X-Plane 12
X-Plane 12.3.1 Beta Adds Ray-Traced Shadows, Improved FSR 3.1 Support
By Marco Delgado · · 2 min read
Laminar Research has released X-Plane 12.3.1 beta, introducing ray-traced cockpit shadows, FSR 3.1 upscaling, and refined turbulence modeling. The update targets both visual fidelity and frame-time consistency.
Laminar Research has pushed X-Plane 12.3.1 into public beta, bringing a raft of rendering and flight-model improvements to the platform. Headlining the update is optional ray-traced shadowing for cockpit interiors and external surfaces, which dramatically improves depth perception during low-visibility approaches and night operations. The feature is GPU-intensive and currently limited to Vulkan on Windows and Linux, with Metal support on macOS expected in 12.4.
AMD FSR 3.1 upscaling is now natively supported, offering improved temporal stability and reduced ghosting on glass cockpit displays compared to FSR 2.2. Laminar has also tweaked the atmospheric model to better represent temperature inversions and low-level wind shear, which should make ILS approaches in gusty conditions feel more dynamic. Turbulence modeling now accounts for aircraft mass and wing loading more accurately, a boon for add-ons like the ToLiss A321 and FlightFactor 757.
The beta also includes revised ground effect logic and a fix for the long-standing issue where jet aircraft would float excessively during the flare. Developers are encouraged to test their aircraft against the new flight model, as some custom plugins may require recompilation.
X-Plane 12.3.1 is available now via the public beta channel. Laminar cautions that third-party scenery using legacy shaders may exhibit artifacts until updated. A stable release is expected in late October.
Tags: Laminar Research, X-Plane 12, Ray Tracing, FSR 3.1, Beta