diff --git a/defaults.xml b/defaults.xml
index 2f06be281..b9698a037 100644
--- a/defaults.xml
+++ b/defaults.xml
@@ -39,6 +39,167 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
       <brake-cancels-parking-brake>true</brake-cancels-parking-brake>
     </controls>
     <startup>
+
+      <!-- Define the contents of the splash screen. The indexes should remain fixed  -->
+      <content n="0">
+        <name>main-title</name>
+        <text-prop>/sim/startup/title</text-prop>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.08</size>
+          <alignment>left-top</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <x>0.025</x>
+        <y>0.02</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="1">
+        <!-- this will start with the licence; and then be changed to the next tip -->
+        <name>licence-tips</name>
+        <dynamic-text>/sim/startup/tip</dynamic-text>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.03</size>
+          <alignment>left-top</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <max-width>1.0</max-width>
+        <x>0.025</x>
+        <y>0.103</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="2">
+        <name>model-description</name>
+        <text-prop>/sim/description</text-prop>
+        <condition>
+          <not>
+            <or>
+              <property>/sim/startup/legacy-splash-screen</property>
+              <property>/sim/startup/legacy-splash-logo</property>
+            </or>
+          </not>
+        </condition>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.07</size>
+          <alignment>left-bottom</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <max-width>0.6</max-width>
+        <max-line-count>1</max-line-count>
+        <x>0.025</x>
+        <y>0.935</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="3">
+        <name>model-authors</name>
+        <text-prop>/sim/startup/splash-authors</text-prop>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.03</size>
+          <alignment>left-top</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <max-width>0.6</max-width>
+        <max-line-count>3</max-line-count>
+        <max-height>0.055</max-height>
+        <x>0.025</x>
+        <y>0.940</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="4">
+        <name>loading-status</name>
+        <text>loading status</text>
+        <dynamic-text>/sim/startup/splash-progress-text</dynamic-text>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.03</size>
+          <alignment>right-bottom</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <max-width>0.4</max-width>
+        <x>0.975</x>
+        <y>0.935</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="5">
+        <name>loading-spinner</name>
+        <text>spinner</text>
+        <dynamic-text>/sim/startup/splash-progress-spinner</dynamic-text>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.03</size>
+          <alignment>right-bottom</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <max-width>0.4</max-width>
+        <x>0.975</x>
+        <y>0.975</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="6">
+        <name>nightly-build</name>
+        <text-prop>/sim/build-warning</text-prop>
+        <condition>
+          <property>sim/build-warning-active</property>
+        </condition>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.1</size>
+          <alignment>center-center</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <color>
+          <r>1.0</r>
+          <g>0.29</g>
+          <b>0.24</b>
+        </color>
+        <max-width>0.95</max-width>
+        <max-line-count>2</max-line-count>
+        <x>0.5</x>
+        <y>0.5</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <content n="7">
+        <name>debug-build</name>
+        <text>Debug build</text>
+        <condition>
+          <property>/sim/startup/build-type-debug</property>
+        </condition>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.1</size>
+          <alignment>center-center</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <color>
+          <r>1.0</r>
+          <g>0.29</g>
+          <b>0.24</b>
+        </color>
+        <max-width>0.95</max-width>
+        <max-line-count>2</max-line-count>
+        <x>0.5</x>
+        <y>0.3</y>
+      </content>
+
+      <!-- Model description when using legacy splash screen locate on the top right when screen size permits  -->
+      <content n="8">
+        <name>model-description</name>
+        <text-prop>/sim/description</text-prop>
+        <condition>
+          <and>
+          <property>/sim/startup/legacy-splash-screen</property>
+          <greater-than>
+            <property>/sim/startup/xsize</property>
+            <value>900</value>
+          </greater-than>
+          </and>
+        </condition>
+        <font>
+          <size>0.03</size>
+          <alignment>right-top</alignment>
+          <face>Fonts/LiberationFonts/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf</face>
+        </font>
+        <max-width>0.4</max-width>
+        <max-line-count>1</max-line-count>
+        <x>0.95</x>
+        <y>0.025</y>
+      </content>
+
       <xsize type="int" preserve="y" userarchive="y">1024</xsize>
       <ysize type="int" preserve="y" userarchive="y">768</ysize>
       <splash-screen type="bool">true</splash-screen>