Changelog 2017.3

← Previous changelog

Next changelog →

The FlightGear development team is delighted to announce the v2017.3 "Prague" release of FlightGear, the free, open-source flight simulator. This new version contains many exciting new features, enhancements and bugfixes. Highlights in this release include performance improvements for some graphics cards and scripting, and volumetric grass that reacts to helicopter rotor downwash. Founded in 1997, FlightGear is developed by a worldwide group of volunteers, brought together by a shared ambition to create the most realistic flight simulator possible that is free to use, modify and distribute. FlightGear is used all over the world by desktop flight simulator enthusiasts, for research in universities and for interactive exhibits in museums.

FlightGear features more than 400 aircraft, a worldwide scenery database, a multiplayer environment, detailed sky modelling, a flexible and open aircraft modelling system, varied networking options, multiple display support, a powerful scripting language and an open architecture. Best of all, being open-source, the simulator is owned by the community and everyone is encouraged to contribute.

Download FlightGear v2017.3 for free from FlightGear.org

FlightGear - Fly Free!

Aircraft

• detailed Carrier USS Harry Truman and escort group, with many animated elements, using experimental wave motion

Property tree

• C++ versions of props.nas setValues/setChildren() Improve performance of Nasal properties access by implementing the setValues/setChildren props.nas functions in C++

Nasal

• Multiple flightplans fixed and is now possible to be controlled from Nasal. See Nasal_Flightplan.

Startup

• Starting on carriers fixed
• Simple API to add addons to FlightGear without the need to mess around with FGData/Nasal or FGHome/Nasal directories.

Performance

• Enabling of display lists for random vegetation provides a massive performance boost for random vegetation.

Usability

• More than 1000 screenshots now allowed

Scenery

• new Mediterranean tree textures, new desert shrub textures

JSBSim

• Support for AI wake turbulence added. (a small code snippet needs to be added to the plane)

ALS

• Volumetric grass effect utilizing a geometry shader, based on work by Fernando Garcia Linan
• Helicopter rotor wash effect for volumetric grass and water shaders
• consistent snow implementation for OSM roads and buildings
• directionally visible car lights for the OSM traffic shader
• realistic daytime-dependence of road traffic

References

References