P3D Info thread

P3D v4 Hotfix 1 was released:

Prepar3D v4.0 Hotfix 1

[details=Summary] Fixes and Improvements
Fixed an issue in VR views that prevented dynamic lighting in the right eye
Fixed memory leak related to external views and vehicle textures
Fixed performance impact when entering and then exiting VR
Fixed text label size mismatches in VR
Fixed the F-16 speedbrakes
Corrected an issue where a scenario saved from the startup screen would not be loaded after a reset
Preventing vehicle sounds from playing during load
Fixed a crash on startup due to controllers using bad port and hub values
Added an unobtrusive watermark for developer licenses
Fix for a crash when using index 0 with playload stations
Fix for ICAO entries in the Logbook
Corrected the clickable mouse area of the RadarGauge
Added the Delete Scenario button back to the Scenario user interface
Fixed effect texture orientations being flipped (e.g. coastline waves)
Fixed the Graphics Profile Name not syncing with the correct saved graphics settings
Fixed issue related to the flag SIMCONNECT_CLIENT_DATA_PERIOD_ON_SET not working with SimConnect_RequestClientData
Corrected issues with autogen Annotator building selection that would result in missed or incorrect selections
Interface windows will no longer move behind main window when losing focus
Fixed Logbook issue that was preventing logging start/end points
Corrected various issues with the Flight Instructor user interface
Added pitch, bank, heading to the GPS broadcast capabilities for electronic flight bags
Updated various XML configuration file encodings
Corrected a commands binding error with the Steering Set key
Fixed null terminating string issue when using RequestDataOnSimObject with ATC strings
Fixed issue preventing the vehicle preview screen from rendering in the New Scenario window
Changed the default textbox to ICAO for the Select Airport user interface
Fixed multiplayer crash when using Direct IP connections
Fixed errant river feature in ocean QMID 50,31 (West Africa)
No longer instantiating radios if they are not configured for an object
Fixed an issue where the vehicle preview window would not render in certain views
Fixed an issue where View Group selection would be out of sync with the context menu
Fixed an issue where undocking views would not immediately be processed
Fixed unicode issues with Traffic Toolbox
Fixed an issue where second UV channels were not correctly being exported to .X files
Fixed scenery.cfg encoding issue after leaving the Scenery Library view
Fixed an issue where SimConnect applications were receiving the wrong event id
Fixed an issue regarding minimum temperature in the Advanced Weather view
Fixed an issue where the Scenery Library was not reporting all errors
The Select Airport view’s ICAO search box is now above other search boxes
Minor layout updates to the Select Airport screen
Content error reports will now have more detailed XML parse error messages
Fixed a crash in the Shp2Vec tool when compiling polygons with less than three points
Fixed an issue where malformed DLL.xml and EXE.xml files would cause Add-on DLL and EXE to fail to load
Fixed an issue where multiplayer settings were not correctly assigned when using the Direct Connect method
Added reverse thrust axis events
Fixed issues with certain locale settings
Fixed incorrect locations of certain buildings and bridges in Instanbul
Traffic settings now save again in Graphics Profiles
Added exception handling for error that would occur when certain audio codecs were installed
Fixed crash that could occur when making modifications to the Scenery Library with add-on scenery
Fixed issue that caused stars to draw in the incorrect order
Added Show Only Favorites button back to Vehicle Select Screen
[/details]

Thanks. Good to have all of those fixes, but but after the update, my Orbx SoCal is not happy. The Scenery Library looks fine, but tiles are flashing in an out all over the place. I’ll play around more with it tonight.

Some updates about REX products in P3D v4 and their schedule of getting them up to speed for v4:

https://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/announcement/3-latest-update-on-support-for-p3dv4/

frooglesim has some pretty interesting insight on P3DV4, 64 bit simming, performance settings, and the LocMart Prepar3D team in this video.

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An interesting decision that I’m actually excited to see. FSDreamteam, Flightbeam, 29Palms, and FlyTampa are going to stop developing scenery for FSX to focus solely on developing scenery for P3D v4. I would absolutely love it if we saw a major shift toward developing for P3D instead of propping up FSX/FSX-SE. Yes, I’ve had many, many years of fun with FSX…but the number of FSX.exe stopped working messages I’ve gotten as the product gets filled up with add-ons is pretty frustrating.

You can read the announcement and the reasons behind it here: AVSIM topic.

"We believe the platform that will stay for us as the main sim for the next years, is Prepar3D, so we decided to make public a decision that we have been considering for several months already, since the first time we got to see the new sim: In the next months, we’ll all stop developing new products for FSX.

Some of our products that are already very close to release, such as Flightbeam KMSP or Fsdreameam KSDF, will still be offered for FSX too, and we’ll of course continue to support all our existing releases with bug fixes, but the new products we’ll work from now on, will be designed for Prepar3D 4 and future versions. We all agree this is the best decision for the future of the community moving forward, and we can only hope that our stance would result in other developers considering the same move. But we also need you, the users, to make this work."

