Laminar Research has released the first beta for X-Plane 12.3.0, a significant update that introduces a fully simulated weather radar, a completely overhauled A330, and a new hand-crafted airport, among other features.
One of the most requested features, a brand-new weather radar, has now been implemented. Laminar Research states the radar is “fully simulated” and provides accurate reflections, attenuation, and range sensitivity. The new system is available in several of the default aircraft, including the Boeing 737-800 and the Airbus A330-300. The default X1000 GPS has also been updated to display weather returns. To assist third-party developers, a Benedix RDR2000 weather radar has been included in the Beechcraft Baron 58, with its source code released on GitHub as an example for developers to use in their own projects.
This update also brings Synthetic Vision Technology to the X1000 (G1000), providing a 3D representation of terrain, runways, and obstacles on the Primary Flight Display. To complement this, the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System has also been improved across the simulator for more accurate terrain and obstacle alerts.
The default Airbus A330-300 has received a “complete overhaul”. The aircraft now features enhanced VNAV logic, secondary flight plan functionality, and more accurate flight control systems. The exterior model now includes weathering effects and realistic engine vibration animations. The cockpit and cabin lighting have also been reworked, with the cabin featuring dynamic lights and an “auto-purse” function that adapts the lighting based on the phase of flight.
Other new features in version 12.3.0 include the ability to use historical weather data up to one year in the past and the addition of a hand-crafted version of Dubai International Airport (OMDB). Scenery developers also have new assets to work with, including custom water polygons and the ability to place vegetation on 3D objects.
X-Plane 12.3.0 Beta 1 is available to download for users that have opted into the public beta. The full release notes can be found on the X-Plane website.
Changelog
Fixes and Enhancements
General
- Fixed an issue where the time was displayed incorrectly (e.g. 12:60 instead of 12:00).
- Updated Global Airports from the X-Plane Airport Gateway, including OMDB Dubai International with custom buildings.
- Improved the “Resume Last Flight” function, especially when the previous flight ended at smaller airports or helipads (XPD-17164).
- Added the ability to call and dismiss the Ground Power Unit via the Ground Handling Window, similar to chocks. The GPU will remain connected until dismissed (XPD-16371).
- Fixed the weapon preview screen in the Flight Configuration screen.
- Pushback will remove chocks automatically now.
Aircraft
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- VNAV descent now auto-initiates when reaching the top of descent (XPD-14985).
ATC
- Fixed the “Send to FMS” button on the flight planning screen.
Graphics
- Improved performance of wheel-smoke particles.
- Fixed an issue where Exposure Fusion didn’t work correctly when using an AMD GPU (XPD-17267).
- Fixed an issue where interior lights would switch off about 65,000 feet (XPD-17117).
- Fixed nightvision goggles.
Scenery
- Added missing drivers to airport vehicles.
- Service vehicles now correctly respect stop point settings (XPD-17175).
- Added new library objects and improved some existing ones:
- Water polygons and shores
- Low-profile airport barricades
- European-style ambulances
- Updated compass roses
- Improved colored surfaces for a closer match to draped ground signage
Systems
- Added warnings when ground tiles cannot be loaded in time for Synthetic Vision due to limited CPU resources (XPD-17215).
- Fixed an issue where the artificial horizon was not displayed correctly (XPD-17025).
Weather
- Improved stability of the METAR parser, especially when handling unexpected text or characters.
- Added display of real weather download age, as well as the age of the source data.
- Improved visibility of rain on the weather radar.
- Improved synchronization of manual weather between master and external machines (XPD-16607).
SDK
- Fixed an issue where new cursors were not displayed correctly on screens (XPD-17176).
