The first Art Development Update for the A340 has been published on the Inibuilds forum. It features the MSFS 2024 aircraft with numerous interior and exterior screenshots and other detailed shots, along with detailed explanations.

Here is a brief overview of the most important points:

Visual Details – Exterior

• The A340 is depicted with subtle aging effects (such as wear, rust, and stains) that reflect the aircraft’s 20-24 years of existence.
• Details such as maintenance stickers, worn markings and peeling paint enhance the more “lively” look.
• The CFM56 engines are modeled in detail, including special textures and the new MSFS24 shaders for realistic engine rotation.
• Options for individual airline configurations (SATCOM antennas, brake fans, etc.).

Performance and options

• No 4K/8K textures, instead decal-based liveries are used to optimize performance.
• Use of the new modular SimObjects system in MSFS24 to ensure both detail and performance.

Dynamic wear

• Wear effects such as small dents, oil stains, and chipped paint build up dynamically as the aircraft ages in the game.
• Tire and brake wear is also simulated, and maintenance tasks must be performed via the EFB (Electronic Flight Bag).

Animations

• Realistic animations of landing gear, wing movement and engine movement
• Particularly strong wing flex due to the large wingspan

Visual effects

• Wingtip trails, contrails and dynamic engine exhaust provide more realistic effects.
• Cold start smoke and engine distortions are implemented in detail.

Interactive: Walk-Around

• There are many interactive access panels (e.g. for fuel, APU, and cargo) that provide a detailed pre-flight check experience.

Cockpit configurations

• Two instrument configurations: EIS1 (classic with CRT displays) and EIS2 (modern glass cockpit displays).
• EIS1 is available as an option, but the focus is on EIS2.

Preighter configuration

• The A340-300 is modeled as a “Preighter” cargo version, without passenger seats but with realistic cargo options such as animals, spare parts and food.

cabin

• A detailed passenger cabin based on a real German airline.
• Optimized for performance so the cabin runs well even on weaker PCs or Xbox.

Flight characteristics

• The A340 will be equipped with a realistic flight model that feels heavier and slower than that of the A350 to clearly demonstrate the differences between the two aircraft.

The next update will provide more information about the systems and visualization.