FiveM vehicle guides

Practical FiveM vehicle guides: adding an add-on vehicle, vehicles.meta, handling.meta, carcols and carvariations, vehicle layouts, data_file types, model files and fixes.

Buying FiveM vehicles

• Buying FiveM vehicles: what to check before you payBefore you buy FiveM cars or vehicles for your server: escrow and open files, LODs, the 16 MiB warning, frameworks, real brands, IDs and updates.Start here
• FiveM car packs vs single vehiclesFiveM car pack or single vehicles? What each costs in download size, memory and maintenance, with a simple rule for choosing.
• Real-brand cars on FiveM: allowed or not?Are real car brands allowed on FiveM servers? What Cfx.re said in 2023, what lore-friendly means, and how to check a car before buying.

Setup and install

• How to add an add-on vehicle to a FiveM serverAdd an add-on vehicle to FiveM: stream and data folders, an fxmanifest.lua with files and data_file lines, ensure in server.cfg, then spawn it by model name.Start here
• How to install a FiveM resource from Cfx.re Escrow (Granted Assets)Find your purchase in the Cfx.re Portal under Granted Assets, download the resource, add ensure to server.cfg and spawn it in game.
• How to add a custom vehicle to an ESX, QBCore or QBox serverHow a custom FiveM vehicle goes on an ESX, QBCore, QBox or standalone server: ensure it, spawn it, then add it to your framework vehicle list.
• How to fix "You lack the required entitlement" on a FiveM serverWhat "You lack the required entitlement" means on a FiveM server and how to fix it: restart, check which Cfx.re account owns the server key, transfer the asset.
• How to convert a single-player GTA 5 car mod to a FiveM add-onConvert a single-player GTA 5 car mod (dlc.rpf) to a FiveM add-on: extract the files, sort them into stream and data, write fxmanifest.lua, rename a replace mod.
• How a FiveM hoverboard works without a scriptHow a FiveM hoverboard works as a real vehicle with no script: flight handling, a stand-up vehicle layout, thruster effects, and how to install and spawn one.

Vehicle meta files

• vehicles.meta explained, field by fieldWhat vehicles.meta does in GTA 5 and FiveM and what each field means: modelName, txdName, handlingId, gameName, layout, lodDistances, flags, type and more.
• handling.meta explained: fields, units and flagsWhat each handling.meta field does in GTA 5 and FiveM: mass, drive force, top speed, brakes, traction curve, suspension, flags and sub-handling blocks, with units.
• carvariations.meta and carcols.meta explainedHow carvariations.meta and carcols.meta work in GTA 5 and FiveM: color combinations, liveries, mod kits and kit IDs, tuning parts, light and siren settings.
• vehiclelayouts.meta explained: seats, entry points and animationsHow vehiclelayouts.meta works in GTA 5 and FiveM: layouts, seats, entry points, clip set maps, and how a custom animation is hooked to one vehicle.
• fxmanifest data_file reference for vehiclesReference of fxmanifest.lua data_file types for FiveM vehicles: HANDLING_FILE, VEHICLE_METADATA_FILE, CARCOLS_FILE, VEHICLE_VARIATION_FILE, VEHICLE_LAYOUTS_FILE, with load order.

Making vehicles in Blender

• How to make a FiveM vehicle in Blender with Sollumz 2.9Make a FiveM vehicle in Blender with Sollumz 2.9: fragment structure, bones, vehicle shaders, light IDs, wheels, LODs, collision and export to .yft and .ytd.Start here
• How to optimise a FiveM vehicle: polygons, LODs and texture budgetHow to optimise a FiveM vehicle: the 16 MiB per file target, LOD levels and lodDistances, Sollumz Auto LOD settings and texture sizes by role, with real numbers.
• How to set up vehicle collision in SollumzSet up vehicle collision in Sollumz 2.9: bound types, linking each bound to a bone, collision materials, mass and flags, and why a car falls through the map.
• CodeWalker vs Sollumz: which tool for FiveM vehicles?CodeWalker vs Sollumz for FiveM vehicles: what each tool does, a task-by-task table, file formats, and when you need one, the other or both.

Models and troubleshooting

• What are LODs in FiveM vehicles?LOD means Level of Detail: simpler versions of a vehicle the game swaps in with distance. Why LODs matter on a FiveM server and what to check.
• Vehicle model files (yft, _hi.yft, ytd) and the oversized asset warningWhat .yft, _hi.yft and .ytd files are in a FiveM vehicle, what the "oversized assets" physical memory warning means, its 16/32/48/64 MiB steps and how to shrink files.
• FiveM add-on vehicle troubleshooting: causes and fixesFix a FiveM add-on vehicle that will not spawn, is invisible, has no textures, falls through the map, drives wrong or has no tuning parts. Cause and fix for each.