I have had two build errors with similar error messages I have been trying to solve. Here are the details for both projects below:
Project 1 UE5.2 Wwise 2022.1.5.8242.2714
All sounds work in the project but disappear after building. Here is an error message I found:
“UATHelper: Packaging (Windows): Wwise SoundEngine is disabled: Using the null SoundEngine.”
In response to this error, I moved to a new project to do a simple build with one sound. Here are the details below.
Project 2 UE5.2 Wwise 2022.1.8.8316
The sound works in the project, and the project will not build. I get a slightly different error message.
“UATHelper: Packaging (Windows): LogAkAudio: Display: Wwise SoundEngine is disabled: Running a commandlet.”
Overall, the Wwise SoundEngine is somehow getting disabled, leaving all sounds to disappear from the build. Has anyone experienced this or know what is going on? Any thoughts are appreciated!
After troubleshooting over the past couple of months, the problem has been solved! The short answer is this: Our project was connected to a GitHub repository, and the Wwise plug-in on Unreal does not properly carry through commitments to a branch, meaning when I pull from a branch’s origin, there is no longer a plug-in that is recognizable on builds of an Unreal project. (This is why in the document shared in the original post, there is a message that says "Wwise SoundEngine is disabled: Using the null SoundEngine) Deleting the Wwise folder – The plug-in – from the project’s folder hierarchy, and then reintegrating Wwise into the Unreal project through the AudioKinetic launcher solved the problem. It allowed for a build of the game that included audio.
I had no idea the problem was related to GitHub and am still unsure how to break down the full troubleshooting process toward figuring this all out. However, I will be doing my best in a video down the road, covering the integration and build process for Wwise when it is either involved or uninvolved with Github. (I will reply to this comment with a link when that happens).
Sounds like a .gitignore issue. Try verifying that all the files needed for Wwise (stuff in ThirdParty folder in particular) are not excluded from your repo. Also storing Wwise project alongside UE project in the project might help, so that the path to it is the same for everyone checking out the branch / building.