Installation & Setup Guide
Shooting simulator — hardware installation, calibration and first use
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Contents
- 1Welcome and safety
- 2What's in the box
- 3Network, updates and login
- 4Projector placement
- 5Installation and calibration
- 6Gun setup
- 7Shooter settings
- 8Training aids
- 9Controls
- 10Squads, support and contact
- 11Pro tips: set up for real results
1 Welcome and safety
Thank you for choosing the TrueClays shooting simulator. TrueClays is built for very high accuracy, and that accuracy depends on a careful installation. Please read this guide in full and follow the installation videos at www.trueclays.com/install.
This guide is a printed reference and checklist. The installation videos show every step in detail, including projector setup, calibration and shooter configuration. Always watch the videos alongside this guide.
Questions at any stage? Contact us at support@trueclays.com.
- Laser warning. This product uses an invisible Class 3R infrared laser (780–850 nm). Avoid direct eye exposure.
- Always confirm the gun is unloaded before and after every session in the simulator.
- Liability. TrueClays accepts no responsibility for personal injury, or damage to property or items, arising from misuse or negligent use of the TrueClays system, or of any gun or other item used with it.
Warranty
TrueClays carries a 12-month limited warranty on all items except trigger buttons, which are considered consumables.
2 What's in the box
Your TrueClays computer arrives with the software and licence pre-installed, running Linux (Ubuntu).
- Computer — ports marked for the cameras
- Projector — short throw (ST) or ultra short throw (UST)
- Projector mount — ST only: ceiling or optional tripod. UST stands on the floor, no mount
- Shot registration camera — pre-calibrated
- Tracker camera — optional
- HDMI cable
- Mouse and keyboard
- Numeric keypad — main controller (section 9)
- Microphone — for voice release ("pull")
- Laser trigger module
- Trigger buttons — universal or optional custom
- Laser aim helper tool
Connecting the hardware
- Connect each USB camera to its dedicated port. Every camera has a tag with a handwritten label that matches a marking on the computer.
- Connect the shot camera to the port marked SHOT (red).
- If you purchased the tracker module, connect the tracker camera to the port marked TRACKER (green).
- Connect the projector's HDMI cable to the graphics card outputs (yellow row) — not the HDMI port near the top.
- Connect the microphone, keyboard, mouse and numeric keypad to any free USB port.
computer-ports3 Network, updates and login
We recommend keeping the simulator connected to the internet, by Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable (not supplied). An internet connection enables:
- Updates. The TrueClays Launcher downloads new versions when you start it (see TrueClays Launcher below). See what's new in the release notes or under Change log on the main screen.
- Expert calibration, the recommended screen calibration method (section 5).
- Cloud features such as shooter profile sync, recording uploads and Send debug log for support.
Default login: username trueclays, password trueclays. You can change the password at any time; the username must stay unchanged.
TrueClays Launcher
TrueClays and its sister software — TrueHunt, TrueDefence and TrueDynamic — are updated regularly, so you always get the latest features. Beta versions may be updated a few times a week; Release versions usually come out once or twice a month. The Launcher lets you choose which version to download:
| Version | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Release | Tested versions for everyday training — recommended for most users |
| Beta | The newest features first, updated often |
| Repair | An older version, used to downgrade (for example from a Beta back to Release) |
Updates add features and fix problems; they do not change how targets fly or break. Only if we find a critical bug — for example in how a pattern is calculated — may a fix affect your hit ratio, and we then state it clearly in the release notes.
Going back from Beta to Release: in the Launcher, download the Repair version and start it. Then restart and download the Release version.
Region. Select the download region closest to you for the fastest downloads: Europe, North America, South America, Africa or Pacific.
Language. The language you choose in the Launcher applies to all TrueClays software: English · Svenska · Norsk · Dansk · Suomi · Deutsch · Français · Italiano · Español · Nederlands · Polski · Português · Português (Brasil) · Русский · Oʻzbekcha · Български · Ελληνικά · العربية · 日本語 · 한국어 · हिन्दी.
4 Projector placement
The cameras are pre-calibrated to the projector at the factory. Never move the cameras when handling the projector, never rest the projector upside down on the cameras, and never let cables hang so they strain the mount.
