DashForge Bridge

DashForge Bridge is the Windows companion for games that expose telemetry through Windows shared memory. It forwards raw game data to DashForge and can receive game-control commands from dashboards or hardware.

When You Need It

Use the Bridge for:

• Assetto Corsa
• Assetto Corsa Competizione
• triggering keyboard, Win32 key, or mouse inputs on the Windows gaming PC

F1 24, F1 25, and Forza can send UDP telemetry directly and do not require the Bridge for telemetry.

Portable Installation

The recommended release is a single self-contained file:

DashForgeBridgePortable-1.1.0-win-x64.exe

It includes the .NET runtime. Copy it to the Windows PC and launch it directly; no installer is required.

If Windows Firewall asks, allow access on private networks.

Download the portable executable from Downloads and Companion Tools.

Windows Installer

DashForge Bridge can also be distributed as a Windows installer:

DashForgeBridgeSetup-1.1.0-win-x64.exe

Use the installer when you want Start Menu shortcuts, an optional desktop shortcut, and an optional administrator shortcut.

Download the installer from Downloads and Companion Tools.

Default install location:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\DashForge Bridge

The installer creates:

Shortcut	Purpose
DashForge Bridge	Launches the normal Windows UI.
DashForge Bridge - Command Listener Only	Starts the Bridge in command-listener-only mode on port 8765.
DashForge Bridge - Admin	Optional shortcut for games running as administrator.

If your game runs as administrator and commands do nothing, use the admin shortcut. Windows blocks lower-privilege apps from injecting input into elevated processes.

Forward Telemetry

1. Launch DashForgeBridge.exe on the Windows gaming PC.
2. Select Assetto Corsa or Assetto Corsa Competizione.
3. Keep source all unless diagnosing an individual shared-memory page.
4. Enter the IP address of the Mac, iPhone, or iPad running DashForge.
5. Keep telemetry port 8000 unless DashForge uses another listener port.
6. Choose a rate, normally 60 Hz.
7. Start the Bridge.
8. Select the matching game profile in DashForge.

Source all concatenates pages in this order:

Game	Pages	Payload
Assetto Corsa	physics + graphics + static	1688 bytes
Assetto Corsa Competizione	physics + graphics + static	3172 bytes

DashForge parses the raw payload. The Bridge deliberately does not reinterpret telemetry.

Command Listener

Telemetry and commands use separate ports:

Direction	Default port	Format
Bridge to DashForge telemetry	8000	raw binary UDP
DashForge/hardware to Bridge commands	8765	JSON UDP

Enable Command listener in the Bridge and keep port 8765 unless another service already uses it.

In DashForge, add an Action Button widget and choose Bridge Command.

Input Types

Input	Example code	Result
Keyboard	F8, Space, Left, A	named keyboard key
Win32	0x70, 112, F1	Windows virtual-key value
Mouse	LeftButton, RightButton, MiddleButton	mouse button
Gamepad	n/a	protocol-reserved; no virtual controller is created

Modes are tap, down, and up. A tap presses the input for the configured duration and releases it. Use down and up only when separate controls must hold and release an input.

For command examples and hardware input routing, see Game Control and Hardware Overview.

Hardware Commands

A microcontroller can send the same UTF-8 JSON packet directly to the Bridge:

{
  "v": 1,
  "type": "command",
  "id": "2bd27705-cd33-45ed-a3ef-40495671c846",
  "source": "hardware",
  "profile": "f1-25",
  "profileName": "F1 25",
  "createdAtMs": 1790000000000,
  "input": {
    "kind": "keyboard",
    "code": "F8",
    "mode": "tap",
    "durationMs": 80
  }
}

Send one command per UDP packet and use a unique id for each action.

Command-Line Mode

.\DashForgeBridge.exe --cli --game assetto-corsa --source all --host 192.168.1.40 --port 8000 --rate 60

ACC example:

.\DashForgeBridge.exe --cli --game acc --host 192.168.1.40 --port 8000 --commands on --command-port 8765

Troubleshooting

No telemetry

• Start the game before or after the Bridge, then press Start again if needed.
• Select the exact game profile in DashForge.
• Verify the DashForge device IP and telemetry port.
• Allow both apps through their local firewalls.
• Use source all.

Commands do nothing

• Enable the Bridge command listener.
• Use command port 8765, not telemetry port 8000.
• Focus the game window.
• Run the Bridge as administrator if the game runs as administrator.
• Start with Keyboard; use Win32 only when the game needs a raw virtual-key behavior.

Gamepad input

The protocol accepts gamepad, but the Bridge does not install or emulate a virtual gamepad. Windows requires a virtual HID/driver layer for that behavior. Use keyboard/Win32/mouse commands or external USB HID hardware.