dBSea Release Notes

Version 3.0.22

3 June 2026

• Improved thread handling for smoother UI feedback, especially when updating the levels cache
• Refactored levels cache indexing to remove the x×y×z grid maximum
• Reduced total memory used by the levels cache
• Added grid spacing labels on the setup frame

Version 3.0.21

19 May 2026

• Reduced memory pressure for all PE solves: frequency domain and time series, 2D and 3D

Version 3.0.20

5 May 2026

• Fixed an issue in the 3D PE solver when interpolating quantised bathymetry values

Version 3.0.19

3 May 2026

• Small UI refactoring (consistent tab panes, improved level formatting, and others)
• Added many more tooltips to explain advanced settings
• API option for export of spectra with levels
• Fixed an issue with rendering of peak time series levels on some components

Version 3.0.18

17 April 2026

• Removed the Windows dependency on the OpenBLAS library
• Added a command line option to start the local API

Version 3.0.17

11 April 2026

• Performance improvements to the 3D ray solver
• Improvements to UI feedback during solve

Version 3.0.16

31 March 2026

• Added an in-app AI assistant, with guardrails ensuring data privacy
• Added low frequency time domain capability via time series solve in the Parabolic Equation solver (both 2D and 3D)
• Refactored the Probe frame display of peak and peak-to-peak levels

Version 3.0.15

21 March 2026

• Large memory arrays moved to memory-mapped files
• Refactored the periodic licence check to ensure no disruption to long-running solves

Version 3.0.14

19 March 2026

• Improvement to auth token expiry checking
• Fallback licence server now points to a new backend service
• Pre-allocate workspace arrays in the PE solver
• Reduced memory assigns/frees during PE solve
• Integrated CSVEditor into the main app
• Fixes to OpenGL rendering of shapefile overlays
• Added a ray arrivals at probes export function

Version 3.0.13

27 February 2026

• Added xyz levels export
• Persist the last path for the save dialog
• Fixed a race condition which sometimes hid the GL coordinates text
• Fixed an issue which prevented “can select” probes/sources from being unchecked
• Reduced memory usage on open file / decompression
• Fixed an issue with loading gridded TL for a moving source
• Allow 1 decimal place of z depths in the UI
• Fixed a BMP export crash by capturing GL pixels during the render callback

Version 3.0.12

13 February 2026

• Improved reference data in the dBSea library
• Additional reference data added to the library
• Added support for importing a licence via offline file

Version 3.0.11

8 February 2026

• Python scripting interface added
• 3D ray tracer: fixes to polar limits calculations
• 3D ray tracer: magnitude fix to account for overlapping gaussians at low azimuthal slices
• 3D Parabolic Equation: implement source directionality
• 2D Parabolic Equation: implement source directionality
• Licences: allow null licence expiry
• Cache GL info to avoid a crash on showing the About form outside of GL context
• Show licence serial number and expiry on the About form
• Fix for save/load when source duty is NaN
• Source time series formatting
• Carry source level type through related source spectrum forms
• Fixed issues with command line mode on Windows

Version 3.0.10

10 January 2026

• OpenGL 3D engine changed for a more lightweight system
• Updated 3D drawing routines to modern OpenGL
• Fixed the thresholds dropdown in LevelLimitsForm
• UTM conversion form improvements
• Improved Linux build

Version 3.0.9

11 November 2025

• Fixes for opening legacy .uwa files
• Modifications to launcher for cleaner program exit
• Fix for opening a uw3 file where water is null
• Fix for an issue in the PE solver when the source is very close to the surface
• Performance improvements in reflection coefficient calculations
• Performance improvements during levels cache rebuild
• Fixed an initialisation issue in the 3D ray solver

Version 3.0.8

8 October 2025

• Fixed an issue that was creating multiple log files per session
• Handle a divide by zero issue when calculating the reflection coefficient in seabed layers
• Save comments when updating database equipment entries
• Resizing arrays on changing frequency limits: don’t create new arrays if they are already at the target size
• Fix for a user-created database entry not being saved with the correct datasource attribute

Version 3.0.7

1 October 2025

• Fix for an exclusion zone initialisation array index out of bounds issue
• Changed the unique system id method on Windows to one that is allowed in more recent Windows versions
• Change the taskbar icon earlier in the startup process

