Prepar3D
| Prepar3D
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| Basic data
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| developer | Lockheed Martin |
| Current version | 5.0 (April 14, 2020) |
| operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| programming language | C ++ |
| category | Flight simulation |
| License | proprietary |
| German speaking | No |
| www.prepar3d.com | |
Prepar3D (pronounced as prepared for "prepared", P3D for short ) is a simulation software from Lockheed Martin that is mainly, but not exclusively, used as a flight simulator . It is a further development of the Microsoft Flight Simulator based on Microsoft ESP . Licensing is only available as educational, training and learning software and, in contrast to Microsoft Flight Simulator, is explicitly not available as entertainment software. The first version was released in autumn 2010. The current version 5.0 was released on April 14, 2020.
history
After the Aces Studios, which were responsible for the development of the Microsoft Flight Simulator, were closed in early 2009 as part of Microsoft's austerity measures, the American defense company Lockheed Martin acquired the license and all source code from Microsoft ESP (commercial FSX SP2 license). On this basis, the first version Prepar3D V1.0 was published in 2010 .
Versions
Prepar3D V1
The first version was still largely identical to Microsoft Flight Simulator X with Service Pack 2 and thus also backwards compatible with most of the extensions for the FSX. From the beginning we worked with various manufacturers of Flight Simulator add-ons . For example, a Lockheed Constellation from JustFlight was included in the basic version of Prepar3D. New features compared to the FSX included bathymetry , which now made it possible to run underwater simulations, for example with a submarine . The software was initially available for USD 499.95, and since version 1.3 also in different license versions at different prices (USD 49.99 for the Academic - (pupils and students), USD 199.99 for the Professional - (professionals) and monthly 9 .99 USD for a developer license (developer) available.
Prepar3D V2
In autumn 2013 Prepar3D V2 appeared, a significant further development of the software. Important innovations were the support of DirectX 11 - API , increased use of multi-core processors , tessellation and graphic enhancements such as dynamic shadows, HDR and volumetric fog. In addition, further interfaces were created, for example, to be able to expand the flight characteristics that were previously derived from the Flight Simulator. In addition to the Academic, Professional and Developer licenses that are already available, the so-called Plus licenses were added to the latter two , which are intended for military organizations and, in addition to the basic features, also contain the simulation of weapon systems.
The first update V2.1 appeared in February 2014 and mainly brought bug fixes and user requests into the software. The software is now also backward compatible with DirectX 10 graphics cards.
V2.2 was released in April 2014, which, in addition to various bug fixes, also contained cloud shadows and support for Oculus Rift .
Version 2.3 was released on August 11, 2014. This time the focus was on a large number of bug fixes and performance improvements. Furthermore, the display has been improved by extending GPU-rendered processes. Version 2.4 with a number of other bug fixes was released on September 29, 2014.
Version 2 is being marketed as an independent product and is therefore not available as an upgrade for Prepar3D V1.
Prepar3D V3
The third version was released on September 30, 2015. A large number of bugs and problems from the previous versions have been corrected in V3. Among other things, the often criticized overuse of the virtual address space and the associated out of memory crashes (program crashes due to exhausted memory address space) have been massively improved by improving the internal address management. Textures and objects are now removed from the virtual memory much faster when they are no longer needed. There were also bug fixes in the area of multi-GPU usage, general graphical representation and simulation. Further revisions concerned the user interface, the SimDirector functions and the SDK / SimConnect environment. Avatars with which the user can move as a virtual person in the simulation are new and available for the first time .
Like V2, V3 is a standalone product and not available as an upgrade, only the subscribed developer licenses can be rewritten. The license models are identical to V2.
Prepar3D V4
Version 4 was announced on May 23, 2017 and was released on May 30. The most fundamental innovation is the changeover to 64-bit architecture , which eliminates the program crashes that often occurred in previous versions due to exhausted virtual address space, especially when using memory-intensive add-ons. In addition, new 3D effects for snow and rain, dynamic lighting and a revised SDK have been implemented.
The rendering engine has been revised with version 4.4 and has supported physically based rendering since then .
Many manufacturers of well-known add-ons for Prepar3D were involved in the development and in the beta test in order to make existing products or products under development compatible with P3D V4 as early as possible.
