Prepar3D v3.4 is available now!

The Prepar3D team has been hard at work making the most stable and performant version yet, as well as integrating emerging technologies and fixing issues reported by the community and developer network.

Prepar3D now supports the consumer versions of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Both Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are seamlessly integrated into the application. New VR enabled views automatically become available when a headset is connected to your PC and fully support head tracking and positioning and immersive stereoscopic rendering. New VR views can also be easily added or configured through the Camera SDK.

A new Cinematographer control mode is now available giving unrestricted and precise camera control to capture any angle at any time. Direct Input support is back alongside Raw Input giving users more options on how to configure their input devices. Additionally, a new Navigation Visuals screen can be used to toggle facility and airspace overlays directly on the 3D world.

New features have also been added to the Professional Plus version including weapons support for avatars, multiple enhancements to DIS including multiplayer support, voice communication, and easier configuration, as well as improved Multichannel stability.

Developers have even more tools available at their disposal including easier Scaleform integration into views, Lua support in ModelDef.xml files, custom light rendering via the PDK, the ability for plugins to register with internal events in the application, as well as numerous other advanced features.

The Prepar3D v3.4 update is available now and can be downloaded from your Downloads page. If you currently own a valid Prepar3D v3 license, there is no charge to update to Prepar3D v3.4.

Prepar3D offers separate updates for the Client, Content, and Scenery. This will make updating faster and easier than ever before. Please be sure to read the Prepar3D v3 Download and Installation Directions for more details on how to quickly update to the v3.4 release. It is strongly recommended to only download and install the client as there are only minor updates to content and scenery for this release. Having .NET 4.6 installed is required when updating the client. The full install includes .NET 4.6 as part of the install process. Please refer to the What’s New below to see if these fixes are required for your training needs.

The Lockheed Martin Prepar3D team loves hearing about your experiences with Prepar3D at our Forums. The forums also give us an opportunity to listen to your feedback as we continue Prepar3D development. We’ve partnered with our forum users and with several featured developers to continue to bring added features, enhancements, and optimizations all while bringing additional backwards compatibility, bug fixes, and stability to Prepar3D v3.4.

You can find a full list of What’s New below.

Prepar3D v3.4 – Release Notes

The Client installer is required for Prepar3D v3.4, however the Content, Scenery, and SDK installers are optional. You must first have Prepar3D v3 installed to utilize the Client only installer. To install the Prepar3D v3.4 Client, you must first uninstall the Prepar3D v3 Client via Programs and Features in Windows Control Panel. The Prepar3D v3.4 Client update will require you to reactivate your product, however if you have an internet connection or have not made any major hardware changes between installations this should not be an issue. For more information please view the Prepar3D v3 Download and Installation Directions.

If this is your first time installing Prepar3D v3, you can simply install the complete Prepar3D v3.4 package.

Prepar3D v3.3 will no longer be available from Prepar3D.com.

Prepar3D Client

General Platform Updates

New Features

Oculus Rift runtime 1.7 support

HTC Vive support

Navigation Visuals UI showing facility, airspace, user, and AI overlays in the 3D world

Scaleform gauges now support multitouch

Avatar now supports weapons and designators including the ability to fire and aim guns

Scaleform overlays can now be assigned to cameras

Added Cinematographer control mode enabling high fidelity camera control

Added new control events to rotate cameras without snapping back to original orientation when released and to linearly zoom cameras

Control input method can now be switched between Raw Input and Direct Input

Fixes and Improvements

Fixed issue that prevented gauges from handling quick successive mouse clicks

ATC panel is now always on top of other open panels

Mission timer panel now supports negative numbers

Fixed issue where scenery items added through new add-on process could prevent layer ordering of other items in the Scenery Library UI

Expanded .fxml documentation in Learning Center

Added key commands to set the ADF standby frequency

Increased max zoom level for Observer cameras

Added more robust error messages for errors encountered during startup

Fixed crash that could occur when clicking docked views repeatedly

Fixed bug that prevented airport scenery added using an add-on.xml from correctly loading

