question

Hello @JB3DG

This is not planned.

Regarding features, like drawing 3D terrain, I'd say extending and improving the existing API is more likely to happen.
What limitations prevents you from using our MapView API for this?
MapView API (flightsimulator.com)

Regarding optimizations, it's up to our engine to batch rendering commands in the most optimized way possible.
If you encounter any performance issue that you think can be related to our implementation, feel free to report it here and we'll have some engine programmers have a look.

Regards,
Sylvain

The MapView API doesn't provide any control for variations of styles of map symbology (airport/navaid data etc) which can vary considerably from one aircraft to another. That forces an extra loop into the process, (first loop for gathering the data for the map display from ICAO databases, the new loop for rendering both a sprite object and a text object), while shader based code can take care of a good amount of the processing in sprite and text selection and the developer only needs to upload the array of symbol enumeration and text data for each object. This sort of render batching is vastly more efficient as it cuts the amount of processing on the CPU end in half.

Another limitation of the MapView API that I can see for terrain rendering is twofold. Firstly, the terrain resolution. TAWS/EGPWS maps tend to be much lower resolution than Garmin style terrain maps, resulting in a more blocky view), and secondly, TAWS/EGPWS maps have varying dot density patterns, not just solid colors for different warning/caution altitude layers. To render this via GDI+ or NanoVG involves loops that draw on the level of single pixels, or numerous very small primitives a few pixels in size. In contrast, custom shaders can be created where a single channel R32bit texture is uploaded containing altitude elevation data, which a pixel shader can then process vastly more efficiently into the output color.

Finally, on the 3D side of things, there is again considerable variation between avionics systems in their terrain coloring, texturing, resolution, and airport/object symbology.

Eg this Proline fusion's display of airports (the white dome at distance, runways close up)

Vs Garmin (flag with ICAO) Or this GRT EFIS (pink tower)

Also, as noticeable, there is wide variation in High Way In the Sky styles, like this L3 Smartdeck

Or this Proline 21

Or these UNS displays

https://i.imgur.com/EyJh11p.png

If direct access to DirectX APIs is not possible, an acceptable alternative would be a custom API to provide custom shaders, vertex and other buffers for said shaders, as well as texture objects to mimic a 3D rendering capability.