Target Generator

Note: This generator is a beta feature in v8.2.0 and is only available in Cinema and Games editions of the Modeler. The documentation for this feature is a work in progress.

Target generators are used to precisely locate children off of any parent. They are typically used to place branches on photogrammetry meshes.

The workflow for using targets is as follows:

Add a Target generator to a generator you want to locate children on.
Add some targets (increase the number in the generation algorithm).
Switch to node editing mode and place them with the gizmo.
Add any generator as a child of the Target generator.
Children of the targets will be created and oriented as indicated by the target indicators.

Generation

The Generation properties are described in full detail under Generation Properties.

Settings

The properties in this group control the behavior of the targets.

Style

Choose the style of the target from one of the following options:

Laser	point the target and the parent to tag a point.
Closest point	the closest point on the parent mesh to the target icon is used for child generation.
Manual	the target icon's position and orientation are used directly.
Target locked	the target's position is locked so you can orient around that spot.
Disabled	the targets are disabled, no children will be generated.

Size

Sets the size of the target icons.

Point

Select an axis to point and a location to point it to control the orientation of the target locations. Children of the target will use the location and the orientation of the target.

Note: When positioning branches, point the Z axis away from the parent mesh. Leaves and meshes should choose to point the Y-axis in the desired direction.

Axis

Select which axis will be pointed.

Towards

Select where it will point from the following options:

Normal	the surface normal of the parent mesh.
Binormal	the surface binormal of the parent mesh.
Tangent	the surface tangent of the parent mesh.
Object X	the X-axis of the parent orientation.
Object Y	the Y-axis of the parent orientation.
Object Z	the Z axis of the parent orientation.
World X	the global X-axis.
World Y	the global Y axis.
World Z	the global Z axis.
Target	the location of the associated target icon.

Align

Select an axis to align and what to align it to control the orientation of the target locations. Children of the target will use the location and the orientation of the target.

Note: The axis you point will be unmodified by the alignment. The orientation will be rotated around the pointed axis to align the following choices as much as possible given that constraint.

Axis

Select which axis will be pointed.

With

Choose how the axis will be aligned from the following options:

Normal	the surface normal of the parent mesh.
Binormal	the surface binormal of the parent mesh.
Tangent	the surface tangent of the parent mesh.
Object X	the X-axis of the parent orientation.
Object Y	the Y-axis of the parent orientation.
Object Z	the Z axis of the parent orientation.
World X	the global X-axis.
World Y	the global Y axis.
World Z	the global Z axis.
Target	the location of the associated target icon.