A couple weeks after announcing the project, iniBuilds has finally released the first development update. This time, the focus of the update has been placed on the art section of the development.

In contrast from the A350, where the airframe looks relatively new and clean, the A340 has been modelled to the likes of an 20-24 year old aircraft, with a lot of attention given to the small details that emphasize the aircraft’s age, such as hydraulic staining, grease accumulation, panel wear, worn markings, chipped paint, faded text on placards and labels, as well as differences in materials on the aircraft that can be seen after years and years of service and maintenance.

Moving on with the update, the next part covers the infamous engines - or shall I say the 4 additional APUs. One of the more interesting features of the engines is the use of the FS24 ‘shader’ effect for the engine spinners, making the transitions between different thrust settings look much smoother. The only issue with this effect however, is that the fan is turning the opposite way, due to the current simulator limitations. As with all iniBuilds products, the A340 will also feature openable engine cowlings.

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In the performance part of the update, the developers have mentioned that instead of using the traditional 4K/8K liveries, the A340 will feature decal-based liveries, that look better even when using the lower graphical settings and will use less resources. Another advantage of the FS24 is the use of the improved SimObjects system, that has let the developers fine-tune the LOD models, so that the little details can be rendered without the cost of the higher resource usage.

In addition to this, a significant number of airline-specific options will be included, with some of them being the SATCOM antenna, ice detection probes, brake fans, etc.

As mentioned previously, a lot of attention has been directed on wear and tear on the exterior. The more you fly the aircraft, the more weathering will be seen on the fuselage, for example, speed tape on various parts of the airframe, dents, paint flaking, residue and streaks, as well as tire and brake pin wear. 

Another area of development that has been showcased were the animations, more specifically, the wingflex. With the wingspan of 60.3 meters, and with two CFM56 engine on the each wing, you can definitely expect a lot of flex. Included in the update was the video showcasing the current state of the wing animations. Aside from the wings, the gear retraction and compression upon touchdown has also been tuned to act like their real-life counterpart.

For all the eyecandy lovers out there, iniBuilds has also covered the visual effects: from the wing vapors, engine condensation, over-wing vortices and wingtip trails, to the the heat blur behind the engines and the cold-start smoke.

The development update has also mentioned that the A340 will include a lot of interactive hatches with which you can fiddle around during the walkaround mode in FS24: External Power, Engine Cowling, Potable Water, Waste Water, Cargo Door opening, Cargo Control Panel and many more. 

The most exciting part of the update, at least in my humble opinion, is the inclusion of the EIS1 configuration. Something that has been heavily underrepresented in the flight simulation, will be an option in the A340. While the main focus is on the newer EIS2, the CRT screen configuration will be featured eventually.

Lastly, the development has also addressed the cabin. Like with the A350, the A340’s cabin has been modelled based on the cabin of a german carrier too. Once again, thanks to the FS24 systems, the cabin has been modelled in a way that even the users with computers with lower-end specifications will be able to run it with comfortable performance. 

Another interesting part of the update, this time regarding the cabin, is the preighter configuration. Instead of converting the entire aircraft into the cargo configuration (which takes a lot of time and money), airliners realised that they could just remove the seats from the cabin, and have more space for cargo transport. This configuration was especially popular during the COVID pandemic, as the airlines had no passenger service, while the amount of freight to be moved was only rising. In the iniBuilds rendition of the preighter configuration, you can walk around the cabin and open containers carrying food, medical supplies, parcels, car parts, flowers, live animals and more.

Currently, no release date, nor the price of the upcoming iniBuilds A340 has been announced, but as always Threshold will keep you updated!

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