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Version: 3.4 (unreleased)

Release Notes 3.03

VRGS 3.3.23 to 3.3.40 – Major Update​

April – July 2026​

✨ New & Enhanced Features​

New Vulkan Rendering Engine (Major Upgrade)

  • Brand-new Vulkan-based 3D rendering backend delivering faster, more stable, and more modern graphics (enabled via the new "VRN" licensed option).
  • Full feature parity with the existing view: meshes, point clouds, Gaussian splats, polylines, annotations, scale bars, labels, and waypoints.
  • Physically based lighting (PBR), hardware ray-traced shadows and ambient occlusion, and screen-space post effects (bloom).
  • Eye-Dome Lighting for clearer point-cloud depth perception.
  • Realistic sky with time-of-day sun, procedural clouds, and planetary/space backdrops.
  • Cesium & Google 3D Tiles, i3s/SLPK streaming, and Google raster overlays supported in the new view.
  • Interpretation and measurement tools available directly in the Vulkan view: tape measure, cross sections, orthopanels (SquashPlot), billboards, surface digitising, orientations, geobodies, geopolygons, and vertex editing.
  • ICP mesh registration and picking tools (add GCP, tie-point/target, rescale).
  • Split-view support, orthographic toggle, infinite base-plane grid, and a virtual laser pointer.
Early access

This feature is currently in early access and gated behind a licensed option. Request access from support to enable it.

Geopolygon Surface Fill (Vulkan view)

  • Geopolygon fills now drape directly onto the outcrop surface, following the digitised outline exactly — no more fill bleeding through ridges and gullies or smearing across overhanging faces.
  • Boundary triangles are trimmed per-pixel, so the fill edge stays crisp at any zoom level.
  • Fills are computed in the background and cached; the classic projected fill shows while computing and remains available per object via the new Fill Style property (Auto / Surface / Projected). See the Geopolygons & Surface Fill guide.

Virtual Reality (Vulkan VR)

  • New Vulkan/OpenXR VR pipeline with single-pass stereo (multiview) rendering for improved performance.
  • RTX shadows, anisotropic filtering, and fixed foveated rendering for sharper, faster VR.
  • VR tools for digitising orientations and polylines, plus spectator view and improved captions.
  • Smoother controller input, teleport, and vignette comfort options.
Early access

This feature is currently in early access and gated behind a licensed option. Request access from support to enable it.

Structure from Motion (SfM) Photogrammetry (NEW)

  • Native photogrammetry pipeline built directly into VRGS — reconstruct 3D models from your own photographs.
  • Dedicated photo browser with live progress, cancellation, tie-point picking, GPS editing, and a post-run dashboard.
  • Dense multi-view stereo (MVS) reconstruction with quality filtering, plus an optional AI (CasMVSNet) backend.
  • Create meshes directly from the dense point cloud (Poisson or greedy triangulation) with photo-projected texture baking.
  • GPS-based alignment and licensing integration.
Early access

This feature is currently in early access and gated behind a licensed option. Request access from support to enable it.

Seismic & SEG-Y Support (NEW)

  • Import SEG-Y seismic volumes and LAS well logs, with an import preview dialog and editable field-map auto-detection.
  • GPU brick-paged 3D volume rendering for large seismic datasets (OpenGL and Vulkan).
  • Horizon picking on seismic sections, AGC gain control, percentile-based clipping, and pre-stack gather display.
  • 2D line support with curtain panels along the acquisition path.
  • Synthetic (forward-model) seismic sections generated directly from outcrop meshes, including facies/impedance overlays, Kirchhoff modelling, and 2.5D aperture control.
  • Drape seismic sections onto meshes for integrated interpretation.
Early access

This feature is currently in early access and gated behind a licensed option. Request access from support to enable it.

CT / MRI & Voxel Volumes (NEW)

  • Import and visualise voxel-based CT and MRI volumes with GPU brick-paged ray-marching (Vulkan).
  • Volume picking and interrogation, plus consistent level-of-detail handling (new CTIMAGE licensed option).
Early access

This feature is currently in early access and gated behind a licensed option. Request access from support to enable it.

Discrete Fracture Networks (DFN) (NEW)

  • Generate and analyse discrete fracture networks with statistical fitting and stereonet integration.
  • Export to FracMan FAB, CSV, and project polylines.
  • Advanced analysis: Oda equivalent permeability tensor, percolation analysis, and virtual scanline sampling with Terzaghi correction.
  • Per-DFN stress parameters and region masking.

