P3d 'Academic' license $50

[pilottj]

Looks like Lockheed is now selling a cheaper one time 'Academic' license for Prepare3d. At least it is becomming affordable now as an alternative evolution of FSX.

http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-store/

Personally I will wait until V2 is out. From what I have read it doesn't support DX10 yet but that is in the works.

Cheers
TJ

[stovall]

Thanks for the post pilottj, Lionheart gave me a heads up early this morning about the new version being released. It is now V1.3 with many updates and fixes from V1.2. Prepar3d is a quantum leap up from FSX at least in functionality and smoothness of flight. They still maintain it is for training people to fly and is not for the commercial market. That may be but all of the FSX aircraft I have imported work perfectly and all my scenery transfers look the same as in FSX.

The best part is the retail license is down from $499.00 to $199.00. They are even giving a refund for those who purchased at the original price. There are several other purchase levels offered. Check Asda Offers (https://www.ladysavings.com/publix-weekly-ad/?asda/) and Aldi Offers (https://www.ladysavings.com/publix-weekly-ad/?aldi/). I myself test everything I enjoy from FSX in Prepar3d and so far all works perfectly. Flying off Iwo Jima with my Warbirdsim P-51D is really fun. A2A AccuFeel works perfectly as well.

Anyway as time goes on there will be much more to look forward to.

[TuFun]

Awaiting V.2 with DX11 support.

"We are moving to DirectX11 and working on updating the core app to take advantage of modern hardware, but beyond that, I can't comment on any specific features."

Beau
<small>Prepar3D Software Engineer March 9, 2012

</small>

[Bone]

FSX may well be dead after all, and reincarnated via better versions of P3D. I would bet Lockheed also has the home simmer in mind with the Academic version.

[Daveroo]

if the planes "work the same" and the "scenery looks the same"...then why the differance?..i mean why is prepar3d "better"?...i dont understand why we would pay 50 bucks for a FSX replacement..when it doesnt seem to do anything but "replace it"?....

[Snaker]

How do existing fsx addons work with P3d (planes and scenery) ?

[Bone]

if the planes "work the same" and the "scenery looks the same"...then why the differance?..i mean why is prepar3d "better"?...i dont understand why we would pay 50 bucks for a FSX replacement..when it doesnt seem to do anything but "replace it"?....

There are a number of things in the code that need to be improved, FSX has some instability problems (surely you've noticed...right?). Being able to use more than 4 GB's of memory, and multicore threading are biggies, too. There's quite a bit that can be improved in the sim engine.

[Sundog]

if the planes "work the same" and the "scenery looks the same"...then why the differance?..i mean why is prepar3d "better"?...i dont understand why we would pay 50 bucks for a FSX replacement..when it doesnt seem to do anything but "replace it"?....

P3D is more stable, has added visual/shading effects, that you would normally have to pay for aftermarket software to get in FSX. It's also my understanding that it runs better (Higher FPS on an equivalent machine) than FSX. They also modeled water. i.e., the land continues to the sea floor and you can now operate subs if you want to as well. in fact, one comes with P3D. I think this is geared more for LM to use it as a professional simulator, but it is available to the casual user as well. There have also been other upgrades as well.

Also, they are going to continue to develop it. So, I get to use all of the stuff I have in FSX, for the most part, and get a newer better sim without having to re-buy everything I bought for FSX when I take the plunge. With the exception, so far, that for Orbx, you have to buy a conversion license for around $7 for scenery you already own, which I think is fine.

For people who make add-ons it also comes with the ability to generate .air files, you don't have to copy and mod anymore, etc.

[CG_1976]

At my own risk I know the Iris C27 works in Prepar3d. Piglets creations also work:jump: and yes I have even got my Ifly 737 in.

[Ark]

All of Carenado's add-ons I have tried work great as well.

[roger-wilco-66]

[...]
It's also my understanding that it runs better (Higher FPS on an equivalent machine) than FSX.
[...]



Just for fun, I unlocked the FPS in P3D and got between 100 and 130 fps on my system - mid range Q6600 @ 3 GHz 4 gig ram and Nvidia 460. No stuttering or microstutters. And very stable.
Aircraft is A2A P40, by the way.

Cheers,
Mark

61872

[Roger]

So do I spend $2000 on a new pc or $200 on Prepar3D?

[VCN-1]

Can anyone tell if the academic version is full featured or does it lack some features?

VCN-1

[Lionheart]

So do I spend $2000 on a new pc or $200 on Prepar3D?

I think thats a no brainer Roger. :D


I just signed up onto the PrePar3D team today, Developer, downloading now. I was really happy to hear the studders are gone. Hopefully I should have it all downloaded by tomorrow.

[Felixthreeone]

Seems P3D is the way to go....wondering if I should jump in now, or wait 'til v2.0 hits....

[Mach3DS]

http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-academic/

"Watermark" section. -- the Academic version leaves an "unobtrusive watermark" in the top right hand corner of the screen.

[Gibbage]

Im hearing some good things about P3D from our customers. Had one guy cram in the SportStar and Seabee into P3D and says it runs better then FSX! I think im going to invest in a dev license and support it with my own products. I really hope 2.0 comes soon! Would be great to see what DX11 can bring. Tessilation is the #1 feature I think would do WONDERS for simming in both the land (no more jaggies) and water (real waves).

[bstolle]

I hope that the P3D air files are at least on the same improved level as in FLIGHT. Tried to download the ASM2AIR but didn't find it to crosscheck with a standard FSX airfile.

[stiz]

So do I spend $2000 on a new pc or $200 on Prepar3D?

new PC :engel016:

at the moment with P3D, if your happy with FSX, theres no point switching (at least yet anyway) as its in terms of the stuff you see, its basicly a tweaked FSX. The "performs better" is, as with everything PC, is subjective and mileage will variey, for me it actually runs a little worse, for others it runs better. Also dont forget, legall, your not allowed to use it for "fun", its a tool, not an entertainment product (as per the liceneing terms by MS). :engel016:

[Snaker]

At my own risk I know the Iris C27 works in Prepar3d. Piglets creations also work:jump: and yes I have even got my Ifly 737 in.

Thanks for the replies guys. This is something I may consider...:ernae:

[Lionheart]

I got the monthly developer package, downloaded, installed, just took it for a lap around the patch, and I am IMPRESSED!

The clouds didnt blink one time, the plane didnt dance up and down on the ground in small fits, it ran quite smooth. I raised Complex Scenery from 50% to 100% and that was it. I left the rest as it was. Alot of the presets like Aircraft interior MIP resolution was already clear and crisp, not ultra fuzzy.

I did start out in the Mooney though, and the stock Mooney I believe is FS2002 days. The interior was scary, so that freaked me out, but I got into the Maule (that comes with it) and I was good to go.

Frames were preset at 20FPS. It usually stayed at 20, but at a few points, it did get to 14.5 FPS for half-seconds at a time, but there was only 'one' time that it stopped for just a half second. That did freak me out as I hate that so much, but that seemed to be it. She runs good for me. Glad I got it.


The interface for settings and selections is different. It comes with some vintage Lockheed planes, which is cool, and you boot up in Florida.


I am happy with it. Feels like Christmas.



Bill

[n4gix]

Can anyone tell if the academic version is full featured or does it lack some features?
VCN-1

They are identical. The only difference in the Academic version is the unobtrusive "watermark" that appears on the top menu bar, which is of course hidden by pressing the ALT key...

There are two key things to note when reading the requirements for the Academic version...


Undergraduate or lower (presumably this includes kindergardeners since it is demonstrably lower than undergraduate level)
HOME (which means that you are allowed to use it at home)


Tongue-in-cheek mode:ON
I guess that graduate students will have to fork out for the Professional version... :icon_lol:

BTW, no one is asked for a photocopy of their student ID, much less where you are registered as a student...

I've had my developer's license for over a year already.

[VCN-1]

The watermark is so faint it almost disappears in the clouds.

I didn't see it at first.

Now the fun starts trying to get files transferred to or installed to PrePard 3D.


VCN-1

[warchild]

So do I spend $2000 on a new pc or $200 on Prepar3D?


Uhhhhhhhhh... Personally, I'll stick with P3D.. I only pay eighteen dollars a month for myself and Paul..

[warchild]

The watermark is so faint it almost disappears in the clouds.

I didn't see it at first.

Now the fun starts trying to get files transferred to or installed to PrePard 3D.


VCN-1

Some things require a bit of finagleing, but most tings go in with no issues at all..

[AusWilko]

So is SOH going to give this its own forum, preferably not buried down the bottom as it seems to be getting bigger as time goes and more people become interested in it

[warchild]

Im hearing some good things about P3D from our customers. Had one guy cram in the SportStar and Seabee into P3D and says it runs better then FSX! I think im going to invest in a dev license and support it with my own products. I really hope 2.0 comes soon! Would be great to see what DX11 can bring. Tessilation is the #1 feature I think would do WONDERS for simming in both the land (no more jaggies) and water (real waves).


