In December 2023, the Kenworth T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition was launched for American Truck Simulator. Seizing this moment, we engaged in a conversation with the developers responsible for the truck's design. In our latest 'Under The Hood' blog, we had the chance to chat with Daniel and Renju, key contributors to bringing this exceptional truck to life.

The special edition Kenworth T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition showcases a range of premium features including an onyx-finished grill, a luxurious interior with red accents, advanced safety features, and enhanced aerodynamics. It represents Kenworth's century-long commitment to excellence and innovation in truck design.

Daniel - 3D Graphic Designer

"The project officially began in November 2022 with a visit to the Paccar facility center in Mount Vernon, WA, where we gathered photographic evidence for textures and photoreconstruction. My main role in this project was producing the truck's exterior model and project coordination, because there were many more vehicle artists involved in the final stages of the project. Renju started working on the truck's interior in February 2023, while the exterior development began in August 2023, just four months before the planned release. Effective coordination was crucial to ensure timely completion of all components," says Daniel.

Renju - Senior Game Artist

Designing this truck was not an easy mission. It had to be in-game by the end of 2023. "Meeting the project deadline was tough, even though work on the interior started ahead, the work on the exterior were delayed due to commitments on another project. We had to split tasks and coordinate carefully to ensure a smooth finish. Despite the challenges, I'm pleased with the outcome, and hope it brought joy to our players," Daniel told us.

"Kenworth celebrated its 100th anniversary and that's why it was planned to release the T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition by the end of 2023. As I began working on the project in February 2023, I had enough time to prepare everything in advance. We were meticulous in our approach to ensure the truck looked its absolute best," says Renju. 

Adding anything new into our games is a long process that requires a lot of preparation, as Daniel explains here: "Project work always begins with thorough background research. Initially, we photographed a real vehicle to gather essential texture and photogrammetric data. Thanks to the excellent cooperation with Kenworth, we also obtained CAD files, ensuring maximum accuracy in transferring the truck to our game's 3D model. CAD data are basically 3D blueprints for vehicle manufacturing, so despite it being a full 3D model, it cannot be used in the game due to its complexity, so we needed to recreate the whole model from scratch using CADs only as a reference, keeping in mind the best possible optimization of model. When CAD data weren't available for specific parts, we used data taken from photogrammetry instead."

"The bulk of the work involves 3D modeling based on this data, which is the most time-consuming phase. Following modeling, we apply materials and textures and then perform UV mapping to ensure proper texture display. Finalization entails assembling all models and structuring them into a cohesive scene for export into the game. This phase includes creating files defining truck part parameters and their in-game economic values. Lastly, the finished model undergoes testing in collaboration with the testing department."

Of course, this whole project couldn't exist without the great collaboration with Kenworth, which the designers working on this truck praised. "The data provided by Kenworth was excellent. We received all the necessary references from them, and the entire process went smoothly," says Renju.

As was already said above, Renju focused on the interior of the truck and Daniel led the work on the exterior. What did they enjoy the most? "Working on both the dashboard and seats was a delightful experience. The final product exceeded my expectations, and I am incredibly proud of it," Renju told us.

"This truck was a very interesting diversion, as I don't get to model such large projects from start to finish as much in recent years due to my other responsibilities. And due to the impressive and modern design of the T680, I was able to enjoy the work and especially the modeling part again after many years," says Daniel.

And what do the guys behind this truck think of it?  Daniel told us: "I think the new T680 is really good. It is a beautiful example of modern aerodynamic yet sharply cut curves. The truck was a joy to model."

Renju agreed: "What a beautiful truck! I absolutely love its modern, aerodynamic design, and the interior looks amazing, especially the new digital dashboard."

Daniel also shared about the future of this truck and its upcoming configurations. "The special edition release marks the start, not the end of our efforts. It was a celebration of Kenworth's 100th anniversary. We've finished interior designs for the other selected cabs, and exterior work is progressing well. The truck will offer standard cab and chassis options, along with familiar accessories for our players. Plus, it'll be fully compatible with all our Paintjob Packs."

mr.cenda - Multimedia Specialist

A big chunk of work was also done by mr.cenda who made a beautiful trailer for this truck to present it to our #BestCommunityEver. This also required a lot of background research and effort. "It was an honor and a pleasure to participate in this great project. I was fortunate enough to meet the folks from Kenworth at the Truck World event in 2023. To understand their concept, to touch the truck itself, it was a huge benefit for the final video."

"I needed to put as much information as possible into the footage, which is like a minute long, to generate the right excitement. Every detail alone tells you the love that was put into the production. I trust that players enjoy driving this Kenworth in our virtual world."

We hope you've enjoyed a look under the hood of designing the Anniversary Edition of the Kenworth T680. Don't forget to follow us on our X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok so you won't miss out on news about our projects.

The moment we've all been eagerly waiting for is finally here! We're thrilled to announce the release of the much-anticipated Kenworth T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition for American Truck Simulator. 

