January 21st, 2021 - Development Update

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

JANUARY 21ST, 2021 – DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

POSTED BY: MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR TEAM

Screenshot by MLTAVIATOR99

 

World Update 3: United Kingdom & Ireland

We are hard at work hard on World Update 3 and it is looking great! This massive update contains new aerials, new DEM, over 70 POIs, 5 airports, two landing challenges, and will also introduce 5 brand-new photogrammetry cities for your enjoyment. Unfortunately, these new cities are causing a slight delay… it’s a new process and data source for us and the tools have to be updated for these cities to integrate seamlessly into the sim. The Bing Maps team is working hard to make this happen and the data provider, Bluesky, is helping as well. We believe that the remaining issues will be resolved within a few days so we are targeting the release one week later than originally planned. We apologize about the delay, but are convinced that it will be worth the wait … and that a full 3D London is a critical element of this release. Thank you for your patience. Here are a few images of what’s to come:

–MSFS TEAM-

 

FEATURE DISCOVERY SERIES EP. #10 – AERODYNAMICS

 

FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT

Click here for the web-friendly version.

 

SDK UPDATE

• DevMode:
  • Visual Effects Editor is in an UX/UI refinement phase. The first available effects will be contrails and landing smoke effects. They will be customizable through the editor.
  • We added a new feature to the Scenery editor, which allows users to rename, group and reorder the objects in the Scene list. It comes along with its own documentation if you need any help with this feature.
  • We fixed an issue related to UTF8 encoding in the BGL Compiler.
• WebAssembly:
  • We tweaked our system to avoid hampering module debugging with recurring exceptions.

 

THIRD PARTY UPDATE

• The creator community continues to release cool content and announce new projects at a brisk place. We just passed a big milestone for the in-sim marketplace – 100 partners have been approved to date! In total, there are 752 add-ons (+33 since last week) that have either been released already or are in production. At this pace, there will be over 1,000 add-on by the end of March!
• Airports:
  • 512 airports are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 341 airports (+17) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 98 airports (3) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 63 airports (+2) beyond the released airports have been announced.
    • 108 airports are not announced, but the dev let us know that the airport is in production.
• Aircraft:
  • 100 airports are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 17 aircraft (+5) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 8 aircraft (+2) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 65 aircraft (+5) beyond the released airports have been announced.
    • 18 aircraft  are not announced, but the dev let us know that the airport is in production.
• Scenery:
  • 140 sceneries (+16) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 137 sceneries (+26) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 10 sceneries (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 3 sceneries ((+0) beyond the released airports have been announced.
• Some Highlights of the Week
  • We love the FA-39 Vampire announcement from IRIS Simulations! Looks incredible!
  • So good to see some of the classic warbirds being worked on like last week’s new images Mk1A Spitfire from Aeroplane Heaven. Many of us are big fans and can’t wait to try it!

We continue to make progress with the teams at Working Title, Fly By Wire and others and are hopeful to present news about this soon – it is, after all, your #1 Top Wish.

 

MARKETPLACE UPDATE

This week we are introducing 15 new products to the Marketplace and have updated 6 products.

15 NEW PRODUCTS

6 UPDATED PRODUCTS

 

 

LAYOVER WITH THE DEVS

Today, let’s chat with Asobo’s Art Outsourcing Manager, Benjamin Rieubland!

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE WITHIN MSFS.

Hello! My name is Benjamin Rieubland but some people call me “The Plane Guy” at Asobo! I started learning 3D 15 years ago with my best friend. I have always been passionate about this for as long as I can remember. We had Flight Simulator at home back when I was a kid, and we were never able to take off with my father! I have been working at Asobo for three years now, and I will never forget how I landed there as a 3D Vehicle Artist. I moved to Bordeaux two days before I began my job, I knew nothing about the city, and I had no idea about the project either. I was picturing myself working on a space game. After a quick presentation of Microsoft Flight Simulator, Patrice (the lead artist) showed me the desk and told me, “When you are ready, you can start working on the Daher TBM 930.”  Back then, I did not imagine how complex and challenging airplanes were.

As an artist I created a few airplanes on the project: Daher TBM 930, Robin Cap 10C, Diamond DA62, Cessna 172 SP, Diamond DA40 NG, Cessna Citation CJ4, and most of the cockpit of the Airbus A320 Neo. It is awesome to know that these airplanes are the most used in the Sim. Modeling, texturing, animating, and testing are just a part of what I have done. It is important to know that all the vehicle artists worked, at some point, on all the airplanes. We shared knowledge and improved everything we could. With all the experience that I gathered, I had the chance to evolve into the role of Art Outsourcing Manager. Now, I take care of all the art done externally, and I am proud to prepare and review the work on the airplanes that will appear sooner or later in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

 

WHERE DOES YOUR PASSION OF VEHICLES COMES FROM? DOES CRAFTING OTHER TYPES OF VEHICLES HELP IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING AIRCRAFTS?

My passion for vehicles has run in the family for generations. For instance, my grandfather had a truck company, and my father made his office in what used to be the trucks’ garage. Since we did not have a computer at home, every time I could, I would go to my father’s office to play on his. The trucks disappeared from the garage long before I was there, but the garage smell never left, and I think at some point it reached my ambitions.

Crafting other types of vehicles is different from creating aircrafts. Before joining Asobo, I designed car parts and vehicles in 3D. At that time, I was far from imagining that an airplane would be difficult to create and understand. One cannot compare the complexity of any car interior to an airplane, especially an airliner. Apart from the number and depth of details needed, the technique is pretty much the same for all the vehicles. For example, you put a blueprint in the background and start the model following the main lines, and you add more and more details all along the process.