Power on the projector and connect it to the computer before you start, so you can see the picture while you adjust. Small changes in position have a large effect on the image.
| Projector type | Placement | Focus slider |
|---|---|---|
| Short throw (ST) | Ceiling mount, or the optional tripod | Behind the lens |
| Ultra short throw (UST) | Stands on the floor in front of the screen — no mount | Right-hand side, under the projector |
Geometry correction: use the projector's geometry correction to make the picture perfect. It offers Keystone, 4 corners and a 5×3 matrix. 4 corners is usually the best way to work: select a corner, move it into place, then select the next corner, and so on until all four are right. Refer to the projector manual or the TrueClays installation videos for details.
Focus: set it with the manual focus slider (see the table) until the image is sharp across the whole screen.
Ultra short throw (UST) on the floor
The UST projector has no mount: place it on the floor, centred in front of the screen. Move it closer to or further from the wall to set the image size, then use geometry correction and focus as above. Mark its position on the floor so you can place it the same way every time.
Ceiling-mounted projector (ST)
- Centre the projector on the wall or screen.
- Use the projector's geometry correction to make the picture perfectly square (see Geometry and focus above).
- Align the top of the image at the maximum height, then move the projector forward or back to get the right size.
- Keep the bottom of the image above the floor, even if that means a slightly narrower image.
ceiling-mount-aceiling-mount-laserLaser projector mount. Use the triangular mounting pattern and the supplied screws to fit the mount arms above the power adapter, which must be firmly attached to the projector. Position the mount at the projector's centre of gravity, not centred on the lens — a mount aligned to the lens alone can let the projector tilt slowly over time.
Tripod mount (optional, ST)
The tripod-mounted projector is delivered pre-configured with the correct keystone and settings.
- Extend the lower legs of the tripod.
- Secure the projector and mount to the tripod with the included 10 mm bolt.
- Start about 2.8 m from the wall. The optimal image width is 4.20–4.60 m.
- If possible, place the centre of the image at your eye level.
- Mark the image position on the wall and the tripod position on the floor.
tripodCalibration stays valid as long as the image and tripod positions are unchanged, so the marks let you set up the same way every time.
5 Installation and calibration
Follow these steps in order. The videos at trueclays.com/installation show each step.
- Set up the projector (section 4) so the image is square and sharp. After calibration, geometry correction (keystone) and projector position cannot be changed without calibrating again.
- Measure the room. Note the image width and the distance from the floor to the bottom of the image. Also measure your eye height in your shooting stance.
- Update and start TrueClays. If you are online, the launcher installs any new version first.
- Run the first-time setup. Select your projector type (standard throw or ultra short throw) and enter your measurements. You can change them later under System configuration:
- Screen width (cm)
- Floor to screen distance (cm), normally 0–80 cm
- Screen to eye distance (cm). Filled in from the screen width: half the width for screens under 4 m, at least 200 cm for wider screens. Mark this point on the floor — it is where your eyes should be when you shoot.
- Check the cameras. Open Camera diagnostics and fire the laser at the screen. New lines should appear only when you fire. Lines without a shot, or an Interference warning, usually mean ambient light is reaching the camera.
- Calibrate the screen in System configuration. Starting a calibration clears the existing calibration data.
- Expert calibration (recommended, needs internet): scan the QR code with a phone and follow the steps. With two projectors, choose Projector 1 or 2.
- Calibrate screen (offline): fire 3 shots at each of the 56 crosses.
- Test the screen calibration with Test screen calibration, firing at each cross as you did during calibration. A pixel or two off is fine; gun calibration corrects it. If a point is further off, recalibrate just that point — the calibration video shows how.
- Calibrate the tracker (optional) with Calibrate tracker. Aim a few centimetres from each of the 16 crosses and briefly press the tracker's micro-switch lever.
- Create your shooter profile in Configuration (section 7), including Eye height.
- Calibrate the gun. Fit the laser (section 6), start a gun calibration and fire 3 shots with the bead dead centre on top of the cross. Test shots should then hit exactly where you aim.
system-configurationIt is easy to move slightly while calibrating, so use a rest if needed — the system is only as precise as your calibration. Aiming without seeing the rib at all also gives a wrong result; afterwards, lift your head slightly to check the gun shoots true.
6 Gun setup
Always check that the barrels are clear before and after using the simulator.
