

[thorny fulcrum]

no idea sorry, never read it

documentation was non-existent when i learnt dots so i've always learnt from just reading the source

[queen lagoon]

Perhaps it is supported in experimental mode

[thorny fulcrum]

it's been a feature since 1.0

[queen lagoon]

Interesting

[thorny fulcrum]

the graphics documentation mentions it

as it can optionally enable companion objects for the camera

[granite dome]

I saw it but of course all the other components are not mentioned in the graphics documentation, maybe it still has to be updated

[queen lagoon]

Can i get link?

[thorny fulcrum]

but yeah if you just put an audiosource in your scene

it will auto attach/create it as a companion object

setup all the transform syncing etc

[granite dome]

@thorny fulcrum Thank you I'm not an idiot then

[queen lagoon]

Actually, this is the first time I've heard about companions, to be honest

[thorny fulcrum]

anyway it's working fine

i haven't used it in ages as i have my own companion solution

that automatically adds a bunch of other stuff like pooling

so i actually force disable audio sources from companion objects

but just loading in test project, yeah working fine

[queen lagoon]

So we has companions in just ecs and ghost presentations in Netcode

[granite dome]

@thorny fulcrum I think the problem is just that I call Play in the system, if I disabled and enable the component should work just fine

with play on awake enabled

[thorny fulcrum]

that is odd, i do remember having weird issues with audio sources in the past

[queen lagoon]

To be honest, I would not use something that is almost not written in the documentation and that does not work in your case

It may break a few more times later

[thorny fulcrum]

it's very supported/official

the question is really more just, what happens in 6.6

i asked unity about this a while ago and they were like, they probably don't need companion objects in 6.6 but they will probably continue to exist to start with

[granite dome]

That also what I was thinking so I seriously started learning how ECS works right now

[thorny fulcrum]

that said, it'll probably just work exactly how you're using it

just with the gameobject/components directly on the entity

just not via the component system anymore

but until 6.6 drops we can't say for certain how integration will work

[granite dome]

I will do only tests with Audiosource and I will comeback with the results

without doing pools, but simply using the companion

just to understand

[queen lagoon]

To be honest, I'm surprised it's still not mark obsolete

[thorny fulcrum]

why would it be?

it's an internal solution that you don't interact with

and if replaced in 6.6 the user would interact with it the same way

directly interacting with the audio source

[queen lagoon]

It may not have been updated since 2022 according to logs

Also netcode for entities has self companion system

[thorny fulcrum]

that is definitely being removed at some point

in favour of their new gameobject workflow they just added backend in 1.11

which will be eventually merged to 6.6 entities changes

but the last change to companion system was in 1.3.14

so not sure what you mean by not updated since 2022

it was updated in 2025

[thorny fulcrum]

unless you're talking about the new gameobject bridge in 1.11?

[queen lagoon]

I'm talking about AudioSource

[thorny fulcrum]

(vs the old netcode gameobject presentation layer)

[thorny fulcrum]

why would it need changes?

it's 1 line of code

you add type to list, that's it

[granite dome]

Guys, it works, just fine

[queen lagoon]

That explains everything

[thorny fulcrum]

you can even make anything work with it btw with internal access

[granite dome]

I did a simple Play every tot seconds

[thorny fulcrum]

            var types = CompanionComponentSupportedTypes
                .Types
                .Concat(new ComponentType[]
                {
                    typeof(CinemachineCamera),
                    typeof(CinemachineFollow),
                    typeof(CinemachinePositionComposer),
                    typeof(CinemachineSplineDolly),
                    typeof(CinemachineOrbitalFollow),
                    typeof(CinemachineRotationComposer),
                    typeof(CinemachineFreeLookModifier),
                    typeof(CinemachinePanTilt),
                    typeof(CinemachineRotateWithFollowTarget),
                    typeof(CinemachineHardLockToTarget),
                    typeof(CinemachineHardLookAt),
                    typeof(CinemachineSplineDollyLookAtTargets),
                    typeof(CinemachineBasicMultiChannelPerlin),
                    typeof(CinemachineGroupFraming),
                    typeof(CinemachineFollowZoom),
                    typeof(CinemachineCameraOffset),
                    typeof(CinemachineRecomposer),
                    typeof(CinemachineVolumeSettings),
                })
                .ToList();```

now, cinemachine works with it!

