# DrivAer Transformer: A high-precision and fast prediction method for vehicle aerodynamic drag coefficient based on the DrivAerNet++ dataset

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.08217 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08217/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 27 of its 57 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Apr 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 27 of 27)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6980/) (2014)
- [Semi-Supervised Classification with Graph Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.02907/) (2016)
- [PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00593/) (2016)
- [PointNet++: Deep Hierarchical Feature Learning on Point Sets in a Metric Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02413/) (2017)
- [ShapeNet: An Information-Rich 3D Model Repository](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03012/) (2015)
- [Dynamic Graph CNN for Learning on Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.07829/) (2018)
- [Learning to Simulate Complex Physics with Graph Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.09405/) (2020)
- [Learning Mesh-Based Simulation with Graph Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.03409/) (2020)
- [PointCNN: Convolution On X-Transformed Points](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.07791/) (2018)
- [PCT: Point cloud transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.09688/) (2020)
- [Transolver: A Fast Transformer Solver for PDEs on General Geometries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.02366/) (2024)
- [Point Convolutional Neural Networks by Extension Operators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.10091/) (2018)
- [Deep Learning Methods for Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulations of Airfoil Flows](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.08217/) (2018)
- [ROLAND: Graph Learning Framework for Dynamic Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.07239/) (2022)
- [MeshSDF: Differentiable Iso-Surface Extraction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.03997/) (2020)
- [Transolver++: An Accurate Neural Solver for PDEs on Million-Scale Geometries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.02414/) (2025)
- [Towards Large-scale 3D Representation Learning with Multi-dataset Point Prompt Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.09718/) (2023)
- [DrivAerNet++: A Large-Scale Multimodal Car Dataset with Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Deep Learning Benchmarks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09624/) (2024)
- [CFDNet: a deep learning-based accelerator for fluid simulations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.04485/) (2020)
- [Geodesic Convolutional Shape Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.04016/) (2018)
- [DrivAerNet: A Parametric Car Dataset for Data-Driven Aerodynamic Design and Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.08055/) (2024)
- [Activate or Not: Learning Customized Activation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.04759/) (2020)
- [DeepCFD: Efficient Steady-State Laminar Flow Approximation with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.08826/) (2020)
- [Deep Learning for Real-Time Aerodynamic Evaluations of Arbitrary Vehicle Shapes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.05798/) (2021)
- [Surrogate Modeling of Car Drag Coefficient with Depth and Normal Renderings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.06110/) (2023)
- [A systematic dataset generation technique applied to data-driven automotive aerodynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07318/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Car Drag Coefficient Prediction from 3D Point Clouds Using a Slice-Based Surrogate Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.02112/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

At the current stage, deep learning-based methods have demonstrated excellent capabilities in evaluating aerodynamic performance, significantly reducing the time and cost required for traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. However, when faced with the task of processing extremely complex three-dimensional (3D) vehicle models, the lack of large-scale datasets and training resources, coupled with the inherent diversity and complexity of the geometry of different vehicle models, means that the prediction accuracy and versatility of these networks are still not up to the level required for current production. In view of the remarkable success of Transformer models in the field of natural language processing and their strong potential in the field of image processing, this study innovatively proposes a point cloud learning framework called DrivAer Transformer (DAT). The DAT structure uses the DrivAerNet++ dataset, which contains high-fidelity CFD data of industrial-standard 3D vehicle shapes. enabling accurate estimation of air drag directly from 3D meshes, thus avoiding the limitations of traditional methods such as 2D image rendering or signed distance fields (SDF). DAT enables fast and accurate drag prediction, driving the evolution of the aerodynamic evaluation process and laying the critical foundation for introducing a data-driven approach to automotive design. The framework is expected to accelerate the vehicle design process and improve development efficiency.