Ashes 4.0

• New 3D rendering engine — Complete rewrite using modern OpenGL 4.1 shaders, with real-time shadows, tessellated wave surfaces, tone mapping, supersampling for crisp lines, instanced drawing, and order-independent transparency. Significantly improved visual quality and performance
• Earthquake loads — Support for earthquake loading analysis with configurable start time and input units, and bundled earthquake records (El Centro 1941, Northridge)
• Tubular joint fatigue (DNV-RP-C203) — Stress Concentration Factors computed per DNV-RP-C203 (beta), Y-brace joint type, rainflow counting per ASTM E1049-85, and axial stress inclusion in fatigue sensors
• Mean drift wave loads computed from WAMIT .8 files using Newman's approximation
• Multibody potential flow — Support for multiple bodies in potential flow calculations, including radiation, added mass, and wave excitation loads
• Model report — Generate a summary report of the wind turbine model
• Command-line reports — Reports can now be generated from the CLI using the --report option
• CLI enhancements — New --outputfolder, --numcores, --benchmark, and --verbose options
• Bird script integration — Python-based bird controller with visualization and configurable script path in batch
• Dark mode — across the entire UI, including parameter trees, batch dialogs, graphs, sensor icons, cross-section pixmaps, and database dialogs
• Turbulence sensors — New fields for turbulence magnitude (X, Y, Z) as absolute and percentage values, average turbulence magnitude, and wind velocity at both displaced and initial node positions
• Distance to sea field added to node sensor
• Parasitic torque field added to rotor sensor (vertical axis only)
• Eigenmodes visualization improved with toolbar, correct camera positioning, fit-in-view, and smooth 100 FPS animation
• Blade station visualization — Hovering over a blade station in the parts tree renders the station geometry in 3D
• Camera state persistence — Camera position and orientation saved and loaded with the project
• Waterplane area properties displayed, including roll and pitch axis directions for floaters
• Hydrostatic stability info — Metacentric height (GM), KM, and hydrostatic stiffness displayed for floating structures
• Performance optimizations — Gauss elimination solver improved from O(n³) to O(n²), optimized DOF memory layout, interaction objects shrunk from ~392 to ~96 bytes, cached element mass, and modified Newton-Raphson solver option
• Thread count setting — User-configurable number of cores for batch simulations with NUMA-aware core assignment
• 22 MW reference turbine — Blade, RNA, and controller files added
• Shear area correctly computed for rectangular hollow cross sections
• TSR sensor improvement — Tip Speed Ratio now uses average local wind speed instead of hub-height wind
• Retardation function progress bar shown during computation
• 64-bit wind seed RNG for improved randomization
• TurbSim progress — Generation now shows progress, and TurbSim version is shown as a parameter
• Linux support improvements — Fixed file dialogs, Python path lookup, plugin paths, and font rendering
• Batch improvements: hovering parameters shows tooltip, model saved by default, "update during iterations" option visible, CSV import no longer deletes existing sensors
• Improved information dialog with cleaner formatting and better support section info
• Export of support section files now includes date/time and Ashes version metadata
• File name suggested when exporting Cp curve
• Units display now uses unicode exponents
• User manual improved and updated

2 Known issues and workarounds

• Warning signs stays red after a python issue, but simulation can be run. Restarting the simulation resets the warning.
• "Azimuth angle" parameter in floater input file has no effect. Workaround is to change the angle from the GUI itself
• Adding a sensor during a simulation with a Python API makes the python script crash. Restarting the simulations fixes it.
• Depending on hardware, simulations run at max speed (with lightning icon) might appear choppy. Reducing speed will solve that. Results are not affected

3 Bugs fixed

• Fixed SCF (Stress Concentration Factor) equations — corrected wrong formulas and buggy short chord factor application
• Fixed added-mass force being zero for "Loads only" analysis
• Fixed nonzero acceleration for "Loads only" analysis
• Fixed initial TSR not applied for VAWT
• Fixed generator efficiency default not being set when not specified in Python script
• Fixed wind shear not visible when visualizing wind field
• Fixed Ursell number incorrectly including density
• Fixed batch errors not always showing up
• Fixed controller input parameter handling in batch
• Fixed pitch actuator sensor missing index numbering
• Fixed CPU usage when Ashes is idle
• Fixed crash when canceling turbulent wind generation
• Fixed memory leak of plots
• Fixed OpenGL resource leak causing freeze on window resize