Prepar3D v3.2 Update - Release Notes

[Chris Bell 165]

Requested Features and Enhancements Implemented in Prepar3D v3.2

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Release Notes

The Prepar3D v3.2 update brings several new features and numerous platform, rendering, SimDirector, SDK, SimConnect, and multiplayer updates including increased performance for multiple views and touch gesture support.
 

In addition, for Professional Plus users, Prepar3D v3.2 introduces two new advanced simulation capabilities:

 

• SimOperator, a native Instructor Operating Station (IOS), enabling real-time scenario creation and modification. Instructors can now control the simulation in real-time by freezing users, introducing failures, and much more.
• Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) support. You can now integrate Prepar3D with other simulations using the IEEE standard for conducting real-time platform-level interactions. Current integration supports Entity State, Fire, and Detonation PDUs with additional capabilities coming in future releases.

 

The following list of updates has been categorized based on the installer required. The Client installer is required for Prepar3D v3.2, however the Content, Scenery, and SDK installers are optional. You must first have Prepar3D v3 installed to utilize the Client only installer. To install the Prepar3D v3.2 Client, you must first uninstall the Prepar3D v3.0/v3.1 Client via Programs and Features in Windows Control Panel. The Prepar3D v3.2 Client update will require you to reactivate your product, however if you have an internet connection it will be automatic. For more information please view the Prepar3D v3 Download/Installation Instructions from the Prepar3D.com Downloads page.

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Prepar3D Client

General Platform Updates

New Features

Fixes and Improvements

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Rendering and Performance Updates