Ive realized one issue with P3D when developing Flight Models on it. It works too well.. I have to take my flight model back into FSX and tune it back to allow for the places that FSX screws up. I'll be glad when more people find out about P3D and I can actually ditch FSX entirely..

[orionll]

They are identical. The only difference in the Academic version is the unobtrusive "watermark" that appears on the top menu bar, which is of course hidden by pressing the ALT key...

There are two key things to note when reading the requirements for the Academic version...


Undergraduate or lower (presumably this includes kindergardeners since it is demonstrably lower than undergraduate level)
HOME (which means that you are allowed to use it at home)


Tongue-in-cheek mode:ON
I guess that graduate students will have to fork out for the Professional version... :icon_lol:

BTW, no one is asked for a photocopy of their student ID, much less where you are registered as a student...

I've had my developer's license for over a year already.

They do say K-12 in the license comparison: http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-license-comparison/. I'm glad for once someone's allowing students below college level to be eligible for student pricing. :applause:

[warchild]

They do say K-12 in the license comparison: http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-license-comparison/. I'm glad for once someone's allowing students below college level to be eligible for student pricing. :applause:

LM knows very well that the virtual pilots of today, will become the Predator and global hawk pilots of tomorrow. its in their best interest to get it into the hands of as many peoplke as possible..

[Sascha66]

Just for fun, I unlocked the FPS in P3D and got between 100 and 130 fps on my system - mid range Q6600 @ 3 GHz 4 gig ram and Nvidia 460. No stuttering or microstutters. And very stable.
Aircraft is A2A P40, by the way.

Cheers,
Mark

61872

That looks awesomely real! Is this feeling of depth that the screenshot exudes happening when you fly? Most FSX screenshots seem "somehow flat" to me, so this would ne a major "feel-there" reason for me to take arunning jump into p3d.

Does it have AI and traffic control?

[CG_1976]

If ya like Canada go here for Prepar3d payware http://simaddons.com/
I'll fire up Prepar3D next weekend and give a pic taste if Milviz gets that 737 I'm hunting:icon_lol: and yes I'm going to get her and try plopping her gavel kit into Prepar3d as a Academic experiment:icon_lol: ya experiment:guinness:

[Lionheart]

Does it have AI and traffic control?


Yes.

This was my own stock setting that the installer has me at.

Settings along the bottom.

[Lionheart]

Its so wierd to be flying along, smooth frames, and look down and see traffic on the highways, and then realize that clouds are on also, and its running smooth! lol... I am loving this.


Note, I turned on AA (anti aliasing) in the Display settings, and my sim (PP3D) went down to a wopping 3 FPS, so I will not be using that unless doing screenshots. I couldnt use that in FSX either, so no loss there.


SCHWEEEET!!!!!

[TeiscoDelRay]

So nice to see so many students here, I am one myself. I learn something new each day and today I learned that I must get this program.

[strykerpsg]

So, after reviewing this thread and really giving this product much thought, does REX, GEX, UTX or any Orbx products directly port over? Also, if they do port over, will this require purchasing a P3D version or will the FSX one work without flaws?


I really do like where my FSX is, but it's a huge cost of add ons and I would hate to see them not be usable. Anyway, really liking the direction this one is taking.

Matt

[Prowler1111]

If you are getting big fps hits on coastal sceneries, be sure to uncheck the Bathymetry box at the scenery settings. Bathymetry renders the ocean floor (used for submarines) and it´s hard on performance, since you´re using a plane, there is no use for it,and you´ll get even more FPS.
Best regards
Prowler

[kjb]

I picked up the academic version yesterday and imported the FSX sceneries I have, and they all work correctly. The only issue is that you have to run P3D in administrator mode to add scenery. If not run in admin mode, it crashes with a fatal error.

There are differences in color with P3D more biased toward red. It seems like a lot of the little annoyances with FSX have been fixed. Adding scenery works correctly, without the right click. As noted by others, things like clouds and autogen don't flash. It seems like they're busy cleaning up the code at this point, a first step toward adding the things they'd like to see in the sim.

You have to like the progress and the potential. I never saw Lockheed-Martin as one who'd pick up the ball when Microsoft fumbled, but I'm glad they're doing it. I think Microsoft went brain dead in their transition to Flight. It strikes me as a business model that's bound to lose. As evidence of that, I offer Austin Meyer's April Fool's announcement (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/xplane-news/message/1747). It's the new features in X-Plane 10.1 and funny :)

I read this and imagined someone at Microsoft saying the same...and getting the proposal approved!!!


Laminar Research press Release, Scheduled for April 1 but released early here:


Hello, I am Austin Meyer, author of X-Plane, and I am announcing some major new
improvements and pricing strategies for X-Plane 10.1, due out in a few weeks!

First of all, starting with X-Plane 10.1, we will be REMOVING almost all of the
world-wide dynamic scenery that X-Plane is known for. It is simply too much work
for us to create, maintain, and improve this kind of massive database, so we are
cutting the Global Scenery out of X-Plane starting with version 10.1. Of course,
we still need to have SOME scenery to fly over, so, to keep our jobs simple, we
will be cutting the scenery down to the smallest and most geographically
isolated area we can imagine: Hawaii. We chose Hawaii because that is such a
small area that we can very easily create and distribute it. As well, this tiny
flying area will be TOTALLY STATIC. There will be no moving cars, no dynamic
lighting, and no living cities. No immersive 3-D world loaded with AI cars and
planes to fly in… there is simply no need for this complex and dynamic
environment and it is actually a very difficult job for us to continue to
provide this stuff for you.

As well, we have grown tired of supplying so MANY airplanes. It takes effort for
us to build the countless airplanes that we do, so we are cutting the fleet WAY
down. Starting with X-Plane 10.1, rather than having about SIXTY-FIVE airplanes,
ranging from the Cessna 172 to the Space Shuttle, with the SR-71, X-15, B-2,
Piaggo Avanti, and Boeing 747 in between, we will cut X-Plane down to TWO
airplanes. Both single-engine props. That is simply all of the airplanes that we
feel the need to give you in a simulator like this. And, you will NO LONGER be
able to design your own airplanes to test how they would fly in reality, as
Plane-Maker will be removed entirely. I see no need for anyone to have any
planes other than the TWO that we give you. So, rather than the SIXTY-FIVE
planes that come with X-Plane and the THOUSANDS of others that are freely
downloadable from the net, and the ability to make ANY AIRPLANE YOU CAN IMAGINE
for FREE, you will be restricted to TWO airplanes. We may let you buy three
additional aircraft as add-on purchases at some point in the future, though.
These will be incredibly boring single-engine props, though, and will be
surprisingly expensive.

Also new for 10.1 will be a new "flight model" for X-Plane! Unlike previous
versions of X-Plane, this model will not have un-needed things like "accuracy".
We here at Laminar Research feel that "accuracy" is over-rated, and the most
important thing that we can do is make sure that X-Plane is so easy to use that
nobody feels sad that they cannot fly like a professional on their first flight.
Marketing assures us that customers "feel better" if they have no challenge.
Certainly, the FEELING that you can fly is more important than ACTUALLY BEING
ABLE to fly. For myself, I cannot think of a single reason that anyone would
ACTUALLY want to know how to fly a REAL airplane! Better to leave ACTUAL FLYING
to someone ELSE, and simply have a game that is accessible to all. So, the new
flight model will be designed by our marketing team to be accessible even to
toddlers. Starting with 10.1, the ACTUAL laws of physics need not be applied…
why would the laws of PHYSICS matter to anyone? MARKETING is more important than
PHYSICS!

New also will be the removal of all navigation, air traffic control, and
real-weather options, since they are somewhat challenging to master and would be
too much work to properly code. Since these elements of aviation may pose
'challenges' for 'some' we have decided to remove those feature from the sim
entirely so that NOBODY can enjoy them.

Also, we will be changing our pricing structure. 10.1 will be free, but by the
time you have bought the tiniest quantity of add-ons, you will have paid us a
notable amount and never be able to expand upon that without paying us more. And
more. And more.

Our programers did notice that this update to X-Plane 10 will make it completely
useless, but our marketing team has decided upon the perfect solution to this
problem! We are going to 'spruce it up' by adding JEWELS IN THE SKY! You will
aim one of the TWO airplanes you get towards those jewels!!! When you do so,
there will be a little noise that is played, or something like that… our
marketing department is still working out the details.

Also, we at Laminar Research have noticed that it is a somewhat formidable
achievement to make X-Plane work on Mac, Windows, and Linux… it simply involves
a decent amount of knowledge, savvy, and work. Also, we love the constant
viruses, crashes, and frustrations that we go through with Windows so
frequently, so we have decided to REMOVE support for Mac and Linux and JUST
provide X-Plane on Microsoft Windows. We here at Laminar Research believe that
the success of Apple is just a fad, and that MICROSOFT will be the future of
computing, since we all love Microsoft Windows so much, just like we know you
do.

