Offroad Vehicle Library

R2026b
Since R2026b

Test controllers, plan paths, and simulate autonomous offroad vehicles in realistic 3D environments. The Offroad Vehicle Library provides predefined vehicle models that you can use both programmatically in MATLAB and in Simulink with Unreal Engine® scenes.

Each vehicle includes a rigidBodyTree model with visual and collision meshes, geometric parameters, performance limits, and a kinematic motion model.

Use the loadvehicle function to load any vehicle model from the Offroad Vehicle Library. 

[vehicle,vehicleData] = loadvehicle("dumptruck");

Available Vehicles

VehicleDescriptionloadvehicle TypeSimulation 3D Block
Dump Truck

Rigid frame, front-wheel steering, six wheels on three axles. Applications include hauling on structured construction routes.

For more information, see Dump Truck.

"dumptruck"

Dump truck rigid body tree model

Simulation 3D Physics Dump Truck

Dump truck in Unreal Engine simulation environment

Haul Truck

Four wheels on two axles, front-wheel steering. Applications include material transport on wide haul roads in open-pit mining.

For more information, see Haul Truck.

"haultruck"

Haul truck rigid body tree model

Simulation 3D Haul Truck

Haul truck in Unreal Engine simulation environment

Agricultural Tractor

Four wheels on two axles with different front/rear wheel sizes. Applications include row-following and headland turning for vineyards.

For more information, see Agricultural Tractor.

"agriculturaltractor"

Agricultural tractor rigid body tree model

Simulation 3D Agricultural Tractor

Agricultural tractor in Unreal Engine simulation environment

Vehicle Parameters

The second output of loadvehicle is a vehicleData structure containing everything you need to configure planners, controllers, and simulation blocks.

CategoryFieldsDescription
Geometric

  • WheelBase, RearAxleWheelBase

  • TrackWidth, FrontTrackWidth, RearTrackWidth

  • WheelRadius, FrontWheelRadius, RearWheelRadius

  • MinTurningRadius

Derived from the rigid body tree geometry. Available fields depend on the vehicle (for example, vehicles with different front and rear wheel sizes provide separate radius fields). Use these to configure path planners and state validators.
Performance

  • MaxForwardSpeed

  • MaxReverseSpeed

Based on real-world vehicle specifications. Use these to set speed constraints on controllers and trajectory generators.
Motion Model

  • MotionModel

A kinematic model, such as a bicycleKinematics object, configured with the vehicle's wheel base, maximum steering angle, and speed range. Pass directly to path planners and trajectory generators.

For full field descriptions, see the loadvehicle reference page.

Common Workflows

After loading a vehicle, use it in these workflows:

  • Controller testing and trajectory tracking — Test controllers with the vehicle motion model, either by integrating your own controller or by using a prebuilt option such as offroadControllerMPPI, to track planned paths while respecting the vehicle's speed and steering limits.

  • Path planning — Pass vehicleData.MinTurningRadius and vehicleData.MotionModel to planners like plannerRRTStar (Navigation Toolbox) or plannerHybridAStar (Navigation Toolbox) to generate kinematically feasible paths.

  • 3D simulation — Add the corresponding Simulation 3D block to a Simulink model to visualize and test your autonomy stack in a photorealistic environment.

See Also

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