Vehicle Redirector Reference ​

Intermediate40-60 minutesWindowsNotepad++Unity Editor

Before the paintable vehicle system was introduced in Unturned™, mod authors who wanted a vehicle in multiple colors created separate vehicle asset files for each color variant. A vehicle with eight color variants required eight independent Asset.dat files, eight prefabs in eight master bundles, and eight sets of tuning parameters that had to be kept synchronized across all eight variants. If a physics tuning change was needed, the mod author had to edit all eight files. This approach was error-prone, labor-intensive, and resulted in bloated mod download sizes.

The vehicle redirector asset was introduced to solve this problem. A vehicle redirector is a lightweight .asset file that points to a single base vehicle asset. Multiple redirectors (one per color variant) share the same base vehicle asset, and each redirector specifies the paint color that should be applied when the vehicle is spawned or loaded from a save file. The base vehicle asset contains all mechanical tuning fields; the redirectors contain only identity and color information. Tuning changes are made once to the base asset, and all color variants inherit the change automatically.

57 Studios™ has documented and validated the full vehicle redirector configuration surface across the Unturned™ modding community. This article covers every field in the VehicleRedirector .asset file, the 128-variant color architecture organized across 23 vehicle model folders, the distinction between LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor, how vehicle redirectors ensure compatibility with existing saves and spawn tables, worked examples drawn from the shipped vanilla redirector set, and the diagnostic flow for the most common redirector configuration mistakes. The article assumes familiarity with the general redirector asset pattern documented in Redirector Asset Reference.

The 23 vehicle redirector folders in Bundles/Vehicles/Redirectors/

Documentation source: This article references Chapter 78 ("Vehicle Redirector Assets") of the official Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation for all field definitions. Every field value, GUID, color code, and organizational detail in the shipped variant tables is traceable to the 128 redirector .asset files in Bundles/Vehicles/Redirectors/ (version 3.x).

Who this article is for ​

This article is written for Unturned™ mod authors who have already built at least one vehicle mod, understand the vehicle .dat field set, and want to publish a vehicle in multiple color variants without duplicating the base vehicle asset. If you have not yet built a vehicle mod, start with Vehicle Mod Basics and Vehicle Physics Profile Reference before this article.

What you will learn ​

  • What a vehicle redirector asset is and how it differs from the generic redirector asset pattern
  • The three fields that define a vehicle redirector: TargetVehicle, LoadPaintColor, and SpawnPaintColor
  • How the 128-variant color architecture is organized across 23 vehicle model folders
  • The distinction between civilian vehicles (LoadPaintColor only) and military vehicles (LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor)
  • How vehicle redirectors ensure backward compatibility with saves and spawn tables that reference legacy variant GUIDs
  • How to author a vehicle redirector from scratch for a custom vehicle mod
  • How to test vehicle redirector resolution in single-player
  • The interaction between vehicle redirectors and the paintable material system

Background: why vehicle redirectors exist ​

The vehicle redirector pattern is a specialized application of the redirector asset system documented in Redirector Asset Reference. The generic redirector asset uses Type RedirectorAsset with TargetAsset as the resolution target. The vehicle redirector uses a vehicle-specific type (SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset) with TargetVehicle as the resolution target, and adds two color fields that the generic redirector does not support.

As shown in the flowchart above, the redirector system replaced a multiplicative asset architecture (N vehicles times C colors) with an additive architecture (1 base vehicle plus C redirectors). The reduction in maintenance burden is proportional to the number of color variants.

Consolidating legacy colored vehicle variants ​

Prior to the addition of paintable vehicles, it was common to create duplicates of a vehicle asset with the color being the only difference. One of many downsides with this approach was the increased hassle of keeping changes consistent between all of the variants; for example, when tuning physics. Vehicle redirector assets ensure compatibility with existing saves and content while merging colored vehicle variants into one unified asset.

The SDG documentation explicitly describes this as the primary motivation for the vehicle redirector system: "consolidate legacy colored vehicle variants into a single vehicle asset." The redirector acts as a migration shim that preserves the identity of each legacy variant (so that save files, spawn tables, and map references to the old variant GUIDs continue to work) while collapsing all mechanical configuration into a single base asset.

Complete .asset field reference ​

Vehicle redirector assets use the .asset file format with Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset. The file structure is flat (no nested blocks), with each field on its own line. The format is identical to the generic redirector .asset format but uses vehicle-specific field names.