So, hopefully this will make X-Plane have more "mass market appeal", and
therefore be a better sim for all of us!

To the future!

austin

[Lionheart]

Thats hilarious KJB! (At first it did freak me out, but as I read on, it came to me... Only ms, lol...).



Prowler1111
If you are getting big fps hits on coastal sceneries, be sure to uncheck the Bathymetry box at the scenery settings. Bathymetry renders the ocean floor (used for submarines) and it´s hard on performance, since you´re using a plane, there is no use for it,and you´ll get even more FPS.
Best regards
Prowler


Thanks for the heads up on that Prowler. I was wondering what that meant.

I'll be able to install my Type VII-C U-Boot in this! Brilliant!


I remember asking for 'underwater capabilities' with Aces when they were making FSX and they laughed their butts off. (This is an airplane sim!!!) I think we developers could see the needs for other uses for FS, the 'world sim'. With Lockheed, they indeed have, using it for army tanks training deployment, submarines (the sim comes with a sub), training for students (I think MS was originally really against using it in schools, afraid for some reason).


I had to fly it again tonight. I have even just been booting it up just to look at it. I am totally amazed. Mind you, it 'appears' almost identical to FSX, trees and terrain and water, and the Maul. BUT!!!!!!!! It runs smooth!!! It is FREAKING ME OUT! Is this a dream???



Bill

[roger-wilco-66]

That looks awesomely real! Is this feeling of depth that the screenshot exudes happening when you fly? Most FSX screenshots seem "somehow flat" to me, so this would ne a major "feel-there" reason for me to take arunning jump into p3d.

Does it have AI and traffic control?

I must say, that's a custom scenery we're developing right now, not a default one. But generally, the shaders are good and I like the colors and visual scaling of P3D better than FSX.
The very high FPS on that screenshot come from no clouds and the lack of scenery elements in that stage of development of the scenery, but like most users feel, it is generally better and smoother than FSX.

And yes, AI and ATC is the same as in FSX.

@Lionheart: I renamed the Prepar3D.CFG to fsx.cfg and ran it through Jesus Altuve's FSX optimizing routine, it does the same magic to FPS in P3D as it does for FSX, at least on my machine. After that, rename the optimized fsx.cfg back to Prepar3D.CFG and put it back to the LM / P3D folder. This is even mentioned as a suggestion to improve performance in the LM P3D documentation.

Cheers,
Mark

[wombat666]

So is SOH going to give this its own forum, preferably not buried down the bottom as it seems to be getting bigger as time goes and more people become interested in it

It's under consideration and if members really want it then it will be done.
A little patience for time being please. :kilroy:

[AusWilko]

It's under consideration and if members really want it then it will be done.
A little patience for time being please. :kilroy:

Cool, can't ask for more than that Cheers :icon29:

[UKMIL]

what is the difference between the dev and student versions, apart from the 'discreet' logo?

I see it comes with the SDK, but since FSX models work ok, then I will just use that? I cannot see why I would pay $10 a month when I can get it for $49 total

[Bone]

Does anyone know if FSrecorder, AIcarriers, and some of the other utilities work in P3D?

[roger-wilco-66]

Does anyone know if FSrecorder, AIcarriers, and some of the other utilities work in P3D?

FSrecorder does work

[OleBoy]

P3D is sounding better and better the more responses I read. It seems to have taken a giant leap forward and has great reviews, and sounds like more good is just around the corner.
$49 to have the code cleaned up so all the muss and fuss is gone sounds great to me!!
No stutters, jaggies gone, real water, real clouds, cross compatibility to 3rd party add-ons?
I'm looking into getting P3D right after this post.

[Xilence]

After quickly comparing the Professional License with the Academic License I noticed the following 2 differences in the description:

The academic license seem to miss the following:

-Whole Earth WGS-84 Model
-Realistic Air Traffic Control

This doesn't necessarily mean that it's not present in the Academic version, but I'd like to be sure :).
Also, these are licenses, does that mean that you have to renew licenses later on? I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money now just to find out I have to spend more money on version 2....

[OleBoy]

Something else I would like to know.
Considering my connection, the thought of downloading 11 gigabytes isn't going across very well with me.
I looked around the P3D website for information pertaining to a possible DVD form to purchase, but I didn't find anything like this for an option.
Can someone tell me if they'll send P3D to me via USPS or other form?

[Lionheart]

@Lionheart: I renamed the Prepar3D.CFG to fsx.cfg and ran it through Jesus Altuve's FSX optimizing routine, it does the same magic to FPS in P3D as it does for FSX, at least on my machine. After that, rename the optimized fsx.cfg back to Prepar3D.CFG and put it back to the LM / P3D folder. This is even mentioned as a suggestion to improve performance in the LM P3D documentation.

Cheers,
Mark

Thanks Mark. Thats good to know. It would be nice to get AA running like glass.




It's under consideration and if members really want it then it will be done.
A little patience for time being please. :kilroy:

Awesome!



Something else I would like to know.
Considering my connection, the thought of downloading 11 gigabytes isn't going across very well with me.
I looked around the P3D website for information pertaining to a possible DVD form to purchase, but I didn't find anything like this for an option.
Can someone tell me if they'll send P3D to me via USPS or other form?

OleBoy, you could try a business center or Library that has high speed internet and see if they can download these for you. Our libraries have computers you can use. Just bring some DVD's and you should be good to go.

For me, 3.6 Gigs (one of the three packages) took 5 hours to download on a evening, and 4 Gigs the following morning, around 8AM, took 40 min's. I dont know why, probably lag from others downloading. But also check local business shops that do fax services, etc. Maybe they could download it for you, transfer to DVD's, and it might be a good price. Just an idea.


Bill

[Lionheart]

Yesterday evening, I was going to transfer some of the stock planes from FSX into P3D and found that the stock planes (that appeared to be missing in P3D) are 'in' the P3D airplanes folder. Further investigation found that they were missing their Panel folders, thus they are probably just AI planes until someone places the Panel folders in them.

So just a heads up. Looks like FSX planes are in there, just in need of panel folders.



Thanks Lockheed Martin for this great sim! I am loving it.... Inspiration to build is renewed...



Bill

[stovall]

"Thanks Lockheed Martin for this great sim! I am loving it.... Inspiration to build is renewed..."

This is great news Bill, I have enjoyed your creations for years and looks like that will continue. Prepar3d has given inspiration to me as well.

[ST0RM]

We homeschool our two children, so I'm curious if they consider us "Academic"?

Is the Acceleration pack part of P3D?

My 10 year old daughter wants to be a pilot and will be involved with CAP when she's old enough. In the mean time, she wants to fly the sims like her daddy. This might be right up our alley.

Thanks!
Jeff

[Odie]

Okay, I'm running Vista 64....any issues with that operating system and P3d?

[TuFun]

Doesn't have Vista 64 listed, but I would check future with P3D.

System requirements...

61975

[Lionheart]

Okay, I'm running Vista 64....any issues with that operating system and P3d?

Odie,

At the P3D website, they have forums. You can ask there about vista 64. (Thats what I would do). There is also a Installation manual that I was able to download separately when I had made the purchase. I wonder if you can get that before buying? Someone should be able to answer that though.


Bill

[TuFun]

Yesterday evening, I was going to transfer some of the stock planes from FSX into P3D and found that the stock planes (that appeared to be missing in P3D) are 'in' the P3D airplanes folder. Further investigation found that they were missing their Panel folders, thus they are probably just AI planes until someone places the Panel folders in them.

So just a heads up. Looks like FSX planes are in there, just in need of panel folders.



Thanks Lockheed Martin for this great sim! I am loving it.... Inspiration to build is renewed...



Bill

Some info I found at P3D forums...

"There appears to be confusion with Microsoft products and Lockheed Martin products. I completely understand this because we purchased the code from Microsoft. A clear line needs to be drawn between the two offerings particularly as we grow the Prepar3D product further.

The aircraft and assets that are in Prepar3D are licensed to Lockheed Martin for use in the product. Aircraft and assets that are in FSX and ESP are licensed to Microsoft for use in those products. There are differences, obviously we were not able to include all aircraft and assets from the Microsoft baseline for a variety of reasons. The F-18 is not a Lockheed Martin product and was not included in the software. What is delivered in Prepar3D is what is delivered.

If you purchase an F-18 externally, or any other aircraft or add-on for that matter, and use it inside of Prepar3D then that is your concern and you are responsible for ensuring that the end-use is appropriate according to the license. Hope this helps."


Regards,
John



Prepar3D natively supports FSX and ESP aircraft, but there are a few considerations that must be taken when installing legacy aircraft.

File structure:
Aircraft are now stored in Prepar3D\SimObjects\Aircraft.

Gauges:
Many addon aircraft make use of the shared gauges found in the gauges folder of FSX, ESP, and Prepar3D. Not all shared gauges from FSX and ESP are included with Prepar3D. Therefore, it may be necessary to copy over some files from your gauges directory along with the model folder.
To my knowledge, the only gauge that we did not carry over from ESP was the F18 gauge, but many common gauges from FSX are not included. The King Air gauges are a good example of this.

