Is there a way to import a SimBrief plan directly without going through the rigmarole of using SimBrief Downloader to put it in the MSFS flight plan location and then loading the plan in MSFS etc?

Only way I know is via PMS GTN. 

You can open it and Import simbrief and close of afterwards

The TDS GTN can load gfp flight plans.

Simbrief can create the FP as a gfp file (Garmin's proprietary format) as Bert said.  That then goes into a folder somewhere in the Garmin directory (can't remember where -it's a faffy location), and can be imported into the GNS.

I'm aware of that chaps and I would rather be using my ever faithful PMS GTN but I'm having some terrible performance issues with that device at the moment and I can't get to the bottom of it. The performance drop when using 2 units such as with the SWS PC-12 or the Flysimware 414 is extreme. As in going from 85 FPS to a stuttering jittering horror show at 40-45 and I don't do less than 60 even without the stutters and jitters. I don't know why this started but both of those planes with that unit are unusable at the moment so in order to get the PC-12 in the air I resorted to using the 530 which is a unit I have always despised and not being able to directly import my flight plan is not helping my dislike of it.

Anyway, having done a few flights with that unit and plane I have come to the conclusion that as long as the plane behaves as though there is no vertical stabilizer and the yaw control is more like that of a space craft that I will give up on both until there has been an update.

I have reached out to the dev of the PMS but I feel we are only at the begging of figuring out what is suddenly wrong with that on my machine if we will at all. Flying without that is like flying without and arm and I don't enjoy it to be honest.

 

@Jazz

That's very interesting because I'm having an almost identical issue but with the TDS GTN!  I've literally had to stop using it since SU14 dropped, as I get horrible stuttering. Used it for years until this started happenning and have now had to drop it for the time being.

Obviously they're both completely different programs (and TDS uses the Garmin Trainer whilst PMS is full independent) but I wonder if there is some common link.

I've tried everying.  I use Addon Linker but even tried placing just the TDS file directly into the Community folder - made no difference.

Hmm....

7 minutes ago, JYW said:

@Jazz

That's very interesting because I'm having an almost identical issue but with the TDS GTN!  I've literally had to stop using it since SU14 dropped, as I get horrible stuttering. Used it for years until this started happenning and have now had to drop it for the time being.

Obviously they're both completely different programs (and TDS uses the Garmin Trainer whilst PMS is full independent) but I wonder if there is some common link.

I've tried everying.  I use Addon Linker but even tried placing just the TDS file directly into the Community folder - made no difference.

Hmm....

That's interesting. Are you also seeing the dreadful frame drops? Or is it just an increase in stutters and jitters?

23 hours ago, Jazz said:

That's interesting. Are you also seeing the dreadful frame drops? Or is it just an increase in stutters and jitters?

Significant frame drop as well.