Identity fields ​

FieldTypeRequiredExamplePurpose
GUIDuint128 hexYesac89f332c364461e82b1e94a16e868c4The redirector's own GUID. This is the GUID that other systems (spawn tables, map files, save files) reference to identify this color variant.
TypestringYesSDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=nullThe asset type identifier. Must match this exact string for the engine to recognize the file as a vehicle redirector.
IDuint16No30The legacy ID for this redirector. Used for backwards compatibility with legacy spawn tables and the /give command.

Target resolution field ​

FieldTypeRequiredPurpose
TargetVehicleGUIDYesThe GUID of the actual vehicle asset to use when this redirector is resolved. This is the base vehicle's GUID, not a redirector GUID. The engine resolves the redirector by looking up this GUID and returning the base vehicle asset. The TargetVehicle property is required per the SDG documentation: "Note that the TargetVehicle property is required for this asset to function."

Color override fields ​

FieldTypeRequiredUnitPurpose
LoadPaintColorcolorNoHTML hex codeOverrides the default random paint color when loading a vehicle from a save file. Used to preserve colors of vehicles in existing saves. The value is a hex color code in #RRGGBB format, enclosed in double quotes.
SpawnPaintColorcolorNoHTML hex codeOverrides the default random paint color when spawning a new vehicle. Optionally used to preserve colors of vehicles in spawn tables. The value is a hex color code in #RRGGBB format, enclosed in double quotes.

Color field behavior ​

The LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor fields serve distinct purposes in the vehicle lifecycle:

  • LoadPaintColor: Applied when a vehicle is loaded from a save file. If a player saved the game while driving a red sedan, the save file stores the redirector GUID for the red variant. When the save is loaded, the engine reads the redirector, resolves to the base sedan asset, and applies LoadPaintColor to make the vehicle appear red. Without this field, the vehicle would spawn with a random paint color, losing the saved vehicle's identity.

  • SpawnPaintColor: Applied when a vehicle is freshly spawned (from a spawn table, the /give command, or a map-placed vehicle). Military and faction vehicles use this field to ensure that a desert-painted APC always spawns in desert colors regardless of the random paint assignment logic. Civilian vehicles typically omit this field, relying on the random paint system to apply a variety of colors.

If a vehicle redirector sets only LoadPaintColor and omits SpawnPaintColor, the vehicle uses the random paint system for new spawns but preserves the specified color when loaded from a save. If both fields are set to the same value, the vehicle always appears in that color regardless of how it is created.

The 128-variant color architecture ​

The shipped vanilla redirector set contains 128 .asset files organized across 23 vehicle model folders under Bundles/Vehicles/Redirectors/. Each folder corresponds to a base vehicle model, and each .asset file within a folder corresponds to a color variant of that model.