FS8 and FS9 models:
Some aircraft advertised as FSX models are actually FS8 or FS9 models. These should still work in prepar3D, but there are some limitations. For instance, These models will be rendered in full color in IR views, because they are rendered with legacy fixed-function fallback materials that are not compatible with the shader-based techniques we use to simulate IR sensors. There may also be issues with the aircraft shadow for similar reasons.
<small>Prepar3D Software Engineer

</small>

[Lionheart]

Many thanks TuFun. that explains why the planes were inoperative.

I noticed an airliner last night, labeled Acme Airlines. :) I need to find a way to change that.

[Prowler1111]

The really fun part? like FSX you can do also non flyable vehicles with their own particular characteristics, not like FSX (or FS9 for that matter) using tweaked aircraft cfg and .air files. Same goes for ships, virtually, it´s all about coding and imagination.
Best regards
Prowler

[OleBoy]

Further reading into the P3D forums and the current status of 'settings' in general compared to FSX, I decided to climb back up on the fence and wait for more info.
I hope to hear more good news of LM refining the code.
Myself, I think they have a long ways to go to get it dialed in.

[AndyE1976]

Having read through this thread I'm tempted to go to P3D, but for those in the know:

1. Is the interface faster with large collections of aircraft and scenery? (My FSX takes ages before I can actually fly)
2. Is there proper multi-core and 64bit support in the current version?

ta
Andy

[Bone]

Optimism about the future of simming has certainly broken through the prevailing doom and gloom. It's about time.:icon_lol:

[Dangerous Beans]

Having read through this thread I'm tempted to go to P3D, but for those in the know:

1. Is the interface faster with large collections of aircraft and scenery? (My FSX takes ages before I can actually fly)
2. Is there proper multi-core and 64bit support in the current version?

ta
Andy

I'd like to know this too, the laggy menus in FSX are a real pain.

It sounds like transferring over the Hornet will be no problem but does P3D already have working cats and wires ?

[kilo delta]

Does P3D offer anything above a fresh install of FSX Gold......right now? I know they are working on bringing DX11 into play and tidying up the code in future updates, but are there any real benefits in jumping ship from a fresh install of FSX... today? :)

[napamule]

Prowler,
You said: 'like FSX you can do also non flyable vehicles with their own particular characteristics, not like FSX (or FS9 for that matter) using tweaked aircraft cfg and .air files.'

Have you driven any FSX vehicles, like Hama's BMW (or Lionheart's X1F Endeaver) in P3d? I might have to get this 'new sim' if the BMW will work in P3d. Payday is April 1st. April fool? (Hope not).
Chuck B
Napamule

[rhumbaflappy]

Home-schooling below the collegiate level would certainly be an acceptable use. Collegiate level studies would require a more developed simulator ( which you might create from P3d with a developer license and the resell with the appropriate professional license and sanction by official agencies ).

The simulator is actually poised to become a land-sea-air simulator. Military applications are one area of focus for the future. Apparently, academic applications are approved. That could include not only aircraft operation, but geography, boatmanship, etc... A developer or teacher could devise lessons from missions. Free flight would certainly be an approved method of learning for students, as would multi-player.

The SDK is a free download.

I'm guessing everyone here has a 3rd grade level of self-directed home-schooling going on? That would seem to qualify you for the Academic version.

P3d seems to be about an FSX.25 right now.

Dick

[Prowler1111]

Well..P3D is optimized for sea, land or air vehicles simulation, i know for a fact of certain Humvee simulator using P3D, i mean, if you want to stick to land vehicles and use them as such, this is the place for you.

Prowler

[warchild]

Does P3D offer anything above a fresh install of FSX Gold......right now? I know they are working on bringing DX11 into play and tidying up the code in future updates, but are there any real benefits in jumping ship from a fresh install of FSX... today? :)


improvements right now?? That may be debatable. One significant improvement however is in the scenery. Somehow they managed to get HD quality scenery in there without slowing anything down. The depth of field is amazing and the mesh is outstanding. when they say you can take it to one meter, they pretty much mean one meter.. I was able to find pot holes in the ground only a couple feet deep that dont even show up in fsx.. The USGS stuff is pretty old, but if you dont look at the changes in your hometown its really good. San Jose is still missing Eastridge shopping mall, but the streets and highways are all in the correct places..

main difference is that instead of opening to a selection menu ( kiosk ) you go straight to your default plane. when you switch planes, your load up plane is completely unloaded from memory and your selected plane loads in. FSX never could get that right and youd have random combinations of your selected planes fde and the default planes fdes all operating together and doing weird things..

[AusWilko]

Out of interest, how are helicopters in this, do they feel better?

[kilo delta]

improvements right now?? That may be debatable. One significant improvement however is in the scenery. Somehow they managed to get HD quality scenery in there without slowing anything down. The depth of field is amazing and the mesh is outstanding. when they say you can take it to one meter, they pretty much mean one meter.. I was able to find pot holes in the ground only a couple feet deep that dont even show up in fsx.. The USGS stuff is pretty old, but if you dont look at the changes in your hometown its really good. San Jose is still missing Eastridge shopping mall, but the streets and highways are all in the correct places..

main difference is that instead of opening to a selection menu ( kiosk ) you go straight to your default plane. when you switch planes, your load up plane is completely unloaded from memory and your selected plane loads in. FSX never could get that right and youd have random combinations of your selected planes fde and the default planes fdes all operating together and doing weird things..

Sounds promising..though not enough to get me to purchase ...just yet. FS Global and NEXTMap meshes are necessities to my enjoyment of a vanilla FSX install. It does look like they are going in the right direction, but the lure from a stable FSX install (at the moment,touch wood,cross fingers/toes etc etc:icon_lol:) isn't there at the moment. If LM can rewrite the code to make it a true x64 application,with all the benefits that entails I'll happily stump up the readies for it (and for another dedicated PC to run it..wife permitting:kilroy:)

[OleBoy]

Out of the sheer interest of the subject, and consideration to those who 'know' me here at the outhouse as a human being, I would like to make a comment in reference to the comment Warchild made.
Currently I can run FSX almost completely maxed out. Compared to my previous attempts with my much less capable machine, the visuals and ability to 'see' things within flight simulator, amazes me.
What each person see's as visual detail at the depths some put to words, is a representation of the limitations based on their hardware specifications. Not everyone experiences the same 'wow', or, 'Oh my gawd' that's fantastic comparison.
I've been in a situation of this type and kept asking myself while remaining courteous, and viewing screen shots, "when am I going to be impressed by what you're impressed with?

From an FSX (simmers POV) I think to sum up P3D in comparison to FSXA as a whole it would have to be done side-by-side with machines of the same specifications and settings throughout.
Then by adding the tweaks and config setting changes to push those limitations to the fullest.
Right now, P3D is likely running far better on lesser machines. Although the coding internally is still 32bit in a 64bit world.
I've spent quite some time in the P3D forums with lots of reading. From all I've absorbed in my thick head is that they have no intention to re-write the code for 64bit. As they stated, that would take more man hours and time than they want to invest.

Nothing said has been meant in negativity directed to, or about, on my part.
I continue, and hope LM can pull a rabbit out of their hat. At least from a simmers point of view.

Back on the fence I go.

[Lionheart]

From an FSX (simmers POV) I think to sum up P3D in comparison to FSXA as a whole it would have to be done side-by-side with machines of the same specifications and settings throughout.
Then by adding the tweaks and config setting changes to push those limitations to the fullest.
Right now, P3D is likely running far better on lesser machines. Although the coding internally is still 32bit in a 64bit world.
I've spent quite some time in the P3D forums with lots of reading. From all I've absorbed in my thick head is that they have no intention to re-write the code for 64bit. As they stated, that would take more man hours and time than they want to invest.

Nothing said has been meant in negativity directed to, or about, on my part.
I continue, and hope LM can pull a rabbit out of their hat. At least from a simmers point of view.

Back on the fence I go.

OleBoy,


If you are running FSX at full sliders and quite well and with sophisticated scenery, I think then that you are fine. Its very rare to be able to run FSX at full sliders.

Lockheed Martin has been making improvements, as you know, and implemented them. I for one am impressed, but as you state, I have a far lesser machine then you.


It would be interesting to see if the improvements can be continuous.



AndyE1976



Having read through this thread I'm tempted to go to P3D, but for those in the know:

1. Is the interface faster with large collections of aircraft and scenery? (My FSX takes ages before I can actually fly)

ta
Andy



Yes.

The interface uses clickable 'text' lines, that finally bring up mini windows that have scrollable sliders, showing two at a time, so with that, you wouldnt have to be booting up 200 or 500 different photos, just of the plane ground you click on. When you first bring up the aircraft selection center, no photos are showing. Only when you have selected the make and type of plane do you start to see any screenshots.

