A system and method for calibrating a welding training apparatus. The system includes reference markers disposed in a 3-D space of a welding environment so as to have a known fixed orientation in the 3-D space of the welding environment. An image capturing device scans the welding environment, which includes a welding coupon (480A) or a workpiece (18, 480B). The image capturing device also captures an image of the welding environment. An object recognition device automatically identifies the welding coupon (480A) or the workpiece (18, 480B) in the captured image and automatically associates a weld path to the identified welding coupon (480A) or workpiece (18, 480B). A calibration device automatically calibrates the welding training apparatus by correlating the weld path to the 3-D space of the welding environment based on the reference markers.