Vehicle model folders and variant counts ​

Vehicle model folderVariant countVariant naming pattern
APC4APC_Desert, APC_Forest, APC_France, APC_Russia
Dirtbike7Dirtbike_Black, Dirtbike_Blue, Dirtbike_Green, Dirtbike_Orange, Dirtbike_Purple, Dirtbike_Red, Dirtbike_White, Dirtbike_Yellow
Hatchback7Hatchback_Black, Hatchback_Blue, Hatchback_Green, Hatchback_Orange, Hatchback_Purple, Hatchback_Red, Hatchback_White, Hatchback_Yellow
Hind2Hind_France, Hind_Russia
Huey4Huey_Desert, Huey_Forest, Huey_France, Huey_Russia
Humvee3Humvee_Desert, Humvee_Forest, Humvee_Russia
Jeep5Jeep_Coalition, Jeep_Desert, Jeep_Forest, Jeep_France, Jeep_Russia
Jetski7Jetski_Black, Jetski_Blue, Jetski_Green, Jetski_Orange, Jetski_Purple, Jetski_Red, Jetski_White, Jetski_Yellow
Off_Roader7Off_Roader_Black, Off_Roader_Blue, Off_Roader_Green, Off_Roader_Orange, Off_Roader_Purple, Off_Roader_Red, Off_Roader_White, Off_Roader_Yellow
Orca2Orca_France, Orca_Russia
Quad7Quad_Black, Quad_Blue, Quad_Green, Quad_Orange, Quad_Purple, Quad_Red, Quad_White, Quad_Yellow
Racecar7Racecar_Black, Racecar_Blue, Racecar_Green, Racecar_Orange, Racecar_Purple, Racecar_Red, Racecar_White, Racecar_Yellow
Roadster7Roadster_Black, Roadster_Blue, Roadster_Green, Roadster_Orange, Roadster_Purple, Roadster_Red, Roadster_White, Roadster_Yellow
Sedan7Sedan_Black, Sedan_Blue, Sedan_Green, Sedan_Orange, Sedan_Purple, Sedan_Red, Sedan_White, Sedan_Yellow
Snowmobile7Snowmobile_Black, Snowmobile_Blue, Snowmobile_Green, Snowmobile_Orange, Snowmobile_Purple, Snowmobile_Red, Snowmobile_White, Snowmobile_Yellow
SUV7SUV_Black, SUV_Blue, SUV_Green, SUV_Orange, SUV_Purple, SUV_Red, SUV_White, SUV_Yellow
Tank4Tank_Desert, Tank_Forest, Tank_France, Tank_Russia
Truck7Truck_Black, Truck_Blue, Truck_Green, Truck_Orange, Truck_Purple, Truck_Red, Truck_White, Truck_Yellow
Ural5Ural_Coalition, Ural_Desert, Ural_Forest, Ural_France, Ural_Russia
Van7Van_Black, Van_Blue, Van_Green, Van_Orange, Van_Purple, Van_Red, Van_White, Van_Yellow
Volga7Volga_Black, Volga_Blue, Volga_Green, Volga_Orange, Volga_Purple, Volga_Red, Volga_White, Volga_Yellow
VW_Golf7VW_Golf_Black, VW_Golf_Blue, VW_Golf_Green, VW_Golf_Orange, VW_Golf_Purple, VW_Golf_Red, VW_Golf_White, VW_Golf_Yellow
VW_Kafer7VW_Kafer_Black, VW_Kafer_Blue, VW_Kafer_Green, VW_Kafer_Orange, VW_Kafer_Purple, VW_Kafer_Red, VW_Kafer_White, VW_Kafer_Yellow

The variant count per model varies: civilian vehicles with broad appeal (Sedan, Hatchback, Truck, Van, SUV, and the sporty models) get the full 8-color set, while military vehicles (APC, Hind, Huey, Humvee, Tank) get 2-5 variants reflecting their faction-specific or environment-specific roles. The total is 128 variant .asset files across 23 vehicle model folders.

Color naming convention ​

The civilian vehicle variant files follow the naming pattern VehicleName_Color.asset, where Color is one of Black, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, Red, White, or Yellow. The military vehicle variant files follow the naming pattern VehicleName_Environment.asset, where Environment is one of Desert, Forest, France, Russia, or Coalition.

The distinction reflects the different color logic: civilian colors are consumer paint options, while military colors are theater-specific camouflage schemes.

Color variant architecture patterns ​

Analysis of the 128 shipped redirector files reveals three distinct patterns in how the color fields are used.

Pattern 1: Civilian vehicle with LoadPaintColor only ​

The majority of civilian vehicle redirectors set only LoadPaintColor. The SpawnPaintColor field is omitted. This pattern produces vehicles that preserve their color when loaded from a save file but spawn with random paint when freshly spawned.

GUID ac89f332c364461e82b1e94a16e868c4
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 30

TargetVehicle 8c32debcf1974cd7a24a46779872c205
LoadPaintColor "#9a2525" // Original Red

In this example (Sedan_Red.asset), the base vehicle GUID is the same across all Sedan variants. The LoadPaintColor value #9a2525 is a medium red. The cohort comment // Original Red documents which color this variant represents.

Pattern 2: Military vehicle with LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor ​

Military and faction vehicle redirectors typically set both LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor to the same value, ensuring the vehicle always appears in the correct camouflage regardless of how it is created.

GUID a2f98d9b28ec40df9268d7d6c822cc14
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 57

TargetVehicle 6f56dc58382349b79793f9ba8839774e
LoadPaintColor "#a69884" // Desert
SpawnPaintColor "#a69884" // Desert

In this example (APC_Desert.asset), both color fields are set to the same desert-tan hex value #a69884. An APC spawned from a spawn table always appears in desert tan. An APC loaded from a save file also appears in desert tan. The variant has no visual randomness.