Scenery added using an add-on.xml now defaults to the top layer

Fixed bug where scenery added using an add-on.xml would be removed when making changes in the Scenery Library

Fixed bug where default map layers would not appear when initially opened

Fixed bug where switching between different avatars would not update available cameras

Controller trigger can now be mapped to fire guns

Scaleform panels no longer pass key events to main application when focused and keyboard interactivity is enabled

Better control support for throttle and rudder based devices

Camera rotation speed adjusts based on zoom level when using avatar

Selected view group is now persisted

Fixed issue where weapons and pylons could cause a memory leak if configured incorrectly

Fixed bug where drag-selecting multiple weather stations modified global weather settings

Fixed crash that could occur when closing a child window while using view groups

Fixed issue that would cause the avatar to still render when HideUserAvatar was set in the camera

Fixed bugs with menu where incorrect items could be activated or focused when using the keyboard

Fixed input issues seen with X-Grip devices

Fixed bug in the Fuel and Payload UI where the center of gravity would be displayed in the wrong location when using certain aircraft

Fixed inconsistencies with zoom values and object visibility when using custom fields of view

Undocked panels now always stay on top of other views by default

Fixed typos in various UI screens

Fixed startup crash that would occur if the ShadersHLSL path is invalid

Child views within view groups can now be closed

The ATC window no longer processes key input when the menu bar is focused

Fixed bug that could prevent certain UI screens from displaying properly when reading corrupt .xml files

The Scaleform Menu Window (used for ATC, SimConnect, and Multiple Choice windows) now supports DPI settings

Fixed bug that prevented the Scaleform Menu Window from being resized on the right side of the window

The Scaleform Menu Window now shows when additional menu items are available but not shown due to the window’s size

Fixed bug where ATC menu items could continue to be activated when holding keys down

Added Binocular and Compass avatar views

Added new camera categories for First Person, Third Person, and Equipment views

Fixed bug that prevented gauges from handling right mouse button double click events

Fixed bug where vehicle could receive mouse yoke values when using mouse look mode

Fixed bug where advanced weather settings would not be applied to stations in certain cases

Fixed crash that would occur when setting APU Fire failures on certain aircraft

Updated framework to .NET 4.6

Rendering and Performance Updates

New Features

Screenshots can now be saved out in multiple formats including: bmp, png, jpeg, and tiff

Added built-in network video streaming

Support for alpha blending for custom zbias layering

Fixes and Improvements

Fixed issue where changing texture resolution did not cause textures to reload

Fixed bug that caused add-on scenery to appear washed out at certain times of the day

Fixed minor precision errors in certain LLA conversions

Fixed visual and performance issues with the aircraft skid mark effect

Fixed bug that caused runway lights to flicker in dynamic reflections

Fixed bug where certain bloom properties were still being applied with HDR disabled

Fixed bug that could prevent beacon sprites from rendering

Axis indicator is now red to be seen easier at different times of day

Improved stability when using ultra water

Added OpenCL support to ultra water increasing performance on AMD cards

SimDirector Updates

New Features

Virtual Instructor now records gauge variables set via user interactions

Camera objects and the user’s virtual cockpit can now be previewed while editing

Added PlacementObject, an object with position and orientation that is capable of advanced waypoint following

Added SetObjectPlacementAction, an object that can reposition an object’s position and orientation to another position and orientation

Added ChangeObjectPlacementAction, an action which allows objects to change position relative to other objects

Added context menu and ribbon item to Activate/Deactivate all selected objects

Added ability to fire actions when an object reaches a waypoint or finishes a waypoint list

Added new mappable events to position and reposition objects

Added ability to set Prepar3D’s default scenario to the scenario that’s being edited

Fixes and Improvements

Fixed bug where CylinderPathArea joints could be misaligned when attached to scenery objects

Fixed bug where key commands could be sent to Prepar3D when typing in text fields

Fixed bug where certain objects would rotate when moved if attached to other objects