In the screenshot below, I have opened several 'main' lines that reveal sub-selections. Clicking on those will bring up mini windows that show 2 screenshots at a time. If you look closely, you'll see a scroll bar. You might have say 6 screenshots per mini window, showing two at a time. Shown below are 3 different aircraft. You can just close them out if you want as you paruse thru them.

[Bone]

Its very rare to be able to run FSX at full sliders.


It's interesting that you would use the word rare, since all it takes is the right hardware. I can do full sliders to the right, with a full complement of AI planes, AI vehicles, AI watercraft, and a formation of FSrecorded planes going all at once in the ORBX Blue NW scenery. A water cooled i7 980X OC'd to 4.2 Ghz with a super clocked GTX480 video card gives me all that on a 30 inch 2560p monitor. I do use photoscenery most of the time, then I turn off the autogen...then this baby really screams.

Rare makes it sound like a fluke of nature, when it's more apt to be peoples reluctance to spend money on the proper hardware.

Anyway, I'm glad that P3D is doing the trick for you. It was only about two weeks ago I saw your thread about throwing in the FSX towel, and going back to FS9.

[Lionheart]

It's interesting that you would use the word rare, since all it takes is the right hardware. I can do full sliders to the right, with a full complement of AI planes, AI vehicles, AI watercraft, and a formation of FSrecorded planes going all at once in the ORBX Blue NW scenery. A water cooled i7 980X OC'd to 4.2 Ghz with a super clocked GTX480 video card gives me all that on a 30 inch 2560p monitor. I do use photoscenery most of the time, then I turn off the autogen...then this baby really screams.

Rare makes it sound like a fluke of nature, when it's more apt to be peoples reluctance to spend money on the proper hardware.

Anyway, I'm glad that P3D is doing the trick for you. It was only about two weeks ago I saw your thread about throwing in the FSX towel, and going back to FS9.



Yep.. And I stick by my statement. Even today, people are getting new rigs and for some reason, they still cant get full sliders. I do side work for a large simulator pod group, and even they still cant make perfect computer equipment that will make FSX/ESP run properly. Mind you, they have just switched to PrePar3D. They were using straight SSD HD's in tandem, dual GC's, 32Gigs of RAM, and they were still getting 32 FPS with 5 screens.

This is what I hear of, what I see...



Anyway, I'm glad that P3D is doing the trick for you. It was only about two weeks ago I saw your thread about throwing in the FSX towel, and going back to FS9.

Bone

Thanks man. I was pretty down and out. I was so tired of the problems with building planes for FSX and not enjoying it one bit. Parusing the PrePar3D site, I found a bunch of tools available for Devs. It was like a prayer being answered. I enjoy the sim 'and' I now have better tools.


Bill

[Stan V.]

OleBoy,

The interface uses clickable 'text' lines, that finally bring up mini windows that have scrollable sliders, showing two at a time, so with that, you wouldnt have to be booting up 200 or 500 different photos, just of the plane ground you click on. When you first bring up the aircraft selection center, no photos are showing. Only when you have selected the make and type of plane do you start to see any screenshots.

In the screenshot below, I have opened several 'main' lines that reveal sub-selections. Clicking on those will bring up mini windows that show 2 screenshots at a time. If you look closely, you'll see a scroll bar. You might have say 6 screenshots per mini window, showing two at a time. Shown below are 3 different aircraft. You can just close them out if you want as you paruse thru them.

I am interested ... you guys have really peaked my interest. However, I am much confused and obviously, considerably behind in my understanding. Would someone please back up one step and briefly describe how one gets an arbitrary airplane from your FSX collection to appear in a P3D menu. Is it simply a matter of copying the files into a given set of P3D directories? Are the same directory/filename combinations (aircraft.cfg, etc) used in P3D or is a conversion/translation process required? And the same for an arbitrary scenery package. I know that Orbx sells SBSLs for their area packages which come with an installer executable that does the conversion for their area package (haven't heard yet about the individually sold payware airports inside their regions) but what about a freeware scenery file I download off of AVSIM or fltsim? I realize that some packages may work in P3D and others may not but is it obvious how one should configure and name the fsx files for use in P3D in order to test them out? Any help would be appreciated.

[OleBoy]

From what I read over at the P3D forums all is fairly easy. All my questionable thoughts were answered by reading the forums.
The information you're wanting to know, go here. http://www.prepar3d.com/products/add-ons/
The file structure sounds like it's real similar, and simple in comparison to FSX.

I decided to get the Academic version. I have file-1, and file-3 downloaded. File 4 has been downloaded twice now. Both times the server at their end reset and disconnected when there was about 10 minutes left.
I finally sent the links to a friend and he downloaded everything for me in a little over an hour, for something that took me 2 days. I'll be picking up the files a bit later and getting it installed.
Then we'll see what P3D is all about.

As for the add-on goodies, I don't think it should be much trouble with aircraft or scenery once I have a look in the root folder. Least I'm hoping.

[stiz]

The file structure sounds like it's real similar, and simple in comparison to FSX.


its extactly the same, just a different name on the main folder :monkies:

[Stan V.]

its extactly the same, just a different name on the main folder :monkies:

That all sounds good although in terms of payware, it looks like you may run afoul of most original EULAs unless you buy a related licence.

[pilottj]

The legalese of the academic version EULA is essentially Lockheeds way of saying we can all 'enjoy'/'educate ourselves' with it as home users. P3D has to be called an educational tool because they don't want to step on M$'s toes and openly compete with Flight. We have used FSX as a training tool....if you can fly an A2A Accusim bird or a PMDG Tube...etc you have certianly taught yourself a skill :)

I think if I were a CFI or running a flight school, I would have to get the pro version, using P3D as a training tool for a groundschool where there is a potential for liablity issues.

At the moment there might not be a much improvment from FSX, but there is a lot of potential for P3D to be a natural evolutionary sucessor to FSX for the hardcore addon junkies such as us. Glad to see Bill has found a place there, hopefully won't loose as much hair from getting things to be FSX compatible:icon_lol:

Cheers
TJ

[srgalahad]

Since the topic is about the $50 Academic License and since this is Sim-Outhouse where we seem to staunchly support (at least) member's EULA's and rules/terms of proper use...

I guess it's safe to assume that everyone who buys Prepar3d via the $49.95 Academic License
-- is NOT using it as "a personal/consumer entertainment product" and
-- IS actively and primarily engaged in providing "undergraduate student instruction", "K-12 student instruction", "K-12 after-school programs" or
-- IS a student in a K-12 or undergraduate program.

http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-license-comparison/

or is that another erroneous assumption? I'd hate to think that the Quest For The Holy Grail of the Next and Best Flight Simulator would lure people into ...ummm... "fudging the rules" to save a buck or selfishly contravene a license.

Naw.. that wouldn't happen....
and I'm sure no one would use a SOH Forum to admit to, or encourage it either...

[Shane Strong CYHZ]

I figure it is safe to say that some people are "Home" users educating them selves more on flying and some hold a developers licence and some are flight students talking about Prepard3d and some hold the professional licence.

[IanHenry]

So, to sum all this up, what, if any are the advantages of P3b? Is it worth the money, and what is the future of the sim?


Regards,
Ian.

[UKMIL]

surely, if LM want to hold you to the EULA, then there needs to be a more stringent procedure for allowing purchase. I mean, 'of course' everyone will claim they are using the edtion for Student Learning. But if they want to make it stand up, then please make people prove their entitlement at time of purchase.

[Sieggie]

Since the topic is about the $50 Academic License and since this is Sim-Outhouse where we seem to staunchly support (at least) member's EULA's and rules/terms of proper use...

I guess it's safe to assume that everyone who buys Prepar3d via the $49.95 Academic License
-- is NOT using it as "a personal/consumer entertainment product" and
-- IS actively and primarily engaged in providing "undergraduate student instruction", "K-12 student instruction", "K-12 after-school programs" or
-- IS a student in a K-12 or undergraduate program.

http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-license-comparison/

or is that another erroneous assumption? I'd hate to think that the Quest For The Holy Grail of the Next and Best Flight Simulator would lure people into ...ummm... "fudging the rules" to save a buck or selfishly contravene a license.

Naw.. that wouldn't happen....
and I'm sure no one would use a SOH Forum to admit to, or encourage it either...

Looks to me that if you have a degree you should buy the professional license otherwise you can use the academic license for home use. It says Individual student use k-12 and undergraduate. By the way my family does not consider FSX entertaining in any way.

Dave

[Stan V.]

Looks to me that if you have a degree you should buy the professional license otherwise you can use the academic license for home use. It says Individual student use k-12 and undergraduate. By the way my family does not consider FSX entertaining in any way.

Dave

It's a thorny issue. I look forward to hearing other opinions on this same topic but in the final analysis, it is an issue between the P3D end user and LM.

I also would like to hear from the fsx payware developers who frequent this forum. Have you changed your EULAs or do you plan to do so to allow your products to be used in P3D? Does this imply you will provide a separate P3D installer? (in which case I have to assume you would charge $ just like Orbx does.)