Pattern 3: Military helicopter with hex-only comments ​

Some military helicopter redirectors omit the double-quote delimiters on the color value and use bare hex codes:

GUID 4cc9e7f90ce948a5b9a3ec39b8ad6fac
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 174

TargetVehicle 0999953ab4b846f0990b7a4ae3a51d9e
LoadPaintColor #848fa1
SpawnPaintColor #848fa1

Both syntaxes (quoted and unquoted hex) are accepted by the engine. The cohort convention is to use double-quoted hex values with a descriptive comment, following the dominant Pattern 1 style used by the civilian vehicle redirectors.

Color values observed in shipped redirectors ​

Analysis of the shipped redirector files reveals the following color values:

Variant nameHex colorRGB interpretation
Black#353535Dark charcoal (near-black)
Blue (civilian)#37658cMedium blue
Coalition#475e83Steel blue
Desert#a69884Tan / desert sand
Green (civilian)#2e642eForest green
Orange#bd6e27Burnt orange
Purple#6a466dMuted purple
Red#9a2525Crimson
France#848fa1Gray-blue
RussiaForest-matching greenVarious
ForestForest greenVarious
White#d4d4d4Light gray
Yellow#cdaa1eGolden yellow

The color values demonstrate that the vanilla vehicle color system uses a muted palette rather than fully saturated colors. The cohort recommendation for custom vehicle redirectors is to select hex values that are similarly muted to match the vanilla aesthetic.

Complete .asset file pattern for vehicle redirectors ​

GUID <variant-guid>
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID <legacy-id>

TargetVehicle <base-vehicle-guid>
LoadPaintColor "#hexcolor" // <comment>

The field order shown above is the order used by the shipped civilian redirectors. Military redirectors add SpawnPaintColor after LoadPaintColor:

GUID <variant-guid>
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID <legacy-id>

TargetVehicle <base-vehicle-guid>
LoadPaintColor "#hexcolor" // <comment>
SpawnPaintColor "#hexcolor" // <comment>

Field order conventions ​

The shipped redirectors consistently use this field order:

  1. GUID (first line after any comment)
  2. Type (second line)
  3. ID (third line)
  4. Blank line separator
  5. TargetVehicle (first field after blank line)
  6. LoadPaintColor (second field after blank line, when present)
  7. SpawnPaintColor (third field after blank line, when present)

The ID field may be omitted for redirectors that are not intended to respond to legacy ID references. In the shipped set, every vehicle redirector has an ID field.

Authoring a vehicle redirector: step-by-step workflow ​

Step 1: Author the base vehicle asset ​

The base vehicle must exist before the redirector can reference it. Author the vehicle .dat file, build the master bundle, and test the vehicle in single-player. The base vehicle's GUID is the value that every redirector's TargetVehicle field will reference. The base vehicle should be tuned with the intended physics handling, passenger count, fuel capacity, and all other mechanical properties.

Step 2: Determine the color variant set ​

Decide how many color variants the vehicle needs. The cohort recommendation is to start with two to four variants and expand later if the community requests additional colors. Each variant requires a separate redirector .asset file.

Step 3: Generate variant GUIDs ​

Generate a fresh GUID for each color variant. Use [guid]::NewGuid().ToString("N") in PowerShell. Each variant GUID must be unique across all loaded mods.

Step 4: Assign variant legacy IDs ​

Assign a unique legacy ID to each variant. The IDs should be contiguous within a vehicle model's range. For a custom vehicle with four variants, use IDs such as 50001, 50002, 50003, and 50004. The Bypass_ID_Limit field is not required on redirector assets because they use the .asset file format, which does not enforce the 2000 ID limit.

Step 5: Choose color values ​

For each variant, choose a hex color value. The cohort recommendation is to use a muted palette that matches the vanilla vehicle color scheme. For civilian vehicles, set LoadPaintColor only (and omit SpawnPaintColor). For military or faction vehicles, set both LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor to the same value.

Step 6: Create the redirector .asset files ​

Create one .asset file per variant. Place all variant files in a single folder under the vehicle mod's Bundles/ directory. The cohort convention is to use Bundles/Vehicles/Redirectors/<VehicleName>/ as the folder structure.

Step 7: Test the redirectors ​

  1. Load the game with both the base vehicle mod and the redirector files installed.
  2. Spawn each variant by its redirector GUID or legacy ID: @give <redirectorID>.
  3. Confirm each variant spawns the base vehicle with the correct paint color applied.
  4. Save the game with one variant, reload, and confirm the color is preserved.

