The Complete GTA 5 & FiveM Developer Guide Carcols.Meta

Full carcols.meta reference for FiveM: every VMT_* mod slot from 0 to 49, safe ModKit ID ranges, 32-bit siren sequencer values and fixes for ID conflicts.

carcols.meta is the file that decides three things on every GTA 5 and FiveM vehicle: which tuning parts exist, which IDs they claim, and how the emergency lights flash.

Get it right and parts appear in the mod shop and sirens run clean. Get one ID wrong and parts vanish from vehicles that were working yesterday — usually because another pack claimed the same number.

This is the full reference: all 50 VMT_* mod slots, ModKit structure and safe ID ranges, the 32-bit siren sequencer with paste-ready values, and how carcols.meta connects to vehicles.meta and carvariations.meta.

1. Architectural Role and Runtime Memory Pipeline

Within the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) and the FiveM multiplayer framework, carcols.meta operates as the central definition registry for procedural vehicle visual customization, aftermarket component indexing, emergency lighting sequences, and photometric emitter behaviors.

While vehicles.meta establishes physical bounding hierarchies, wheel scale attributes, and archetype flags, and carvariations.meta handles spawn-state configurations (color palettes, default extras, and livery indices), carcols.meta builds the internal structural bridge that binds raw polygon geometries stored within .yft model files directly to engine-level Native invocations such as SET_VEHICLE_MOD (Hash: 0x6AF0636DDEDCB6DD).

2. Complete Mod Slot Enumeration: VMT_* Enum Types (Slots 0–49)

The RAGE vehicle modification pipeline provides 50 dedicated hardware mod slots (indexed 0 to 49). To ensure total compatibility across custom UI frameworks, vMenu implementations, and mechanic scripts, every mod part registered inside carcols.meta must map directly to its corresponding VMT_* enum flag:

3. ModKit Structure & Optimization Pipeline (<Kits>)

Mod components are cataloged inside the <Kits> array. Every part must be mapped with correct model bindings, visibility toggles, and metadata flags:

Core Attribute Standards

• id: A 16-bit integer identifier (0–65535). Using identical IDs across multiple addon packs causes ModKit collisions, resulting in missing parts or cross-vehicle UI bleeding. Always allocate IDs within safe custom ranges (1000–65000).
• kitType: Mod classification flag (MKT_STANDARD, MKT_SPORT, MKT_SUPER_SPORT, or MKT_SPECIAL).
• modelName: The internal mesh dummy name located inside the vehicle's .yft file. Must match case sensitivity exactly.
• turnOffExtra: When set to true, automatically toggles off conflicting procedural extra_* dummies whenever this specific mod part is installed.
• weight: Inertial physics penalty added directly to the vehicle's handling balance when the modification is fitted.

4. Non-ELS Emergency Lighting & 32-Bit Sequencer Mechanics (<sirens>)

Emergency vehicle lighting in standard FiveM architectures (Non-ELS) relies entirely on procedural sequencers, beam projection cones, and rotational vectors defined inside <sirens>.

Binary Sequencer Calculation (32-Bit Bitmasks)

The sequencer parameter operates on a 32-bit binary timeline where 1 represents an illuminated frame and 0 represents a dark frame. Converting these binary strings to decimal integers produces precise strobe patterns:

• High-Speed Alternating Strobe: 10101010101010101010101010101010 → Decimal: 2863311530 | Hex: 0xAAAAAAAA
• Quad-Pulse Burst (4 On / 4 Off): 11110000111100001111000011110000 → Decimal: 4042322160 | Hex: 0xF0F0F0F0
• Half-Cycle Split Phase (Wig-Wag Left): 11111111111111110000000000000000 → Decimal: 4294901760 | Hex: 0xFFFF0000
• Half-Cycle Split Phase (Wig-Wag Right): 00000000000000001111111111111111 → Decimal: 65535 | Hex: 0x0000FFFF

Color and Projection Attributes

• color (ARGB Format): 32-bit hexadecimal value (Alpha, Red, Green, Blue):
  • 0xFFFF0000: Pure Signal Red
  • 0xFF0000FF: Pure Deep Blue
  • 0xFFFFFFFF: Brilliant High-Lumen White
  • 0xFFFF8000: DOT Compliance Amber / Warning Orange
  • 0xFF00FF00: Tactical / Command Green
• lightInnerConeAngle / lightOuterConeAngle: Defines the focused core hotspot and peripheral falloff dispersion angles of the projected light beam.
• lightCoronaIntensity & corona.size: Governs volumetric lens bloom, distance visibility scaling, and atmospheric glare in dense fog conditions.

5. Cross-Metadata Dependency Matrix

6. FiveM Resource Manifest Configuration (fxmanifest.lua)

To load custom vehicle metadata into FiveM memory space without parsing errors, define both files entries and data_file registry mounts:

7. Developer Troubleshooting & Best Practices

• ModKit Collision (Overlapping Menus): When two separate vehicle resources share identical ModKit numeric IDs, parts overlap or vanish in tuning shops. Always assign unique IDs across server resources.
• Static / Non-Flashing Sirens: Ensure sequencer is not set to 0, timeMultiplier is greater than 0.0, and 3D dummy nodes are sequentially named (siren1 to siren20) under the primary chassis node.
• Offset / Detached Mod Parts: In 3D modeling environments (Blender/ZModeler), ensure each mod part’s local axis is centered at the exact origin coordinates (0, 0, 0) relative to the base chassis before export.
• Parser Crashes on Server Boot: Missing XML closing tags (such as unclosed </visibleMods> or </Item> blocks) will cause immediate engine initialization crashes. Validate all meta files using a strict XML linter prior to deployment.

SUPPORT & COMMUNITY CONTACT

Add taxis and medical response with the FiveM city fleet pack, or browse all lore-friendly FiveM cars.