Fracture Detection & Analysis

  • AI-powered U-Net fracture segmentation with two-pass vectorisation.
  • Scan-line fracture statistics with P32/P33 intensity measures and junction-aware tracing.
  • Fracture histogram with logarithmic axis and true-dip orientation output.

Stereonet & Orientation Tools

  • Smooth density (tendency) contouring plotted directly on the stereonet.
  • Enhanced slip/dilation tendency analysis with stress tensor input, failure parameters, and normalised output.
  • Mesh-attribute plotting on stereonets and refined rose diagram keys.
  • New 3D Stereosphere view for immersive orientation analysis.

3D Logs & Well Data

  • Faithful 3D lithology columns, LAS log spheres, and grain-size display along well paths.
  • Surface-following geodesic log tracking that digitises along the outcrop.
  • Rectified image-track extraction from outcrop textures along a log path.

Field Guide & Virtual Field Trips

  • Comprehensive Field Guide page management with integrated editor.
  • New WebSocket-based multi-user server transport for more reliable virtual field trips.
  • Trip leader controls to pause and resume trips, with improved invite-code experience.

Flight Path Timeline (NEW)

  • Visual keyframe timeline for editing camera flight paths, with zoom, scroll, and context menus.
  • Smooth interpolation and a scenes track for cinematic sequences.
  • Faster, higher-quality video recording (async capture, MSAA, tile pre-warming).

AI Assistant (Athos) Enhancements

  • Native tool-calling support across OpenAI, Claude, and Ollama, plus GPT-5.x reasoning models.
  • Help-documentation retrieval (RAG) so the assistant can answer from VRGS docs.
  • Screen-capture and multimodal (image) support.
  • Conversations now persist with the project, with improved reliability and cancellable requests.

Sketchfab Integration

  • Search and download public models, browse and download your own models, and upload directly from VRGS.

🚀 Performance & User Experience​

Rendering & Large Models

  • Tiled-mesh level-of-detail with background loading to eliminate loading stutter.
  • Point-cloud LOD improvements with per-region frustum culling and per-cell detail.
  • Faster tile streaming, texture decoding, and mesh loading throughout.
  • Screen-space curvature shading and slope/aspect colouring.

Navigation & Interaction

  • Gamepad/game-controller navigation and full-screen support.
  • Google-Maps-style compass navigator replacing the old HUD.
  • Improved 3D picking speed and accuracy, including brush selection with 3D sphere and depth occlusion.

Stability

  • Undo/redo support for object deletions.
  • Numerous crash fixes reported via Sentry (project tree, display lists, mesh import, and more).
  • Safer GPU resource handling and guards against recycled-pointer errors.

🛠 Improvements​

User Interface

  • Refined project tree and property editor: F2 rename, icon previews, alternating rows, and tree item badges.
  • Expanded ribbon and backstage tooltips with detailed command descriptions.
  • Sedimentary log improvements: SVG pattern fills, base-contact lines, and live cursor readout.
  • Per-group display property overrides and inheritance for TINs, point clouds, and orientation groups.

Data Handling

  • Automatic discrete-GPU selection when software OpenGL is detected.
  • Improved texture compression, mipmap handling, and fixes for meshes rendering black after import/reload.
  • Secure on-demand ONNX model downloads for Geotour users.
  • More robust PROJ coordinate grid downloads.

🐛 Fixes & Reliability​

  • Fixed wrong/black textures on streaming tiles and DDS decode issues.
  • Corrected SfM registration, bundle-adjustment, and reconstruction quality issues.
  • Resolved seismic overlay alignment and projection issues.
  • Fixed stereonet tendency display updates and rose-diagram binning symmetry.
  • Improved handling of corrupted or malformed data during load.

🔄 Minor Updates​

  • Ongoing version updates and general maintenance across the platform.
  • Extensive background refactoring for long-term stability and performance.

VRGS 3.3.20 to 3.3.22​

24 April 2026​

✨ New & Enhanced Features​

Mesh Decimation Tools

  • New configuration dialog for simplifying meshes.
  • Choose target size by triangle count or percentage reduction.
  • Options to preserve important features like edges and textures.
  • Consistent batch processing across multiple meshes.

Segmentation & Image Analysis

  • “Segment Everything” (SAM) auto-segmentation introduced.
  • Faster and more seamless segmentation on large images.
  • Improved visualisation using project-defined colours.
  • Undo support and better control over overwriting existing labels.

