TRAVL driving simulator virtual worlds (Part IV): Scenario-based vehicle testing using BeamNG.tech

First-person driver perspective inside the BeamNG software environment.

By CSEE staff

Published April 20, 2026

The Transportation Research and Visualization Laboratory (TRAVL) at the University at Buffalo is home to two world-class driving simulators: the high-fidelity, full-motion simRING, outfitted with a full Mustang passenger cabin, and the smaller-scale miniSIM, used for co-simulation applications, prototype driver testing and validation.

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Using these simulators, researchers have developed a range of virtual environments that allow participants to engage with diverse driving scenarios. In addition to its in-house driving simulation environments, TRAVL has recently incorporated BeamNG.drive, a realistic vehicle simulation “sandbox” game engine. The software is user-modifiable and known for its detailed soft-body physics for realistic driving, handling and collision dynamics.

Building on the software’s popularity in the gaming community and research potential, TRAVL has adopted BeamNG.tech, a professional, customizable, real-time vehicle simulation platform. The lab secured a free renewable academic license for BeamNG.tech in 2023.

Graphic displaying three images. First image is of a yellow car: Above the car in red text reads "Subject vehicle," and below the car in black text on a yellow background reads "Track lead vehicle with red sphere proximal to front bumper" with a blue arrow extending from the yellow background pointing to a red dot at the front of the yellow car. Second image is of a transparent car: Above the car in black text reads "Direction of a travel" with a red dotted arrow pointing to the right. Below in red text reads "Sphere vehicle open parenthesis transparent closed parenthesis." Below the transparent car in black text reads "Following distance" with one blue arow point left towards the yellow car and a second blue arrow pointing right towards a third car. Under the "Following distance" there is black bolded text that reads "Headway open parenthesis H closed parenthesis." Third image is of a black car: Above the black car in red text reads "Lead vehicle," and below the black car in black text reads "Travel speed open parenthesis V closed parethesis" wiht a blue arrow pointing right.

BeamNG.tech is designed for industrial applications, including advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous vehicle development, training and human factors research. The platform supports realistic sensor simulation, such as LiDAR and multi-camera systems, and includes tools for creating custom scenarios and testing artificial intelligence driving algorithms. Custom development tools include built-in editors for content creation using Lua scripting, as well as external tools like Blender, Python and Visual Studio Code for advanced modifications.

The platform also includes a series of pre-packaged virtual driving environments available for immediate use on the Fandom BeamNG.drive Wikia.

Researchers can also design custom environments tailored to specific user needs.

Since acquiring BeamNG.tech, TRAVL researchers and collaborators have used both pre-packaged and custom developed environments for pilot research applications. One recent project examined driver behavior in next-generation automated driving scenarios, including coordinated formation approaches, or platooning. Researchers developed a custom simulation to analyze driving scenarios like travel speed and following distance, while measuring reaction time of braking behavior and collision risk.

TRAVL is a flagship research facility affiliated with the Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics. Through its interdisciplinary research and graduate programs, the institute advances collaboration and innovation aimed at improving transportation systems worldwide.