New Features

Fixes and Improvements

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SimDirector Updates

New Features

Fixes and Improvements

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SDK and SimConnect Updates

Fixes and Improvements

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Multiplayer Updates

Fixes and Improvements

• • Added gesture support including pinch to zoom and camera panning when using touch-enabled displays
  • Converted SimConnect Option Menu to Scaleform
  • SimOperator - A native Instructor Operating Station (IOS) based on SimDirector (Professional Plus)
  • Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) Support (Professional Plus)
  • Fixed bug that prevented Invalid Locale message from being ignored
  • ATC message box can now be shown/hidden through UI settings
  • Fixed bug that prevented custom cameras from saving into scenario file when using more than one view
  • Fixed bug where favorite vehicles could be cleared out when opening the Select Vehicle screen
  • Fixed tab order and focus issues for various UI screens
  • Installer now populates default install directory with location used by content/scenery when making client-only updates
  • Fixed bug that prevented placed scenery objects from disappearing after loading when using low graphics settings
  • Fixed issue where certain menu items would still be enabled when Instant Replay was active
  • Corrected default Avatar attach/detach conditions when loading from configuration files
  • Improved camera saving and loading in Avatar mode
  • Fixed bug in Scenario Startup screen that prevented user defined weather from restoring when switching themes
  • Fixed bug in Scenario Startup screen that caused selected weather theme to apply when pressing cancel
  • Fixed bug that would prevent snow textures from disappearing when changing weather in the UI
  • Fixed memory leak that would occur when using panel serialization
  • Reverted default scenario weather to Fair Weather from Cold Fronts to prevent wind from pushing aircraft to the right
  • Reorganized menu bar layout
  • Fixed bug where load would occur when hitting cancel from the startup screen after changing weather
  • Fixed bug where menu bar could sometimes be focused when alt-tabbing back to Prepar3D
  • Fixed bug that increased load times for certain third party add-on sceneries
  • Position freeze state now shown in InfoGen text
  • Fixed bug that could cause axis values for some control devices to be overwritten with 0
  • Fixed bug with email activation verification causing shut downs without notification
  • Extended max range of saturation slider in UI to 2
  • Reorganized several UI screens
  • Fixed bug where Time Preview window would still be on screen when opening other UI screens
  • Fixed bug that caused certain controller names to not be detected
  • Added additional spacing between menu item text and shortcut text
  • Added SimConnect call to get average surface elevation
  • Fixed bug that prevented mouse clicks from processing in certain aircraft
  • Fixed bug that could cause anti-cheat message to be displayed when new players join multiplayer sessions
  • Added more detailed avatar attach/detach notifications
  • Enhanced camera and position calculations where camera position would incorrectly shift when rotating vehicle
  • Pressurization system now simulated for non-user aircraft
  • Fixed bug which could cause attached objects to shift based on heading at high altitudes
  • Fixed bug where boolean entries not present in the Prepar3D.cfg would get modified to true
  • Saved Flight Plans are now referenced by a relative path to the scenario file instead of an absolute path
  • Fixed bug that prevented Scaleform Panel gauge callbacks from being called when reloading scenarios
  • Fixed bug where gauge update would only get called once when using Scaleform panels
  • Fixed crash that could occur when clicking on certain airspace boundaries in the map
  • Fixed crash caused by using the same .swf in multiple windows
  • Updated Select Vehicle screen to show/hide vehicle details
  • "Show Only Favorites" and "Group By:" filters in the Select Vehicle screen now persist
  • Fixed bug that prevented clicks from passing through transparent areas in Scaleform panels
  • Fixed bug that prevented global Minipanels from opening
  • Added Spoiler On and Spoiler Off control settings
  • Added Hat Switch POV controls for Elevator/Aileron Trim and Elevator/Rudder Trim
  • Fixed bug where Scaleform Panels would not resize properly with main window
  • Added ability to sort controller devices by name or number (number matching the SimConnect_MapClientEventToSimEvent ID)
  • Subsurface scattering effect now applied to SpeedTree leaves
  • Shoreline waves now appear along coastlines
  • Special effect objects now support the static sprite flag enabling spawned effects to move with its emitter
  • Improved overall rendering performance
  • Fixed bug that prevented surface condition effects from triggering
  • Reduced GPU memory bandwidth usage
  • Fixed runway line aliasing seen with higher dynamic reflections settings
  • Toned down wind effect on SpeedTree trees
  • IR now applies to SpeedTree trees
