Studio Stage Settings
- David Avgikos
Every course is made up of one or more stages. Each stage can have its own targets, graphics, rules, and requirements.
Environment
Opens a multi-select dialog that selects a full environment file (ground, trees, skies, etc.). You cannot alter environments but you can adjust the lighting with the Time of Day option.
Time of Day
The Time of Day slider is used to simulate lighting at a particular time of day. The default setting is 12:00 PM. Moving the slider to the right moves into the afternoon and evening. Moving the slider to the left move through morning hours.
Starting Viewpoint
Each stage can have multiple viewpoints (cameras) that allow you to see the scene from different angles. Starting Viewpoint is a multi-select button that lists all viewpoints in the stage. This button selects the view that will be used when the stage begins.
For MAX Studio users, every TruTarget human character is also a viewpoint. This allows you to view the scene from anyone’s point of view. If you have characters in your scene, their names will appear in the Starting Viewpoint button menu.
Ambient Audio
In some cases, you may want to add background audio to a stage. The sound of people yelling, or a dog barking can be used to increase stress during training. Clicking the Ambient Audio button opens a dialog used to load an audio file for this purpose.
Ambient audio will play when you simulate a stage or course. It will not play when previewing object motion.
Loop Audio
Toggles audio looping on and off. If on, the ambient audio file will play over and over during the length of a stage. If off, the audio file will only play once.
Shots Allowed
Sets the maximum number of shots allowed in a stage. Moving the slider to 0 provides unlimited ammunition.
Time Allowed
Sets the maximum amount of time for a stage. Moving the slider to 0 provides unlimited time.
Courses with more than one stage need a way to end one stage and move to the other. This is most commonly done with time or ammunition. For example, if time is set to 10 seconds, the course will move to the next stage once 10 seconds have elapsed. If ammunition and time are both set to unlimited, there may be no way to move from one stage to the other.
Instruction Type
Defines the type of instructions to be played before a stage is run. Options include None, Text, Image, and Video. The default value is None.
When None is selected, no instructions will be shown.
Text opens a dialog window for loading a text file with simple text formatting options.
<h1>This is Heading 1</>
<h2>This is Heading 2</>
<b>This is BOLD</>
<center>This text is centered</center>
Image opens a dialog that will load an image to be displayed as instructions prior to the beginning of a stage. Once loaded, the image name will appear in the control.
Video opens a dialog that will load a video file that will be played prior to the beginning of a stage. Once loaded, the video name will appear in the control. Video files must be converted to .bk2 format to be used in MAX Studio.
Instruction Time
Sets the number of seconds that text or image instructions are shown. If the instruction type is video, the instruction time is set to the length of the selected video, and the slider is ghosted.
Instruction Audio
If the Instruction Type is set to Text or Image, you can add an audio file that will play when the instructions are shown. If an audio file is used, the Instruction Time will default to the length of the audio file.
If Instruction Type is set to None or Video, the Instruction Audio option is unselectable.
Countdown Type
Sets the countdown to Audio Only, Video Only, or Audio and Video. This controls the countdown before a stage is run. When Audio Only is selected, a beep will be heard for each second of the countdown. When Video Only is selected, a large number is displayed for each second of the countdown. When Audio and Video is selected, both the number and sound are used.
Countdown Type will be ghosted if Countdown Time is set to 0 or 10..
Countdown Time
Sets the time in seconds (between 0 and 10) for the countdown to last. Setting the time to zero means that no countdown will be displayed. Selecting 10 creates a special Instructional Break. In this case, a graphic is shown on the screen that will remain in place until a mouse button is clicked or a keyboard button is pressed. This provides an extended pause that can be used as coaching time before the beginning of a stage.
Stage Notes
Opens a dialog that allows you to type any notes that describe your stage. These notes will be available to the instructor when running the course in Range. Notes are useful for describing certain options that you make available in the stage. For example, if you use keyboard input for some behaviors, you can describe them here.