Version 3.0.6

19 September 2025

• HTTP client modifications for more permissive certificate validation

Version 3.0.5

17 September 2025

• Fixes for JSON import of location properties
• Add a fallback licence server host
• Add extra licence server / auth DNS and certificate checks
• Set HTTP client to a more permissive host validation mode
• Handle issues when updating the UI after importing bathymetry
• Fixed a reference error when cloning a noise source from the database

Version 3.0.4

15 September 2025

• Improved conversion of legacy user database items
• Added nearest neighbour interpolation as an option when multiple location properties are present
• Added a copy to clipboard button to error dialogs
• Added cloud licence server connection diagnostics
• Send cloud licence token requests via proxy to avoid issues with TLS versions and IPv4/IPv6
• Fixed an issue with importing shapefiles
• Fixed an issue with lat/long conversion to and from UTM which caused an issue for some ESRI ASCII files on import

Version 3.0.3

25 August 2025

• Ray3D: fix for ensuring azimuth coverage and spread, when the number of azimuth angles is less than the number of source slices
• Ray3D: fix for early cutoff of ray arrivals when rayWidth is larger than rayHeight
• Fix for parsing comma-decimal-separator floats

Version 3.0.2

22 August 2025

• Explicit shutdown after a command line session
• Fix for importing .asc files with comma-separated data
• Add geotiff extensions to the open bathymetry dialog
• Fix importing of geotiff
• Fix working with image overlays

Version 3.0.1

5 August 2025

• Update in-app release notes
• Fixed an issue where the depth of a seabed layer could not be set

Version 3.0.0

1 August 2025

• dBSea v3 — complete rebuild of the project
• 3D solvers (PE and ray)
• 3D PE solver
  • Implemented Collins’ split-step solver (doi.org/10.1121/1.406739)
  • Implemented Collins’ self-starter to remove reliance on the modal starter, which caused issues at higher frequencies (doi.org/10.1121/1.405258)
  • Removed the fallback Gaussian starter
  • Improved agreement with the reference solver across a range of test cases
  • Improved calculation of Padé series coefficients
• 3D ray solver
  • Removed the option to change Runge-Kutta method
  • Improved ray phase calculation per update point
  • Improved ray termination conditions
  • Changed defaults for better performance
• Updated overall design and UI elements
  • macOS and Linux builds of dBSea are now available
  • Improved GIS integrations
• Support for animal fleeing models and sound exposure
• Support for animat sound exposure modelling via integration with 3MB
• Added a probe-to-source back-calculation function
• The modal solver is now deprecated — please use the PE solvers for low frequencies
• Improved UI feedback during many potentially long-duration events such as loading and saving projects, and loading bathymetry
• Improved save file format
• Improvements to the levels vs time chart on the probe frame, added a button to export levels and spectrum over time
• Updated OpenGL version and improved feedback and error messages when graphics requirements are not met
• Added support for geotiff bathymetry import
• Added support for geojson export
• Exported contours are formed into closed polygons
• When exporting contour shapefiles, don’t export non-visible contour levels
• Added local API mode
• Removed non-threaded solve options
• Removed the local help file and added docs.dbsea.co.uk
• Show source-to-probe angle when showing distances
• If the user attempts to open bathymetry, import it (instead of attempting to load a uw3 file)
• Flip the imported bathymetry on import if it seems likely to be encoded in reverse sense
• Handle ESRI ASCII where data lines have a space at the start of the line
• Added a time series band levels to clipboard button
• Fixed an issue where login details were lost during an upgrade or reinstall
• Fixed a licensing issue present when the internet connection drops during a long solve

Version 2.4.28

30 June 2025

• Reduce memory use on export of ESRI ASCII levels files

Version 2.4.27

17 June 2025

• Fix for long base64 encoded systemIds

Version 2.4.26

14 May 2025

• Improve interaction between different licence timer handlers

Version 2.4.25

31 March 2025

• Improvements to OpenGL window creation
• Save material name and comments on OK press

Version 2.4.24

11 March 2025

• Fixed an issue which made the UI unresponsive during solves and other heavy operations
• Fix for the cancel solve button hiding when there is more than one source in a scenario

