KDEN V2.2 Available now For X-Plane 12.2!
- X-Codr Designs
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
I'm thrilled to announce that the recently announced update to my premiere scenery, KDEN - Denver International Airport, is now available free for all current users!
Since the last update in January of 2024, my X-Plane development has been a bit quiet. This has largely been due to my porting of KDEN to the MSFS market... but rest assured, X-Plane was not forgotten! In fact, almost all the improvements from the MSFS version were directly brought back into the X-Plane version, along with tons of other new stuff! This update is absolutely huge, and will dramatically improve your experience at KDEN, both visually, and functionally!
Before we get into the details of the improvements, there are two things you need to do when updating. First, update your X-Codr Designs Library to V1.9 from the store, and second, remove your old SAM plugin, and install Hotbso's excellent OpenSAM which replaces SAM plugin (which is no longer supported) for jetways.
First up is a feature I'm sure many of you will be very interested in - performance improvements! On average, this update improves performance roughly 37% over V2.1! And thanks to X-Plane adding LOAD_CENTER support to objects (allowing textures to be scaled down as you get further away, just like orthoimagery), the VRAM usage in this update is only marginally higher in the heaviest cases, and significantly better in some!
In addition to performance, KDEN V2.2 offers massive improvements in ground textures! All pavement is now dramatically higher resolution and higher quality! All taxi lines have also been redesigned to much more closely reflect FAA standards, and again be of much higher resolution and quality. In addition, the large-scale grunge has been remade to be more detailed, and accurate, and taxiway tire grunge has received alpha modulating decals to add individual tire tracks!
You may also notice in these screenshots, KDEN has also received new custom hand placed taxi edge lights, and new custom taxi signs! These signs are generated using custom software I developed, enabling me to create high quality custom signs, which are reasonably compliant with FAA standards, and do so in a reasonable amount of time (trust me, 700+ signs by hand is not practical😅).
Terminals have also received major upgrades! The window height is (finally) correct! Boarding areas are also much more detailed, with appropriate signage and logos! You'll also find many directional signs throughout the terminals, better wall textures, more details and signage outside, and more!
Lastly, all the secondary cargo buildings/warehouses and other airport structure have been remodeled at a dramatically higher standard, and there are tons of other small improvements throughout the airport!
Alot of hard work has gone into revamping KDEN to look it's best and fully utilize X-Plane's capabilities, and I'm incredibly excited for you all to be able to see and enjoy what is currently my best scenery! As always, this is a free update to all users, and if you don't yet own KDEN, now is a great time to change that! As always, feedback is welcome, so if you have questions/comments or find something I missed, please do not hesitate to send me an email or hop in our Discord!
So, now that KDEN V2.2 is out, what's next? Well, stay tuned for an announcement about 2 new beautiful, rural airports that are perfect for you GA pilots ;)!
Full KDEN V2.2 Release Notes:
Massive performance improvements (37% on average in FPS tests)
New dramatically higher resolution pavement
New largely FAA compliant markings
Revamped grunge textures at a dramatically higher resolution and quality
New custom taxiway signs, largely FAA compliant
Updated gate layout to most recent changes
Huge improvements to terminal exterior models
Tons of cleanup and new details in terminal interiors
New interior terminal signage
Fully revamped secondary cargo buildings, toll booths, and many other buildings
New misc details throughout airport (fuel truck stations, tanks, utility boxes, drains, etc)
Tons of other improvements throughout the airport
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