Camera Setup

Camera setup at a glance

1. Connect the camera, open Joe's Real Rolls, and choose the camera by name.
2. Mount it directly above the tray with the complete rolling surface visible.
3. Choose a practical resolution and confirm the supplied resolution and frame rate.
4. Select the Rolling Area inside the tray and set an appropriate inward margin.
5. Remove every die and object, run the Lighting Quality Assistant, and improve any reported conditions.
6. Calibrate the completely empty tray.
7. Make several ordinary test rolls in Standalone and change detection settings only if a repeatable problem remains.

Select and position the camera

Choose the correct camera

Open the camera selection control and choose your device by name. If you connect a camera after Joe's Real Rolls is already open, select Refresh Cameras and then choose it. Avoid relying on a camera number when a device name is available.

Mount it overhead

• Point the camera straight down whenever possible.
• Keep the complete rolling surface in view with room around its edges.
• Use a firm mount that will not move when the table is bumped.
• Keep hands, dice bags, pencils, and other objects outside the selected area while the application is waiting for a roll.
• Keep dice separated and fully visible. Touching, overlapping, partly hidden, or cut-off dice may need another roll.

Resolution and frame rate

Open Camera → Camera and Detection Settings to compare the requested camera resolution with the resolution actually supplied by the camera and its driver. The window also shows the reported frame rate.

• Find Highest Resolution (up to 4K) tests common modes and keeps the largest working choice.
• A higher resolution can make small dice easier to see, but it also requires more processing and may reduce frame rate.
• If the supplied resolution differs from the requested resolution, the camera or its driver did not provide that mode.
• Choose a stable mode that keeps dice clear rather than assuming the largest number is always best.

After changing resolution, select the Rolling Area again and recalibrate the empty tray.

Select the Rolling Area

1. Open Camera → Select Rolling Area.
2. Outline the usable inside of the tray. Choose Use Entire Image only when a custom boundary is unnecessary.
3. Leave tray walls, bright edges, and permanent decorations outside the selection when possible.
4. Save the area, remove all objects, and recalibrate.

The shaded area outside the selection is ignored. Rolling-area margin moves the usable edge inward. Increase it if tray walls, edge highlights, or nearby objects are detected as dice.

Zoom

Digital zoom can help the selected rolling area fill more of the preview when the physical tray occupies only part of the camera image. After changing zoom or using Auto Zoom to Rolling Area, select the Rolling Area again and recalibrate.

Lighting Quality Assistant

Remove all dice and select Camera → Lighting Quality Assistant. Let the assistant sample the selected rolling area and review its brightness, dark areas, glare, evenness, flicker, stability, and contrast guidance. A score of 85 or higher is a good target, but fresh-roll performance remains the final test.

Joe's Real Rolls evaluates colored rolling surfaces by their actual camera conditions. A well-lit blue, red, green, or other colored tray should not be treated as unsuitable simply because it is not a dark or neutral surface.

• Use broad, even, diffuse light rather than a harsh point source.
• Avoid sharp reflections on glossy dice and tray material.
• Reduce deep shadows from the camera mount, hands, or room lighting.
• Use a matte tray that gives the representative die clear color or brightness contrast.
• Prevent automatic lighting changes or visible flicker where practical.

Follow the displayed recommendations, run the assistant again, and recalibrate after changing lights or exposure.

Windows Camera Settings and exposure

Joe's Real Rolls provides access to Windows Camera Settings from both the main window and Camera Settings. Use the Windows controls when the camera is consistently too bright, too dark, soft, or repeatedly changing exposure.

• Make small adjustments and return to the live preview after each one.
• Do not use brightness or exposure to compensate for poor room lighting when adding diffuse light is practical.
• Watch reflective and translucent dice carefully; an exposure that helps one die can create glare on another.
• After changing a Windows camera setting that materially changes the picture, rerun the Lighting Quality Assistant and recalibrate.

Calibrate the empty tray

Calibration teaches Joe's Real Rolls what the selected rolling area looks like without dice.

1. Confirm the correct camera, resolution, zoom, and Rolling Area.
2. Remove every die, hand, token, pencil, and loose object.
3. Make sure the tray and camera are completely still.
4. Select Camera → Calibrate Empty Tray and allow it to finish.
5. Make several fresh test rolls before changing any detection setting.

Camera and Detection adjustments

Keep the defaults unless repeated tests show a specific problem. Change one control at a time, recalibrate when appropriate, and test several fresh rolls before making another change. Individual factory-reset controls let you return one adjustment to its default without resetting everything.

• Difference threshold: increase it when shadows or small lighting changes are detected as objects. Decrease it when dice blend into the background and disappear.
• Minimum die area: increase it to ignore tiny reflections, tray texture, or small marks. Decrease it cautiously if genuinely small dice are being ignored.
• Motion threshold: adjust it when the application declares the tray stopped too soon or continues reporting movement after the dice settle.
• Maximum die box size: lower it to separate close dice more aggressively. Raise it if one large die is incorrectly divided.
• Rolling-area margin: increase it when tray walls or edge highlights are included. Remember that dice must remain inside the smaller usable area.

Test the completed setup

1. Choose Standalone so camera recognition is tested separately from a tabletop connection.
2. Confirm the intended Dice Set and active model.
3. Roll one familiar die several times in different parts of the tray.
4. Repeat with multiple separated dice.
5. Use Accept Roll when every result is correct and Fix Roll only for genuine recognition mistakes.

If the Factory Baseline performs well, you can start playing without personal training. Train your own dice only when fresh testing shows that a particular die needs additional help.