Fixed bug where new panels would be created during validation when using Scaleform panels and never destroyed

Fixed memory leaks that could occur when using Scaleform Objects, Camera Objects, or Focal Points

Fixed bug where selected panel object’s ID would reset to 0 when switching modes

Fixed bug where camera direction would change when saving after rotating the camera

Fixed bug where changing the display unit type would register as an undo edit

Fixed bug where camera object would rotate when using certain move operations

Objects can now be dragged to a group and added

Fixed bug with translation gizmo that would prevent moving object if origin was not in view

Attached objects can now be positioned and oriented relative to their attached object

Fixed “Fatal Error Occurred” crash on startup that was occurring on certain configurations

Renamed Descr property to Object Name

Improved SimDirector load time

Fixed crash that would occur when changing a waypoint’s elevation with a waypoint list selected

Fixed bug where waypoints will not move when their waypoint list is selected

Fixed bug where the waypoint model draws in the wrong location when switching AltitudeIsAGL on or off

Fixed bug where changing the elevation of waypoint objects does not work correctly when altitude is set to AGL

Fixed bug where updating a waypoint list’s attached object would incorrectly update waypoint positions when waypoint altitude was set to AGL

Added more robust error reporting

Fixed bug where a camera object set to picture-in-picture would sometimes not open on scenario load

Camera object’s origin can now be set to render the Virtual Cockpit

Improved rendering of waypoint lists

Fixed bug where unselected focal points would render in Virtual Instructor

Open undocked panels now close when entering SimDirector

Fixed bug where Preview Action Only would still fire OnCompleteActions

Improved performance with scenarios containing large numbers of objects

Waypoint Lists can now be referenced as object references making them easier to integrate into existing objects

Fixed cases where scenery objects would incorrectly return AGL altitude

Fixed bug where if you modified a waypoint while the object it was attached to was selected, the waypoint modification would be ignored and it would snap back to the original location

Fixed bug where moving an object with attached waypoints would make waypoints continuously calculate new offsets causing them to move away from the attached object

Fixed bug where waypoint lists could have AGL set independently of contained waypoints

Fixed bug where drag/dropping to add a reference in the visualization would add two undo edits if the source object was already referencing a different object

Fixed bug where OnScreenText would appear in the incorrect location with the wrong background color in certain cases

Fixed bug where OnCompleteActions could not be added or modified in VI sessions using the property grid or visualization

Fixed bug where holding shift in other applications when SimDirector was open would cause the zoom ribbon button to change states

Fixed bug where player objects would not render when loading a scenario or copying existing objects

Fixed bug where canceling out of the multiplayer UI when entering SimOperator would cause undefined behavior

Focal points drawing is more smooth and is also drawn when the mouse is dragged

Fixed bug where objects could be incorrectly loaded when opening scenarios in Preview Mode

Fixed bug where Virtual Instructor reset mode was not respected when loading a new scenario

Updated Waypoint speed property setting to be more clear

Added Staging Mode button in home tab in SimOperator

Reposition Object disabled when in non-staging mode in SimOperator

Fixed crash that could occur in SimOperator when modifying certain objects

Fixed bug where Center On object would snap to incorrect altitudes

Fixed bug where player staging objects would show on SimOperator clients

Fixed bug that could cause SimDirector scenario loading errors in some cases

Fixed bug where staging objects could appear when clients join SimOperator sessions

Fixed bug that prevented scenery models from loading when importing .sxml files

Multiplayer Updates

New Features

Avatar can now attach to scenario entities in multiplayer structured scenarios

Avatars can be damaged by weapons in multiplayer

Fixes and Improvements

First person avatar animation states now update in multiplayer

Fixed crash that could occur when using weapons over multiplayer

Multiplayer options now saved out where applicable

Aircraft carrier elevators now work in multiplayer

Fixed bug where vehicle control would not transfer correctly when the master player detached from a vehicle shared by three or more players

Fixed bug where multiplayer cameras would not be removed from the camera list when exiting multiplayer when attached to another player’s vehicle

