FlightTrace

FlightTrace is a native macOS application for building polished, telemetry‑driven video overlays from GPX data. It lets creators import a track, choose instruments (speed, altitude, G‑meter, minimap, etc.), compose them on a canvas, preview them against a timeline, and export frame‑accurate overlays for their footage.

So the reason why I embarked on this project was that I'm a paramotor pilot and want to add some more info to some of my flight videos. Unfortunately the commercial software was a bit expensive for my taste and Dashware hasn't been updated in years. If you can find where to download it.

Vibe coding

Although I'm a professional programmer (I do get paid for writing code), I wanted to get some hands on experience with AI Assisted and AI led coding. This was majority written by Claude and Codex. (I did some minor work to get things working).

I found the experience quite incredible. The code is not that bad, but there were some limitations that I had to work around. All in all, it is one of the better programmers I've every worked with.

If you don't like AI code, this is not the project for you.

Highlights

• GPX import with derived telemetry (speed, vertical speed, distance, G‑forces)
• Canvas editor with drag/resize/rotate and snap guides
• Timeline‑driven preview for precise sync
• Metal‑based rendering for consistent output and performance
• Plugin architecture for extensible instruments

Screen shot

How It Works

The project is structured into three primary modules:

• FlightTraceCore — GPX parsing, telemetry processing, timeline engine, export pipeline
• FlightTracePlugins — plugin protocols, registry, and built‑in instruments
• FlightTraceUI — SwiftUI interface, canvas editor, inspector, timeline, and export UI

Requirements

• macOS 14+ (Sonoma or later)
• Xcode 15+ for building

Build & Run

1. Open flighttrace.xcodeproj in Xcode.
2. Select the flighttrace scheme.
3. Run the app.

Project Layout

flighttrace/
├── flighttraceApp.swift
├── FlightTraceCore/
├── FlightTracePlugins/
├── FlightTraceUI/
└── Assets.xcassets/

Status

Active development. Expect ongoing changes to the UI, export pipeline, and plugin system.

Contributing

Issues and draft PRs are welcome. Please include a clear description, screenshots where helpful, and sample GPX data when relevant.

License

TBD.