Disclosed is a spray paint simulator and training aid including a mock paint sprayer, a trigger sensor of the mock paint sprayer, a head-mounted display unit, a motion tracking system for tracking a position and an orientation of the mock paint sprayer and the head-mounted display unit, a computer running software operable to display a virtual object and a virtual paint sprayer on the head-mounted display and, in response to an input from the trigger sensor, simulate the accumulation of paint on the virtual object, wherein the simulating the accumulation of paint includes generating a plurality of vectors extending between the virtual paint sprayer and the virtual object within a dispersion pattern.