Overview | Features | What’s New in Prepar3D | Release History | System Requirements

Overview

Training meets reality with Lockheed Martin’s Prepar3D® simulation software. Private pilots, commercial organizations, militaries and academia rely on Prepar3D for immersive, experiential learning.

Prepar3D (pronounced “prepared”) is a visual simulation platform that allows users to create training scenarios across aviation, maritime and ground domains. Users can train anywhere in the virtual world, from under water to sub orbital space.

Prepar3D offers students and professionals a platform to:

• Experience a mission before it happens to increase effectiveness and reduce response time
• Learn and test their knowledge in the same environment in which they will operate
• Re-create scenarios with operational data and experiment with different variables
• Train for scenarios in aviation, air traffic control, ground vehicle operation and disaster response

Prepar3D furthers the development of Microsoft® ESP™ while maintaining compatibility with Microsoft Flight Simulator X, allowing many thousands of add-ons to be used within Prepar3D.

Features

• High-detail living world with 45 airports and 39 cities
• Environment includes highway, air and maritime vehicles and traffic, as well as livestock and wild animals
• Customizable, data driven graphics and models
• Whole earth WGS-84 model
• Accurate topography with regionally and culturally appropriate textures
• Modifiable real-time weather system, continuous time of day, seasons and a variety of lighting effects
• Realistic air traffic control
• Expandable library of vehicle models

What’s New in Prepar3D

Lockheed Martin continuously evolves Prepar3D to maintain its place as a front runner in the modeling and simulation marketplace. The latest features and functions available in Prepar3D include:

• New user interface – Users now have a Windows 7 compatible drag n’ drop interface with customizable settings. Quickly create and save your favorite missions.
• Multiple monitor settings saved – Users can quickly save panel and scenery window locations across multiple monitors with flight files. Prepar3D remembers the settings upon restarting a flight and restarting Prepar3D.
• Internet multi-player capability – Users across the globe can collaborate with others within the Prepar3D environment to train for their missions or tasks.
• Multi-channel capability – Users can harness the power of this new feature to operate Prepar3D with multiple computers creating a more expansive viewing capability all the way up to 360 degrees field of view.
• Sensor camera options – Users can experience night vision and infrared sensor camera options to enhance military mission or night flying training.
• Realistic scenery – Millions of square kilometers of the earth have been checked and upgraded to accurately represent the urban environment. High Resolution 12 cm content added for specific locations.
• Higher quality graphics – Users will experience higher quality graphics such as more realistic rainy or snowy weather with the modernized shader model 3.0. Also offered for higher quality graphics are increased texture limits which can be set as high as 4096 x 4096.
• Underwater environments – Users can take their simulation experience under water with submarines and the U.S. Geological Survey’s coastal bathymetry.
• Enhanced developer toolset – Developers can use the Prepar3D environment to create new training solutions for the most modern platforms. To aid in rapid development, Prepar3D is now compatible with Windows 7 and Visual Studio 2010; it offers a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) user interface, an external simulator capability that provides enhanced control of the simulation code, new code samples updated in the Software Development Kit (SDK) documentation and support for the latest 3DStudio Max tools. Developers can also create a richer user experience with higher resolution terrain by taking advantage of the increased texture limits.
• Expanded Hardware Controls – Users, especially fighter pilots, can now train with realistic Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS).

Release History

In September 2011, version 1.2 was launched. The software release offers users full Windows 7 support in addition to several enhancements and new features. In this iteration, the multi-player experience is redesigned and improved, the multi-channel capability is extended and rendering performance has been improved. Developers also have access to new resources, making training scenarios even easier to customize or create from scratch.

In April 2011, version 1.1 was launched. The iteration not only brings users increased functionality, but also includes addition of features that support Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Qualification, new platforms and several modernization upgrades and performance improvements. New features in version 1.1 include enhancements to the end user experience, as well as several additions to and enhancements to SimConnect for developers.

In February 2011, the Prepar3D team launched additional tools including the Prepar3D Model Converter and Prepar3D Model Placer to help developers by making it easier to create scenery and missions.

In November 2010 Lockheed Martin debuted Prepar3D 1.0, based on Microsoft® ESP™ technology, as a training application for military, educational, civil and aviation professionals.

System Requirements