Prepar3D V5
The fifth generation was announced on April 7, 2020 and was released on April 14, 2020. The most important new features include support for DirectX12 , uneven runways with full support for AI traffic, introduction of Nvidia WaveWorks for a more realistic ocean display, introduction of trueSky from Simul Software for improved cloud display, updates for over 24,000 airports as well as updated terrain and coastlines.
history
| title | version | Release month |
|---|---|---|
| Prepar3D | 1.0 | November 2010 |
| 1.1 | April 2011 | |
| 1.2 | September 2011 | |
| 1.3 | March 2012 | |
| 1.4 | August 2012 | |
| Prepar3D V2 | 2.0 | November 2013 |
| 2.1 | February 2014 | |
| 2.2 | April 2014 | |
| 2.3 | August 2014 | |
| 2.4 | September 2014 | |
| 2.5 | February 2015 | |
| Prepar3D V3 | 3.0 | September 2015 |
| 3.1 | December 2015 | |
| 3.2 | March 2016 | |
| 3.3 | June 2016 | |
| 3.4 | September 2016 | |
| Prepar3D V4 | 4.0 | May 2017 |
| 4.1 | October 2017 | |
| 4.2 | February 2018 | |
| 4.3 | June 2018 | |
| 4.4 | November 2018 | |
| 4.5 | April 2019 | |
| Prepar3D V5 | 5.0 | April 2020 |
System requirements
The following system requirements are from April 2020 and apply to Prepar3D V5
| minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| operating system | Microsoft Windows 10 1809 | Microsoft Windows 10 1909 |
| processor | Quad core 3.0 GHz | Octa Core 3.7 GHz or more |
| random access memory | 4 GB | 16 GB DDR4 at 2666 MHz or more |
| Hard disk space | 50 GB, of which at least 35 GB to C: \ (an additional 3 GB for the SDK) the use of a Pattern 2 - SSD is highly recommended |
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| Graphics memory | 4 GB | 8 GB or more |
| graphic card | full DirectX 12 support | |
| Screen resolution | 1920 × 1080 or more | |
| additional | Administrator rights (for installation) Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0 Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2 |
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Extensions
Many FSX add-ons were already compatible with Prepar3D V2 and V3 ex works, but some only with restrictions. Certain scenarios could only be used to a limited extent, as development often took place according to FS2004-compatible (obsolete) methods. Shortly after the publication of Prepar3D, some manufacturers released free or paid updates for their products in order to make them usable in P3D or to correct errors. However, there are also add-on manufacturers who do not allow their FSX products to be used in Prepar3D or even program technical security measures to actively prevent use in P3D.
See also
Web links
- Official website of Prepar3D (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mission Ready and Prepar3D. Lockheed Martin, accessed February 18, 2014 .
- ↑ What's New in Prepar3D v2 . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- ↑ Prepar3D v2.2 Developer Blog . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ↑ a b Today Announces the Release of the Third Update of Prepar3D v2 . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ↑ a b http://www.prepar3d.com/news/2014/09/5676/ . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ↑ Requested Features and Enhancements Implemented in Prepar3D v3. September 28, 2015, accessed September 30, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Announcing… Prepar3D v4. In: prepar3d.com. May 23, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Prepar3D v5 - Launching April 14th. April 7, 2020, accessed April 8, 2020 .
- ↑ Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D® Launches Nov. 1 - Lockheed Martin . Prepar3D. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.prepar3d.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Release_Notes_for_Prepar3D_1.1.pdf
- ↑ 1.2® Now Available! - Lockheed Martin . Prepar3D. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1.3 Release announcement . Prepar3d.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1.4 Release announcement . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ↑ Performing at New Heights - Introducing the all new Prepar3D v2 . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ↑ Prepar3D v2.1 Cleared for Landing . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- ↑ Prepar3D v2.2 Breaks Through - Now Available for Download . Prepar3d.com. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ Introducing Prepar3D v3 . Prepar3d.com. September 28, 2015. Accessed September 30, 2015.
- ↑ Prepar3D v3.1 - Available for Download Immediately! In: Prepar3d.com. December 21, 2015, accessed December 22, 2015 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v3.2 - Available Now! - Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D. In: www.prepar3d.com. Retrieved April 7, 2016 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v3.3 - Live Now! In: www.prepar3d.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v3.4 available now! In: www.prepar3d.com. Retrieved September 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v4.1 - Available Now! - Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D. In: www.prepar3d.com. Retrieved October 27, 2017 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v4.2 Now Available! - Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D. Retrieved February 12, 2018 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v4.3 Now Available! - Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D. Retrieved June 26, 2018 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v4.4 Now Available! - Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D. Retrieved March 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Prepar3D v4.5 Available Now! - Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D. Retrieved April 9, 2019 .
- ↑ System Requirements. In: prepar3d.com. April 14, 2020, accessed on April 14, 2020 .