 

WHICH AIRCRAFT(S) WOULD YOU LOVE TO RE-CREATE INTO MSFS AND WHY?

I have three of them that I would love to see in MSFS someday. The first one is the Kyushu J7W1. The design of this airplane is just wonderful. There is nothing else that closely resembles it. This airplane’s shape was very futuristic for its era. I am curious about how the jet engine version of this airplane would have looked. The second one I would like to see in the sim is the Airbus Maveric, also because of its design. Its silhouette is uncommon in the sky and a lot of people will be surprised the first time they see it. Lastly, I would love to relax and explore the sim with a hot air balloon, moving with the wind as in real life.

 

TWITCH SCHEDULE 

We had a great lesson this week learning about stalling, slow flight, and landings. You can check out the latest videos here!

Check out the schedule below for shows through next Friday. Interested in joining us tomorrow for the Guided Hong Kong Tour? Click here for flight plan and details.

We are excited for the return of our monthly Live Developer Q&A this coming Wednesday, January 27th at 10:30am PST. We know you have a lot of questions, so we are extending the show by 30 minutes to have more time to chat with you. We are looking forward to it!

 

COMMUNITY VIDEO

 

COMMUNITY SCREENSHOTS

This past week we challenged you to take a screenshot in Snowy Canada. Thanks to all those who participated! See below for our top picks!

Our next challenge: Bustling Cityscape.

Screenshot by IgorKononov

 

Screenshot by LosStroinos

 

Screenshot by spacegrass8092

 

Screenshot by spookyspookster

 

Screenshot by Meg0081

 

Screenshot by djays72

 

Screenshot by simtom2

 

Screenshot by Parorng

 

Screenshot by Ajun2008

 

Screenshot by DeFi1186

 

NEXT DEVELOPMENT UPDATE BLOG – 1.28

Sincerely,

Microsoft Flight Simulator Team

Edited January 22, 2021 by ChaoticBeauty

[scotchegg 4,170]

New photogrammetry tech sounds interesting, if it can smooth out some of the quirks of the current implementation.

Shame about the delay for the UK update though, and looking at that Blarney Castle picture....they really need to get tree sizes sorted or expand the SDK to allow 3pds to make a truly satisfying global vegetation solution.

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

The aerodynamics improvements are looking rad! Great to see they're modelling adverse yaw and supersonic flight, as well as fixing lots of issues and adding more customisation. I'm having a good feeling about the accuracy of the simulation moving forward.

Sad to see the UK World Update has been delayed, but at least we've got the Q&A next week which should give us plenty of relevant information.

[espent 1,390]

22 minutes ago, scotchegg said:

Shame about the delay for the UK update though, and looking at that Blarney Castle picture....they really need to get tree sizes sorted or expand the SDK to allow 3pds to make a truly satisfying global vegetation solution.

The trees don't look that bad compared to real life:

[Tuskin38 6,459]

13 minutes ago, ChaoticBeauty said:

supersonic flight

I wonder if they're working on their own supersonic aircraft. Notice in that shot they didn't actually show what they were flying, though it could easily just be a dummy test aircraft.

[Tuskin38 6,459]

12 minutes ago, espent said:

The trees don't look that bad compared to real life:

Indeed. In fact, some of the trees in the screenshot almost look like they're too short 😄

Edited January 22, 2021 by Tuskin38

[Amon1973 1,421]

1 minute ago, Tuskin38 said:

I wonder if they're working on their own supersonic aircraft. Notice in that shot they didn't actually show what they were flying, though it could easily just be a dummy test aircraft.

If they are I wonder if it will be free, or a reasonable price @£10.

[fmloyola 43]

Awesome news about aerodynamics improvement! 

Keep going, Asobo!

[Tuskin38 6,459]

Just now, eaim said:

If they are I wonder if it will be free, or a reasonable price @£10.

They've said in the past they plan on selling their own aircraft eventually.

[Amon1973 1,421]

4 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

They've said in the past they plan on selling their own aircraft eventually.

If it was half decent I don't mind paying a fair smallish price, considering it wouldn't be to complex systems wise.

[fakeflyer737 991]

The video is about improvements they've already made to the flight model? I didn't realized they have really changed anything since release. 

[109Sqn 1,554]

Darn, I've been so looking forward to the UK update, but I'd rather they get things right. The Forth Bridges look really nice, though they stand out just a little too much in that shot - a touch less saturation would solve that.

Do we know the likely photogrammetry areas? I know where I'd like them to be but I'll be surprised if my wishes come true.

Edited January 22, 2021 by 109Sqn
typo

[Tuskin38 6,459]

14 minutes ago, 109Sqn said:

Do we know the likely photogrammetry areas?

They mentioned a fully 3D London in the blog would be worth the wait, so that's one at least.

"We apologize about the delay, but are convinced that it will be worth the wait … and that a full 3D London is a critical element of this release. "

Edited January 22, 2021 by Tuskin38

[dtrjones 356]

18 minutes ago, 109Sqn said:

Darn, I've been so looking forward to the UK update, but I'd rather they get things right. The Forth Bridges look really nice, though they stand out just a little too much in that shot - a touch less saturation would solve that.

Do we know the likely photogrammetry areas? I know where I'd like them to be but I'll be surprised if my wishes come true.

A bit harsh about the Forth Bridges, they look great for free scenery! 🙂 Well we know London is one of photogrammetry cities and I imagine Orbx will patch there city update to blend in just like Drzewiecki Design's did with Seattle.

[109Sqn 1,554]

8 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

They mentioned a fully 3D London

Yeah, thanks, I noticed that one. I should have said, "Do we know the other photogrammetry areas?"😄