Version 2.4.23

10 March 2025

• Change combo boxes so that a large combobox dropdown will not go over the screen height
• Additional checks on sizing of the parallel thread pool

Version 2.4.22

7 March 2025

• When creating an OpenGL view, attempt to make use of the GPU if available
• Use a background thread to get the system id when opening the About form

Version 2.4.21

19 February 2025

• When exporting contours, only export visible contours
• Add an option to get xyz data of current levels
• Improvements to UI feedback when doing heavy operations while opening a file
• Better UI feedback when changing bandwidth and it is a heavy operation

Version 2.4.20

11 February 2025

• Updated database with 2024 NOAA thresholds and weighting curves

Version 2.4.19

10 February 2025

• Improved logging on creation of the OpenGL view, including details of the rendering device
• Update auth system HTTPS calls to support TLS 1.3
• Ensure that only levels from active sources are included in overall levels calculations
• Simplify some UI handling on source and probe frames
• Fixed an issue which led to linked time series between duplicate sources

Version 2.4.18

5 February 2025

• Add support for modern OpenGL systems which have moved FBO EXT functions fully into core
• Fix for incorrect updates to source and probe names on the source and probe frames
• Added more checks to solve cancellation to each solver
• Improved logging during cloud licence retrieval
• Fixed an issue with logging handlers on cloud licence retrieval

Version 2.4.17

10 December 2024

• Add an extra command line argument to allow cloud login (without requiring UI login)
• Improved flushing of command line text
• Fix for some legacy HASP keys which were only made valid up to v2.3

Version 2.4.16

11 November 2024

• Allow source name update via JSON
• Improved system id method
• Improved startup logging
• Updated UI for setting Padé terms
• Command line OpenGL checking

Version 2.4.15

21 August 2024

• Build for testing a specific customer issue

Version 2.4.14

17 May 2024

• Internal-only build, with experimental features

Version 2.4.13

1 May 2024

• Internal-only build, with experimental features

Version 2.4.12

13 March 2024

• Command line mode import / export of JSON for moving sources
• Improve PE solver feedback during starter calculation
• Allow cancelling solve during PE starter calculation

Version 2.4.11

1 March 2024

• Fix probes export in command line mode

Version 2.4.10

25 February 2024

• Allow command line mode to use cloud licences

Version 2.4.9

31 January 2024

• Fix for ignoring levels below seabed in the radials form

Version 2.4.8

26 January 2024

• Fix to prevent an issue when changing frequencies
• Improved feedback during post-processing of solved levels
• Improved feedback during drawing of result levels
• Improved feedback when changing the solution grid
• Improved results levels drawing algorithm performance

Version 2.4.7

7 December 2023

• Fixed an issue that would prevent the login form from being usable in some situations

Version 2.4.6

26 November 2023

• Fixes for 64-processor CPUs
• Allow rescaling during modal solver mode search, to avoid running out of precision in some scenarios
• Improve speed of loading data from large uwa files
• Fixed an issue which would prevent some data from being saved in very large uwa files
• Check transmission loss and water attenuation for extreme low values, to reduce high frequency save file size
• Use multiple threads to decompress source levels
• Fixed an issue with writing to logs during multi-threaded operations

Version 2.4.5

6 November 2023

• Fixed an issue which caused incorrect output from the ray solver
• Fixed an issue which hid the solve progress bar when solving for multiple scenarios

Version 2.4.4

2 July 2023

• Fixed an issue that prevented some dialogs from opening

Version 2.4.3

5 June 2023

• Added support for trial licences via the licence server
• Allow showing the logs form non-modal
• Update the logs form as new logs arrive
• Added retry logic when fetching licences from the server

Version 2.4.2

7 May 2023

• Added the ability to import legacy trial and licence files from the new login/licence UI
• Don’t check for an exclusive file lock when opening files for read-only operations

Version 2.4.1

2 April 2023

• Stream write to file in some export operations, to allow writing out from very large projects

Version 2.4.0

26 March 2023

• Added support for fetching licence and activation from the License Server
• Added UI to handle licence fetching, logging in and associated actions