SDK and SimConnect Updates

Note: Some of these features will require installing the v3.4 SDK

New Features

Exposed world space based ray tracing through the PDK

Screenshots can be captured through SimConnect

Added new Event Service to the PDK enabling generic callbacks to be registered to chain events

Added new Custom Object Rendering Service to PDK

Added PDK sample showing custom light rendering capability

Added base multiplayer and SimOperator sample scenario

Visibility scripts can now be executed on non-sim objects

Network video streaming of views through SimConnect

Lua scripting now supported in Modeldef.xml

Fixes and Improvements

Fixed bug where SimConnect would return the wrong application version

New rendering and window control functionality added to PDK.

Added program variables for camera pitch, bank, and heading

Added program variables for the lat, lon, alt, and distance of point targeted by camera (center of screen)

Fixed bug where setting a camera’s horizontal or vertical fov independently would distort the view

Fixed bug where incorrect camera field of view was returned by RequestCameraFoV function

Content error reporting added for missing Scaleform files in gauges

3dsMax 2017 now supported

Fixed various typos in documentation

Updated ISimObject documentation with list of provided samples

Updated Scaleform keyboard support to include punctuation and modifier keys (ctrl, alt, shift)

Fixed bug where releasing POV hat would not return -1 when using the SimConnect_MapInputEventToClientEvent function

Fixed bug that would cause Render to Texture views to activate when using the SetCameraDefinition PDK function

Updated pertinent samples to .NET 4.6

Multichannel Updates

Fixes and Improvements

Fixed crash that could occur in Multichannel with remote entity attachments

Fixed crash in Multichannel when joining a multiplayer session with an aircraft with a single COM radio

Fixed crash that would occur when changing view groups on Multichannel child views

Fixed issue where the Multichannel master would be set to zero airspeed when joining a multiplayer session

Aircraft carrier elevators now work in Multichannel

Fixed bug where user would respawn at the location of a crash when running Multichannel in multiplayer

Fixed bug that could cause the Multichannel host to start at 90% throttle when vehicle was on the ground

Fixed bug where the active view group’s field of view was being saved out into the scenario file

Fixed issue that could cause remote multiplayer clients to display incorrectly on slave machines

Added more robust error messages when configuring MultiChannel

Moved configuration files to %ProgramData%

Fixed synchronization issues with avatar visibility and animation state in Multichannel over multiplayer

DIS Updates

New Features

Added multiplayer support within DIS

Added DIS support for avatar, gun based munitions, AI traffic, Electromagnetic Emissions, designators, and transmitters

Added ability to transmit navigation aids through Transmitter PDU in DIS including VOR, DME, TACAN, ILS Glideslope, and ILS Localizer

Added DIS voice communication support

DIS munition fire and detonation effects can now be configure in the UI

Added toggle key event to connect and disconnect from DIS sessions

Fixes and Improvements

Added new camera category for DIS entities

Improved DIS configuration UI

Dead reckoning, entity appearance, and articulated parts can be disabled in DIS

Fixed issues with DIS using Multichannel that prevented certain states from serializing correctly

Ground, surface, and life form types can now be forced to pull to ground in DIS

Entity positions now based on center of bounding box for DIS

Fixed DIS issue that could cause objects to start dead reckoning when nearly stationary

Several DIS settings can now be modified while connected

Fixed bug which caused camera to shake when viewing remote DIS entities in Multichannel

Fixed bug which prevented multiplayer entities from showing on DIS clients

Prepar3D Content

Fixes and Improvements

Fixed issue with dialog action in Foul Weather scenario

Removed unused ATC entries from The Deep scenario

Added red and green marker smoke effects

Added white phosphorus smoke effect

Prepar3D Scenery

Fixes and Improvements

Updates to Twentynine Palms, Randolf AFB, and Iwakuni airports

Fixed terrain crack and spike in northern Alaska

Thank you for your continued support for Prepar3D.

We hope you find that Prepar3D v3.4 continues to be the most immersive learning, simulation, and training platform available.