[robcap]

After quickly comparing the Professional License with the Academic License I noticed the following 2 differences in the description:

The academic license seem to miss the following:

-Whole Earth WGS-84 Model
-Realistic Air Traffic Control

This doesn't necessarily mean that it's not present in the Academic version, but I'd like to be sure :).
Also, these are licenses, does that mean that you have to renew licenses later on? I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money now just to find out I have to spend more money on version 2....

That's what I noticed too... Does anyone know the answer to that?
Cheers Rob

[Prowler1111]

It's a thorny issue. I look forward to hearing other opinions on this same topic but in the final analysis, it is an issue between the P3D end user and LM.

I also would like to hear from the fsx payware developers who frequent this forum. Have you changed your EULAs or do you plan to do so to allow your products to be used in P3D? Does this imply you will provide a separate P3D installer? (in which case I have to assume you would charge $ just like Orbx does.)

Speaking from RAZBAM, we are not changing our EULAs but they will be pretty much 2 separate products, difference between each other is what the FSX engine will allow us to do and what the Prepar3d engine let us do.Of course since the are separate products, they are sold differently,but at the same price.In fact, the T-2 Buckeye comes with a FSX flavor and Prepar3d Flavor.
Best regards

Prowler

[Meshman]

I also would like to hear from the fsx payware developers who frequent this forum. Have you changed your EULAs or do you plan to do so to allow your products to be used in P3D? Does this imply you will provide a separate P3D installer? (in which case I have to assume you would charge $ just like Orbx does.)

If I ever get to the point of releasing more mesh the license will allow for one individual to use the software on one computer at a time for non-commercial purposes. Use it with FSX? OK. Use it with Prepar3d? OK. Just use it on one computer at a time.

[Lionheart]

It's a thorny issue. I look forward to hearing other opinions on this same topic but in the final analysis, it is an issue between the P3D end user and LM.

I also would like to hear from the fsx payware developers who frequent this forum. Have you changed your EULAs or do you plan to do so to allow your products to be used in P3D? Does this imply you will provide a separate P3D installer? (in which case I have to assume you would charge $ just like Orbx does.)

I put in a question on that to the forums. Waiting to hear back. I hope/intend to create separate new installers for P3D soon and deliver/upload them to my vendors as soon as possible.



Sieggie
Looks to me that if you have a degree you should buy the professional license otherwise you can use the academic license for home use. It says Individual student use k-12 and undergraduate. By the way my family does not consider FSX entertaining in any way.

Dave


LOLOL.... More like torture with all those ingenious niggles and studders and disappearing clouds, lol... I could never take over 30 min's at a time.


Bill

[warchild]

Although i'm cross developing for fsx as well as P3D, my main market remains FSX and so i'm not going to be offering any flight models for P3D for the time being. That said however, I know people will be porting my workmover tyo P3D so i have to do cross development to ensure best performance in both genre's.

[dharris]

I think Meshman has hit on a good compromise. I have alot of fsx software, payware, freeware, whatever and don't think I would want to have to pay for one over the other. Reminds me of when cd's came out have go out and buy the same cd's that I had on vinyl, got vhs, get dvd, got dvd got to get blueray. To me on S.S. can not support both ways any longer.

[SkippyBing]

Looks to me that if you have a degree you should buy the professional license otherwise you can use the academic license for home use.

I don't think that's the correct interpretation, the academic license is for non-degree level education but if you have say a BSc in Geology you could be considered to be learning about aviation at a much lower level. As another example you may have a BEng in Aeronautics, but if you're using it to learn to fly the P3D license you use would depend on what level of qualification a pilot's license is equivalent to, which probably varies by country and level of license.

[OleBoy]

I think Meshman has hit on a good compromise. I have alot of fsx software, payware, freeware, whatever and don't think I would want to have to pay for one over the other. Reminds me of when cd's came out have go out and buy the same cd's that I had on vinyl, got vhs, get dvd, got dvd got to get blueray. To me on S.S. can not support both ways any longer.

That's my squawk right there. After reading more in depth of the legality concerning EULA of said parties, my interest in P3D is subsiding quickly. All things considered, LM is doing their own thing. But they are doing their thing with code that is allowing MS and third party addons to be utilized. In my opinion they (LM) should not allow this to happen. The cliche just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And the simplistic manner that the consumer can use 3rd party materials, having that ability, is going to (and will) get them (us) in hot water. Piracy will come to play. Which is ridiculous on LM part to allow in their code.

[mike_cyul]

Although i'm cross developing for fsx as well as P3D, my main market remains FSX and so i'm not going to be offering any flight models for P3D for the time being. That said however, I know people will be porting my workmover tyo P3D so i have to do cross development to ensure best performance in both genre's.

Ditto.

Mike

[jpmes]

That's my squawk right there. After reading more in depth of the legality concerning EULA of said parties, my interest in P3D is subsiding quickly. All things considered, LM is doing their own thing. But they are doing their thing with code that is allowing MS and third party addons to be utilized. In my opinion they (LM) should not allow this to happen. The cliche just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And the simplistic manner that the consumer can use 3rd party materials, having that ability, is going to (and will) get them (us) in hot water. Piracy will come to play. Which is ridiculous on LM part to allow in their code.

Sorry to disagree,

Most developpers (with the notable exceptions of Flight1 and PMDG) have already embraced the new platform and allow or even encourage the use of their paid-for addons, either for free (FSDT, Aerosoft) or for a small fee (Orbx). The only ones complaining could perhaps take a more positive stance and propose a reasonable upgrade path for their customers instead of forbidding the use of their addons.

Jean-Paul

[Sieggie]

I don't think that's the correct interpretation, the academic license is for non-degree level education but if you have say a BSc in Geology you could be considered to be learning about aviation at a much lower level. As another example you may have a BEng in Aeronautics, but if you're using it to learn to fly the P3D license you use would depend on what level of qualification a pilot's license is equivalent to, which probably varies by country and level of license.

The text is somewhat ambiguous, but the fact they say "student use k-12 and undergraduate" does not seem to indicate levels of aviation knowedge, unless you know of some kindergarteners with a PPL who might then be required to get the Pro version.

Dave

[SkippyBing]

The text is somewhat ambiguous, but the fact they say "student use k-12 and undergraduate" does not seem to indicate levels of aviation knowedge, unless you know of some kindergarteners with a PPL who might then be required to get the Pro version.

Dave

To be honest I assumed they meant the course of study that the student licence is being brought to pursue is at the K-12 to Undergraduate level. Generally student licenses are intended to aid students to acquire software relative to their course, not just so they can get it cheap although that's often what happens.
If the wording is ambiguous then it's to the benefit of the consumer as LM's lawyers should have been more explicit, unless they wanted to leave the wriggle room in...

[Prowler1111]

Speaking from our side of the fence,, you can either buy a FSX product and put it in Prepar3D (it´s all over the P3D forums how to) OR, if you´re into Prepar3D, buy a P3D intended version(some stuff wont work in FSX, but then again, P3D IS your FS of choice). Dunno where is the fuzz guys, it´s as simple as putting a FS9 model into FSX.
Best regards
Prowler

[ColinT46]

Has anyone actually defined on here what exactly the difference is between an FSX Native model and a Prepar3d model ?

[n4gix]

Has anyone actually defined on here what exactly the difference is between an FSX Native model and a Prepar3d model ?

At this juncture, there's really not one bit of difference in the actual model, gauges, and textures. Which, considering that the export tools and modeldef.xml file are identical, should come as no surprise. :cool:

[ColinT46]

At this juncture, there's really not one bit of difference in the actual model, gauges, and textures. Which, considering that the export tools and modeldef.xml file are identical, should come as no surprise. :cool:

So there's no real justification for Dev's to charge $$$'s in making their products available for use in P3D.

[Sieggie]

I would guess that by calling it an academic license they sidestep some of their agreement with M$. This will create a much larger pool of people testing the product and since they are actively coding will allow them to sell a better product to the big boys who don't really want code that needs to be debugged. Sort of like a beta program you pay to participate in then get a really good product almost free for your participation.

Dave

[jeansy]

So there's no real justification for Dev's to charge $$$'s in making their products available for use in P3D.

thats what im wondering, correct me if im wrong, theres devs who offer a once off payment for lic and there are devs who want money for each of their addons ?



anyway what are the frames like in cities? (in case i missed it) is it a remarkable improvement, can you increase the AG

Can you modify the cfg like FSX?

[jeansy]

just thinking about it

can we get a list of payware addons ( all types) like the aircraft thread, that works in P3d with or without a side by side lic

I think that if people can see what works without paying extra, might help in deciding whether to go ahead with it

[strykerpsg]

just thinking about it

can we get a list of payware addons ( all types) like the aircraft thread, that works in P3d with or without a side by side lic

I think that if people can see what works without paying extra, might help in deciding whether to go ahead with it

+1. Would certainly help my decision process.

[hae5904]

+1. Would certainly help my decision process.

+2 !