After numerous requests from our passionate community, we've partnered with Kenworth to bring you a completely new vehicle – the Kenworth T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition. This iconic truck represents a century of Kenworth's commitment to excellence and innovation, making it a must-have for every trucker out there.

The special edition features an onyx-finished grill and filter covers, a distinctive Kenworth 100 badge on the sleeper cab, and a luxurious interior with red accents and silver trim. The signature edition seats and steering wheel, along with special limited edition black wheels with silver trim add a touch of sophistication. Safety meets innovation with digital mirrors, a blind spot detector, and the Kenworth Idle Management System at the back of the cab. Aerokits from FlowBelow enhance aerodynamics, while the truck's configuration boasts the highest sleeper, the 76-inch High Roof Sleeper, paired with a 6x4 chassis and the AirGlide AG400L suspension system. Get ready for a stylish virtual journey honoring Kenworth's enduring legacy!

This project thrived thanks to a fantastic collaboration with Kenworth, especially Brianna Potthast and her team, who was such a joy to cooperate on this truck with. Special thanks also go to our vehicle team, especially Daniel Antonín, and our external colleague Renju Therakathu from New Zealand. Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with Daniel and Renju, offering insights into the Kenworth T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition's development.

While we're proud to release the Anniversary Edition on time for Kenworth's 100 years celebration, this is just the first stage of the full T680 release. This project was done on a super-accelerated schedule, and we made it happen on time thanks to smooth cooperation with experts from Kenworth. However, we'll need several more months to complete all the customization options our #BestCommunityEver is used to when receiving a new vehicle family with complete treatment, so stay tuned!

Gear up for the ride of a lifetime with the Kenworth T680 100 Years Anniversary Edition in American Truck Simulator. Stay tuned for more updates by following our social media channels (X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok). We'll see you on the road!

Today we are excited to share with you big news for American Truck Simulator. Our teams have been working hard to bring a HUGE addition to a legendary icon in the trucking industry.... 

Introducing the W900 Tuning Pack! 

Kenworth's W900 design allows real-life truckers to customize their ride in many different and unique ways. We wanted to reflect this by bringing some of the most popular combinations to American Truck Simulator, as we know how important customising rigs is to our community. Turns out, there are A LOT of tuning options available for drivers of the W900, so our team decided to go big with this project. 

The W900 Tuning Pack features over 500+ individual tuning parts for both the interior and exterior of the truck, giving you a massive range of options to personalise your Kenworth W900 just the way you like it. This includes (but is not limited to) bumpers, cab door accessories, exhausts, filters, mirrors, fenders, mud flaps, exterior lights, grille, hood, roof window, chassis cover, side skirt, sunshield, deflectors, fuel tanks, headache racks, special turn light options, different headlights and headlight covers,  air filters, trim options for windows, paintjobs, interior cab customisations and so so so much more; making it our biggest Tuning Pack to date! 

We know how much our community loves to customise their rigs, so we've also made almost every exterior part paintable, giving you even more options! We really look forward to seeing how you get creative with this option; but that isn't all. To continue the celebration of 100 years of Kenworth, you'll also find a range of interior accessories such as toys, mugs, caps and more to have decorating your cabin.

Ever dreamt of creating and owning your own Show-worthy truck? Now you can with the option to add 'Show Truck' parts to your W900; such as rear fenders, front and rear bumpers and more! Along with these, you'll also find a variety of interior trims to match the exterior paint jobs, to help complete your rig's look. We look forward seeing you show these off to friends in convoy mode or at other virtual Truckfest events. 

This massive undertaking doesn't go without credit to our teams behind the scenes who brought this all to life. From research, to modelling, to testing and everyone in-between, it really has been a labor of love and we are so happy to bring so many options to your garage. 

We can't wait to see how you'll customise your Kenworth W900. Be sure to share your custom creations with us on our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and we'll feature our favourite ones! 

Time to get tuning! Check out the W900 Tuning Pack DLC for American Truck Simulator, now available on Steam.

We are happy that your feedback on our new SCS On The Road YouTube series has been overwhelmingly positive, and that you guys really like the extra content and entertainment that we are bringing to you through these videos. 

After our virtual trip to Scania's famous demo center in Södertälje, Sweden in the previous episode, today we are travelling across the pond all the way to the United States to join Kenworth Trucks. 

As you probably know, Kenworth is celebrating their 100-year anniversary this year, and to commemorate this, they had a very impressive presentation at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this year. We were lucky to have had the opportunity to see it, plus our amazing friend Brianna Potthast from Kenworth was happy to do a quick guided tour not only through their exhibition booth at MATS, but also walked with us through Kenworth's history. 

100 years! That's hard to even imagine, right? We hope you liked this episode and that you, like us, have learned something new about Kenworth and their history. Leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite part of this episode was. 

Don't forget to check out Kenworth Trucks' social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and show them your love for their trucks! And we will see you - in the next episode.