# BlendedNet++: A dataset and benchmark for field-resolved aerodynamics and inverse design of blended wing body aircraft

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.03280 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.03280/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 14 of its 63 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 2 Dec 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 14 of 14)

- [PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00593/) (2016)
- [FiLM: Visual Reasoning with a General Conditioning Layer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.07871/) (2017)
- [Graph U-Nets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.05178/) (2019)
- [Transolver: A Fast Transformer Solver for PDEs on General Geometries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.02366/) (2024)
- [AirfRANS: High Fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics Dataset for Approximating Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Solutions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.07564/) (2022)
- [DrivAerNet++: A Large-Scale Multimodal Car Dataset with Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Deep Learning Benchmarks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09624/) (2024)
- [DrivAerNet: A Parametric Car Dataset for Data-Driven Aerodynamic Design and Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.08055/) (2024)
- [Aero-Nef: Neural Fields for Rapid Aircraft Aerodynamics Simulations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.19916/) (2024)
- [BlendedNet: A Blended Wing Body Aircraft Dataset and Surrogate Model for Aerodynamic Predictions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.07209/) (2025)
- [AircraftVerse: A Large-Scale Multimodal Dataset of Aerial Vehicle Designs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.05562/) (2023)
- [CarBench: A Comprehensive Benchmark for Neural Surrogates on High-Fidelity 3D Car Aerodynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.07847/) (2025)
- [Airfoil Diffusion: Denoising Diffusion Model For Conditional Airfoil Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.15898/) (2024)
- [ONERA's CRM WBPN database for machine learning activities, related regression challenge and first results](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.06265/) (2025)
- [Cooling-Guide Diffusion Model for Battery Cell Arrangement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.10566/) (2024)

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

- [HiLiftAeroML: A High-Fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics Dataset for High-Lift Aircraft Aerodynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.19565/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The conceptual design of Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft is often constrained by the high computational cost of resolving complex aerodynamics over a high-dimensional design space. While deep learning offers a pathway to rapid aerodynamic prediction and inverse design, its adoption in aerospace engineering is limited by a lack of large-scale, field-resolved training data. This work addresses this gap by introducing BlendedNet++, a comprehensive aerodynamic dataset comprising 12,492 unique BWB geometries, each evaluated using steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier--Stokes (RANS) simulations to provide integrated forces and dense surface fields (Cp, Cf). Leveraging this data, we establish a robust framework for two critical engineering tasks: (1) real-time prediction of surface aerodynamic fields using geometric deep learning models, and (2) generative inverse design. We benchmark five surrogate architectures, identifying Transolver as the most accurate for field predictions. Furthermore, we demonstrate a generative inverse design pipeline using conditional diffusion models combined with gradient-based refinement. This hybrid approach is shown to generate multiple feasible designs that satisfy specific lift-to-drag targets with high accuracy (R^2 > 0.99), as confirmed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. These resources enable a shift from iterative analysis to direct generation in early-stage BWB design.