Example: authoring redirectors for a custom sedan ​

The following worked example demonstrates the full redirector authoring workflow for a custom sedan with four color variants.

Base vehicle ​

The base sedan has GUID a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d and legacy ID 40001. The base vehicle's TargetVehicle GUID in each redirector is this GUID.

Redirector: CustomSedan_Red.asset ​

GUID b2c3d4e5f6a74b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 50001

TargetVehicle a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d
LoadPaintColor "#9a2525" // Custom Red

Redirector: CustomSedan_Blue.asset ​

GUID c3d4e5f6a7b84c8d9e0f1a2b3c4d5e6f
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 50002

TargetVehicle a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d
LoadPaintColor "#37658c" // Custom Blue

Redirector: CustomSedan_Black.asset ​

GUID d4e5f6a7b8c94d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 50003

TargetVehicle a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d
LoadPaintColor "#353535" // Custom Black

Redirector: CustomSedan_White.asset ​

GUID e5f6a7b8c9d04e8f9a0b1c2d3e4f5a6b
Type SDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, Assembly-CSharp, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
ID 50004

TargetVehicle a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d
LoadPaintColor "#d4d4d4" // Custom White

Resulting folder structure ​

MyVehicleMod/
├── Bundles/
│   ├── Assets/
│   │   └── CustomSedan.unity3d         ← master bundle with sedan prefab
│   ├── Vehicles/
│   │   └── CustomSedan/
│   │       ├── Asset.dat                ← base vehicle .dat file
│   │       ├── English.dat              ← localization
│   │       └── Redirectors/
│   │           ├── CustomSedan_Red.asset
│   │           ├── CustomSedan_Blue.asset
│   │           ├── CustomSedan_Black.asset
│   │           └── CustomSedan_White.asset

All four redirectors point to the same TargetVehicle GUID (the base sedan). A player who gives themselves the red variant receives the same base vehicle as a player who gives themselves the blue variant. The only difference is the paint color applied at spawn or load time.

Vehicle redirector and generic redirector comparison ​

The vehicle redirector is a specialized subtype of the generic redirector pattern. The table below documents the differences.

PropertyGeneric RedirectorAssetVehicleRedirectorAsset
Type fieldRedirectorAssetSDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset, ...
Target fieldTargetAsset (GUID)TargetVehicle (GUID)
File format.asset.asset
Color fieldsNoneLoadPaintColor, SpawnPaintColor
Legacy ID supportAssetCategory + IDID (no category needed; always Vehicle)
Vanilla examplesItem legacy ID redirectors128 vehicle color variant redirectors
Typical folderBundles/Items/Redirectors/Bundles/Vehicles/Redirectors/<VehicleName>/
Requires bundleNoNo

Vehicle redirector limitations ​

The vehicle redirector system has several documented limitations that mod authors should understand before relying on redirectors for complex vehicle variant setups.

No mechanical field overrides ​

A vehicle redirector cannot override any mechanical field of the base vehicle. The base vehicle's Speed_Max, Health, Fuel, Mass, and all other .dat fields are applied exactly as authored. If a mod author wants two variants with different speeds (e.g., a police variant with higher top speed and a civilian variant with standard speed), separate base vehicle assets are required. The redirector system handles color variants only.

No per-variant spawn table tuning ​

Vehicle redirectors do not expose per-variant spawn weight or spawn condition fields. The base vehicle's spawn table configuration determines the spawn behavior for all variants. If a mod author wants a rare variant (e.g., a gold-colored limited edition), the rarity must be implemented through the base vehicle's spawn table weight or through a separate base vehicle asset that represents the rare variant.

Color fidelity depends on the paint mask ​

The LoadPaintColor and SpawnPaintColor values are applied through the vehicle's paintable material system. If the base vehicle's paint mask is not authored correctly, the color will not appear on the intended areas. The paint mask (documented in Vehicle Mod Basics and the paintable material workflow) defines which areas of the vehicle body accept paint and which areas retain the original texture color. A redirector's color value is multiplied through the paint mask; areas masked as black (non-paintable) will not change color regardless of the redirector's hex value.

No blending or gradient support ​

The redirector color system supports a single solid color per variant. There is no gradient, pattern, or multi-color paint scheme support in the redirector .asset file. Multi-color paint schemes require a separate base vehicle texture for each scheme.

