Requested Features and Enhancements Implemented in Prepar3D v2.5

We are currently finishing development on the first update to Prepar3D v2 for 2015, Prepar3D v2.5. This version has several rendering and performance updates, a few general platform updates, and a pretty substantial update to SimDirector, Prepar3D’s intelligent tutor, virtual instructor, and scenario generation tool.

We wanted to thank our development community, and especially our Prepar3D.com forum moderators Rob and Saul, for your continuous feedback and effort to help make Prepar3D v2 the industry leader in flight simulation and virtual instruction.

We will be sending a beta of v2.5 to our beta team this week, and once we are satisfied with v2.5 we will then release the update.

General Platform Updates

Fixed a crash that would occur if licensing check on startup failed

Fixed a bug where thumbnail images for missions and aircraft were not matching up properly

Renamed missions to reflect their content

Restructured path configuration files

Rendering and Performance Updates

Added post process for night vision that includes bloom

Added a light scalar to camera so that NVG cameras can have a brighter scene

Added a configuration option to the Prepar3D.cfg and Camera Definitions that allows cameras to share a single terrain view

Added an option to specify whether or not a panel should write alpha when rendering into a texture

Improved long range sensor capabilities by allowing plugins to set the scenery load origin for a camera independent of its location

Fixed a bug that would prevent the HideAircraft flag from hiding aircraft attached effects

Fixed a bug that would cause all extrusion effects to draw with a visible sawtooth pattern

Fixed a bug where the exclude VC panels sensor setting was not working as intended

Fixed issue that caused clouds to face vertically

Fixed out of memory issues with the Load Flight Screen

Fixed an issue that would prevent effects from visually displaying if the effect was at a low level of detail distance

Fixed issues with shaders failing to compile if material is created without setting a specular map

Fixed an issue that would cause some aircraft to load with the engines turned off

SimDirector Updates

Added an Undo feature in SimDirector. Undo allows a user to undo and redo most actions in their mission. A history window provides visual feedback of what actions have been done

Added a Measure Tool to SimDirector. This allows the user to measure distances in several different unit types.

Added a setting that allows the user choose whether or not they would like to load their mission in Prepar3D after closing SimDirector

Added the ability to preview actions from the visualization window in Preview Mode in SimDirector

Added an option for hiding icons and bounding boxes in SimDirector

Added catalog preview into the catalog and created object preview

Added ability to edit mission while in Preview Mode

Added a setting that allows the user to filter object references by group

Added the ability to copy values from the condition editor

Added better error handling and error reports for mission Mission Briefing files

Added a unit converter to several distance related properties

Added the ability to read friendly names for third party models

Added option to set whether SimDirector controls or Prepar3D controls have precedence when hovered over the Prepar3D window in Virtual Instructor, Flight Instructor, and Preview Mode

Fixed a bug where saving scenario alters camera orientation

Fixed bugs dealing with multiple item selects.

Fixed bug that effected saving properly observation profiles

Fixed a bug that would prevent the file name from updating and saving properly in different modes

Fixed a bug that would prevent pop-up windows from scrolling through all the options

Fixed a bug that would prevent the context menu in the logic editor from opening properly when using non-standard DPI settings

Fixed a bug that would remove referencing of an ownship if the ownship aircraft was changed

Fixed a bug that would prevent multiple external properties from updating in monitoring

Fixed a bug that would cause issues with loading missions located in Program Files

Fixed a bug that would prevent visual model from updating orientation changes reflected in the property grid

Fixed a bug that would prevent catalog friendly names from loading properly

Fixed a bug that would prevent single row text box to extend scrolling with the cursor

Fixed a bug that would cause backstage to hang when clicking the arrow

Fixed a bug that would prevent property observation profiles from saving

Fixed a bug that would prevent build object list from increasing the count

Fixed a bug that caused bulk lasso selection to not appear as one selection

Fixed a bug that would not progress the object list count

Fixed a bug that would prevent visibility from resetting when toggling the weather on/off

Fixed issues with broken timer validation check

Fixed an issue where object preview would not display mobile scenery

Fixed an issue where mission menu windows would close prematurely

Fixed issues with Virtual Instruction recording while in inner group visualization

Fixed SimDirector window sizing issues

Fixed an issue that prevented Mission Preview from re-enabling the user interface

Fixed issues with search boxes in SimDirector. All search boxes now search for any part of search phrase

Fixed issues with selecting actions inside of a Virtual Instructor session

Fixed issues with observer look-at and look-at-ground functionality

Fixed issues with monitoring in Virtual Instructor mode

Fixed issues that would cause the Preview window to stop working

Fixed issues that would cause a slow down when dragging objects around in SimDirector

Fixed an issue where the Preview Window would cause crash when resetting scenarios

Fixed issues with waypoints being placed too close to each other or other objects

Fixed issues with mouse cursor state not changing as expected

Fixed issues that would cause crashes if user sim was null

Enhanced translate, rotate, and scale gizmos

Enhanced speed of object selection from validation window

Enhanced speed of switching between viewer sim and vehicle

Enhanced drag and drop feature in SimDirector

Enhanced preview subset feature in Preview Mode

SDK and SimConnect Updates