No, Steam Audio is a standalone library and does not require integration with the Steam client.

> Are there additional licenses?

Steam Audio is released under the Apache 2.0 license, which is permissive and allows for both open-source and commercial use.

As for how it works: some effects, like ambisonics or HRTF-based spatialization, don’t require 3D geometry and work purely based on the direction and distance of sound sources relative to the listener.

Other effects, like occlusion, reflections, and reverb, rely on a scene description (the 3D geometry and material properties of objects in the environment). For example, sound waves can reflect off walls or be absorbed by soft materials.

Simulating these effects in real-time can be computationally expensive, especially for complex scenes. To optimize performance, effects like reflections can be pre-baked using probes placed throughout the scene.

Looks like it uses emitter positions and a virtual head. It also has the ability to utilize untextured scene geometry.