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Editor

3D Editor Basics

Camera controls, the prop palette, the arc menu, selection and grouping, and how the 3D editor differs from the 2D one.

What the 3D Editor Is

The 3D editor lets you design and walk a stage in perspective rather than from a top-down 2D diagram. Targets stand up, walls have height, barrels cast shadows, and you can drop into a first-person walk view to verify shots and movement.

Getting Around: Camera Controls

The 3D camera is orbit-style, anchored on the stage:

  • Right-drag - Orbit around the focus point.
  • Scroll wheel - Zoom in and out.
  • Middle-drag (or two-finger drag on trackpad) - Pan across the stage.

The three view buttons in the toolbar switch the viewing mode:

  • 3D - The default orbit view.
  • Top-Down - Locked overhead view, similar to the 2D editor but rendered from the 3D scene.
  • Walk - First-person mode covered in the Shooting Positions tutorial.

The Prop Palette

The prop palette floats on the left side of the canvas. Each icon adds a prop at the current cursor or stage center. Several have number-key shortcuts shown in their tooltips:

  • 1 - Wall
  • 2 - Single barrel (shoot-over LOS)
  • 3 - Stacked barrel (blocks LOS)
  • 4 - IDPA threat target
  • 5 - Steel A (small)
  • 7 - Cover line (IDPA / GPA)
  • 8 - Shooting-area line (USPSA)
  • 9 - Text label (click floor to place, double-click to edit)

The palette also includes movers (swinger, out-and-back, drop-turn, clamshell), furniture (chairs, tables), activators (stomp box), and any custom 3D props you've uploaded.

Tip: The drag handle at the top of the palette lets you reposition it on the canvas. Your panel positions are remembered per user.

Selecting and Moving Props

Click any prop to select it. Selected props show a halo and an arc menu around them with the most common actions for that prop type (covered below). The basics:

  • Click - Select.
  • Shift+Click - Add to selection.
  • Drag - Move the selected props along the floor.
  • Q / E - Rotate the selection by 22.5 degrees (yaw).
  • Shift+Q / Shift+E - Twist the perspective (for moving stands and similar props).
  • Delete / Backspace - Remove the selection.
  • Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V - Copy and paste.
  • Ctrl+D - Duplicate in place.
  • Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y - Undo and redo.
  • Double-click - Open the details modal for the selected prop.
  • Right-click - Open the context menu.

The Arc Menu

When you select a prop, a curved menu of buttons appears around it. The buttons vary by prop type - a target's arc menu has perspective and shot-count controls, a wall's arc menu has length and rotation, a moving stand's arc menu has its motion controls. If you select multiple props, the arc menu appears around the group centroid with shared actions like delete and group.

For props with a "secondary" set of controls (typically reachable in the 2D editor by holding Shift), the same Shift modifier swaps the arc to its alternate set in 3D. Targets, walls, and moving stands all have shift-arc options.

Grouping

You can group related props so they move and rotate together:

  • Ctrl+G - Group selected props.
  • Ctrl+Shift+G - Ungroup.

Groups are useful for plate racks, swinger setups with stands and barricades, or any prop cluster you want to treat as one piece.

Snap to Grid

The Snap button toggles grid snapping for prop placement and movement. The snap step is configurable in Settings (the cog icon in the toolbar), along with default wall length and display unit (ft / m / yd / in).

Stage Info, Par, and Bay

  • Stage Info - Opens the stage name, ruleset, scoring type, scenario, and procedure fields. Same data the 2D editor's right panel covers.
  • Par - Opens the GPA par calculator and factors. Auto-populated from targets, steel, and shooting positions.
  • Bay - Switches between bay templates (range layout). Custom bay shapes are landing here too - watch for them in a future tutorial.

Measuring Distances

The Meas button arms the measure tool. With it on, an orange dashed line runs from the placed pole to your cursor, showing the distance in your chosen display unit. Click Set (or press M) to place or move the pole.

Save and Publish

Save and Publish work the same way as the 2D editor:

  • Save - Records your current working state to the server.
  • Publish - Pins the current state as the official version other people see when viewing your shared stage or match book. If your saved state is ahead of your last publish, the Publish button shows a small gold dot.

The 3D editor also adds a Capture button - a one-click 2x PNG screenshot of the current view, useful for stage briefings, social posts, or sharing a quick render with squadmates.

Print HTML style: Stages render to printable HTML for match books. The Settings panel lets you pick a print style (e.g. classic). This affects the published HTML but not what you see in the editor.

Keyboard Shortcuts at a Glance

The Help button in the toolbar opens a full keyboard reference covering selection, camera, walk mode, shooting positions, and the prop palette. The short list:

  • 1-9 - Activate palette hotkey
  • Q / E - Rotate 22.5 deg yaw
  • Shift+Q / Shift+E - Twist (perspective rotate)
  • Ctrl+G / Ctrl+Shift+G - Group / ungroup
  • Ctrl+S - Save
  • Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y - Undo / redo
  • Del - Delete selected
  • Esc - Cancel pending action
  • M - Arm measure-pole placement

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