Photogrammetry & Image Handling

  • Improved Metashape camera import, including support for grouped cameras.
  • More accurate image interaction and picking in 3D.
  • Enhanced 3D visualisation for image-based data (e.g. SquashPlot).

Orientation & Stereonet Tools

  • New contouring methods for stereonets (including smoother density options).
  • Improved statistical analysis of orientation data (e.g. clustering vs girdle detection).
  • Better visualisation of planes, poles, and intersections.
  • New tools for analysing relationships between geological features.

Orientation Group Tools

  • Convert orientation groups into structured grids for further analysis.
  • Improved workflows for handling grouped structural data.

🚀 Performance & User Experience​

Segmentation Performance

  • Significantly faster processing for large images.
  • Background processing reduces UI blocking.
  • Smoother results across image tiles.

Rendering Improvements

  • More consistent and stable rendering behaviour.
  • Improved handling of overlays and textures.
  • Better responsiveness when working with complex models.

General Stability

  • Reduced crashes during object editing and deletion.
  • More robust handling of large datasets and complex operations.

🛠 Improvements​

User Interface

  • Cleaner layout in mesh decimation tools.
  • More intuitive controls for segmentation workflows.
  • Improved notifications for software updates.

Project & Data Handling

  • More stable handling of object deletion and project tree operations.
  • Improved consistency when working with complex datasets.

Visualisation

  • Improved 3D display of image-derived data.
  • More accurate colour handling across tools and exports.

🐛 Fixes & Reliability​

  • Fixed issues with object manipulation in certain edit modes.
  • Improved stability when working with photogrammetry data.
  • Resolved inconsistencies in stereonet projections and calculations.
  • Better handling of edge cases in orientation analysis.

🔄 Minor Updates​

  • Version updates and general maintenance.
  • Background improvements to ensure smoother operation across the platform.

VRGS 3.3.2 to 3.3.19​

February – April 2026​

✨ New & Enhanced Features​

Project Backups

  • Option to choose a custom backup location when saving projects.
  • Improved reliability and error handling during backup creation.

Cross Section Tools

  • Adjustable vertical scale for cross sections.
  • Better control over section positioning and elevation.
  • Improved editing experience and accuracy.

Measurement & Interpretation Tools

  • Convert measurement groups into isopach and isochore polylines.
  • More efficient handling of large datasets and complex projects.
  • Faster interaction when selecting or editing polylines.

Outcrop.io (DOR) Integration Enhancements

  • Improved syncing of interpretations with better feedback and reliability.
  • Clearer linking between VRGS projects and Outcrop.io models.
  • Additional context and metadata included during sync.

🚀 Performance & User Experience​

Large Model & Tile Performance

  • Faster loading and smoother navigation in large scenes.
  • Improved responsiveness when working with high-resolution datasets.
  • Better handling of detail levels for more consistent visual quality.

Rendering & Visual Quality

  • More stable and consistent rendering across different views.
  • Improved handling of textures and imagery on models.
  • Better terrain masking and visual blending.

VR Experience Improvements

  • Smoother and more stable tracking in VR.
  • More reliable controller positioning and interaction.
  • Reduced visual glitches during movement or tracking loss.

🛠 Improvements​

Project & Data Handling

  • Improved project loading across different systems (better file/path handling).
  • More robust handling of large datasets and complex models.
  • Improved coordinate transformations for more accurate positioning.

User Interface

  • Cleaner UI with reduced unnecessary messages and logs.
  • Improved dialogs and workflows (e.g. backups, imports).
  • More consistent behaviour across tools and panels.

Data Import & Export

  • Better handling of textures during export.
  • Improved compatibility with external data formats.
  • More reliable import of external datasets and imagery.

🐛 Fixes & Stability​

  • Fixed crashes related to missing or invalid selections.
  • Improved stability when opening projects on different machines.
  • Resolved issues with large project performance and delays.
  • Fixed inconsistencies in measurements and attribute updates.
  • Improved handling of missing or corrupt data.

🔄 Minor Updates​

  • Ongoing small improvements and refinements across the platform.
  • Regular patch updates for stability and maintenance.

VRGS 3.3.1 – Major Update​

December 2025 – February 2026​

✨ New Features​

Cesium 3D Tiles Support (NEW)

  • Full integration of Cesium 3D Tiles for high-resolution geospatial streaming.
  • Support for Cesium Ion assets and URL-based tilesets.
  • Improved video recording behavior to ensure complete tile loading per frame.

