Versions

Details on the new features and updates listed here can be found after installing AUSTAL View in the help under „Einführung > Was ist neu“

Version 12

Version 12.1

New Features

Download precipitation data
- Implementation of precipitation download RESTNI 3 – dataset covering the years 2016 to 2023 (as of March 2026)
- Precipitation data can now also be downloaded for any time period, e.g., from June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019.

Updates and bug fixes

The precipitation data download occasionally failed
The precipitation data download could not be started if the end of the AKTerm file contained multiple blank lines

Version 12.0

New features

Building Download
- A new download service provides building data for the territory of Germany. This includes the outlines and heights of all building data provided by the state offices.
Export to Shapefiles: Simulation Results
- Previously, each substance and result type had to be exported individually as a Shapefile. Similar to printing to PDF files, all results can now be exported in a single step.
Graphical Options
- In the color palettes, the color and symbols for the reference point, the anemometer location, and the sources can now also be changed.
- The size of the markers for cell values can now be adjusted.
- The background for cell values can now be displayed as transparent.
- Color-coded cells can optionally be assigned an “open” scale. Instead of hiding all cells below the minimum or above the maximum as in the standard case, all values are colored. Previously created color palettes can continue to be used.
- The thickness of the color bar (color-coded cells, isolines) or the size of the markers (gridded buildings, roughness length) can now be adjusted.
BESMIN/BESMAX
In the BESMAX calculation section, several improvements have been made to the input mask to simplify the editing of multiple sources.
- Switch to enable or disable the inclusion of sources in the calculation for all sources
- The order of the sources is now always identical to the source dialog in the project
- When importing sources, existing emissions were previously deleted; these can now optionally be retained
- When importing emissions into BESMAX, substances with emissions > 0 can be automatically activated.
- Button to apply a stack height to all other sources. When determining the stack height iteratively, the height often needs to be varied, which is very time-consuming when manually entering data for many sources.
- Implementation of the current version of BESMIN and BESMAX (Version 1.3.0)
Grid
- The grid can now also be imported into an existing project from an austal.txt file. Previously, this was only possible when creating the project.
- When importing the vertical grid from a wind field or an austal.txt file, or when creating it with the integrated utility, decimal places are now also supported.
Calculation Run
- If a zeitreihe.dmna file is located in the project folder, its use is now queried in the Project Status window even if no time-dependent parameters are specified. This allows manual modifications to the meteorological data to be made without having to edit the AKTerm file itself.

Updates and Bug Fixes

Meteo View – Wind Speed Classes: For display purposes, the default threshold for circulating winds has been changed from 0.5 m/s to 0.01 m/s (only for new installations). For existing installations or updates, the value must be changed manually once if necessary.
Occasional shifts in results when combining files have been fixed.
Occasional display errors in imported DMNA files have been fixed.
When manually entering the source height in the BESMAX dialog, the height from the source dialog was output to the log file.
The default type for displaying contour lines has been changed to triangulation.
In the processing options for terrain import, the default cell size for processing has been reduced from 100 m to 30 m.
Due to potential issues with AUSTAL when the grid origin is not an integer, the origin is now rounded when creating the austal.txt file or when importing from an austal.txt file.
The DEFLATE compression format is now also supported when importing TIF raster images.
Fixed an error when reading orographic data in TIF format.
When importing the computational grid from a wind field file, a missing axes parameter in the file header no longer causes the process to abort.
volout files are now displayed correctly even if the axes parameter is missing in the file header.
Use of meteorological data with Monin-Obukov lengths has been revised. Since version 3.3, AUSTAL no longer accepts the previously used AKT file format.
When modifying the austal.settings file via Tools > Editor Model Settings, the cadd parameter for the bae material was not taken into account.
Calls to WordPad have been replaced by the default editor. WordPad is no longer part of Windows 11.
Print/Print to PDF: Manually set document titles were not applied.
Display errors for special characters when importing DMNA files in UTF-8 encoding (created with LASAT 3.5.7) have been fixed.
Precipitation time series for eastern Germany could not be downloaded
Building dialog: Reduced the time required to delete and select buildings via the map.
Corrected the assignment of time-dependent emissions and source parameters to meteorological data: The assignment was shifted by one hour
When exporting LASAT files, an existing work directory was sometimes not deleted.
Fixed an error with the labeling of the color bar when using the Label Density or First Label options.
Disabling the display of isolines and cell values after a calculation run

Version 11

Version 11.0.27

New features

Implementation of BESTAL version 1.2.0
- Volume flows can be used as input parameters for a BESMIN calculation
- Automatic transfer of the highest calculated BESMIN stack height instead of manual selection
- Output of the BESMIN heights in the log file for each calculated substance
- Original BESMIN log files (program output besmin.exe) are now also saved
- when starting the BESMIN calculations from the BESMAX window, only the selected substances are now calculated
- new automatic option when starting the BESMIN calculations from the BESMAX window, so that no further manual interactions are necessary
In the batch calculation run, you can now choose to use existing wind fields and time series