Laser
- Fit the laser in the barrel closest to the sighting plane whenever possible.
- Seat it as straight as you can. The software can compensate, but a mechanically sound setup is always better.
- See trueclays.com/laser for how to use the different trigger options.
Universal trigger
- Check the gun is unloaded, then dry-fire it so the trigger can move.
- Place the trigger arm behind the trigger and tighten the thumbscrew onto the trigger guard — only until it no longer moves. When positioned correctly you hear a small click as you press the trigger.
- For left-handed shooters, move the arm to the other side.
The supplied blade fits guns with too little space behind the trigger, typically semi-automatics; the lever arm then sits in front of the trigger. Video: trueclays.com/trigger.
universal-triggerTracker (optional)
- Attaches magnetically under the barrel. Position does not affect accuracy; near the fore-end gives the best balance.
- Its invisible laser switches on as soon as it is on the barrel. Avoid direct eye exposure.
- Battery life is about 8–10 hours (alkaline), much longer with lithium. Remove it from the barrel when not in use.
- To view tracking data, press + on the keypad after a shot, or turn on AutoReplay with 7.
TrueClays replica gun (optional)
A purpose-built training gun with integrated electronics, matching the weight of a real shotgun. A working safety catch blocks the trigger for realistic gun-handling training. A replaceable battery lasts millions of shots, and the electronics are easy to replace if the trigger button wears out. Available with an adjustable stock (vertical and lateral) or a fixed stock with higher-grade wood.
replica-gunIf the universal trigger does not suit your gun, see Custom trigger on the next page.
Custom trigger
A trigger insert made to fit your own shotgun, ordered from a few reference photos. Prices and availability: sales@trueclays.com · trueclays.com/custom-trigger
Every TrueClays custom trigger is made for the individual shotgun it will be used with. To manufacture it correctly, we need a clear reference photo with a ruler under the trigger guard. The aim is not a nice product photo — it is reliable scale, trigger position and trigger guard dimensions.
- Slides in behind the trigger
- Built around your shotgun's geometry
- Integrated microswitch
- Activates when the trigger is pressed
How to order
- Take the photo from above. Hold the camera directly above the trigger blade, centred. Don't get too close — a little distance makes measuring easier and more reliable.
- Use a ruler for scale. Place a ruler under the trigger guard so the trigger, trigger guard and ruler are all clearly visible. The ruler must be readable and at about the same depth as the trigger guard.
- Take a side view for depth. This photo is only to show where the ruler sits relative to the trigger guard — not a picture of the gun lying down.
- Tell us your handedness — right- or left-handed — so we can prepare the trigger for your setup.
- Send the photos and handedness to sales@trueclays.com. We review the images before making the trigger, and ask if anything else is needed.
custom-trigger-top- Camera directly above the trigger blade
- Ruler visible under the trigger guard
- Good lighting and sharp focus
- Extreme close-ups or strong angles
- The ruler far from the trigger guard
The ruler gives us the real size of the trigger guard and trigger area. Place it at roughly the same distance from the camera as the centre of the trigger guard to avoid perspective distortion. The gun does not need to look perfect — only the ruler, trigger blade and trigger guard must be clear. If unsure, send more than one photo.
7 Shooter settings
Each shooter has a profile under Configuration. These settings decide how closely the simulator matches your real gun and your eyes.
Point of impact (POI)
The simulator cannot know how your gun shoots — every gun has its own point of impact, and even a choke change can move it. Without your real POI, it is easy to train the wrong habits.
- At the range, put up a pattern board and measure your distance to it.
- Aim at the dot with your normal mount and fire.
- Measure how far above (or below) the aim point the centre of the pellet cloud hit.
poi-diagram| Setting (per barrel) | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| POI above Zero | How far the centre of the pattern hit above the aim point (mm) | 60 mm |
| POI measured at | Your distance to the pattern board | 18 m |
| Pattern | Alternative to POI: slider from 50/50 to 100/0, linked to the POI value | 70/30 |
| Bead <-> center barrel | Distance from the bead to the centre of the barrel (mm) |
Perceived lead
In TrueClays you stand closer to the wall than you would be to a real clay. About 90% of shooters perceive lead the same way as in real life; the rest do not. Eye spacing, focus and barrel length all play a part.
