Release Notes - Version 1.3

January 2010

Vector Feature Support

• New "osgEarthFeatures" library for rendering vector layers
• Drivers for rendering features and draping vector data on the terrain
• Topological operations - buffer and resample vector datasets (using optional GEOS library)
• Gridding - divide large datasets into cells for faster rendering
• Styling, feature classification, SQL queries
• New vector samples (repo/tests/feature_*.earth)

New Tile Loading Schemes

• "Sequential" mode - subdivides terrain without having to wait for tile content to load
• "Preemptive" mode - loads the highest LODs first and then backfills the lower LODs
• Load balancing - allocate threads to various map layers with weighting
• Pre-layer updates - tiles incrementally update as layer data streams in
• Cancellation support - tile downloads can be canceled when no longer needed (e.g., culling)

Rendering and Data Management

• Multi-pass layer rendering
• No-data values for imagery/elevation
• No-data images for web sources
• Transparency key support
• Datum override in geocentric maps

Other goodness:

• New "OSG" tile driver lets you use non-georeferenced imagery and elevation
• GDAL plugin now supports palette indexed and grayscale imagery
• EarthManipulator now supports offsets when tethered to a node
• Upgrades to ElevationManager