[Lionheart]

anyway what are the frames like in cities? (in case i missed it) is it a remarkable improvement, can you increase the AG


As we have been saying, P3D runs smoother then FSX. We have been getting no studdering, no hopping, no blinking clouds, etc, etc. The P3D engine has undergone 3 code mods so far and it can be seen in the sim. I am totally impressed. It lays FSX away if you have a non-super computer.




Can you modify the cfg like FSX?

Yep. Same thing. In alot of ways, its exactly like FSX. It has some improved ground textures (changes in colors, some new tiles, etc, its not like all desert now in some mountains, etc, etc).

The Aircraft models are the 'same'. (same... ) So you have no worries on FSX models going into P3D.


[INCLUDED AIRCRAFT IN P3D]
One note; P3D only comes with a handful of planes, like the Maule and the Mooney as well as some classic Lockheed planes like the P38 Lightning and the classic propliner Constellation in all versions. It comes with a Piper Cub (FSX version) and the Robertson helo, and also a mini Research submarine. (You can explore the ocean in this sim). The sim comes with most of the FSX planes, but only for AI traffic, so they need their Panel folders. If you add the panel folders from your FSX planes to the P3D planes, they will all be functioning.


Its like a 'next generation FSX' if you think about it. They have revised the sim engine 3 times now. MS would never have reinvested this into a sim. So this is an awesome thing. In a year, we might see version 2.0 and that would be a huge thing. But for now, we have PrePar3D 1.3.



For those of you that would like to demo it, why not sign up into their forums as humbly ask for a 1 month trial, $9.95. See if they will OK that and allow you to see what all it has and test its performance.



Bill

[Lionheart]

To go slightly off topic. I have always wondered about the name; PrePar3D.

But....... If you see the 3 being a backwards 'E', then it becomes Prepared. Defense or 'training'. I love it....

Who would have thought that a mogul super aerospace corporation would have jumped in to help make FS a super simulator... :D wooo hooo!


From the makers of the SR-71 Blackbird comes a 'training simulator'! This is NOT entertainment! This is the real deal. SCHWEEET!

[OleBoy]

Day two since install.

As a test I have ran this full sliders, all traffic at 100%, everything on ultra high settings (underwater settings=off) and my machine gets a few stutters and/or blurries. I backed all down traffic to reasonable settings (15-20%) and this program responds far better than my tweaked FSX. I am running Orbx PNW and a few others made by Orbx.
I don't have many planes installed due to I'm too engulfed flying around seeing all the detail I've been missing.

This is very impressive.

[luckydog]

Day two since install.

As a test I have ran this full sliders, all traffic at 100%, everything on ultra high settings (underwater settings=off) and my machine gets a few stutters and/or blurries. I backed all down traffic to reasonable settings (15-20%) and this program responds far better than my tweaked FSX. I am running Orbx PNW and a few others made by Orbx.
I don't have many planes installed due to I'm too engulfed flying around seeing all the detail I've been missing.

This is very impressive.


What does Orbx add that's not already there......??

[Lionheart]

What does Orbx add that's not already there......??

Brilliant grass!

Its all about grass.

'Make an airfield with the right grass, and they will come....!'

[jpmes]

An announcement from Orbx (http://www.orbxsystems.com/forum/index.php)


The Orbx team is pleased to announce that effective immediately, all SBSLs currently on sale will be now given away for free. Please hold off purchasing any SBSLs from the Flightsimstore until Adrian sets the prices to zero.

For all customers who have already purchased SBSLs, Orbx will arrange with FSS to provide a store credit for your purchases which can be used against any items in the FSS store.

We firmly believe that the future of flight simulation is Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D. It is the most mature and robust code, and has a world-class development team actively maintaining the code and planning many exciting new features coming including DX11 support, a new rendering engine and many of the visual enhancements you would expect to run on today's hardware. We are indeed very excited to be working closely with LM as they move to the version 2.0 release.

Of course last week's announcement of the $49 Academic versions removes the main barrier for anyone wanting to migrate to the best platform.

So in support of this exciting new pricing, Orbx will immediately roll all our SBSL development efforts into a new single application called the "Orbx P3D Migrator Tool". This tool will be given away for free, and will enter beta testing in the coming week or so.

This tool will automatically detect your complete Orbx library you have installed in FSX. You have the choice to activate (a la SBSL) or migrate (remove from the FSX side) all your Orbx products. This tool will work for all Orbx products from 2008-2011 and you can run it as many times as you like. For all 2012 products onwards (i.e. 2W3 Swanson and beyond), we will release dedicated seperate FSX and P3D installers. We will also release dedicated P3D DVD editions, so for every new release there will be four editions:

FSX Download Edition
FSX DVD Edition
P3D Download Edition
P3D DVD Edition

We want everyone of our customers to move to P3D and we're removing all the barriers to doing so.

So in case you are still hesitating...

Jean-Paul

[roger-wilco-66]

[...]


From the makers of the SR-71 Blackbird comes a 'training simulator'! This is NOT entertainment! This is the real deal. SCHWEEET!

Interesting, do we have something where we can read about that (link, etc) ?


Cheers,
Mark

[jeansy]

I tried the $10 per month download

There was a improvement over FSX but I has getting errors trying to save the default flight and other settings weren't saving for me

among other little things that worked and didnt, i think I might wait for this V2 people seem to be talking about before spending anymore money on this

[OleBoy]

What does Orbx add that's not already there......??

A smile. Default Prepar3d scenery/autogen looks just like FSX with generic similarities to Ground Environment.
Orbx PNW enhanced the visuals dramatically throughout the whole region as it did to FSX.

[Bone]

Brilliant grass!

Its all about grass.

'Make an airfield with the right grass, and they will come....!'


Until you're informed over ACARS that you'll be getting a random drug test upon arrival. Doh! Lol.

[n4gix]

So there's no real justification for Dev's to charge $$$'s in making their products available for use in P3D.

I wouldn't say that there is no justification at all, since it does require a totally new installer package, as well as the time invested to make certain that the new installer works correctly...

[Lionheart]

Until you're informed over ACARS that you'll be getting a random drug test upon arrival. Doh! Lol.

heh heh....


:sheep:

[TeiscoDelRay]

Has anyone tested this with a new version of FSX? I mean install a fresh new FSX and then intall PrePar3D and then test them. That way you are not comparing an old, sometimes corrupt version of FSX to a new install of PrePar3D.

[greenie]

I hear that there is problems with ECZA and trackIR . Can anyone confirm that ECZA works , which for me is more important that Trackir

[Carbine1]

I think i will be hanging back and wait until i can read reports of of how sims are going when fully loaded with complex add on aircraft and FPS intensive scenery.

It's early days yet in this product.

Cheers.

[OleBoy]

No. But, my FSX install has always been minimal considering all I ever do in FSX is repainting.
Besides, how something runs on one machine, another of the same specs could likely not be the same anyway.

I've always ran the same things. FSXA, Orbx PNW/Anacortes/KHQM, and a dozen aircraft. 18 at most.
To include the weekly defrag.

I experience a substantial increase in performance all the way around.
To me, the $49.00 cost (2 decent add ons) of which I should not have spent. And my wife chewed on my already small arse for buying :icon_lol:, is/was a well reserved investment towards my needs for immersion and virtual expectations. :wavey:

[CG_1976]

Now I'm going to have fun in studying the Ifly 737 in Prepar3d at my own risk to compare to FSX. even the Norman wells scenery works perfect and real fluid with all traffic and ag turned up humm:jump: Note to mod/admin please check the photo auto resize attch please.

[Piglet]

Prepare3D sounds real interesting... Might have to give it a go. Will we ever see proper vectored thrust supported? Or rockets.(think X-24 A/B)?
Very glad someone mentioned that all of my planes work!:wavey:

[Naismith]

I'd like to see how prominent this watermark in the top r/h/corner is in the Academic issue. HAs anyone got a snapshot they could post?

[Lionheart]

<--- was doing an excursion in a P-40 over the desert into Phoenix...

I had never really had a chance to enjoy the A2A P-40 before. My first time to fully enjoy a flight in it. (at 10 feet off the deck, dodging trees and hills).

[Lionheart]

Prepare3D sounds real interesting... Might have to give it a go. Will we ever see proper vectored thrust supported? Or rockets.(think X-24 A/B)?
Very glad someone mentioned that all of my planes work!:wavey:


At $10.00 a month for Dev's, its not bad. Love the smoothness...

[CG_1976]

I'd like to see how prominent this watermark in the top r/h/corner is in the Academic issue. HAs anyone got a snapshot they could post?

Sure here ya go

[Naismith]

Sure here ya go
Aha Thank you, I was anticipating something more intrusive. That's not an issue at all.

[SkippyBing]

Got a dev license yesterday and it all seems to be working nicely. I found AI Carriers works, if you launch it as a stand alone program then it connects to P3D and then works as per usual (assuming you've put the relevant ships into P3D!), all the carrier functions work nicely too which as I mostly develop naval aircraft was a biggie.
Reading through the SDK there are a few new features which I might work into P3D specific versions of some of our products.

