Abstract: Systems and methods for embedding three-dimensional targets in realistic sonar images are provided. An actual or synthetic sonar image is first created and a reflectivity map is produced therefrom. A direct path bottom reverberation is calculated to which texture is added by multiplying the signal from a given point on the bottom at coordinates (x,y) by the reflectivity map R(x,y) at that point and in which targets are embedded. Echoes from targets and other noise sources are superimposed on the direct path bottom reverberation to generate raw unbeamformed stave data. The stave data is beamformed to produce the desired complex image with the desired targets naturally embedded therein.