[queen lagoon]

Btw you can add AudioSource in Query

[thorny fulcrum]

^ what he said

SystemAPI.ManagedAPI.UnityEngineComponent<AudioSource>()

[queen lagoon]

It's a pity that this system doesn't use UnityObjectRef

[thorny fulcrum]

i've thought about this a bit but

why would you want to

there's overhead everytime you call UnityObjectRef.Value

[granite dome]

Like this:

[thorny fulcrum]

yep, just saves you doing the exists check

[granite dome]

I got it

[thorny fulcrum]

^ to me the only reason is if you want to support UNITY_DISABLE_MANAGED_COMPONENTS

but i suspect most users don't even know this is an option

[queen lagoon]

More than referring to the ManagedEntityComponentStore?

[granite dome]

Guys where should I use UnityObjectRef?

[queen lagoon]

Well, they're just convenient

[thorny fulcrum]

        public object GetManagedComponent(int index)
        {
            return m_ManagedComponentData[index];
        }```

i doubt you can be faster than this

[queen lagoon]

Okay, I'll make a benchmark tomorrow

[thorny fulcrum]

vs doing an engine call

[granite dome]

This is just for baking time right?

[queen lagoon]

Well Baking supports managed components too

UnityObjectRef is ref to managed component but UnityObjectRef is unmanaged component

[granite dome]

Ok so, what if I use it inside the AudioSourceComponentData instead of querying the AudioSource?

[queen lagoon]

*is not component is field for unmanaged component

[queen lagoon]

If you already have a link to it, then it's better not to duplicate it

[granite dome]

Well in my case "my link" is querying all the managed Audiosources I guess

right?

[queen lagoon]

Idk

[granite dome]

It's just the examples that I showed you before

Nothing more

[queen lagoon]

I think it's better to use UnityObjectRef only in components that should be structures

[thorny fulcrum]

100,000 calls

[queen lagoon]

Well if use it in singletons is not bad

[thorny fulcrum]

i mean you're not having 100k gameobjects

so i doubt for most cases that unityobjectref is ever going to be a problem

[queen lagoon]

But less code

[thorny fulcrum]

for the record, i use unityobjectref myself

for my companion solution

because i'm aiming to disable support for managed components

[granite dome]

Yep just did it with unityobjectref, works just fine

passing it with baker

Thank you guys really boosted my knowledge

[thorny fulcrum]

slightly concerned about this for you in builds

i'd check this still works

i'm pretty sure the companion object isn't the same as the object in the unityobjectref

so i think you're duplicating sources

but it's been ages since i looked at this

[granite dome]

could be, make sense

@thorny fulcrum Yep baker clones it

name is ...(clone)

[queen lagoon]

There everywhere clone

[queen lagoon]

try just == AudioSources

[granite dome]

No I mean, I know it's not the same because my gameobject is not called ...(clone)

[queen lagoon]

ok

[granite dome]

companion it is

UnityObjectRef could be usefull for clips for examples I think

if passed trough baker

or scriptable objects?

[queen lagoon]

For any prefabs and read only data

[granite dome]

Yep

Everything starts to make sense to me, thank guys

@queen lagoon @thorny fulcrum May I close the post?

[queen lagoon]

Yes

[granite dome]

@thorny fulcrum @queen lagoon FYI I opened a discussion post here, they sent a link for the DOCS: https://discussions.unity.com/t/missing-ecs-documentation-for-companion-components/1705963

[queen lagoon]

And even here there is no AudioSource

[granite dome]

Yep because this is the ECS Graphics DOCS

It should be like in the main Entities DOCS

I hope they will unify this

[granite dome]

@queen lagoon I was always going back and forward trying to understand what was happening and then I realized this😁

[queen lagoon]

Yes Companions are in Unity.Entities.Hybrid.dll

[granite dome]

@queen lagoon Official Unity Staff confirmed missing and misleading DOCS