Reference Image Overlay

Module: Design · Category: LevelDesign · Tool ID: ReferenceImageOverlay

A Hub-launcher tool for an EdMode that displays reference images directly in the viewport. Activate the mode, drop in concept art / floor plans / mood boards, and frame them in 3D space alongside your level so you can build to spec.

Hub launcher panel showing Activate button. Below: viewport with the EdMode active, a reference image overlay visible alongside level geometry.

When to use it

• Whitebox / blockout work: building to a concept-art reference
• Floor-plan-driven level design: overlaying architectural drawings
• Cross-checking proportions against mood boards
• Reviewing a design alongside a reference without leaving the viewport

What it isn’t for

• Don’t use this for texture-overlay work. It’s a viewport reference display, not a paint tool.
• Don’t expect 3D-tracked image overlay. Images are anchored in world space, but they’re flat.

Opening the tool

1. Open the EQLabs Hub and search for Reference or Overlay (or browse to Design → LevelDesign).
2. Click the tool card to open the launcher panel.
3. Click Activate to enable the EdMode.
4. The viewport panel for managing reference images appears.

Interface tour

Hub launcher panel

Minimal launcher:

Action	What it does
Activate	Enables the Reference Image Overlay EdMode
Deactivate	Disables the EdMode
Status	Green ACTIVE / Gray Inactive

Viewport panel (when active)

When the EdMode is active, a viewport panel exposes per-overlay controls:

• Add / Remove reference images
• Position, rotation, scale per image (XYZ)
• Opacity per image
• Front / Back ordering
• Lock / unlock manipulation

Workflow

1. Click the Hub tool card, then Activate.
2. In the viewport panel, click Add Image, pick a texture / image file.
3. Position the image in world space (drag in viewport or use the panel’s transform fields).
4. Tune opacity / ordering.
5. Build your level using the reference as a guide.
6. Click Deactivate when done.

Settings reference

Reference image collections persist via the EdMode’s own state. Hub launcher has no persisted settings.

Output

• In-viewport reference images. Visible during play / editing while EdMode is active.
• No level edits. Reference images are EdMode state, not level actors.

Tips and gotchas

• Reference images are flat. They’re textured planes in world space. Position them on a wall or floor for natural composition.
• Multiple references can stack. Useful for layered floor plans (foundation, first floor, roof).
• Press Escape to exit the EdMode. Fastest way out without going back to the Hub.

Related tools

• Measurement & Annotation Tool — for measurement during reference-driven design
• Blockout Generator — quickly spawn primitives matching reference proportions
• Blockout Lab. Full custom-asset-editor blockout workflow.