searching that CHM is horrible,

 

 

The Learning Center is also online:

 

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningCenter/LearningCenter.php

 

That covers both the P3d product and the SDK.

 

One can search it with Google:

 

<keywords>  site:http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningCenter

 

It's not the greatest, but it does work.

I don't see A LOT of devs lining up and asking LM to add anything to the SDK

 

 

OK, I'm asking at this point that some kind of seasonal provisions for P3D-native ground polys be considered because as it stands LM hasn't provided a completely suitable alternative to the "evil FS2002 groundpoly". Even if some kind of naming convention controlled the swap of multiple .bgls as "wi" or "fa" loads season-specific LC textures, whatever it takes. Moving forward I guess it'd be acceptable to build GPs consisting of asphalt & concrete only, where a seasonal change (or lack thereof) wouldn't be hugely noticeable, that's actually a hell of a lot easier, but that doesn't help much when you built the problem GP 3 years ago before z-bias was a gleam in any developer's eye using "current tech" (2cm as per Russ White!) and spent a couple months building custom seasonal textures. Fine by me if this airport dies right along with FSX, I haven't received a penny off it since 2014, I couldn't care less and it's not technically my problem, it's Orbx's problem, but since I'm the one with the source files and the txt file that tells me which material should be assigned to which layer and which material should be transparent or not (there are 280 materials!) I speculate I'm pretty much the only human on the planet capable of pulling this off and that's why I'm doing it. Lastly, I was on the LM beta team at one time via Wes Bard but suddenly the "solution developer's" forum went dead and was eventually locked. Obviously the betas are being conducted in a forum I don't have permissions for now.

Ditto.  For me, there is absolutely no reason to upgrade at this point.

 

Too much mishmash going on.

So basically, from my following this and a few other forum feeds...it appears to me, that P3D v3.2.3 is the last full P3D iteration and version that totally renders and supports my entire 3rdP purchase and catalog to date. It handles BGL's to their full capacity.

 

Ok....so then I have a choice now, to either stay with P3D v3.2.3 and accept it as my last P3D  that allows for all prior, released sceneries and airports, that does not require a 'hot-fix', that might, or again, might not fully bring back everyone's existing catalog to full render and function.

 

 If that is now what is in play, at least that is totally in the 'open'.  

 

So, does one move past v3.2.3 release?  Yes...if they will feel alright in  making the hard-cutoff of prior purchases that will no longer render, due to the advanced morphing of the P3D product. past P3D v3.3 (with the promised hot-fix).  

 

Now, eyes, wide open, for all....and a choice for all....

 

Cheers,

 

Ses

Surely I wil continue with P3D v3.4 +..

It might be possible that v3 will remain supporting the Fs2002 "way of life" and that only minor improvements will be made for v3.

Then with v4 the wil use the new method.  

 

Or, v3.3 + will and support the Fs2002 way and the new way...

 

 

Jetstreams Designs stated that they will intoduce a new and native design of their ground polygons , so it will support V3.3+... \

And all I can say is WOW ! !

 

 

Quote :

 

"

Native P3D ground polygons!

Since release of P3D V3.3, many addon sceneries show issues with their ground polygons. This is due to the fact that the older generation code developers were using until now for ground polygons has (mostly) become obsolete. Here at JetStream we see this as an opportunity to try the new features of fully native GP. Benefits are huge:

- better performance...
- no compatibility issues with shadows, etc.
- use of specular textures
- wet ground surfaces
- and so on

We have tested our first native P3D ground on our already released Palermo LICJ scenery and result is extremely promising. We are of course still testing, but if everything goes smoothly, this will become a standard feature for all of our upcoming sceneries (and Palermo should be updated too).

We have just released a video showing the new GP:

https://youtu.be/ODHgPYdseO4

 

"

Awesome! Thank you JetstreamDesign. 

 

Good things will come to P3D!

Well, Jetstream Design simply shows now how you should handle such an "event" as an Addon Designer: take the pill, confess that it was not really clever to remain with the old SDK, update your sceneries and benefit from the novel SDK possibilities. In the end, both the customer and the developer will benefit from it.

Funny thing how we have been paying (in certain cases) an additional fee because "P3D is a whole new simulator", yet sceneries are compiled with the same tool.

 

I'm glad this is out in the open now.

That's correct. Many Developers "excused" their additional fee for a P3D version with this funny statement, yet we learned that some of them were designed using a 14-year old SDK. Embarrassing somehow...

FSX will stay with a lot of current FSX users, but new flightsim enthousiastics will probably start with P3D .

I am sure that enough of the current top end addon developers will follow.

And also new developers will enter the Fs market.

 

The only question that remains : if a modified and optimized P3D platform will enter from 3.3+ , and developers will have to learn things the new way, why not start with 64 bit...

 

Just my2cents...

Sitting here, impatiently waiting for the Hotfix. Planning on doing a Windows re-install and a complete fresh installation of the game when it drops. 

is it going to be a nice simple patch to install or a whole reinstall please... I need to know wether to buy a bottle of gin... and some heart pressure tablets

The x64 move will have to be on a major version. I can only imagine some people shouting that "addon x doesn't work anymore in 64-bit, why did they do it" lol.

 

My guess is that they will build both x86 and x64 versions in parallell for a given period of time before moving exclusively to x64 in order to give people a "buffer" to adapt. Just a guess, obviously.

is it going to be a nice simple patch to install or a whole reinstall please... I need to know wether to buy a bottle of gin... and some heart pressure tablets

 

It's not a full reinstall since they changed the format to modular installers. It's just code, no need to update the scenery and texture database.

The x64 move will have to be on a major version.

 

Now that OOM errors and VAS are no longer (or rarely) an issue with v3, there is little reason to jump on 64bit. I also feel that it will take many years until the hardware is ready to deal with the new capabilities of a new 64 bit platform. Just see X-Plane, visually it does also not compare with a "modern game" although it is 64bit.

Yeah but take a look at the team that built and maintains CryEngine3 for example... All game-experienced coders and a huge group. I don't know how many people maintain P3D and X-Plane, but looking at the speed at which things evolve, i'd say "pretty small".

 

Market for Crysis3 and Simulators is also different, obviously.

True, the demand for a sim is different, but other applications show what is graphically possible.