diff --git a/dimos/core/test_lcmmsg_gen.py b/dimos/core/test_lcmmsg_gen.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..231a3ce9ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dimos/core/test_lcmmsg_gen.py
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+# Copyright 2025 Dimensional Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+from lcm_msgs.geometry_msgs import Orientation, Pose, PoseStamped, Vector3
+from lcm_msgs.std_msgs import Header
+
+
+# None of the tests actually pass apart from the first two.
+# The rest of the tests are a proposal for functionality to be added.
+#
+# Below mutable init is how current lcmgen can only be used,
+# This is not very ergonomical, and these are the most common objects we use,
+# so we need a way to both have a better init for them by default, coming
+# out of lcmgen,
+# as well as to have a better way to modify individual types by hand for
+# type specific convinience methods.
+#
+# Some examples:
+# header taking datetime or float, instead of a weird ros timestamp dictionary format,
+# Quaternion having .yaw() pitch() or to_euler() -> Vector3 methods,etc
+# Vector taking a list or tuple as init, not just kwargs
+#
+def test_vector_current_init():
+    vector = Vector3()
+    vector.x = 1.0
+    vector.y = 2.0
+    vector.z = 3.0
+
+
+def test_vector_defaults():
+    vector = Vector3()
+    assert vector.x == 0.0
+    assert vector.y == 0.0
+    assert vector.z == 0.0
+
+
+def test_vector_init():
+    vector = Vector3(x=1.0, y=2.0, z=3.0)
+    assert vector.x == 1.0
+    assert vector.y == 2.0
+    assert vector.z == 3.0
+
+
+# I'm not sure if easily achievable,
+# but this is a much better interface
+def test_vector_args_init():
+    vector = Vector3(1.0, 2.0, 3.0)
+    assert vector.x == 1.0
+    assert vector.y == 2.0
+    assert vector.z == 3.0
+
+
+# if we are using these types across the platform, they are the most common
+# objects used, we have to be able to subclass and implement convinience
+# methods (like above positional arg init)
+#
+# how can we hand- add to a specific autogenerated lcm_msg type?
+# while also keeping the new class within the original dep structure
+# (so Pose would refer to the new convinient Vector3 subclass,
+# without recoding the Pose itself?)
+
+
+def test_vector_partial_defaults():
+    vector = Vector3(x=1.0)
+    assert vector.x == 1.0
+    assert vector.y == 0.0
+    assert vector.z == 0.0
+
+
+def test_vector_encode_decode():
+    msg = Vector3(x=1.0, y=2.0, z=3.0).encode()
+    assert isinstance(msg, bytes)
+    vector = Vector3.decode(msg)
+    assert vector.x == 1.0
+    assert vector.y == 2.0
+    assert vector.z == 3.0
+
+
+def test_pose_stamped_init():
+    pose = PoseStamped(
+        pose=Pose(
+            position=Vector3(1.0, 2.0, 3.0),
+            orientation=Orientation(1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0),
+        ),
+        header=Header(stamp=1234567890, frame_id="test_frame"),
+    )
+
+
+# not sure if we can achieve this automatically easily, but this is
+# a much better interface
+def test_pose_fancy_init():
+    pose = PoseStamped(
+        # depeer init implicit
+        position=Vector3(1.0, 2.0, 3.0),
+        orientation=Orientation(1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0),
+        stamp=1234567890,
+        frame_id="test_frame",
+    )
+
+    assert pose.pose.position.x == 1.0
+
+
+def test_pose_partial_fancy_init():
+    # partially implicit init
+    pose = PoseStamped(
+        # pose explicit
+        pose=Pose(
+            # I'm hoping for positional argument support here
+            position=Vector3(1.0, 2.0, 3.0),
+            orientation=Orientation(1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0),
+        ),
+        # header implicit
+        stamp=1234567890,
+        frame_id="test_frame",
+    )
+
+    assert pose.pose.position.x == 1.0
+
+    # can Stamped modules provide access to the underlying data
+    # directly? Maybe manual Stamped subclass?
+    assert pose.position.y == 2.0