Requested Features and Enhancements Implemented in Prepar3D v3.0

The Prepar3D v3 update brings all new features to the platform, rendering and performance, SimDirector, and the SDK. The platform has been overhauled to take advantage of the latest development tools to increase performance and stability while streamlining future development. Optimizations and visual improvements to the rendering engine increase immersion to a whole new level. New development features, including the Scaleform SDK, provide developers even more flexibility to create new and exciting content for Prepar3D's ever increasing user base. A completely new way to interact with the platform has been added with the addition of Avatar mode. Avatar mode opens up endless new training possibilities including vehicle inspection, maintenance, and safety scenarios. Prepar3D's scenario creation tool SimDirector has also been enhanced with a new scripting system opening up possibilities to create more complex training scenarios.

General Platform Updates

Autodesk® Scaleform® Integration

Gauges and panels as well as scenario object content can be built using Adobe® Flash® and integrated using Autodesk Scaleform.
Several UI screens have been replaced with Scaleform implementations such as the ATC window, the Menu System, the InfoGen, and Menu Prompts. These aforementioned UI can be themed by third party developers.

Avatar Mode

Enter and exit vehicles in Avatar Mode
Avatar fully controllable in first and third person views
Third party avatar support

Updated User Interface

New default theme for v3
Fixed UI layouts, position bugs, and improved overall usability
ATC window now transparent and can be docked into main view
Menu system performance and appearance improved
InfoGen readability improved
Fixed bug in menu system where blank entries could be created
Fixed a bug where drop-down menu state would not always update while open
Added close buttons to docked views when window titles are enabled (feature was always present but no visual indicator existed)
Default scenario is now visible in Load Scenario screen
Fixed a bug where Prepar3D.cfg setting 'ShowATCText' was not enabling ATIS captioning
Fixed a bug where Prepar3D.cfg settings for ATC message color customization was not being respected
Fixed bug with InfoGen where text would not appear when pausing or entering slew after changing start page to 0 in scenario
Fixed issues with modifying default and favorites in save and load screens
Load scenario page now shows vehicle name along with scenario description
Trimmed down amount of menu items in certain cases including multiplayer and the context menu
Fixed bug with Flight Planner that would prevent a flight plan from saving out if it was between two airports with no intermediate waypoints
Fixed bug with certain text boxes where pasting text would not respect current selection and incorrectly move cursor
Fixed bug where undocking a message view would instead undock the main view
Fixed bugs with Scenario Startup screen where weather theme changes would apply when clicking cancel and user defined weather would not get applied when changed
Fixed bug that prevented multiplayer menu items from being added to customized menus
Fixed bug with Scenario Startup screen that prevented vehicle selection background from updating with the time of day
Enhanced ATC window to provide feedback when ATC communication is disabled, i.e. Sim Paused, No Electric, etc.
Fixed bug with ATC window that prevented UI from refreshing when switching from an AI camera back to the user
Updated graphics profile UI and added prompt when attempting to save over existing profiles
Time Preview window now takes up less space and readability improved
Updated visual style of scroll buttons to be more clean
Instrument Panel menu option now disabled if vehicle has no panels
Added restrictions on what items can be accessed during Structured Scenarios (default restrictions can be overridden by developer)
Removed redundant UIs used when importing and exporting controls
Reassigned menu shortcut keys to remove duplicates
Added Settings button to main menu screen
Fixed bug where "Esc", "Spacebar", and "Enter" keys would not function in Scenario Startup screen
Changing full-screen resolution while in full-screen now immediately changes resolution
Fixed bug with category selection in Settings menu
Fixed bug with UI scaling at low resolution and high DPI settings
Made OK/Cancel button alignment consistent across screens
Updated About Menu