Google 3D Tiles & Maps Overlays

  • Support for Google Photorealistic 3D Tiles.
  • Google Maps Satellite, Roadmap, and Terrain overlays.
  • Proper attribution and credit display.

Raster Overlay Support

  • Add and manage imagery layers (ion or URL-based).
  • Tiles render with imagery, embedded textures, or PBR base color.

Vertical Datum & Geoid Support

  • Optional vertical datum correction (EGM96 / EGM2008).
  • Improved orthometric ↔ ellipsoidal height accuracy.

Terrain Masking (Major Upgrade)

  • 3D occupancy grid masking for meshes with overhangs/caves.
  • Automatic mask mode detection (2D footprint or 3D volume).
  • Shader-based terrain clipping for accurate visual results.

Mesh Decimation (QEM Upgrade)

  • New Quadric Error Metrics (QEM) decimation algorithm.
  • Topology preservation and boundary protection.
  • Optional texture seam preservation.
  • Improved visual fidelity after simplification.

Point Cloud → DEM Conversion

  • Convert point clouds to triangulated DEM meshes.
  • Median gridding with IDW fill of empty cells.
  • Mesh tiling for improved performance on large datasets.

Gaussian Splat Improvements

  • View-dependent color using Spherical Harmonics (up to degree 3).
  • Improved transparency, sorting, and falloff controls.
  • Adjustable splat scale and falloff parameters in properties panel.
  • Better depth handling and occlusion behavior.

Digital Outcrop Repository (DOR) Browser

  • Embedded DOR browser panel.
  • “Open in VRGS” one-click model import.
  • Async download with progress and improved error handling.

Interpretation Branching & Version Control

  • Full branch management system for interpretations.
  • Create, switch, merge, and manage branches via dedicated panel.
  • Per-branch object visibility and history tracking.

Virtual Field Trip (VFT) & Multiuser Enhancements

  • Multi-trip support with invite codes and waiting room.
  • Real-time chat, heartbeat monitoring, reconnection logic.
  • Standalone GeotourServer support with TLS & JWT authentication.
  • Monitoring dashboard and metrics exporter.

WYSIWYG Editor (NEW)

  • Modern TipTap-based editor replacing raw HTML editor.
  • Image alignment, tables, callouts, figures, YouTube embeds.
  • Local video embedding support.
  • Improved save workflow and media handling.

Stereonet Tools

  • Equal-angle / equal-area projections.
  • Kamb contouring (area corrected).
  • Rose diagrams and circular statistics.
  • Stress tools (slip / dilation tendency).
  • SVG export from histogram pane.

🛠 Improvements​

Rendering & Lighting

  • Consistent light direction handling across pipeline.
  • Improved motion blur with shutter angle and Gaussian weighting.
  • Better shadow consistency and shading accuracy.

Cesium Performance & Stability

  • Improved LOD selection and tile filtering.
  • Safer thread handling during load/shutdown.
  • Better handling of large/global tilesets.
  • Improved video recording stability with tiles.

Mesh & Point Cloud Handling

  • Faster mesh loading with progress reporting.
  • Improved mesh decimation quality and safety checks.
  • Fallback UV generation for meshes without texture coordinates.
  • Improved histogram rendering for attribute layers.

Database & Project System

  • Versioned migration system for safe upgrades.
  • Improved branch-based object visibility.
  • Schema cleanup and legacy feature removal.
  • Export schema to SQL.

Coordinate Systems & PROJ

  • Improved grid management and automatic grid download.
  • More robust CRS transformations and diagnostics.

Cesium & Overlay UX

  • Improved overlay reload behavior.
  • Tile extent filtering for local CRS use cases.
  • Debug tools for tile bounds and coverage.

Video Capture

  • Optional microphone audio recording.
  • Configurable cursor display in recordings.
  • Higher recommended bitrates for 3D content.

🐛 Fixes & Stability​

  • Fixed Gaussian splat center saturation and opacity scaling issues.
  • Corrected covariance construction for splats (CPU/GPU consistency).
  • Resolved race conditions in display list and picking.
  • Improved TIFF NoData handling and robustness.
  • Fixed mesh decimation counting and edge-collapse issues.
  • Corrected directional light eye-space calculation.
  • Improved handling of corrupted or malformed data during load.