Testing vehicle redirectors in single-player ​

The cohort-validated testing workflow for vehicle redirectors:

  1. Confirm the base vehicle spawns and functions correctly before testing any redirector.
  2. Spawn each redirector variant by its legacy ID: @give <variantID>.
  3. Confirm the vehicle appears with the expected color. The color should match the LoadPaintColor or SpawnPaintColor value (whichever applies to new spawns).
  4. Confirm the vehicle's handling, speed, and other mechanical properties match the base vehicle exactly. A redirector that changes handling indicates that the TargetVehicle GUID is pointing to a different base vehicle than expected.
  5. Save the game while driving a specific variant, reload the save, and confirm the vehicle retains its color. If the color reverts to a random value, the LoadPaintColor field is missing or incorrectly formatted.
  6. Test all variants in sequence. If one variant does not appear or appears with the wrong color, inspect that variant's .asset file for a typo in the LoadPaintColor hex value or the TargetVehicle GUID.

Diagnostic table ​

SymptomMost likely causeResolution
Vehicle redirector spawns the wrong vehicleTargetVehicle GUID points to a different base vehicleConfirm TargetVehicle GUID matches the intended base vehicle's GUID
Vehicle spawns without redirector colorLoadPaintColor or SpawnPaintColor hex value invalid or missingConfirm the hex value is a valid #RRGGBB code and the field name is spelled correctly
Vehicle spawns with random color instead of variant colorSpawnPaintColor omitted (civilian pattern)Add SpawnPaintColor if a fixed spawn color is desired
Vehicle color lost after save and reloadLoadPaintColor missingAdd LoadPaintColor with the correct hex value
Redirector file not discovered by engineFile is not in Bundles/ subfolder or has wrong extensionConfirm the file has .asset extension and is placed under a Bundles/ folder
Redirector GUID conflicts with another assetGUID collisionGenerate a fresh GUID for the redirector
@give command cannot find redirector by IDID field missing or conflicting with another assetConfirm ID is set and unique within the vehicle category
Redirector spawns but color does not match expected valueHex value typo or wrong shadeCheck the hex value against the intended color; verify the paint mask on the base vehicle
Redirector variant crashes the game on spawnTargetVehicle points to a vehicle asset that does not exist or has an invalid GUIDConfirm the base vehicle's mod is installed and the GUID is correct
Redirectors work in single-player but not on dedicated serverRedirector .asset files not uploaded to serverInclude the redirector files in the server's mod folder

Best practices ​

  • Author one base vehicle asset per mechanical configuration and one redirector per color variant. Do not create separate base vehicle assets for vehicles that differ only in color.
  • Use the same TargetVehicle GUID across all redirectors for a given vehicle model. Every redirector in a vehicle's color family must point to the same base vehicle GUID.
  • Use double-quoted hex color values with descriptive comments following the civilian vehicle pattern. The quoted syntax is more readable and the comments help identify the intended color during debugging.
  • Assign contiguous legacy IDs for all redirectors in a vehicle family. Contiguous IDs are easier to document, easier to troubleshoot, and reduce the risk of ID collision with other mods.
  • Test every redirector variant in single-player before publishing. A typo in any single variant's .asset file can produce a broken vehicle that fails to spawn.
  • Document the color palette in the mod's Workshop description so players know which colors are available before subscribing.
  • Keep the redirector .asset files in a dedicated Redirectors/ folder under the vehicle's mod folder. The engine discovers redirectors by enumerating all .asset files; organizational folders do not affect discovery.

Frequently asked questions ​

What is the difference between TargetVehicle and TargetAsset? ​

TargetVehicle is the vehicle-specific equivalent of TargetAsset. The generic redirector asset type uses TargetAsset; the vehicle redirector uses TargetVehicle. Both fields serve the same purpose: they contain the GUID of the asset that the redirector resolves to. The different field name exists because the vehicle redirector Type is VehicleRedirectorAsset rather than RedirectorAsset, and the vehicle-specific type uses vehicle-specific field naming. The functional behavior is identical.

Can one vehicle have redirectors in different folders? ​

Yes. The engine discovers all .asset files under Bundles/ regardless of folder structure. Organizing redirectors in per-vehicle folders is a cohort convention for maintainability, not an engine requirement.

