Welcome to Virtual Real Archery

Real Bow. Real Arrows. Virtual targets.

toxevo is a free interactive archery game that tracks your shots to control fantastic virtual worlds.
Grab your bow and experience the next level of archery.

Get started Watch the trailer Support us on Patreon

About TOXEVO

TOXEVO is an interactive archery game in which you shoot real arrows with your real bow at a target wall showing a video game.

Various different games

Moving targets. Time-based challenges. Puzzle games. An ever-expanding list of games to challenge both beginners and experts.

Precise arrow tracking

Using image recognition, TOXEVO tracks the exact impact location of your arrows in the blink of an eye.

Use any bow & arrows

No matter what equipment you prefer, as long as the arrow sticks in the wall you can use it to play.

Compete online

All TOXEVO instances are connected. See how you compare to other players around the globe and take part in special challenges.

Track your progress

TOXEVO keeps some statistics about your performance. Keep track of how your skills evolve over time.

For everyone

Built around cost-efficient off-the-shelf hardware, to be affordable for individuals and clubs.

TOXEVO is named after the ancient greek word τοξεύω (transliterated: toxeúō).
toxeúō means "to shoot with a bow" or "hit with an arrow" - combined with evolution it becomes tox-evo: TOXEVO.

Start playing!

Get your own toxevo arena up and running!

Join the community on Discord!

Talk to the team and other toxevo users.

How it works

On the wall, a projector is displaying one of many exciting interactive games.
Triggered by an impact sensor, a camera tracks the impacts of your arrows, to allow your arrows to interact with the virtual world.
TOXEVO keeps track of your score and connects you with other players from all over the world.

Please read through the list below in detail before you start building your own arena.

Building a TOXEVO arena requires some space. Even though there is no technical minimum, we recommend a room of about 8x3 meters or larger.

You can play TOXEVO with your usual bow and arrows. No need for special archery equipment.

Tips & Tricks
  • There are no technical limits to the size of your arena (or your , for that matter). No minimum, no maximum.
  • Keep in mind that shooting at moving targets is quite different from shooting static targets. We recommend a shooting distance of 8-10 meters.
  • TOXEVO works with all bows and arrows. If your wall permits, Compound bows or crossbows are no problem.
  • Playing in a room with low light will result in a nicer looking projection.
  • Playing outside is possible, but might lead to errors with the arrow detection. Try to keep the lighting conditions stable.
  • TOXEVO has been proven to work with crossbows, blowguns and even darts. As long as it's an arrow and sticks to the wall, give it a try!

The impact sensor is a small, Arduino-based component that is triggered whenever the target wall moves, i.e. after the impact of an arrow.

After an impact is detected, the sensor signals the to start detecting the exact impact location using image processing.

Tips & Tricks
  • The sensor is connected to the PC via USB.
  • Make sure to use an active USB cable if you need to cover a distance of more than 5 meters.
  • You can buy the sensor directly from Arduino or through one of their worldwide distributors (not all of them carry the Nano 33 IoT).
  • Stick the sensor in your wall using the metal pins.
  • The Arduino board is flashed automatically by the TOXEVO software. No extra Setup required.
  • You can 3D-print a case for the sensor using this model on thingiverse.com.

The camera is pointed at the . The captured images are processed on the to determine the arrow's impact location.

Tips & Tricks
  • TOXEVO will work with most Full-HD webcams.
  • The camera has to support MJPEG compression.
  • The camera has to support manual focus and manual gain settings.
  • If you want that extra bit of detection accuracy, TOXEVO is also compatible with 4K-cameras.
  • A 4K camera might add a few millimeters of precision to the arrow detection, but will also take a bit more CPU power (or add some delay to image processing).
  • 4K cameras usually require a USB 3.0 or 3.1 connection.
  • 60 fps are not required.
  • The surface of your is more important for detection accuracy than the camera resolution!
  • The camera has to have the same orientation as your . If your projector is ceiling mounted, your camera has to be, too.
  • Move your camera as close to the target wall as possible.
  • We have verified TOXEVO to work with the following cams:

At the heart of TOXEVO is a "normal" PC. It runs the games and the image processing.
The software is built using the Unity Engine.

System Requirements

TOXEVO does not require too much power to run smoothly.
With the components listed here, you can enjoy the game in Full-HD resolution.
For lower resolutions, reduce the requirements accordingly.

  • 3GHz quad-core CPU
  • 8 GB RAM
  • AMD RX 590 graphics card (oder vergleichbar)
  • 2 GB disk space
  • Windows 10 or 11
  • You need a permanent internet connection to play.

A commercial-off-the-shelf projector to project the games onto the .

Tips & Tricks
  • Similar to the camera, TOXEVO should work with any commercial-off-the-shelf projector
  • We recommend a native resolution of at least 720p.
  • For the best effect, pick a model with a high light output.
  • A projector with low input lag will speed up arrow detection even further and increase the detection accuracy.
  • The projector has to have the same orientation as your . If your camera is ceiling mounted, your projector has to be, too.
  • Make sure to turn OFF any features that automatically adapt the image, such as:
    • Automatic brightness control
    • Automatic color adjustments
    • Automatic contrast adjustments
    • Automatic keystone settings
    • ECO mode
    • Light-sensing technologies (e.g. ACER LumiSense™ and other similar technologies)
    • Any others that alter the projection automatically in any way

Standard archery targets are grouped together (e.g. with a tension belt) to form a wall to shoot at.

