Is it possible to run P3D on separate networked computers with the graphics divorced from the aircraft like professional military and commerical flight simulators?

The demands of producing accurate flight dynamics and fast graphics would warrant it if it's doable.

No. The underlying engine is just not segmented that way, and I would assume making it possible would be a big job. Since perfectly good solutions exist already for the main commercial audience that wants such solutions, I doubt it's something LM would want to make P3D do. P3D fits in the market space below such solutions as a lower-cost alternative. 

It is possible to create a multi-PC setup ('multi-channel') using the Professional Plus version or via 3rd party software such as Wideview or Opus FSI, but each PC will still be rendering a view. However, you can turn down the graphics settings to minimum and use tricks like 'panel only' views to reduce the graphical workload on the 'host' machine and let it put its horsepower into other areas. The 'client' (image-generator) PCs will not spend much of their CPU on flight dynamics because they will be operating in 'position freeze user' mode where the aircraft does not fly (the position and attitude data is sent from the host PC continuously so that the client views move as the host view does). 

That's the best option available to us under P3D. It brings a raft of complications and compromises with it, but it's well worth it if you have the use case (panoramic displays requiring multiple views, for example). 

8 hours ago, neilhewitt said:

No. The underlying engine is just not segmented that way, and I would assume making it possible would be a big job. Since perfectly good solutions exist already for the main commercial audience that wants such solutions, I doubt it's something LM would want to make P3D do. P3D fits in the market space below such solutions as a lower-cost alternative. 

It is possible to create a multi-PC setup ('multi-channel') using the Professional Plus version or via 3rd party software such as Wideview or Opus FSI, but each PC will still be rendering a view. However, you can turn down the graphics settings to minimum and use tricks like 'panel only' views to reduce the graphical workload on the 'host' machine and let it put its horsepower into other areas. The 'client' (image-generator) PCs will not spend much of their CPU on flight dynamics because they will be operating in 'position freeze user' mode where the aircraft does not fly (the position and attitude data is sent from the host PC continuously so that the client views move as the host view does). 

That's the best option available to us under P3D. It brings a raft of complications and compromises with it, but it's well worth it if you have the use case (panoramic displays requiring multiple views, for example). 

Hi...I thought as much.  I would like to have a close to crossing the Uncanny Valley photorealistic view *and* a controllable aircraft. Even though I have a high end GPU (NVidia 1090 Ultra), frame rates with high resolution and high resolution clouds are only in the 25 FPS range.   For IFR it doesn't matter much, but I learned how to fly VFR first in real life so I kinda sorta like to have a realistic view.  That's what makes flying fun.  My old instructor said it was better than something else, but that's not for polite conversation 🙂 

If you use WidevieW you can use a slower pc as host that shows your instruments on 1 or more displays. You choose whatever ac you want.

A fast client will only show the outside view.

Wideview can sync the weather over the network. 
And WideTraffic (separate app) will show sync’d AI .

WidevieW runs smoother than Opus and is also more enhanced.