Platform Improvements

"Flights" terminology has been changed to "Scenario" better reflecting Prepar3D's full land, sea, and air training capabilities
Fixed controller/joystick dropping issues with Windows 8.1
Fixed multiplayer issue preventing user log out when exiting
Multiplayer NET_VERSION correctly incremented to prevent different versions connecting with each other
Fixed a bug where the main view could be closed while window titles were enabled
Fixed bug where crash would occur when entering invalid license
Fixed bug where thumbnail images for scenarios and aircraft would not match correctly
Fixed bug where piston engine failure could reverse itself back to 100% health
Fixed and updated multiple areas in the Learning Center
Added more options in Scenery.cfg to accept more variables
Fixed bug causing certain library objects to be rendered in wrong locations
Fixed issue with multiplayer weather serialization
Oculus Rift VR headset fully integrated into core. Headset now appears in camera mode list if connected.
Fixed scenario reset bug where full scenery reload would occur when not required
Added content error reporting for gauge loading errors
Fixed an issue when deleting a scenario from the Load Scenario screen, the xml file would not get deleted from the Prepar3D v3 Files folder
Fixed focus issue with multiple views. Would sometimes cause the camera to change on the wrong view when using context menu
Panel-only prevented from being set on non-main views
Fixed bug that would cause frame drops when hitting escape during instant replay playback
Fixed bug that would cause full scenery reload to occur even when not moving vehicle
Fixed bug where application icon would not appear in taskbar when booting into multiplayer
Fixed bug that would always prevent user from entering lobby when booting into multiplayer
Fixed bug where TowerController could spawn on the ground in multiplayer
Added greater customization of InfoText appearance
Scenario captions now on by default
Fixed bug where child views could become panel-only after being opened
Scenery library items which cannot be found are now prompted for removal
Fixed bug that would prevent Scenario Briefing from being displayed in certain cases
Fixed bug that would prevent pilot records from updating
Fixed crash that would occur from misconfigured weapons and pylons
Fixed weather serialization bug in multiplayer
Fixed bug that would cause custom camera zoom levels to save out incorrectly
Invalid flight plans are now prevented from being saved
Fixed bug where non-unicode languages would alter starting location
Fixed bug with booting into multiplayer from command line that would prevent scenario from loading
Fixed bug that prevented cockpit button picking from working in FS9 BGL models
Changing default scenario now immediately writes out to the Prepar3D.cfg
Fixed bug that would prevent thunder sounds from being audible
Updated vehicle load failure popup to relay when user will be placed in viewer sim
Fixed issue that caused instability when using hoist and sling features
Fixed docked view positioning bug when undocked views were opened
Undocked views now position themselves on top of other open views
Change low speed thrust limit on propeller in order to better blend the low and high speed thrust calculations
User tips now enabled by default
Fixed bug that would cause the WindowPlugin system to hang when changing between certain vehicles during a crash sequence
Fixed bug where slew would not disengage when entering Instant Replay
Fixed bug where changing the assignment of the "esc" key would not register
Fixed bug that caused XBox 360 controller triggers to register as z-axis on first assignment
Added Camera Center Offset to camera configuration

SpeedTree Integration (IDV Inc.)

Platform now supports SpeedTree models which are high quality 3D trees, with wind animations and smooth LOD transitions
SpeedTree models can be placed using SimDirector

New Content

Virtavia Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk
India India Alpha Foxtrot Echo F-35A
18 new scenery library models of 3D trees (powered by SpeedTree)

