EZCA Working in P3Dv6

[RRVyper 34]

I'm not sure if anyone else has had success using EZCA with P3Dv6 but it initially wasn't working for me. I hadn't used P3D (v5.3) in a few months and decided to fire it up and make sure EZCA was working there as it can be very fussy with Simconnect. Turns out it wasn't working for me in P3Dv5.3 either. I remembered that I saw updates for v3.2.0.4 on the News | ezdok-camera.com website and had it installed (along with the small patch on the same page) thinking I was going to update to P3Dv5.4. I downloaded 5.4 but didn't install it. So, tonight when it wasn't working in P3Dv5.3 I ran the old installer (EZCA V3.2.0.3.exe) but still no joy. I ran the config tool twice (once for the actual config tool and next the 'Advanced Users' and selected Simconnect 10.0.61259.0. Then I fired up P3Dv6 and EZCA connected to P3D. Note that when I switched to Simconnect 10.0.61259.0 when I went back into the config tool the 11.0.61259.0 entry at the bottom was still highlighted. Not sure why or if it means anything.

I haven't tried importing cameras or saving them - just wanted to get this 'discovery' out for others with EZCA since Chaseplane seems to have given up on P3D.

Now, back to testing...

Randy

[d.tsakiris 418]

That's very good to hear!

[fadde 5]

Thanks for info!

[AllanK 2]

So are you saying it does not work with the current patch 3.2.0.4 but it does work with 3.2.0.3?

If so, is 3.2.0.3 available?

I am interested in buying it (ChasePlane user 😞) but I cannot see a way of asking the developer.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[RRVyper 34]

Hi @AllanK

I wouldn't pull the trigger just yet unless you have P3Dv5 installed. I didn't test any further last night and thinking about it later I suspect it may still be using P3Dv5 files even though it is connected to P3Dv6. There might be ways around it using symlinks, etc. until a fully compatible version is released by the dev. I need to test further today.

As for the earlier versions, see also this page.

 

Randy

[RRVyper 34]

So, as expected, EZCA is working due to referencing P3Dv5. The cameras loaded fine from the EZCA database since they were already made in P3Dv5 and the aircraft name matched (same aircraft in P3Dv5. A bit of trickery was required. Note that the steps below will effectively disable P3Dv5 and could cause problems if you attempt to start P3Dv5 (or update/run any programs that reference P3Dv5). If you aren't comfortable doing this, or don't understand exactly what you are doing, I would suggest waiting until the dev (hopefully) updates the program. It should be fairly straightforward for them. Don't hold me responsible if you corrupt your P3D installations. This probably requires P3Dv5 to already be installed, although you could probably create relevant symbolic links to install EZCA if you don't already have it, but it may require a registry edit which I did not do.

Also, EZCA will show a red lock for the World Camera since it is communicating with the wrong sim version. I'm not sure if anything else won't work.

If you use the same aircraft in P3Dv6 that are in P3Dv5 you may get away with just using EZCA as is. Any camera sets previously created in P3Dv5 will be used by EZCA running in P3Dv6. However, installing new aircraft into P3Dv6 only may work. The steps below should solve that.

Here's what I did - I strongly suggest reading the entire process before attempting it:

First, I went into Safe Mode and renamed the P3Dv5 folders that EZCA uses:

• Prepar3D v5 (main folder) --> Prepar3D v5.off
• Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons --> Prepar3D v5 Add-ons.off
• AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5 --> Prepar3D v5.off
• ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5 --> Prepar3D v5.off

I then booted back into Windows (11) and created symbolic links (i.e. a shortcut) for those renamed folders to point to their P3Dv6 counterparts. I use a program called Link Shell Extension for this. It can be found here.

• Create symbolic link called Prepar3D v5 in the same folder where the main Prepar3D v5 folder was (which is now called Prepar3D v5.off) and point it to your main Prepar3d v6 folder (link source)
• Create symbolic link Prepar3D v5 Add-ons in your Documents folder which points to Prepar3D v6 Add-ons
• Create symbolic link Prepar3D v5 in the AppData\Lockheed Martin folder which points to AppData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v6
• Create symbolic link Prepar3D v5 in the ProgramData\Lockheed Martin folder which points to ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v6

Run the v5 EZCA Config Tool and select 'Prepar3D V5' and it will make the changes to the necessary Prepar3D v6 files (aircraft.cfg/Standard.xml/cameras.cfg) depending on what the Config Tool finds. Run the Config Tool again and select 'For advanced users' and re-select Simconnect 10.0.61259.0. Note that you may have to reselect Simconnect 10.0.61259.0 if EZCA has problems connecting to the sim - I have had to more often than not. 🤬