ORBX has updated their freeware airports to work with P3D v4 with the following caveat:

“There is a big caveat with these so please take the following into consideration. The are some elements that will not display due to ObjectFlow not working. Most likely these will be windsocks, seasonal vegetation and some buildings that are conditionally displayed.”

Payware airports will be following on (maybe)…probably once they get ObjectFlow fully compatible I’d guess…

I missed this question - I tried the Razbam Harrier and though it seemed to be okay, it won’t fly.

Regardless of which direction the nozzles are pointing, it just took off as though they were pointing down, and the nose rose up until the aircraft was completely perpendicular to the ground.

Very weird.

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Nice little interview with a P3D developer here:

https://pcflight.net/prepar3d-developer-interview/

Some of the questions I liked:

Will contoured runways be coming to P3D?

Contoured/sloping runways have been the second most common request (right after 64-bit) since we started work on Prepar3D. It is something we know there is strong desire for and continue to look for ways to include it in future versions.

What would be a dream feature that you’d like to see in P3D?

Personally, I am a big fan of virtual reality and believe there is a huge training value to the technology. I am excited to see how the technology grows over the next ten years and a big focus of mine is immersive training experiences. So, I’d have to say my current dream features revolve around making a completely seamless virtual training environment.

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Looks like I’ll be buying P3Dv5 then…

“Two weeks…!”

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Active Sky for P3D v4 is now officially released - it has been available as a beta for months…but is now released… I’ve been using it during the beta period - and all I can say is that I wish X-Plane had something half as good…

In-Cloud Motion Effects, Weather Scenarios System, Airborne Weather Radar, P3D Visibility Smoothing and Volumetric Fog Integration, Navigraph Data Integration, Map-based Custom Weather Editing System, Universal Web Companion App, Mapping System and a High-Latitude Cloud Squeeze Fix are just a few of the advanced features included in the core Active Sky platform.

ASP4 also incorporates full integration with Active Sky Cloud Art (ASCA), our graphics add-on for both FSX and P3D. ASCA includes cloud textures, sky textures, and 3D cloud models to transform your skies, while also incorporated Real-Time Dynamic Cloud and Sky Textures! This enables realistic weather-influenced texture variation that reloads throughout your flight without needing to shut down and restart your simulator. You can use any graphics add-on(s) with ASP45, but dynamic texture reloads require the ASP4+ASCA combination.

Anyone know if the Virtavia DHC-4 Caribou (originally FS2004/FSX) works in P3D v4? Probably a bit of a reach asking…but I’m looking down the line for my Air Hauler 2 career if I eventually get into something bigger… (I know, I know…Twin Otter!!)…

Push comes to shove…I might eventually find myself in a Short 360…

I don’t think I tested it - but I like flying that in later AH2 career, too. Great plane and fantastic for those very short “will it or won’t it?” strips. Be good to know.

It’s a shame there isn’t a decent S360 or 330 around. I use the PAD ones if push comes to shove, as you say. I bought the Vcol ones, but I find the simulated reflections in the gauges so awful they stopped me flying the Shorts package altogether.

Sorry, no, unfortunately it doesn’t work. The VC won’t load at all and all the doors are missing

Fortunately, the Javelin does work - but isn’t much use in Air Hauler…

Yeah, I just bought P3Dv4 again, after being a bit disappointed with XP-11 scenery and the faffle it is to get anything looking reasonable.

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Thanks for taking a look at that Caribou. Yeah, I bought the VirtualCol Shorts package…I can probably suffer through the awful cockpit maybe… I’ll have to load it, import it, and find out how much it would cost to buy it down the road a bit. Also curious how much cargo it will carry…

Surprised that you didn’t save your lunch money a little longer and get the Aerosoft DH-6 Beach.

I was actually wondering if it really doesn’t work. Of course, it’s highly likely it won’t, and my test was definitive, but I do know that I have had issues with Virtavia aircraft that are very similar to this.

I might test it again some time. I have their Sea King, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I have installed that, even in FSX, and found various textures or doors missing and no VC.

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It’s on my radar. I have the DH-6 for X-Plane…once I get to that 40% rep level in AH…I’ll start shopping around to see just how much of a loan the bank will be able to give me and decide on where to go from there. On the short list are the Caravan, Kodiak, Twin Otter…maybe even the Mu-2 (shudder). I’d like to keep a fleet that is capable of short landings on unprepared strips. I’m not into flying between international airports…

Wow…useful load of 3,800 lbs. or so (that goes down when you add fuel though…)

Some good news from MilViz…

Dear Sir/Madam,

As you bought the MilViz T-38A Talon add-on from the Just Flight website, we thought we’d let you know that the software has now been updated for compatibility with P3D v4.

If you log in to your Just Flight account and click on ‘Your Orders’, you will be able to re-download the software to get the latest P3D v4 compatible version of the aircraft.

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