Rendering and Performance Updates

Updated Visuals and Performance

Updated HDR to increase default brightness and enhance color clarity
Developed animation blending support enabling lifelike avatar animations
Fixed issues with water reflections that were affected by secondary views
Fixed bug with non-tessellated terrain that would prevent ground detail flag from being respected
Fixed visual bug with ground normal particles
Fixed bug where taxiway lights would shift at large airports
Removed old sun glare effect
Fixed issue where virtual cockpit night lighting would not work as expected
Fixed issue where global environment map would fail to load in some cases causing aircraft to look dull
Fixed shadow issues seen with bathymetry enabled
Added alpha write option for virtual cockpit panel textures
Fixed bug where GPU terrain would shift at high altitudes
Fixed light scaling issues
Fixed issue that would prevent models from instancing in certain situations
Fixed bug where applying vsync with triple buffering would cause rendering to freeze
Fixed bug where shadows would not display properly on non-tessellated terrain
Improved memory management reducing overall VAS usage and spikes
Fixed bug that caused different objects to burn through fog including the sun, moon, galaxy, airport lights, and lens flare
Fixed bug where material NO FOG setting was not always respected
Multiplicative particles now fog correctly
Fixed bug where pre-lit objects disabled fog
Fixed water rendering issues while using non-tessellated terrain including reflection appearance and shadow brightness
Optimized texture unloading during loads
Unused terrain detail textures no longer loaded
Added modifiable saturation effect to HDR enabling greater customization of visual appearance
Fixed bug that would cause panel transparency to also affect virtual cockpit panels if Mipmap VC Panels was enabled
Fixed issue where certain clouds would disappear at certain camera angles when on the ground
Exposed bloom material scalar to Prepar3D.cfg to allow finer control of bloom
Fixed bug that would cause fog to flicker when changing views
Fixed bug where fog would not respect ShowWeather flag in camera config
Fixed bug with fog appearance in reflections
Overall shader optimizations for increased performance
Fixed bug where certain scenery effects would only occur during the day
Fixed bug where landing lights would draw incorrectly at steep angles
Fixed bug where HDR and FXAA would not applied for one frame when switching views
Fixed crash bug that could occur when opening multiple views in quick succession
Fixed bug with wave animation wind offsets

Enhanced Particle System

Optimized particle system by better utilizing GPU and system resources by reducing CPU side work, supporting indirect draw calls, and improving sorting algorithms
Fixed issue where certain particle effects would not render due to prioritization errors
Fixed bug with particle lifetimes
Fixed z-fighting issue with particles using same emitter
Fixed issue where certain aircraft light emitters would not be deleted
Fixed bug where extrusions would not connect properly with certain effects

Enhanced Multiple GPU Support

Fixed bug where lights would not draw correctly multiple GPUs
Fixed bug where batched scenery objects would flicker across multiple GPUs
Fixed bug where scenery objects would not correlate correctly across multiple views
Fixed issue where effects would not synchronize properly between multiple GPUs
Fixed bug where particles and extrusions would flicker and get out of order in SLI