Performance wise it seems slightly smoother and faster on my machine which is currently hampered by a lower spec graphics card than I'd like, I tend not to have that many add-ons so it's already broadly comparable to my FSXA install.

[ThePlainsman]

P3D is sounding better and better the more responses I read. It seems to have taken a giant leap forward and has great reviews, and sounds like more good is just around the corner.
$49 to have the code cleaned up so all the muss and fuss is gone sounds great to me!!
No stutters, jaggies gone, real water, real clouds, cross compatibility to 3rd party add-ons?
I'm looking into getting P3D right after this post.

Yeah, but no DX10 or DX11? At least FSX has DX10 Preview which works great as far as I'm concerned. DX9 yields vastly poorer frame rates and is less graphically appealing. I'm moving to Prepare3D too, but not till they release Prepare3D 2.0 with DX11. I don't want to pay for it twice, and a DX9 version of Prepare3D is not good enough to drop FSX.

[Bomber_12th]

Although I don't have Prepar3D, I do know that everyone who does have it should check out the amount of detail incorporated into the port city of Norfolk, Virginia, within the sim, as it comes. As I understand it, the scenery was made to showcase the simulator's support of 4096 x 4096 resolution textures in scenery. Looking at screenshots of it, it reminds me of the Aerosoft city sceneries.

[Lionheart]

Although I don't have Prepar3D, I do know that everyone who does have it should check out the amount of detail incorporated into the port city of Norfolk, Virginia, within the sim, as it comes. As I understand it, the scenery was made to showcase the simulator's support of 4096 x 4096 resolution textures in scenery. Looking at screenshots of it, it reminds me of the Aerosoft city sceneries.


oops... I need to go back and check that out. I reset my default to Montgomery in San Diego.

[Daveroo]

ok..im getttin interrested..but i have several dollars invested in the pc aviators megascenery stuff for the west coast..as well as aerosofts maldives and st barths,st maartin.lukla..will those all work in P3d?

[Lionheart]

Hey David,

I do not know the answer to this one. But, if anyone else doesnt know, you could try asking the sim groups that created those packages, and also ask at the forums at www.prepar3d.com and see if they might know. Someone may have added those to his and could fill you in on if they work or not. The sim does have its own mesh, so the packages you have 'might' not synch 100% with the P3D mesh.

[ZEUS67]

ok..im getttin interrested..but i have several dollars invested in the pc aviators megascenery stuff for the west coast..as well as aerosofts maldives and st barths,st maartin.lukla..will those all work in P3d?

I general all 100% FSX aircraft should work without problem.

The major areas of contention are gauges and modules that bypass simconnect and actually interrogate FSX directly. Those gauges will have problems because they cannot recognize Prepar3D since they are looking for FSX. Point in case is TrackIR, which cannot be used in P3D without EZCA. EZCA has a problem, it cannot recognize Prepar3D although now there is a beta fixing that problem.

In theory all FSX add-ons should work because at its core P3D is just an improved FSX, but testing is a requirement.

[Lionheart]

Just a fun video-mercial of the P3D sim...

http://www.prepar3d.com/experience/videos-and-tutorials/trailer-1-0/

Move videos of 'how-to' are here.....


http://www.prepar3d.com/experience/videos-and-tutorials/

[Gdavis101]

ok..im getttin interrested..but i have several dollars invested in the pc aviators megascenery stuff for the west coast..as well as aerosofts maldives and st barths,st maartin.lukla..will those all work in P3d?

I have not tried it yet, but I believe I read somewhere that it will work and it is just matter of adding the scenery to the library. I have added a couple aircraft so far and have had no trouble at all.

[Daveroo]

the loss of trackIR is a major hurdle for me...anychance they are working on this issue?...i dont have a clue what that other thing is..the four letters in caps...

[ZEUS67]

the loss of trackIR is a major hurdle for me...anychance they are working on this issue?...i dont have a clue what that other thing is..the four letters in caps...

It seems that there is an impasse between LM and NaturalPoint (TrackIR developers) as to how provide support. See the forum topic (http://forum.naturalpoint.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=50129#Post50129) where they explain the problem.

EZCA (http://www.ezdok-software.com/index.html) is EZDOK's camera add-on for FSX that also works with P3D. You can use TrackIR to work with EZA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhofJbEcmFM) and thus have it work in Prepar3D

[OleBoy]

Install EZCA so TrackIR works? Not for me.
Hopefully this issue gets resolved. Then again, my TrackIR has had little to no use anyway so it's not a disappointment to me.

[CG_1976]

Ifly 737 has now gone Prepar3D and is the only 737 payware covering 3 sim platforms FS9, FSX and Prepar3D:icon30:
http://ifly.flight1.net/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=7207&FID=1&PR=3&title=prepar3d-version-of-the-ifly-released

[elcamino]

Well, I jumped in last night and haven't really decided if I like it more than fsx or not.
Haven't really messed with it very much and haven't any ideal if the fsx tweaks will
work with it or not.

[Skyhawk_310R]

For what it might be worth, and honesty compels me to say it is likely less than nothing, I wrote a couple of posts in that Natural Point thread to air my personal views on the subject.

Ken

[modelr]

I have downloaded my copy of P3D, but have not yet installed it.

At the moment, I am not worried about my TrackIr system working in P3D, as the last couple times using it, I have found myself actually getting airsick after about 20-30 minutes. :isadizzy: Very frustrating, believe me. I can go back to the pan hatswitch, and continue flying. Must be the head moving constantly. Would be nice if it was possible to fix this.

[luckydog]

I have downloaded my copy of P3D, but have not yet installed it.

At the moment, I am not worried about my TrackIr system working in P3D, as the last couple times using it, I have found myself actually getting airsick after about 20-30 minutes. :isadizzy: Very frustrating, believe me. I can go back to the pan hatswitch, and continue flying. Must be the head moving constantly. Would be nice if it was possible to fix this.


Know what you mean pahdna...........everytime I took a swig of beer I'd get vertigo.

[Skyhawk_310R]

I have downloaded my copy of P3D, but have not yet installed it.

At the moment, I am not worried about my TrackIr system working in P3D, as the last couple times using it, I have found myself actually getting airsick after about 20-30 minutes. :isadizzy: Very frustrating, believe me. I can go back to the pan hatswitch, and continue flying. Must be the head moving constantly. Would be nice if it was possible to fix this.

Don,

Have you tried to reduce the sensitivity of it? That might give you more stability.

Ken

[spatialpro]

I'm using nVidia 3D glasses with FSX. Can anyone tell me for sure whether Prepar3D is fully 3D, as opposed to FSX where all the effects (lights, smoke etc.) that are frustratingly 2D. If 2D FSX effects have been fixed and P3D it is fully 3D I'll invest in a license...

Many thanks

Andy

[modelr]

Don,

Have you tried to reduce the sensitivity of it? That might give you more stability.

Ken

Was thinking of doing that, Ken. I have V5 installed. I think it's more just all the head movements. I can't ride passenger in any moving vehicle for long, either. I have to drive, or I get motion sickness. My inner ears have been screwed up for years. Can't fly U/Control airplanes anymore, either.:isadizzy:

[Francois]

Can anyone tell if the academic version is full featured or does it lack some features?

VCN-1

There is no difference.

[Wulf190]

I was poking around the Prepar3D forums and read something interesting, and maybe I am getting it wrong. It sounds like for the Academic version we will need to pay for each major upgrade. IE V2 to V3.

http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=924.0

And honestly...I kinda LIKE that approach. Much better their FLIGHT's nickel and dime approach. (yes it does bug me that for $20 you unlock the rest of Hawaii and new aircraft) I'll pay for solid continuous progress on a fully world modeled simulator, as long as it remains open ended like FS9 and FSX.

[Lionheart]

It sounds like for the Academic version we will need to pay for each major upgrade. IE V2 to V3.

And honestly...I kinda LIKE that approach. Much better their FLIGHT's nickel and dime approach.



Same here.

Each number version up will be the 'next generation' platform, like X-Plane, though no similarity. XP9, XP10, and P3D 1.x, P3D 2.x, etc.

[Naismith]

Re paying to upgrade, oh come on chaps, $49 for P3D Academic is a steal and if the upgraded ones are a similar price then what is there to moan about. It is the price of a nice lunch which last about 30 mins, the sim gives and gives for years. Addons can cost more than the entire sim yet you don't hear moaning about that. And before I am attacked, i will point out that I exist on a pension, & pay taxes in 2 countries and find it a struggle to fill up the Escalade. :mixedsmi:

[CG_1976]

I don't mind paying for V2. Reason it can take up to two years to mature to rc. Think of it as Acceleration pack when that released for FSX. I bought Acceleration pack and also FSX Gold. So it's like paying for a expansion different version or side version. Just part of today's business model. Besides Lockheed must be blessed by the pig gods of Piglet, all his FSX aircraft, works like hoot:jump:.