Prepar3D v5 verschijnt 14 april a.s.

Lockheed Martin heeft op haar vernieuwde website aangekondigd dat de nieuwste versie van Prepar3D, Prepar3Dv5, volgende week dinsdag, 14 april, zal verschijnen. Ook is er een eerste release trailer verschenen, deze is hieronder te bekijken.

Ook heeft Lockheed Martin de release notes al vrijgeven. Belangrijkste verbeteringen zijn o.a. gebruik van DirectX12 voor betere visuals en performance. Verbeteringen in de lucht, met volumetrische wolken en meer. Ondersteuning van sloped runways. Dit was al mogelijk, maar nu kan AI er ook gebruik van maken, waardoor third party developers dit nu ook in hun sceneries kunnen gaan inzetten. Verder zijn er verbeteringen doorgevoerd in de bestaande vliegvelden en komen er in een latere update ook nieuwe vliegvelden waaronder de nieuwe luchthavens van Istanbul (LTFM) en Beijing (ZBAD). Bekijk alle release notes eens rustig hieronder.

Release Notes

General Platform Updates

New Features

• Enhanced performance and graphical capabilities enabled by the new Microsoft DirectX 12 rendering engine.
• Realistic sky, clouds, and atmosphere with Simul trueSKY integration.
• Dynamic ocean with NVIDIA WaveWorks 2.0.
• Added sloped runway support including AI takeoff and landing capabilities.
• Updated time zones to match real-world boundaries.
• Added 8.33 kHz spacing support.
• Users can now switch vehicles while in multiplayer if enabled by the host.
• Updated multiplayer UI to streamline multiplayer setup and lobby interactions.
• Multiplayer host and clients can now choose any starting location.
• Multiplayer lobby is now available in session.
• The map screen is now available during flight.
• Added TACAN course selection and tracking support.
• Compiler and SDK updated to Visual Studio 2019 and .NET 4.8.
• Updated default mouse and joystick camera controls.
• Updated default controller layout.
• Added controllable flashlight to virtual cockpit views.
• Updated user interface design.
• Added brown-out and white-out effect support for helicopters.
• Updated over 24,000 airports with new data across the entire globe.
• Updated global terrain, elevation, water/shoreline data, and traffic routes.
• GPS data can now be broadcast to a specific IP address.
• Ground contact reaction is now done per contact point.
• Added prompt to warn if GPU memory has run out with option to revert graphics settings.
• Weather themes can now be customized in the weather UI.
• Added surface perturbations to 2D water.
• Added support for the Varjo XR-1 mixed reality (MR) headset.
• Added SIDS and STARS visualization support for gauges.
• New and updated default content:
  • Updated Randolph AFB (KRND) developed by Orbx.
  • Added the Lockheed Martin Civilian Utility Aircraft Single Engine (CUASE) aircraft.
  • Added the Lockheed Martin Turboprop Trainer (TTA) aircraft.
  • Added F-35B and F-35C variants with PBR textures developed by IndiaFoxtEcho.
  • Updated F-35A model with PBR textures developed by IndiaFoxtEcho.
  • Updated F-22 model developed by IRIS Simulations.
  • Updated C-130 to support 8.33 kHz spacing.
  • Updated runway surface textures to 4k PBR textures.
  • Updated various airport and land class textures.
  • Updated various road, railroad, stream, shoreline, and wake textures.
  • Fixed mismatched building textures.
  • Added several additional SpeedTree tree types and seasonal variants.
  • Added a sample race scenario showcasing racing scenario capabilities.
  • Added additional road traffic models.
  • Fixed incorrect light mappings in Maule aircraft.
  • Updated Deep Sea Submarine model.
  • Updated several models to reduce flickering issues at large distances.
  • Updated taxiway signs to use PBR textures.
  • Improved jetway models and textures.
  • Fixed several parts in F-16A model that were missing PBR textures.
  • Added a multitude of new landmark buildings spanning the globe.
  • Sloped various airports across the globe.
  • Added multiple wildlife models.
  • Updated ATC tower interior.
  • Updated various effect values.