Updates and bug fixes

Existing e-DMNA files were not updated in the batch calculation run
Fixed occasional program crashes during the batch calculation run
Spaces in project paths are allowed again
Fixed termination of BESMAX simulation when selecting the options resolution 2° and scientific output at the same time

Version 11.0.16

the parameters vq and zq were not transferred at the start of BESMAX program and instead zero values were transferred for the volume flows, so that no thermal rise was taken into account
BESMAX report was not generated for long substance names

Version 11.0.11

in the output of BESMAX, the evaluation of the concentration to the S-value was carried out incorrectly for some substances
spaces are now allowed in the BESMAX path (File > Preferences > BESMIN/BESMAX)
if source parameters are imported via an Excel file, a large number of decimal places may have been displayed in the BESMAX output
when determining the weighted emission center for the odor evaluation grid, the center of the source is now used for extended sources (volume, area, line sources) instead of its origin

Version 11.0.5

austal.exe and taldia.exe replaced – of the two versions of the files austal.exe and taldia.exe provided by the Federal Environment Agency, the slower version (gcc compiler) was included in version 11.0.0
Restriction on exporting and printing output in path or file names with spaces or special characters removed

Version 11.0.0

Please note: Users of the multicore version of AUSTAL must also update: Download (File pk_mpi.3.3.0_AustalView_setup.exe)

New features

Implementation of the new AUSTAL version 3.3.0
Calculation of stack height according to TA Luft Annex 2 Number 14
New BESTAL-Version implemented
New building type polygonal building with inner courtyard („Holes“)
New source parameter rf
When exporting shape files, several layers can now be exported simultaneously
Subdirectories can now also be searched when using the Import tool
Maximum number of monitor points increased from 20 to 199
The maximum length of building and source names has been extended to 16 characters. In addition, the numbering in the standard name of buildings and sources has been increased to 3 digits (e.g. GEB_001 instead of GEB_1).
The maximum permitted number of grid cells has been increased from 300 to 400

Updates and bug fixes

The quality level qs can now be selected up to the value 9 in the control system.
When creating a new project, the last selected UTM or GK zone is set as the default value.
When creating a user-defined grid, the third grid may have been shifted by one mesh, causing AUSTAL to abort.
When outputting a concentration time series, the unit of the y-axis was not displayed correctly.
Incorrect points were deleted when several monitor points were deleted at the same time.
AUSTAL aborts if an outlet temperature tq > 10 is specified, but the source parameters dq and vq are missing. This is now checked in Details and an error message is displayed if necessary.
In simulations with flat terrain, the error message Missing anemometer location was incorrectly displayed.
Variable emissions: in time scenarios with uniform distribution, one hour was sometimes missing.
The Move symbol was sometimes inactive.
Building grid, terrain and time series files were not displayed in the „Save as“ dialogue
The niederschlag.dmna file was not included in the zip backup by default.
Output of the precipitation time series in niederschlag.dmna with two decimal places for more precise scalability to the mean value
Sources with situation-dependent parameters (meteo matrix): Wind classes could only be selected from 1 to 9 instead of in 1m/s steps and the export/import of Excel files was added
When exporting JPG images, the previously selected settings will be used in the selection
Incorrect labelling of the weekdays in the „Emission scenario“ report has been fixed
When selecting a colour palette for the hourly value NO2, the colour palette of the annual value was partially overwritten
When restarting a calculation run in an existing project, the individually selected colour palettes were sometimes reset
Checking for umlauts and symbols in the file path before starting the calculation run

Version 10.3

Version 10.3.0

New features

Implementation of the new AUSTAL version 3.2.1
- Drifting of raindrops can be considered with the WETDRIFT option
WMS maps revised
- Display problems with WMS maps fixed
- List of WMS servers updatedt
New entry Web License in the settings
- If the new option is activated, the dialog for deactivating the web license is opened when the program is closed
Odor evaluation revised
- The zoom of the graphic window is maintained when running the odor evaluation
- The display of the cell values is maintained when running the odor evaluation again
- The last selected color palette of an odorant evaluation is automatically adopted for a further evaluation
- Rectangular evaluation grids possible
- Rounding of the emission center possible
- Display of the expansion circle or ellipse now optional
- Field boundaries are now checked before the evaluation program is started
Computational grid
- When creating a grid, it is automatically enlarged to include the position of the anemometer if necessary
- Improved automatic creation of computational grids: Transition area now at least 4 grid cells wide
Time scenarios
- In the editor the support of meteorological data has been improved.

Updates and bug fixes

Fixed a bug when creating the roughness file in the terrain calculator
Fixed a bug when manually resizing the computational grid in the graphics window
Updated format when exporting buildings in bodies.def format
Fixed problems with importing buildings in DMNA format
Problems with import of buildings in bodies.def format solved
input of the source diameter parameter dq now possible with 3 decimal places
no more error message if the anemometer location is in both inner grids
export of vertical line sources to shape format improved
error when creating the precipitation.dmna in case of data failure in AKTerm fixed
Fixed a bug in the positioning of the odor evaluation grid
Fixed a bug in the time scenario editor
Update and bugfix in calculation of replacement anemometer position
Fixed error in report output