Another caveat - if you are using addons that still reside in the Prepar3D v5 Add-ons folder, this folder now points to the Prepar3D v6 Add-ons folder so P3Dv6 won't see them. The easiest way to solve this (in most cases) is to create a symbolic link in the Prepar3D v6 Add-ons folder to the desired add-on in the previously renamed Prepar3D v5 Add-ons.off folder. For example, I have an A2A folder in the (now) Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons.off folder so I created a symbolic link in Documents\Prepar3D v6 Add-ons called A2A pointing to Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons.off\A2A. I said 'most cases'.... In the case of FSUIPC6 which, in my case, is installed in (what used to be called) Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons, there is an add-on.xml file in the Prepar3D v6 Add-ons\FSUIPC6 folder pointing to Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons\FSUIPC6\FSUIPC6.dll. This will not find FSUIPC6.dll because we renamed the Prepar3D v5 Add-ons folder and created a new link to the Prepar3D v6 Add-ons folder. To correct this (and any like it) you need to edit the add-on.xml file in the Prepar3D v6 Add-ons\FSUIPC folder and change the </Category><Path> entry to point to the Prepar3D v5 Add-ons.off folder. Make this change in the add-on.xml file located in the Documents\Prepar3d v5 Add-ons.off\FSUIPC6 folder as well. Note: if your setup differs from mine you will have to adjust as necessary.

That should do it.

For those without P3Dv5 installed, it may be only necessary to create the symlinks above. Also, if P3Dv5 is not installed, FSUIPC6 should be able to be installed directly into P3Dv6. In this case do that before creating symlinks.

I cannot stress enough that you can easily hose your Prepar3D v5/6 installations by making mistakes when attempting this but if you are comfortable with fixing any issues you may run into and remember not to use P3Dv5 while these edits are active, feel free to attempt it - No guarantees that these steps take into account all required changes and I could easily be forgetting/overlooking something important which could have dire repercussions. You have been warned.

Randy

[brucewtb 249]

Interesting after many years of using EZCA I could could never get it to work in P3D5 and no support from the developer to do so which led me to get Chaseplane. So good luck in waiting for an official EZCA P3D6 update if the above hack is too complicated - as I suspect it would be for many users.

Bruce

[DrumsArt 270]

I've been using EZCA for years. Alas, with version 3 there turned out to be incompatibility problems with some Milviz and Majestic aircraft, among others...
That's why I switched to CP.

I don't think I'll ever go back to EZCA. I'll try to make do with the P3D view system!

Richard.

[RRVyper 34]

I tried Chaseplane but was so used to EZCA that I went back to it and I guess really didn't give CP enough of a chance to win me over. I do think EZCA was a better program, though. It was easy to get EZCA to work with MJC and I think there was another solvable issue with the Aerosoft Airbus iirc, but never had any Milviz planes (I don't think there was a workaround for those). There were also Simconnect issues when people began switching to Windows 11. The devs have been absent from their forum for a long time now which is unfortunate. But there must be someone still working behind the scenes as there was a recent update for P3Dv5.4 and Active Sky.

I'm cautiously hopeful.

Randy

[RRVyper 34]

On 7/7/2023 at 11:57 AM, RRVyper said:

Note that you may have to reselect Simconnect 10.0.61259.0 if EZCA has problems connecting to the sim - I have had to more often than not. 🤬

I think the reason for this was that when I switched back to EZCA v3.2.0.3 I forgot to redo the Windows 11 patch released by EZdok on 08 Apr, 2023. Seems to connect reliably now. 😃

Randy

[AllanK 2]

Randy

It looks pretty clearcut installing EZCA in P3DV6. I have now purchased the product.

One question, what is the reason for booting in Safe Mode?

I do have P3Dv5.4 installed but I don’t need EZCA installed there as I use ChasePlane for that sim.

I still want to run both v5 and v6. So, after the installation to v6, is it just a matter or playing with the symbolic links & renaming folders – ie removing them when I want to use v5 and putting them back when I want to use v6.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Allan

[RRVyper 34]

Hi Allan,

I had to boot into safe mode to rename the Prepar3D v5 folder as it was 'in use' when I first tried, possibly due to me running a program beforehand.

I haven't tried making a camera set for P3Dv6 since I already have the cameras made from P3Dv5 and they all worked.

Once I had it working, after all the edits in the previous post, I reset them back to their original names, after deleting the 3 symlinks pointing to the corresponding P3Dv6 folders. I could then use EZCA in both sims without re-doing the renames and symlinks. Just confirm that there is an entry in the exe.xml file that auto-starts EZCA 3.1.

Note that Chaseplane and EZCA will not work together. If you run the installer before doing the renaming and symlink creation, it will override Chaseplane, and vice versa if you run the Chaseplane install. At least that's what I remember when I was using Chaseplane.

I think I'm remembering everything. I'm not at my PC right now. Sorry for the delay. I just got the notification email.

Randy

[AllanK 2]

Randy

Thanks - I now have EZCA working in P3Dv6.

Given ChasePlane have pulled out of P3D support - I think I will move my P3Dv5 to EZCA as well.

You help is much appreciated.

Allan