Working with the Flat Target Editor

The Flat Target Editor is used to create new targets or modify and save existing ones.

Flat targets are made up of three images - the front, the back, and the zone image. These must be created in a separate paint or drawing program. This tutorial assumes that you already have the target images.

Creating a New Flat Target

To create a new flat target we need to start with an existing one. For this example, we’ll start with the Default Target found in the root of the Flat Targets folder. This is a good place to start because the default target doesn't have any motion or behaviors assigned to it. Once it's in the scene and selected, we can access the flat target editor from the side panel menu.

The first step is to choose the name of our target’s picture by clicking the Open Image button. In this window, I can navigate to the folder that contains the images I want to use for this target. For this example, I’ll go to the Bonus folder.

You’ll see a lot of target images. I mentioned that each flat target is made of three images for the front, back, and zones. Back images always use the main image’s name plus the letter “b” at the end. Zone images use the main image’s name plus the letter “z”. In this example, the main target image is named BILLIARDS, the back image is BILLIARDSB and the zone image is BILLIARDSZ. I need to select the main image so I’ll choose BILLIARDS. From there the program will automatically load the back and zone images, and update the viewport and zone image window.

The program also updates the Target Size slider. This is the measurement of the target in inches. You can proportionality scale the target by moving the slider or clicking the number in the slider and entering the target’s width. The program will automatically calculate the height based on the proportions of the target image being used.

After that, it's just a matter of setting the points and audio that will play when each zone is hit.

To do that, click the Zone Selection button. You'll see color swatches for each zone being used by the target. In this case, there are FOUR zones. I’ll select the red zone and set the number of points awarded for hitting it - the value can be positive or negative.

Next, click the Zone Audio button and select the file that will play when the red zone is hit. This is completely optional. Once a sound is assigned, you can test it by holding down the LEFT ALT button on the keyboard and left-clicking the mouse on the red zone area of the target.

Before saving the target, you can adjust its settings in the command panel if you like.

Finally, click the Save Target button and save your new target to an appropriate folder. Now when you go back to the library, your new target will be there.

Modifying an Existing Target

If you just want to change the points assigned to a particular zone of an existing target, or the sound the target makes when that zone is hit, that’s easy to do.

Find the target you want to modify in the library and drag it into the scene. Open the flat target editor from the side panel menu. Optionally you can use the SHIFT F keyboard shortcut.

For this example, let’s say that we want the bullseye to be worth 10 points, and we want the target to say “bullseye” when the red zone is hit.

The first step is to select the red zone under Zone Selection. Next, we can type in the number 10 or drag the slider until we reach 10.

Next, click the Zone Audio button and select the audio file to play when the red zone is hit. You can test the sound by holding down the left ALT button on the keyboard and left-clicking the mouse on the bullseye area of the target.

If I wanted to, I could adjust any of the target’s settings in the command panel.

Finally, click the Save Target button and save the updated target with a new name.

An important thing to keep in mind is that this will also save any motions or behaviors associated with the original target.