  • Fixed bug where light system would scale particles when zooming in
  • Fixed bug that could cause scenery and bridges to move with 3D waves
  • Increased autogen building draw distance
  • Fixed bug that could cause autogen buildings to float in some cases
  • Fixed bug that could cause emitted effects to spawn in incorrect locations
  • Fixed bug which caused controller based effects to spawn when application was paused
  • Fixed bug where certain SLI functions could be called when SLI was disabled
  • Reduced cases of autogen buildings floating above ground
  • Fixed bug where undocked Scaleform panels could go black when switching between different GPUs
  • Fixed bug that could cause fresnel color issues in certain materials
  • Fixed bug that could cause certain bump textured models to flicker
  • Fixed visual bugs with certain specular map textures
  • Fixed bug with terrain texture requests across multiple GPUs
  • Smoothed out planar reflection altitude transitions
  • Improved SLI performance when using reflections
  • Fixed bug where effects that would trigger during a vehicle crash would persist for a few frames after reset
  • Fixed bug that could cause Scaleform RTT elements to not reload when exiting and re-entering the vehicle
  • Fixed bug where aircraft labels would drift away from the aircraft when it banked
  • Minor performance improvement to CubeMap render
  • Fixed bug that caused 3D waves to influence float planes too strongly
  • Fixed bug that could cause certain effects to spawn twice with animation events
  • Added touch controls when using touch-enabled displays
  • Can now export all objects or specific groups to object file (.xml)
  • Visual references to ownship can now be hidden, simplifying visualization for complex scenarios
  • Visualization nodes now show useful properties for the corresponding object
  • Groups can now be set to different colors
  • Added ZOrder property to OpenPanelAction and MenuPromptTrigger
  • Improved visual appearance during loading
  • Quick access items now persisted between runs
  • Fixed backstage button highlight color
  • Fixed bug that would cause objects referenced grouped objects to be incorrectly removed from the visualization in certain cases
  • Made toggling Execute Unreferenced Actions on and off easier
  • Added warnings for actions that are unreferenced when Execute Unreferenced Actions is set to false
  • Moved object manipulation to separate ribbon item
  • Merged all import options to single button
  • Can now select scenery export format (.sxml or .bgl)
  • Fixed bug where collapsed state of Preview windows would not persist
  • Added new hotkeys, default key mappings, and hotkey text descriptions
  • Selected object is now unselected when clicking terrain (can be toggled off if desired)
  • Fixed bug which prevented new objects from being referenced in trigger logic when using "Redirect Incoming References"
  • Fixed crash bug that would occur when ctrl drag dropping one visualization node to another when the first node was not selected
  • Fixed bug that could cause the ownship to be mistakenly selected in certain cases
  • Fixed bug where the object properties preview window and title would not get updated when changing vehicles
  • GaugeVariableName now allows custom properties
  • Fixed crash bug that could occur when using SetTargetAction on unsupported objects
  • Fixed bug where sorting could be incorrect when adding or renaming certain objects in the Scenario Objects View
  • Waypoint List connectors for selected waypoint lists are now green
  • Added additional quick action buttons to visualization nodes
  • Fixed bug where scenario was not marked as modified after making changes to object attachments
  • Fixed crash bug that could occur when trying to make a group before the catalog was loaded
  • Updated Visualization text for various objects
  • Fixed bug that could cause app to be disabled when opening the Visualization during certain Progress Log events in Preview mode
  • Fixed bug where a double load would occur when entering SimDirector with RealismOverrides that affected Terrain Settings
  • Made the "Duplicate" behavior consistent between the keyboard shortcut and context menu
  • Fixed bug where scenario could not be edited after canceling out of the Select Vehicle screen
  • Fixed bug where the UserAvatar icon would show when attached to a vehicle
  • Cylinder Position in CylinderPathArea can now only have on child set at a time
  • Fixed bug where the bounding box toggle setting would not apply to Scaleform Objects
  • Relative size can now be set in OpenPanelAction for Scaleform Panels
  • Fixed memory leak that would occur when creating cameras through SimConnect
  • Minor updates to multiplayer UI
  • Fixed bug where Scenario Objects would not be cleared when rejoining a multiplayer scenario
  • Fixed bug with serializing spoiler handle values
  • Fixed bug where attached avatars were separate selectable targets
  • Fixed bug where pause menu would not display if host paused scenario without providing a reason
  • Shared cockpit now supported in structured scenarios
  • Containers now synchronized during multiplayer structured scenarios
  • Added player count to role labels