The wall's surface has to be projection and webcam friendly.

Tips & Tricks
  • The wall can have any size. As long as you can onto it and capture it with your , feel free to go big.
  • The wall has to fulfill three requirements, in order of importance:
    • Stop your arrows safely. The arrows have to stick solidly in the wall.
    • Offer a good, clean, unicolor surface for arrow detection.
    • Offer a good surface to be projected on.
  • We recommend building a wall of two layers: a thick back layer to stop the arrows, and a thin front layer for arrow detection and projection
  • The back layer can be made of target foam, straw, wood chips, etc. Whatever you are using now will work, as long as it is mostly flat. Keep in mind that you'll probably shoot from a shorter distance than usual.
  • The thin front layer should ideally offer a white, as-flat-as-possible surface.
    • Try your best to build a wall with as few gaps as possible.
    • We highly recommend a thin (e.g. 2 centimeters) layer of white Ethafoam (or similar).
    • This gives you vivid colors for projection without having different-colored holes to irritating the camera.
    • For best results, glue this thin front to your back layer.
    • Once the thin surface layer is destroyed, you can just glue another layer of Ethafoam in front of it.
    • Shooting paper works as well, but has to be replaced much more often and might cause faults in the arrow detection.

For convenience, it is possible to control TOXEVO with a foot pedal instead of a mouse.
This model is tried and tested by us: https://www.elgato.com/de/stream-deck-pedal.
However, most other pedals should also work, as long as they have a mode to trigger a key press event.

Configuration

We recommend a foot pedal with three pedals. However, having fewer also works (but not as nicely).

  • Configure your foot pedal to have the biggest pedal for the ENTER key.
    This key spawns new targets immediately and can be used to start a game from the menu.
  • Another pedal should be configured for the ESC key.
    This key pauses the currently running game or goes one level back in the menu.
  • Lastly, configure your third foot pedal to use the TAB key.
    You can use this to cycle through buttons in the UI.

TLDR; Here's a summary of everything you require to build your own arena:

Start playing!

It's time for you to build your own toxevo arena!

About us

Image of Bernhard

Bernhard

FOUNDER

When I found out about interactive archery games, I got all excited: Being able to have fun with archery at home, independent of weather and time of day. And with a huge variety of games. Yay!

I'm a software engineer by trade and always had a passion for computer games as well as the point of contact between the virtual and physical world. Aside from writing software, I'm a married father of two amazing girls. I live in Vienna, Austria.

Image of Gian-Franco

Gian-Franco

CO-FOUNDER

I'm from Paderborn (Germany) and started practicing archery 6 years ago. The idea of bringing together two of my hobbies - archery and PC gaming - has fascinated me from the start. An archery cinema that has both hunting scenes and a gaming aspect, and all that within my own home! Realizing this idea for a large community of people is what keeps me going.

I am happy to be part of the TOXEVO team and to realize this amazing project together!

Image of Werner

Werner

DEVELOPER

Programming and archery have been a part of my life for a long time. Since 2013 I practice 3D archery at "Schützenverein Ehlershausen" (Germany, Hannover Region).

Shooting at moving targets is particularly fascinating for me, boosting both my psychological and physiological balance and well-being. For me, TOXEVO stands for TOXophilus (as in Roger Ascham's 1545 book) and EVOlution, the continuous change and strive for knowledge.

Subscribe to the newsletter!

Discord is not your thing? Stay informed on the most important topics.

TOXEVO is built on your support

We are providing the game to you for free, to use as you wish.
You can use it for yourself, your family and friends,
play together in your archery club,
use it for public events,
and even use it commercially.

However, we need your support to run TOXEVO.
Operations, service and improvements to the game require quite some time and money.
With a small monthly donation of your choice, we can keep improving and extending the virtual shooting range.

We are using Patreon to manage your contribution to TOXEVO.
Patreon offers all common payment methods like credit card, PayPal etc. Using this platform
enables us to build a world-wide community of supporters with very little organizational overhead.

You can change or cancel your subscription with our Patreon at any time.
It's your own personal choice, how much using TOXEVO is worth to you.
Here are some suggestions as guidance:

  • Personal use with your friends and family: 3-10€
  • Archery club (without selling hourly access): 15-50€
  • Use in a commercial setting without selling hourly access: 25-75€
    • For example, as a fun way for your customers to test new bows in your archery store
    • or as the grand finale of an instinctive archery workshop
  • Running a commercial TOXEVO arena: 10-15% of your expected revenue

Thank you for supporting us!

Get Started

Buy the components. Built on cost-efficient off-the-shelf hardware.

Build your TOXEVO arena. You can get help in our Discord if you're stuck.

Download the software and unzip it.
You're ready to play!

If you enjoy the game, please support us on Patreon. Thank you!

Support us on Patreon!

Your donation helps us run and improve TOXEVO. Thank you!

Get in touch

The data sent by this form is only processed to handle your request. By sending your message, you confirm to have taken notice of our privacy policy.