Fixes and Improvements

• Adjusted autogenerated building height.
• Improved vehicle list caching speeding up vehicle selection and multiplayer loading.
• Added keyboard shortcuts for opening settings UI screens.
• Control bindings can now be searched by key name in the Controls UI.
• Added on/off/set key events for several light controls that previously only had toggle commands.
• Fixed issue where GPS ILS markers would be misaligned in some cases.
• A default scenario name is now generated when opening the Save Scenario screen.
• Scenery Library items can now be dragged to different locations.
• Vehicles can now be grouped by category in the Vehicle Select screen.
• Fixed various issues in the Pilot Records UI including page flips, distorted images, and only displaying .bmp screenshots.
• Launching SimDirector is now available from the Startup screen.
• Fixed issue where a corrupted exe.xml file would prevent other add-on .exe files from opening.
• Fixed UI sizing issues seen on lower resolution displays.
• Sound is now enabled by default in slew mode. This can be disabled in the Sound Settings UI.
• Added additional helicopter autopilot tuning capabilities.
• AI entities now smoothly transition to level flight after finishing playing back a recording.
• Infogen text now displays when voice comms are active.
• Fixed environmental forces for turboprops.
• Changed the default control mode to DirectInput.
• Updated airport light visibility.
• Fixed issue where cancelling out of the Failures screen would revert values back to 0.
• Opening the Failures screen no longer pauses the simulation.
• The Time Preview and Time and Season screens are now combined.
• Fixed issue where the Startup Screen would incorrectly prompt to convert structured scenarios in some cases.
• Fixed visible border lines in the water between the US and Mexico.
• Fixed height of the Oriental Pearl Tower.
• Fixed issue causing longer bridges to intersect water in some cases.
• Fixed issue causing bridge segments to clip into each other in some cases.
• Fixed cases where hangar buildings were too large in some cases.
• Updated boat terminals to prevent large boats from docking too close to shorelines.
• Fixed various issues with weather settings not applying as expected over multiple weather stations.
• Fixed issue where certain weather units would not convert to the correct types with the hybrid metric/imperial setting enabled.
• Improved weather interpolation between weather stations.
• Navigation visuals are now available in SimDirector.
• Added unit conversion drop-downs to additional data types in SimDirector.
• Fixed text alignment issues with long object names in SimDirector preview windows.
• Added NoAutogenSuppression and NoCrash flags to scenery objects created in SimDirector.
• Fixed SimDirector button state sync issue with Kneeboard, Time Preview, and Navigation Visuals buttons.
• Fixed issue with elapsed scenario time not resetting properly when switching modes in SimDirector.
• Fixed issue where the SimDirector Attachments screen would not update correctly in some cases.
• Updated vehicle UI to group by make and model by default and updated column headers.
• Improved lens flare logic.
• Reduced instances of freeway traffic disappearing along road segments.
• Improved bridge and overpass handling for freeway traffic.
• Improved HDR effect.
• Fixed issue causing PBR materials to completely black out in dark conditions.
• Added additional advanced Varjo headset options.
• Platform height is now correctly handled when changing locations.
• Improved altitude transitions between large airports and surrounding terrain.
• Fixed issue where fog could be applied to panel textures.

Fixes and Improvements (Professional Plus Only)

• Fixed issue preventing weapon damage from applying when played back from a recording in some cases.
• Additional camera interface updates for CIGI.
• Added additional configuration options, descriptions, and validation checks to several AI behaviors in SimDirector.
• Fixed issue with entities assigned to the Combat Air Patrol behavior losing altitude.
• The elapsed scenario time now displays in SimOperator.
• Navigation visuals are now available in SimOperator.
• Added the measure tool to SimOperator.
• Fixed issue causing incorrect CombatAirPatrol altitude handling.

Prepar3D SDK

New Features

• Airports can now be created with sloping runways.
• Distance remaining signs can now be generated for runways.
• Updated SDK samples to Visual Studio 2019 and .NET 4.8.
• Added enhanced engine extensibility features for SimObjects.
• Added ability to define always on mapping for key events defined in gauge xml trigger events.
• Added new intensity value in lumens to PBR light effects.
• Added airport background flatten options to control altitude transition with surrounding terrain.

Fixes and Improvements

• Fixed bug preventing exclusion rectangles from correctly excluding scenery when using the excludeAllObjects setting.
• Updated the Autogen Editor UI.
• Converted several samples to the add-on.xml format.
• Fixed issue where some tools would write out generated data to the incorrect location.
• Fixed naming of Axis Steering Set event.
• Fixed bug where tail numbers were not being set for helicopters created with the SimConnect_AICreateNonATCAircraft function.
• Fixed Traffic Toolbox dump airport list to correctly parse airspace type.
• Fixed issue where ImageTool should not load certain DDS textures.
• Added ISimObjectManager UnRegister callbacks.
• Added 5551 texture support to PBR materials.
• Fixed issue that caused certain versions of 3dsMax to freeze during autosaving for several minutes.
• Fixed Ambient in cloud SimConnect call.