From CAD to BeamNG.
A practical handbook for turning SolidWorks assemblies into reviewed BeamNG structures and vehicles.
Build understanding alongside the vehicle
Section titled “Build understanding alongside the vehicle”Start with real CAD ownership and physical inputs. Review the generated model, then measure its behaviour in BeamNG. This handbook covers the workflow and the reasoning behind it.
Your first CAD vehicleGo from a saved assembly to a reviewed inventory, physical package and first native checks.
Prepare a frameSelect bodies, inspect the hull, approve fixtures and calibrate against CAD-derived targets.
Change the appearanceBind new CAD meshes to existing physics and understand what an appearance revision preserves.
Work on the pipelineExplore the architecture, source layout, numerical models and contributor test workflow.
Three layers. Explicit connections.
Section titled “Three layers. Explicit connections.”
CAD observations, the physical graph and visible meshes have different jobs. Keeping them separate makes changes traceable and helps you diagnose the right layer.
Know what a result proves
Section titled “Know what a result proves”Generating a package, completing a recording and qualifying a vehicle are separate outcomes. The current project includes supported workflows, experimental settings and provisional physical models. Read the capability boundaries before applying example values to real hardware.
Verification explainedChoose frame screening, full vehicle acceptance or attachment tests, and interpret their receipts.
Selected milestonesFour short case studies showing how evidence changed the implementation—and what remained unresolved.