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Prepar3D Content

General Updates

• • Fixed bug where registry values would be written to the wrong location on 32-bit Windows versions

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Prepar3D Scenery

General Updates

• • Improved vegetation alpha to coverage
  • Fixed bug where registry values would be written to the wrong location on 32-bit Windows versions
  • Fixed bug causing visual artifacts with certain mission objects
  • Fixed visual defects with glass and z-fighting with certain buildings in KATL

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Prepar3D SDK

General Updates

• • Fixed issue with using local modeldef.xml in 3dsMax scripts
  • Updated ISimObject, SimConnect, and Rendering PDK documentation
  • Fixed minor bugs in several example projects
  • Engine Tuner renamed to Engine Sound Tuner and now works with ISimObjects
  • Fixed documentation error with Token_Vars
  • Fixed documentation error with assigning RTTs to Scaleform Panels
  • Added Scaleform gauge sample
  • Renamed SimObject flag "always_use_avg_surface" setting to "ignore_waves"
  • Added SimConnect_RequestJoystickDeviceInfo function

 

[Cruachan 705]

Prepar3D Content General Updates

• • Fixed bug where registry values would be written to the wrong location on 32-bit Windows versions

 

Looks like we can skip the Content update this time around. Are any of us still on 32-bit Windows?

 

 

Prepar3D Scenery General Updates

• Improved vegetation alpha to coverage

 

If we are using ORBX stuff is this likely to be of any value?

 

Would be good to duck the Scenery update component as well.

 

Mike

[Chris Bell 165]

i sugest a full install to avoid any possible issues,

im not sure to which texture excatly vegitation alpha applies to,

[Cargostorm 151]

Is alpha vegetation coverage fix not to avoid black outlines of trees in the distance? I have also updated the scenery package, and see no issues with trees or ground textures.

[TheBoom 31]

Prepar3D Content General Updates

• • Fixed bug where registry values would be written to the wrong location on 32-bit Windows versions

 

Looks like we can skip the Content update this time around. Are any of us still on 32-bit Windows?

 

 

Prepar3D Scenery General Updates

• Improved vegetation alpha to coverage

 

If we are using ORBX stuff is this likely to be of any value?

 

Would be good to duck the Scenery update component as well.

 

Mike

 

Without the content update you won't be able to use addons with in game menus, like GSX and ASN. Had to find out the hard way.

[Cargostorm 151]

Yes, GSX and other pop-up windows will not work without content update. In the meantime I have updated not only client, content but also scenery. No issues so far.

[Cruachan 705]

So, it would appear that LM's Release notes covering Content and Scenery are not really telling the whole story.

 

I don't mind installing the Content component (no issues encountered last time around), but should I be wary of anything regarding the Scenery update? I've read that there is a need to reinstall ORBX FTX Global Base Pack but the posts I've seen so far have been somewhat vague as regards anything else.

 

Mike

[Chris Bell 165]

Well… it may not be as detailed as we'd like; but we still get a decent update report there,

[TheBoom 31]

Do you get anything from the scenery update? I thought that would only affect those using the default scenery.

[Cargostorm 151]

I think that refers to the pop-up windows (GSX; SODE etc.):

"Converted SimConnect Option Menu to Scaleform"

 

but it is under Client in the release notes. It is not clear from the release notes that for those 3rd party windows, Content must also be updated.

I don't mind installing the Content component (no issues encountered last time around), but should I be wary of anything regarding the Scenery update? I've read that there is a need to reinstall ORBX FTX Global Base Pack but the posts I've seen so far have been somewhat vague as regards anything else.

 

If you update Scenery, you must reinstall FTX Global (or GEP3D) as the textures are overwritten to default by the update process.

[Cruachan 705]

If you update Scenery, you must reinstall FTX Global (or GEP3D) as the textures are overwritten to default by the update process.

 

Hi Chris,

 

Yes, that's my understanding and if that's all we need to pay attention to then that's fine. Unfortunately, the Scenery update is a rather large download unlike Client and Content and does raise the question as to why it needs to be if all it's doing is replacing a few texture files. Why on earth should it be necessary to uninstall the Scenery component first when the updater should simply overwrite existing file content?

 

Regards,

Mike

[Cargostorm 151]

Hi Mike, if you do not uninstall first, the updater installer will pop up with a window saying that it has detected already another version. So, it is mandatory.

[Cruachan 705]

if you do not uninstall first, the updater installer will pop up with a window saying that it has detected already another version. So, it is mandatory.

Hi Chris,

 

Okay, thanks. Does seem odd that that should apply to the Scenery update, however. Probably just a case of being consistent with less likelihood of data errors/corruption creeping in.

 

Regards,

Mike

[vgbaron 3,491]

It is also to ensure that the DEFAULT scenery is full in place for the update. It would be quite a mess if they attempted to update a file that had been changed by a 3PD. It is the ONLY way to make the update consistent.

 

 

Vic

[Cargostorm 151]

+1. Would cause too much irritations with several installers necessary. The only option would be online-updating, but then again you would broke 3rd party addons.