diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 76936694e4d8c43ea5dacd7aefd43a2b6c9dec3c..2e6e4a9053a805c07bcea2fed22ea60a90e763d3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ project(DD4hep)
 #  Use the same version numbers in DDSegmentaion/CmakeLists.txt
 #
 SET( DD4hep_VERSION_MAJOR 0 )
-SET( DD4hep_VERSION_MINOR 11 )
+SET( DD4hep_VERSION_MINOR 12 )
 SET( DD4hep_VERSION_PATCH 0 )
 
 SET( DD4hep_VERSION "${DD4hep_VERSION_MAJOR}.${DD4hep_VERSION_MINOR}" )
diff --git a/doc/release.notes b/doc/release.notes
index 8df9310110aad937914c7cdb6ca2ee762f88ee2a..719452032f8722557d7cf27daf1041acf1eb7bf6 100644
--- a/doc/release.notes
+++ b/doc/release.notes
@@ -3,6 +3,33 @@
 DD4hep  ----  Release Notes
 =================================
 
+ --------
+| v00-12 |  
+ --------   
+
+F.Gaede
+-------
+   - added SurfaceManager class that holds maps of surfaces for 
+     "world","tracker","calorimeter","passive" and all individual subdetectors
+      - to be used in reconstruction code where a lookup from cellID
+        to corresponding surface is needed
+      - needs plugin "InstallSurfaceManager" to be in the compact file
+      - access via:  
+        SurfaceManager surfMan = *lcdd.extension< SurfaceManager >() ;
+        const SurfaceMap& surfMap = *surfMan.map( "world" ) ;
+   - renamed old SurfaceManager to SurfaceHelper
+
+   - added method: Geometry::Volume createPlacedEnvelope()
+     - to be used in all LC detector drivers to create a placed envelope volume
+       rest of the detector is then instantiate in this volume
+
+  - added BooleanShape plugin for creating generic boolean
+    shapes (subtraction, union or intersection )
+      - to be used for envelope definition in xml
+
+   - added new build_type: BUILD_ENVELOPE 
+      - can be used to visulize envelopes only (geoDisplay, teveDisplay,...)
+
 2015/05/22 Nikiforos Nikiforou
 -----------------------
   - Fixed bug in DDG4/lcio/LCIOConversions.cpp, which stored only the PDG of the primary particle