Adjust Perceived lead per shooter on the Expert tab, from −40 to +40. One unit is 1 ms of clay travel — 2.5 cm on a 25 m/s Skeet clay. 0 is true physics. Watch the perceived lead video and read chapter 11 before changing it.
Clay speed
Clay speed adjustment sets target speed as a percentage of real life (100% = real speed), separately for Skeet and Trap. We recommend starting your training at 94%. It is easy to go faster on a real range after training slightly slow; arriving at a slower real-life range after training too fast in the simulator is much harder. Advanced Reaction also slows the first few metres of flight. Both are explained in chapter 11.
Halo
A white outline around each target to make it easier to see. Set it system-wide on the Training tab (Use halo on target, Halo size), or per shooter with Override Halo setting. Some backgrounds look busy with the halo on, others are almost impossible with it off — try combinations. Bright orange, yellow or white clays also work very well against dark backgrounds.
Microphone
In System configuration, lower Peak level that must be reached (1–99) to make the microphone more sensitive. Call detection (Legacy / Adaptive) and Microphone sensitivity (Conservative / Balanced / Sensitive) fine-tune it. Press M or keypad . to switch the microphone on or off.
8 Training aids
Neurologic Visual Training (NVT)
NVT is a TrueClays invention that trains the shooter's "software" — the brain — rather than the "hardware" of gun and stance. It uses real-time shaders and physics to simulate retinal suppression and focal recovery.
NVT changes how visible the target is during its flight: first a high-speed streak, then a hidden zone, then a sharp focal "pop". This moves the shooter away from best-guess reactive shooting and trains:
- Smooth pursuit — keep the eyes moving at the exact speed of the target, even with limited visual information.
- Trust in the subconscious — break the habit of looking back at the barrel.
- Timing — fire at the moment of the brain's highest visual clarity.
NVT works as a gym for the optic nerve. It isolates the 0.1-second window where most misses happen, so you can build thousands of repetitions without the cost of cartridges.
nvt-phasesSettings. Turn on Enable NVT on the Training tab and adjust streak duration, hidden zone duration, restoration time and sway. Override per shooter (Override NVT) or per station (trigger distance and compression).
Recoil simulator
Uses NVT's visual effects to simulate recoil: the target sways briefly after you fire, so you can practise recovering your visual connection during the shot. Turn on Enable recoil simulator on the Training tab and set the sway duration (ms).
Learn more
- trueclays.com/nvt_intro — Introduction
- trueclays.com/nvt — Overview
- trueclays.com/nvt_quickstart — Quick start
- trueclays.com/nvt_qa — Questions and answers
9 Controls
The numeric keypad is the main controller during a session. Each discipline also has its own keys, listed in the in-game help overlay. Some keys are disabled during competitions.
Numeric keypad
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| 1–9 | Main screen: open a discipline. In a discipline: start a round type or release a trap |
| 0 | Release the target manually (Space also works) |
| + | Replay the last shot |
| − | Stop the replay |
| 7 | AutoReplay: on → misses only → off |
| 9 | Sounds from neighbouring ranges |
| . | Microphone on/off |
| / | Cycle terrain |
| * | Exit to the main screen |
keypad| Main screen keypad | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1 2 3 | Skeet · Olympic Trap · ATA Trap |
| 4 5 6 | Sporting · FITASC · Helice |
| 7 8 9 | Training · English Sporting · Compak |
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | Function | Key | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| T | Test gun calibration; shoot the box on the right to recalibrate | Y | Snow on/off |
| G | Open Configuration | Q | Next terrain |
| F | Fog — press to increase, then cycles to off | P | Show last pattern board |
| S | Cycle sun position | M | Microphone on/off |
| C | Trap house colour and style | J | Hold-point markers (Skeet) |
| B | Next daytime sky | ⌫ | Shoot last position again |
| N | Next night-time sky | Esc | Abort round / close panel |
Phone control panel
- Connect the phone or tablet to the same network as the TrueClays computer.
- Scan the Control Panel QR code on the main screen.
- Open the address the phone suggests in its browser.
