Setup tutorial/guide

[WebMaximus 372]

I'm gonna give P3D a second spin now that the NGX is available in a P3D version and I was wondering what setup tutorial/guide you would recommend to get the best out of P3D and your hardware?

[carlito777 712]

Just install and enjoy. The only two tweaks that really work are FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.01 and OPTIMIZE_PARTS=1. Apart from that the following two links give you some very usefull hints for finding the right settings in P3D:

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/462838-a-guide-to-getting-the-most-out-of-the-pmdg-777/

 

http://www.robainscough.com/Prepar3D_Settings_2.html

 

Beware that there is so many false information on tweaks/settings here in the forum. But Rob and David really know what they are talking about and provide very valuable insights.

[autogyro 18]

1st important tip:

 

Turn off UAC and install in admin mode into a folder outside of the default Program Files folder.

 

Second important tip:

 

Don't just blindly add back all your fsx configuration tweaks into P3D. Start fresh, once the install is done go test it out and note your benchmark performance. Obviously don't installing any mods or addons until you've got it up and running.

[WebMaximus 372]

Thanks a lot for your input guys, exactly what I was looking for!

[SteveW 1,792]

Install to the default location, and before you install any addons set the proper permissions for the Users group. This way your P3D folder is accessible by the "Users group", not just "You", and avoids a lot of problems, you don't need to Run as Admin. The "need" to turn off UAC is a big mistake, especially when you find you've been attacked by malware. Also, most addons are only tested thoroughly on that default folder, so some installations can give you headaches with addon planes and scenery installing to the wrong places.

 

 

 

 

You will also need to apply an Affinity mask which is mandatory for proper performance, and is different depending on whether your CPU has HT on or off.

 

 

 

You can PM me for details.

 

 

 

...If you have an NVidia GPU, you can find out how to set up DX 11 here:

 

more about using CP, and NI, for DX9, DX10, and DX11

[WebMaximus 372]

Many thanks Steve!

 

I always install to the default folder although another drive since I keep a separate SSD drive for my flight simulator installation.

 

Good tip about granting write and modify to the Users group making sure you won't have any rights issues.

 

As for UAC I always keep it off and have done so for many years since I find it's causing more hassle than it will give me any real benefit. On the other hand I'm very careful with my PC and use both antivirus and antimalware applications on a regular basis making sure my PC is always 100% clean.

 

Will do some testing with the Affinity Mask to see what will give me the best experience. I've had a mixed experience in the past using that tweak.

 

Looking at HT does P3D make any real use of having that enabled? For FSX I've always kept it disabled to keep my temp down as much as possible.

 

Will have a look at the DX11 link you provided and that will be interesting because I heard rumors you don't need NI anymore to set AA etc in P3D but then again in some other places it looks like people are still using it so will have to read up on this.

[JJJackson 22]

Do NOT install to default location!!!!!! 

[WebMaximus 372]

Do NOT install to default location!!!!!!

Could you please back that up with a little bit more info?

 

All this with what folder you install to started since you might run into rights issues if you install to the default Program Files folder since that's a system folder. This is especially true if you have UAC enabled and/or are installing using an account with no admin rights.

 

However if you install to a non-system folder you should be good regardless what the folder is called or the path to it as long as you keep away from any system folder path.

 

This is how I understood it but please correct me if I'm wrong.

[JJJackson 22]

As I have understood, if you are a Win8.1 user the OS sets some restrictions for users in the ProgramFiles(86) library, I´m not a computer guru, I only referr to what I have been reading on the net. 

 

This is what PMDG says in their manuals:

 

---------------------------------------------------

Optimal Installation of P3D:

Please Note: If you already have P3D installed, you will find the recommendations in this section to be useful the next time you purchase a new computer or conduct a new-machine installation!

 Do not install P3D into the default installation folder: When installing P3D, do not install the simulator into the default directory that it offers. Instead, customize the folder to something different. (Example: C:\P3D) This will eliminate problems that many users experience resulting from various Windows protection and permission issues forced upon programs placed in the Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders.

 

 Choose a modern, 64-bit Operating System: We strongly recommend that users run their simulator from a 64-bit operating system. The best operating system currently available (at time of writing) for P3D is Windows 7 64-bit. The advanced memory management capabilities of modern operating systems are far superior when running complex simulations such as the PMDG 777-200LR/F

 

 PMDG has experienced numerous issues with the Windows 8/8.1 platform since its release and we do not offer any official support for these operating systems. We have seen the PMDG 777-200LR/F work just fine in Win8 but we have also seen inexplicable strange problems result on it as well. If you’d like to try it, it is at your own risk and we cannot provide support for it. If you do decide to try it, keep these guidelines in mind:

 Disable User Account Control (UAC). This requires registry editing in Win8 to completely disable. We cannot offer instructions on how to do this. Search online for it.