Do vehicle redirectors work with the /reload command? ​

Vehicle redirectors are discovered at startup during the asset enumeration pass. The /reload command can reload a specific vehicle redirector asset by its GUID. After reloading the redirector, respawn the vehicle to confirm the updated redirector behavior.

Can I use a vehicle redirector to point to another vehicle redirector? ​

No. The TargetVehicle field must contain the GUID of a base vehicle asset (a VehicleAsset), not the GUID of another redirector. The engine does not support multi-hop redirector chains in the vehicle redirector system.

What happens if I delete a vehicle redirector after publishing? ​

Existing save files that reference the redirector's GUID will fail to load the vehicle. The save file stored the redirector GUID (not the base vehicle GUID), and with the redirector removed, the engine cannot resolve the reference. Players who load a save that contains a deleted redirector will see a missing vehicle in the slot. The cohort recommendation is to never delete a vehicle redirector after publishing; if variant reorganization is required, publish a new redirector and keep the old one in place for backward compatibility.

How do I choose hex colors for my vehicle variants? ​

Use a color picker tool (online or in an image editor) to select hex values that match the intended paint color. The cohort recommendation is to use the shipped vanilla color values as a baseline and adjust to match the vehicle's design. For civilian colors, use the values documented in the color table above as a starting point. For military camouflage, research real-world military color standards for the theater (desert tan #a69884, NATO green, Russian green).

Can I use the same vehicle redirector architecture for non-vehicle assets? ​

No. The vehicle redirector is a specialized asset type (VehicleRedirectorAsset) that only resolves to vehicle targets and only applies color overrides. For non-vehicle redirectors (items, objects, resources, effects), use the generic RedirectorAsset type documented in Redirector Asset Reference.

Do vehicle redirectors affect multiplayer balance? ​

Vehicle redirectors do not affect balance because they cannot override mechanical fields. A red variant and a blue variant of the same vehicle are mechanically identical. If a server administrator wants to offer a mechanical advantage to a specific color variant (e.g., a police variant with higher top speed), a separate base vehicle asset must be authored for that variant.

Can I add a vehicle redirector to an existing mod without a version update? ​

Yes. A vehicle redirector is a separate .asset file that references an existing base vehicle. Adding a new redirector does not modify the base vehicle's .dat or bundle file. The redirector can be added to the mod's file set without changing the base vehicle's version identifier.

What happens if two vehicle redirectors have the same GUID? ​

The last redirector loaded (in filesystem enumeration order) overwrites the earlier one in the GUID registry. This is the same collision behavior as all asset types. A mod should never ship two redirectors with the same GUID.

How do vehicle redirectors interact with the paintable material system? ​

The redirector's color value is passed to the vehicle's paintable shader at spawn or load time. The shader applies the color through the paint mask, which defines which areas of the vehicle body accept paint. If the base vehicle's material does not have a paintable shader assigned, the redirector's color has no visual effect. The paint mask and shader configuration are documented in Vehicle Mod Basics.

Appendix A: Vehicle redirector quick-reference card ​

FieldTypeRequiredExamplePurpose
GUIDuint128 hexYesac89f332c364461e82b1e94a16e868c4Redirector identity in the asset registry
TypestringYesSDG.Unturned.VehicleRedirectorAsset...Identifies this as a vehicle redirector
IDuint16No30Legacy ID for /give and legacy spawn tables
TargetVehicleGUIDYes8c32debcf1974cd7a24a46779872c205Base vehicle that this variant resolves to
LoadPaintColorcolorNo"#9a2525"Color preserved when loading from save
SpawnPaintColorcolorNo"#a69884"Color applied on fresh spawn

Appendix B: Vanilla color hex values ​

Variant nameHex colorRGB interpretation
Black#353535Dark charcoal
Blue#37658cMedium blue
Coalition#475e83Steel blue
Desert#a69884Tan
France#848fa1Gray-blue
Green#2e642eForest green
Orange#bd6e27Burnt orange
Purple#6a466dMuted purple
Red#9a2525Crimson
RussiavariesFaction green
White#d4d4d4Light gray
Yellow#cdaa1eGolden yellow

Appendix C: External references ​

Document history ​

VersionDateAuthorNotes
1.02026-07-2657 StudiosInitial publication. Complete VehicleRedirector field reference, 128-variant color architecture analysis, authored example set, color hex value reference, diagnostic table.

Cross-references ​

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