SimDirector Updates

Added Lua scripting support to SimDirector. Scripts can be fired through actions and ScenarioVariables can be used enabling more complex scenario logic
Full avatar support in scenario creation. For example, the avatar can be referenced by other objects and can be given waypoints.
Added scenery import and export support in SimDirector. BGLs can now be created from scenarios with scenery in SimDirector which greatly simplifies the scenery creation process
Visual Path object added which can be attached to moving objects or waypoints
Fixed bug where hang would occur occasionally when exiting backstage
Updated internal error checking to prevent intermittent crashes
Fixed bug that would prevent mobile scenery from appearing in preview window
Fixed waypoint placement issue that would prevent waypoints from being placed close to other objects
Fixed validation bug with timers
Fixed issue where mouse cursor state would not change in certain cases
Fixed bug with Menu Prompt Trigger that caused windows to close prematurely
Fixed bug that prevented Jet Fighter Time Trial from loading in SimDirector
Fixed tabbing issues in Catalog UI
Fixed crash that would occur when attempting to play back VI session while in Virtual Instructor mode
Fixed bug where sound would distort when entering SimDirector
Fixed hang that would occur when booting directly into SimDirector
ATC menu no longer stays open when entering SimDirector or switching SimDirector modes
ThreatDome models added to object catalog
Color property now supports alpha (e.g. Focal Point Color, Area Definition Color, On Screen Text Color)
Fixed bug where SimDirector camera would be changed when switching the time of day
Fixed bug with failure system index that would cause all instances to trigger when index of "0" was used
Fixed bug where effects played in preview mode would persist when leaving preview mode
Removed empty scenery objects
Fixed bug that would cause a crash when entering SimDirector with auto validation on
Fixed issue with ViewChangeAction that would prevent camera list from repopulating when loading new scenarios
Fixed bug with POI scaling
Fixed bug that would cause app to be disabled when pressing Ctrl+V in a group
Enabling mouse yoke no longer prevents SimDirector controls from functioning
Triggers now have OneShot set to false by default
Improved scenario save and load times
Scenario no longer unpaused when starting recording playback
Fixed issue where help button was not selectable in undocked views
Fixed catalog view to show selected object when using arrow keys to navigate through menu
Fixed issue where SimDirector could crash if closed while changing modes
Scenarios can now be saved in .spb format
Snap to ground is now a global setting
Minor errors in scenario .xml files no longer prevent scenario from loading
Updated SimDirector settings page appearance and added options to enabled error logging
Scenario error logging now on by default
Fixed resource path issues that could occur when modifying scenarios in both core Prepar3D and SimDirector
Fixed issue where sounds in sound subfolder would prevent scenario from being previewed
Improved scenario loading times
ScenarioMetaData no longer required but still recommended
Validation window now opened if validation errors are reported during a mode change and user cancels
Fixed issue that could cause SimDirector to slow down after prolonged use
Object titles in Scenario Visualization now show ellipsis when string is too long to fit instead of just clipping out
Fixed crash that could occur on shutdown caused by invalid objects being accessed
TargetPlayer now settable in actions that can occur in multiplayer scenarios
Fixed bug that would prevent DisabledTrafficAirports Descr from updating
Failure Action no longer shows systems that are not applicable to current vehicle
Fix crash that could occur when loading scenarios with invalid containers
Modified FlightRealism object to prevent users from opening the Flight Planner, entering slew, and changing location, vehicle, or fuel during Structured Scenarios
Added WorldRealism object to prevent users from changing world settings (weather, time) during Structured Scenarios
Fixed bug where SimDirector UI styles would be applied to core application when leaving SimDirector
Updated OnCompleteActions to support multiplayer concepts including IsGlobal and Triggering
Triggers now have one shot set to true by default
Fixed bug where switching between an entity and scenery object would not correctly update the preview window
Fixed bug where Scenario Name and Description would be changed when leaving Preview mode with legacy flight (FLT) files
SimDirector window title now uses the File Name instead of Scenario Title
Fixed crash that could occur when bringing an item in the History into view
Failure Action can now be applied to specific subsystems
Fixed bug preventing weather settings from being respected in SimDirector
Added message box to show when LoadScenarioAction would fire in Preview Mode
Fixed issues with resource path when saving the same scenario both in and out of SimDirector
Fixed bug that caused placed objects that were scaled in SimDirector to cull out prematurely

SDK and SimConnect Updates

The ATC, Menu System, and InfoGen support third-party skinning through the Scaleform SDK
SimConnect_WeatherRequestCloudState now returns correct range of values
Fixed bug with SimConnect_AIReleaseControl not fully releasing control of AI
Enhanced ISimObject property management
Additional improvements to path configuration files to support third party developers
Multiple configuration files added to support the path configuration system
Added command line parameters for developers to add or remove additional paths to core content
Sample projects updated to use Visual Studio 2013
SetupAcesRoot.ms script added back to 3dsMax SDK
Fixed incorrect Learning Center scenario names in documentation
Cameras can now be attached to model attach points
Base scenery can now be overridden without being deleted
DLL.xml can now be modified through command line
Scenery.cfg now supports command line activate and deactivate operations
Added Weather System PDK allowing developers to set weather related settings and interface with weather station data
Updated Learning Center descriptions for goals and mission objective SimConnect enumerations
XToMDL tool now displays exceptions more clearly
Updated carrier documentation
Restructured Add-Ons documentation
Added function to CabDir tool to strip trailing slashes or quotes from end of path
Corrected how up events and up/down data are returned when using SimConnect_MapInputEventToClientEvent with joystick buttons and POV hats
Added new blend mode for instrument panels to better support HUDs.

Installer Updates

Installer now split into three separate components which can be updated and installed independently: Client, Content, and Scenery.
Folder organization scheme modified to support new content and scenery installers
Updated versioning scheme for installed files
Legacy SimConnect clients no longer installed with Prepar3D installer. Separate installers for these are provided in install package if needed.
Process of activating from another computer has been simplified
The licensing and Digital Rights Management (DRM) system has been completely overhauled

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