AETHER Core · command-line engine · Windows / Linux / macOS
Download AETHER Core
The standalone command-line engine for RF propagation modeling. Also used as the backend for the QGIS plugin.
What the Aether engine does
Aether is the native RF propagation engine behind Waveshed. It computes line-of-sight and radio coverage over real terrain on your own machine. It uses the GPU when one is available and the CPU otherwise. The Waveshed QGIS plugin uses it as its backend. The download contains the engine and three command-line tools.
Propagation models
- LOS
- Line-of-sight visibility. A yes/no map of where the transmitter can be seen.
- ITM
- Path loss from the Longley-Rice Irregular Terrain Model, for 20 MHz to 20 GHz.
- MIN_ALT
- The lowest height above ground at which a point has line of sight to the transmitter (coverage only).
Job types
- Coverage
- Signal or visibility map around one transmitter, or one map per waypoint along a route.
- Point-to-point
- Signal level and path loss for one link, with SPLAT-compatible terrain and path profiles.
- Batch P2P
- Many links from a CSV list. The result is a CSV with signal (dBm) and path loss (dB) per link.
Technical details
- Compute
- GPU through Vulkan, DirectX 12 or Metal. Automatic CPU fallback, which is much slower.
- Resolution
- Grid spacing in metres, set per job. Terrain is usually prepared at 2, 5, 10 or 30 m.
- Terrain
- .abt tiles built by aether_converter from GeoTIFF elevation models in any coordinate system or from XYZ elevation tiles, optionally with building footprints.
- Output
- aether_export writes coverage results as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF, without GDAL. aether_aggregate merges several results into maximum and count rasters.
- Interface
- Command line. One JSON job file per run: aether_core --config job.json
- In the ZIP
- aether_core, aether_converter, aether_export, aether_aggregate. On Windows also dxcompiler.dll and dxil.dll.
System requirements
- Windows
- 64-bit (x64). dxcompiler.dll and dxil.dll ship in the ZIP and must stay next to aether_core.exe.
- Linux
- 64-bit (x64), built on Ubuntu 22.04. Needs glibc 2.35 or newer.
- macOS
- Apple silicon (arm64). Intel Macs are not supported.
- GPU
- A GPU with current Vulkan, DirectX 12 or Metal drivers. Without one the engine runs on the CPU.
Access key
The engine only runs with a valid, time-limited access key. A key is never included in the download.
Provide the key in the AETHER_LICENSE environment variable or as a license.key file in the working directory. The QGIS plugin stores the key and passes it to the engine for you.
Get a free key for non-commercial use. Commercial, governmental and organisational use needs our prior written permission. Contact us to request it.
Binaries
Windows
x64Install instructions
Windows Installation
- Download the ZIP file and extract it to a folder (e.g. C:\Program Files\AETHER).
- Keep dxcompiler.dll and dxil.dll in the same directory as aether_core.exe. Both are included in the ZIP.
- Open PowerShell or CMD in the extracted directory and run: .\aether_core.exe --version
- Optionally add the directory to your system PATH for global access.
- GPU acceleration requires up-to-date NVIDIA or AMD GPU drivers. Update via your manufacturer's website.
Linux
x64Install instructions
Linux Installation
- Download the ZIP file and extract: unzip aether-*-linux-x64.zip -d aether
- Make the binaries executable: chmod +x aether/aether_*
- Keep the four binaries together in one directory, because aether_core calls aether_export from its own folder. Optionally add that directory to your PATH.
- Verify: ./aether/aether_core --version
- Install Vulkan drivers for GPU acceleration: sudo apt install libvulkan1 mesa-vulkan-drivers
- For NVIDIA GPUs, also install the proprietary driver package for best performance.
macOS
arm64Install instructions
macOS Installation
- Download the ZIP file and extract it (double-click or use: unzip aether-*-macos-arm64.zip).
- Keep the four binaries together in one directory (e.g. ~/aether), because aether_core calls aether_export from its own folder.
- The first time you run it, macOS Gatekeeper may block it. Right-click the binary and select "Open" to allow it.
- Alternatively, remove the quarantine flag from the whole directory: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/aether
- Metal GPU acceleration is built into macOS. No additional drivers are needed.
QGIS plugin setup
The Waveshed plugin runs Aether analyses in QGIS 3.28 or newer and adds the results to your project. It downloads and installs the engine itself, so there is no binary path to set by hand.
Early days. The Waveshed plugin is new. We have tested it a lot, but you may still hit rough edges. Any feedback is welcome: tell us what works and what does not.
Install the plugin
The Waveshed plugin is free software under the GNU GPL. There are two ways to install it. Use the plugin repository if you can: QGIS then keeps the plugin up to date.
Option 1 · Plugin repository
RecommendedQGIS installs the plugin and offers every new version as an update.
- 1
In QGIS, open Plugins → Manage and Install Plugins… and switch to the Settings tab. Under Plugin Repositories, click Add…, enter a name such as Waveshed and this URL:
https://waveshed.io/qgis/plugins.xml - 2
Confirm with OK.
- 3
On the All tab, search for Waveshed and click Install Plugin.
Option 2 · ZIP file
No automatic updates: repeat these steps for every new version.
In QGIS, open Plugins → Manage and Install Plugins…, switch to Install from ZIP, select the downloaded file and click Install Plugin.
- 01 · Install plugin
Install Waveshed as shown above, preferably with Option 1 · Plugin repository.
- 02 · Open settings
Open Plugins → Waveshed → Waveshed Analysis and switch to the Settings tab.
- 03 · Download engine
In the Binaries group, click Download Binaries. The plugin looks up the current Aether engine for your system and shows its EULA. Click Accept & Download to accept it. The download is checked against its SHA-256 checksum and installed to ~/.aether/bin, unless you entered another folder under Binary directory: first.
- 04 · Get a key
Analyses need an access key. Get a free key for non-commercial use. The Get API Key button in the plugin opens the same page. Commercial, governmental and organisational use needs our prior written permission: contact us.
- 05 · Enter the key
In the API Key group, paste the key into API key: and click Save. The status line then reads ✓ Key saved.
- 06 · Run analysis
Set up a coverage run on the 360° tab or a link on the P2P Link tab and click Run Analysis. The plugin adds the results to your project.
The Help tab inside the plugin describes every setting in detail.