Camera troubleshooting: common problems and fixes

The camera is not listed

1. Confirm the camera is firmly connected and, for a USB camera, try another USB port if available.
2. Close any application that may already be using the camera.
3. Select Refresh Cameras, then choose the device by name.
4. If Windows also cannot see the camera, reconnect it or restart Windows before changing Joe's Real Rolls settings.

The preview is black, frozen, or unavailable

• Close video-conference, streaming, browser, and camera applications that may have exclusive access to the device.
• Disconnect and reconnect the camera, select Refresh Cameras, and choose it again.
• Try a camera resolution that Windows and the device reliably support.
• Confirm Windows camera privacy settings allow desktop applications to use the camera.

The wrong camera opens after reconnecting

Select the intended camera by its device name rather than relying on its camera number. Device numbers can change when cameras are disconnected, reconnected, or moved to another USB port.

The supplied resolution differs from the requested resolution

The camera or its driver did not provide the requested mode. Choose one of the working modes or use Find Highest Resolution (up to 4K). Favor a clear, stable preview and usable frame rate over the largest resolution. Select the Rolling Area again and recalibrate after changing resolution.

Dice are not detected

1. Confirm the correct camera is selected and the preview is moving normally.
2. Make sure every die is completely inside the Rolling Area and inward margin.
3. Remove all objects, improve lighting, and recalibrate the empty tray.
4. Decrease Difference threshold slightly if the dice blend into the tray.
5. Review Minimum die area if genuinely small dice are ignored.
6. Separate touching, overlapping, or partly hidden dice and roll again.

Shadows, glare, tray edges, or marks look like dice

1. Run the Lighting Quality Assistant and correct its recommendations.
2. Use broad, diffuse light and remove bright reflections or moving shadows.
3. Increase Difference threshold slightly.
4. Increase the Rolling Area margin if a tray wall or edge highlight is detected.
5. Increase Minimum die area when tiny reflections or tray marks are detected.
6. Recalibrate with a completely empty tray.

For detailed lighting fixes, see the Lighting Support guide.

Automatic capture never occurs

• Confirm the dice move after the previous capture and then become completely still.
• Keep hands, sleeves, and other objects outside the Rolling Area while capture is waiting.
• Secure a camera or table that continues moving after the dice settle.
• Adjust Motion threshold gradually if the tray never appears to settle.

Capture occurs before the dice finish moving

Increase Motion threshold gradually and test several fresh rolls. Also check whether part of the tray is outside the Rolling Area, because unseen motion cannot delay capture.

The captured images are blurry

1. Clean the lens with a suitable soft lens cloth and remove any protective film that may still cover a new camera.
2. Check focus at the tray distance. Wait briefly for autofocus to settle. If the camera supports manual focus in Windows Camera Settings, adjust it while viewing a die in the tray.
3. Check the camera distance. A camera mounted too close may be unable to focus because the tray is inside its minimum focusing distance. Raise the camera gradually until the dice become sharp while keeping the complete Rolling Area visible. Avoid mounting it so far away that the dice become very small or require heavy digital zoom.
4. Keep the camera still. Tighten the mount, keep the cable from pulling on it, and avoid table movement during capture.
5. Add broad, diffuse light. A brighter scene can reduce motion blur and help autofocus, while harsh glare should still be avoided.
6. Confirm the dice have stopped. If images are captured while dice are still moving, increase Motion threshold gradually and test several fresh rolls.
7. Use a stable supplied resolution and avoid excessive digital zoom. If the requested mode is not supplied reliably, choose a supported mode with a clear preview.
8. Adjust exposure cautiously. An overly long exposure can blur small movement. Use Windows Camera Settings when supported, then rerun the Lighting Quality Assistant.

If only part of the image is blurry, make sure the camera is square to the tray and the rolling surface is level. After changing focus, resolution, zoom, camera position, lighting, or exposure, select the Rolling Area again and recalibrate the empty tray.

The preview is soft, delayed, or unstable

• Try a lower stable resolution or frame rate.
• Close other applications using the same camera.
• Secure the camera mount and cable.
• Clean the lens and confirm autofocus is not repeatedly hunting.
• Use Windows Camera Settings to review focus or exposure where supported.
• After the picture is stable, select the Rolling Area again and recalibrate.

The image repeatedly becomes brighter, darker, or flickers

Remove changing daylight where practical, avoid visibly flickering lights, and use Windows Camera Settings to reduce automatic exposure changes where the camera supports it. Rerun the Lighting Quality Assistant and recalibrate after the image is stable.

Recognition is incorrect or shows Unknown

First prove that the physical setup is stable, the complete die face is sharp, and detection outlines the correct die. Test the Factory Baseline with several fresh rolls in Standalone. If only one die remains weak, use the Recognition Improvement Guide and personal training for that die. Camera corrections and model training solve different problems; correct the camera view before collecting more training images.

A detection adjustment made results worse

Return that individual control to its factory default, recalibrate, and test again. Change only one setting at a time so you can identify which adjustment helped.

The problem continues

Contact Support with the camera make and model, requested and supplied resolution, reported frame rate, Lighting Quality Assistant score, whether the problem occurs in Standalone, whether it affects one or multiple dice, and a clear description of what appears in the preview. Do not include license keys, credentials, or other sensitive information.

When to recalibrate

Recalibrate after any meaningful change to:

• The selected camera or its physical position.
• Resolution, frame rate, focus, exposure, or digital zoom.
• The tray, Rolling Area, or margin.
• Room lighting, lamp position, or strong daylight.
• Detection settings that change how the empty surface is interpreted.