 Make sure P3D is installed in its own folder such as C:\P3D, not the default location where the OS’s permissions issues with this folder can become a problem.

 Always run P3D with the right click “Run as administrator option as described below:

[WebMaximus 372]

Thanks and that confirms what I said, your best option is to avoid installing P3D (or any FS for that matter) into any default system folder such as C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86). Then if you call the folder P3D and if you install it directly under the root folder or somewhere else doesn't really matter.

 

As for OS I'm on 64bit Win7 so guess I should be good.

 

Haven't had time to install P3D yet but hope I'll find the time for it later on today, really looking forward to see how the P3D version of the NGX performs :smile:

[SolRayz 392]

I don't know why everyone keeps hyping FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.01. If you fly PMDG all day, then fine, but otherwise you will have problems with blurries and popping autogen. Best option so far is OP=1, adjusting internal frame limiter on or off dependent upon your situation, and then leaving your config alone.

 

 

Also. AF is not necessary, sorry, it may seem as such in theory. I am running 2700K w/ HT on, and have found negligible, if any benefit versus leaving default config AF as is. 

[TrafficPilot 121]

 

 

I don't know why everyone keeps hyping FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.01.

 

+1 I installed V2.5 with hotfixes and have NO mods in the cfg. It runs very nicely as it comes "out of the box" for me.

[WebMaximus 372]

Yeah, I will start without any modifications and if I'm not happy I'll try one of the suggested tweaks one by one to spot the difference if any.

 

I know FSX isn't a multi-threaded app why HT won't do you any good. Does anyone know if that has changed in P3D?

[SteveW 1,792]

Sorry none of you seem to grasp this but the only issues surrounding the Program Files folder is the Users Group permission, which as can be seen from an FSX-SE installation, they are enabled as I have shown. The reason so many suggest another drive or own made folder was that the permissions were not understood. I'm not saying another drive or folder is wrong, but I'm saying if you understand the problem, the Program Files folder is not wrong.

 

 

Secondly if you had issues with an AM then you used the wrong AM. If you have 4 cores HT=Off you have 4 cores. Leave the AM out, or set an AM of 14=(1110), or derivatives of three, like 11=(1011).

 

 

Third, again there are some strange rumours that NI is not needed for P3D. P3D can benefit from some stuff only enabled with NI. Sorry you got mis-informed.

 

...On the UAC thing, you may not have had any problems so far with it off, but that's like refusing to wear a seatbelt so you can be thrown from the car during an accident. You only ever needed it Off because you didn't have the correct permissions - take note that an own folder is available to "You", but not the "Users Group", and when you log onto Windows, you become a member of that group. That's why you also needed UAC off, and Run as Admin. Sorry but I thought a pro install is what you wanted.

 

This is what PMDG says in their manuals:

Yes, that's as maybe, but back when Win XP was around we had Admin Rights and access to the "Read Only" program Files folders.

 

Unfortunately some addons installed files into that folder, even though they had to be able to Write to some of those files outside of an installation, logged on as a User. There are proper directories for files to be updated, but still the addons placed them in the read only folder because it seemed to work OK (since we were Admins).

 

But now we don't get automatic access to those folders, and so devs like PMDG and others found it necessary to advise against using the Program Files folders, because the permissions were not fully understood. If you ask any of them now you may find another explanation.

 

Addons designed to work with Windows security in mind did not place updateable files in the installation folder but used the read/write folders, to avoid problems with tighter security in the future (now).

 

Sorry about this too, but if you want it straight, look here.

 

 

I hope that clears up the matter

[WebMaximus 372]

Just want to make sure I fully understand this, in what way will granting permissions to the Users group do you any good if you both install and run your application from a single user account that is part of the Administrators group only?

 

I did have my AM set correctly but in my case (and this was FSX) I didn't see any real improvement having the AM set in fsx.cfg

 

Thanks for confirming NI still is needed for P3D and I'll read up on all this in more detail when time comes.

 

As for UAC I fully agree it is a good thing for many (or even most) users and of course even more advanced users could also eventually find themselves in a situation where they wish they would have had it enabled but personally I'm happy running with it disabled to get rid of all extra popups etc and I then compensate for this by extra added caution what I do with my PC, how I do it and where.