The controls change with the discipline in use. The panel uses network ports 8080 and 8082; if it will not connect, check that your router does not block devices from reaching each other.
control-panel10 Squads, support and contact
Shooting as a squad
Squads of up to 6 shooters by default. An administrator can set 2–8 under System configuration → Administration → Max shooters in squad.
- Create a profile for each shooter under Configuration.
- On the main screen, add each shooter to their squad position.
- Calibrate each shooter's gun.
We recommend one laser per gun. If several shooters share the same gun, each shooter has their own profile, and the gun is calibrated separately for each profile — even though it is the same gun.
Remote support
The system has TeamViewer installed. If you need help, contact us and have your TeamViewer ID and password ready — both appear when you start TeamViewer from the Start menu. With internet, you can also use Send debug log in System configuration to send us diagnostic information.
Get in touch
| Support | support@trueclays.com |
| Sales | sales@trueclays.com |
| Videos | Search for TrueClays on YouTube |
| @trueclays · @clayshooter_lisette |
Thank you for choosing TrueClays.
11 Pro tips: set up for real results
What the serious shooter needs to know to make simulator training carry over to the range.
This chapter is for shooters who already know what a good shot looks like: competitors, instructors and serious club shooters who want the simulator to reinforce what they do on the range, not build a second, separate technique.
TrueClays runs real physics, but physics alone does not guarantee transfer. A handful of settings decide whether your hours here make you better outside, or teach you something you then have to unlearn. Work through the topics in order — each builds on the previous one.
Every setting below shifts where the correct sight picture sits. Change two at once and you can no longer tell which one moved your hits.
Shooter profile: eye height and pattern
Set your eye height correctly. Everyone sees the horizon at their own eye level — it is geometry, and it is the reference every angle in Skeet and Trap is judged against. If TrueClays places your eyes 10 cm too high or too low, every rising, falling and crossing angle is subtly wrong.
Enter your eye height in your shooting stance, with your normal footwear and posture — not your standing height. With the correct value, the horizon sits where your eyes actually are, and stance, mount and target angle feel as they do at the range.
This is the setting most often left at its default. If you share a machine, make sure you are shooting on your own profile, not the last person's.
Match how your gun actually patterns. Point of impact is a property of your gun, stock and mount. Shoot a paper pattern plate at a known distance and enter the result in TrueClays (see section 7). Until you do, high-shooting and flat-shooting guns behave identically in the simulator — and they do not on the range.
Perceived lead
TrueClays calculates lead from physics. But what a shooter sees at the moment of firing differs from the physics, and from one shooter to the next. Interpupillary distance — the spacing between your pupils — changes the visual relationship between the barrel close to your eye and the target far away. On a projected screen, where the focus area is close, this is more noticeable.
We have measured this across many shooters. World-class athletes often see less distance between barrel and clay than everyone else, and it works for them. A beginner may perceive one metre as roughly twice the distance an experienced athlete does. The physics is fixed, so this setting moves the simulator onto the picture the shooter actually has.
Find it under Shooter profile → Expert → Perceived Lead.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Range | −40 to +40 (0 = true physics) |
| Negative value | Less lead: the target breaks with a shorter picture than physics alone requires |
| Positive value | More lead: a longer picture is required |
| One unit | 1 millisecond of clay travel |
| In centimetres | Depends on clay speed: 2.5 cm per unit on a 25 m/s Skeet clay. Always think in milliseconds first. |
| Observed elite range | −20 to −18, among athletes who read lead short |
- Come straight from the field — references are freshest within a day or two of live shooting.
- Shoot a known target — same station, enough repetitions to see a pattern.
- Look for consistency, not misses — the signal is hitting the same wrong place every time.
- Behind = less lead (go negative). In front = more lead (go positive).
- Convert the error to units — 30 cm on a 25 m/s Skeet clay is 12 units.
- Re-test, then stop. If it is right, leave it alone.
- Only if you are certain. If your technique is not repeatable, this setting is not the problem.
- Small increments only — a few units, then shoot again.
- Never mid-session. Change it, then shoot a fresh block of targets.
- Write it down — what, when and why.
- You can always return to 0.
If a top shooter is consistently off. An accomplished shooter who places the shot in the same spot every time is not shooting badly — the simulator is asking for a picture their eyes do not give them. Change the simulator, not the shooter. A shooter who reads lead short drops just behind every clay and needs a negative value; the athletes we have measured settle around −18. Misses consistently in front need a positive value by the same logic. Work out the error in centimetres, divide by the clay's travel per unit, adjust, and re-test immediately.
