Billiard Shot Studio 3.0 rebuilt the app around a new physics engine. Version 3.1 adds more tables, new ways to share shots, and finer control over the cue. This post covers what's changed since 2.0.
A new engine, and playback you can slow down
Every shot now runs on the new simulation engine. Set up the balls, adjust aim, speed, and spin, and the predicted paths update as you edit.
Playback is far more detailed. Previous and Next buttons beside the playback slider step through a shot one frame at a time; hold either button to keep stepping. In 3.1, hold the Play button to pick a speed from 2× down to 1/32×. Shots are now recorded at 240 Hz and smoothed between frames, so even 1/32× plays back cleanly.
3.1 also adds two display options in Settings › Shot Editor. Both are off by default.
- Spin Indicator draws the cue ball's english as an arc around it and its follow or draw as an arrow, sized by how much spin the ball carries.
- Playback Effects add motion trails and flashes at the cue strike, ball contacts, cushion hits, and pocket drops.
You can also choose a cue ball style. Two-tone and Two caps join Classic and Measle, and every style turns with the ball during playback, so you can watch the spin.
More tables
3.1 adds 7- and 9-foot pool tables, a 9-foot Heyball table, 10- and 12-foot snooker tables, and a 10-foot carom table alongside the original 8-foot pool table. All of them are free. Snooker tables show the baulk line, the D, and the colour spots. The carom table has no pockets and shows its rail diamonds and starting spots.
Choose a table with the Table button in the sidebar. Changing size within a game keeps the balls in the same relative places. Switching to a different game starts a new shot, and Undo brings the old one back.
Each game also has its own cloth. In Settings › Shot Editor › Table Cloth, pick Standard, Tournament Blue, Championship Green, Simonis Blue, Wine, Tobacco, or Charcoal separately for pool, snooker, and carom.
Share a link or a video
Shot Links. Choose Share Shot from the shot menu (tap the shot's name) to create a link and a QR code for the exact setup: table, balls, aim, spin, speed, elevation, and cue ball deflection. Anyone with Billiard Shot Studio can open the link and load the shot without an account. Creating a link is free but requires sign-in. The link leaves out the shot's name, notes, planning aids, and display preferences. Shot Links are public and can't be revoked once created.
Video export. From the shot menu, choose Export › Export Video to turn the current simulation into a silent portrait clip at your playback speed. If Spin Indicator or Playback Effects are on, they appear in the video. Save the clip to Photos or share it. Video export is free and works without signing in.
Cue, aim, and the controls around them
The cue stick. In 3.1 the cue tilts as you raise it, shifts sideways with tip offset, and casts a shadow when it's elevated. Tap the selected cue stick again to open its popover with Cue Elevation (0–85°) and the new Cue Ball Deflection slider. Deflection is off by default. Turn it up, and side spin pushes the cue ball off the aim line: from about 1° to 3.4° at maximum side spin on a pool ball, depending on the level. The aim guides stay on the line you aimed. Find Positioning Shot, pocket searches, Pocket Aim Lock, and Random Shot all account for deflection.
Zoom and fine aim. Pinch to zoom the table up to 4×, during playback too. Select the cue for a fine-aim slider that covers ±1° in 0.01° steps, plus 0.01° nudge buttons. Tap the angle readout to type an exact angle.
Aim preview. In 3.1 the Aim popup also shows the other balls, so you can see when one is in the way.
Movable popups. The Aim, Cue tip, and cue stick popups now have a handle. Drag one anywhere on screen to keep it clear of the shot, and double-tap the handle to put it back. Each popup reopens where you left it.
Pocket and position tools
Tap a pocket to open a menu for the selected object ball. In 3.1 this works with nothing selected too: the menu uses the ball the cue ball is aimed at. All three tools are free.
- Find Shot searches automatically for an aim and speed that pot the ball directly into that pocket, keeping your spin and elevation. Some setups have no direct pot, and the app tells you when it can't find one.
- Pocket Aim Lock (new in 3.1) runs the same search, then keeps the pot locked. Move balls or change speed and spin, and the aim follows. If an edit leaves no direct pot, the lock breaks and the app tells you. Changing the aim yourself releases the lock.
- Shape Zone shows where the cue ball can be to pot the ball in that pocket. As of 3.1 it's free.
Find Positioning Shot. Select an object ball, tap it again, choose Find Positioning Shot, then tap where you want the cue ball to stop. The search runs on the new engine. It looks for a shot that pots the ball and sends the cue ball toward your spot, and replays each candidate to check it. In 3.1, once you have a result, drag the target to a new spot and the search runs again, so you can explore nearby positions. Your first successful positioning search each day is free; more require Premium, and dragging the target doesn't count toward the limit. Some setups have no result.
Practice generators (Premium)
Find these under More (⋯) › Generators.
- Random Shot now lets you choose what kind of shot you get: corner or side pocket, object ball and cue ball distances, cut angle, speed, sidespin, and cue ball action (draw, stun, or follow). Every generated shot is checked for a direct pot.
- Break setups rack 8-ball, 9-ball, or 10-ball with the cue ball on the head spot, ready to break. 8-ball and 10-ball follow WPA racking rules.
- Snooker Rack (new in 3.1) sets up a full snooker break-off.
Random 8-, 9-, and 10-ball layouts are still available too.
Library improvements
Shot Library search in 3.1 matches your notes as well as shot names. Matches are highlighted, and when the match is in the notes, a short excerpt appears in the list. When you open a shot from a collection, the shot menu now offers Previous Shot and Next Shot, labeled with their names, so you can step through a collection without going back to the Library.
And more
- Guided tutorial. A ten-step tour of the editor appears the first time you open the app. Replay it anytime from Settings › Support › Show Tutorial.
- Reset Shot Editor. In 3.1, one button in Settings › Shot Editor restores the editor's settings, ball paths, and playback speed to their defaults and starts a fresh shot. Your saved shots and account aren't affected.
- Watermark removal. Image and video exports include a BilliardShotStudio.com footer. With Premium, you can turn it off in Settings › Shot Editor › Export.
Try it
Billiard Shot Studio is free on the App Store and Google Play Store. Simulation, playback, image and video export, Shot Links, the pocket tools, and your first two object balls are free. Premium adds more object balls, saving new shots to your cloud Library, collections, the practice generators, watermark removal, and more than one successful positioning search per day.