Fixing a real-life habit. The setting also works as a training tool. If you carry too much lead on the range — chipping the leading edge instead of centring the clay — set a small negative value, train for a day, then go back to the range. For a habitual 20 cm extra on a Skeet clay the arithmetic gives 8 units, but start around −6: gradual under-correction is safer than overshooting a reference built over years.
A value used to correct a habit is a deliberate mis-calibration. Once the habit is gone, return to your true value — or you will train the error in the opposite direction.
NVT is not optional
NVT exists to make your eye movement behave as it does on a real range. Without it, the screen offers information a real clay does not — and your brain will happily learn to use it. The result is a shooter who is excellent in the simulator and no better outside it.
NVT is deliberately a little harder than real life: train against the harder version and the range feels easier. We have measured the difference between a good and a bad shot at as little as 30 ms of timing. A shooter who goes on the flash — moving before knowing where the clay is heading — misses. NVT teaches you to shoot when you have enough information, and not before.
- Real eye movement
- No screen-only cues
- Harder than the range, on purpose
- 30 ms decides the shot
Clay speed and Advanced Reaction
Start slower, on purpose. We recommend starting training at 94% clay speed. You can always go faster in real life: after training slightly slow, a full-speed range feels manageable and your movement holds. The reverse is much harder. Training too fast in the simulator builds a rushed, compensating technique, and bringing it to a slower real-life range means unlearning it — which is close to impossible.
Advanced Reaction slows the clay further over its first couple of metres. Even a 240 Hz projector flashes frames rather than showing continuous motion, and the brain connects those frames into movement more slowly than it does with a real clay. With Advanced Reaction off, shooters consistently break targets sooner on the range than in the simulator, because on screen it takes longer to register that the clay is moving at all. Advanced Reaction closes that gap so your commit point matches the range.
A slower clay needs slightly less lead, but the difference is small: on a one-metre lead, 94% costs about 6 cm and you would still centre the target. Experienced shooters read this all the time — a clay breaking into the wind is "a little slower" and they break it anyway. With Perceived Lead set correctly, training at 94% will not cost you a target.
Change the environment, often
The brain is very good at solving a problem it has already seen. Shoot the same background, trap sound, still air and break threshold for a few weeks and you are no longer reading a target — you are replaying a memorised solution. The score goes up; the skill does not. A target you have seen a thousand times tests your memory. A target you have not seen tests your shooting. So change things deliberately — every session if you can.
Eye height, pattern, Perceived Lead, NVT and clay speed are set once and left alone — they define what "correct" means. Background, sound, wind and Minimum Force are meant to change constantly. If you change your calibration every session, you never know what you are shooting against.
Raising Minimum Force. Minimum Force is how much of the pattern must reach the clay before it breaks. Left low, a thin edge of the pattern chips the target and the scoreboard calls it a hit — hiding a shot that was 20 cm off centre. Raise it and only a properly centred pattern breaks the clay. Scores drop for a session or two, then technique tightens because the feedback matches a real target at longer range or in a stiff crosswind. Advanced shooters should train above the default most of the time.
- Every setting exists because it changes what you learn. Nothing in TrueClays is decoration.
- Comfortable training is finished training. If a session feels easy and predictable, the environment has stopped teaching you.
- Vary the environment, keep the calibration. Never change what "hit" means mid-block.
- Train the conditions you fear — bad light, gusting crosswind, unfamiliar backgrounds.
The order to do it in
Each step changes the reference the next one is judged against. Work down the list.
- Enter your correct eye height.
- Pattern your gun on paper, then match the setting in TrueClays.
- Confirm NVT is on.
- Set clay speed (start at 94%) and Advanced Reaction, then leave them alone.
- Shoot a known target — only now consider Perceived Lead.
- With calibration settled, vary background, thrower sound, wind and Minimum Force between sessions.
Questions about your setup?
Perceived Lead in particular is worth setting with someone watching. If you coach a squad, run a club or are preparing for a season, contact support@trueclays.com and we will walk through the profile with you. More at trueclays.com/protip.
Settings and default values may change between software versions.