Compatibility prepar3d 1.4 with 2.1

[billythe]

hi, i would like to know if a model built for prepar3d 1.4 works also with 2.1 version, i mean contact points, aircraft.cfg mdl, and also folder structure - simobjects - etc. for setup installation it is the same.Actually i don't have funds for a new computer and win 8 and i need to know this.

[Dino Cattaneo]

Answer is 99.9% YES - provided you have followed the SDK and did not use any "special trick".
There are some differences in rendering of special effects (.fx) files and minor differences in the visuals (due to the new graphic engine)...
My models (F-14D, T-45C, F-35 and the upcoming S-3B), created for FSX, work flawlessly in P3Dv2.
Also, I've been told there may differences in SimConnect interaction.

Long story short, compatibility is really good - almost 100% granted, but there may be very unlucky exceptions.

[roger-wilco-66]

Dino, I also noticed differences in the effects rendering, do you know what the exact differences are (code) ? I have everything here, from effects not showing at all to light smoke where dark should be.

Before I start to tinker arounf it would be nice to know where or what to look at.

Cheers,
Mark

[stovall]

One other difference as mentioned by John Venema over at Orbx is objects using Object Flow are not working in P3D v2.1. This is the process that allows objects to move. An example seen in the new "Tail of Two Airports" (Redding and Benton) is at the dog park next to Benton Airfield, the folks walking the dogs don't show in P3D v2.1. None of the other people or objext using Object Flow are there at all. Orbx has commissioned a programer to solve this problem but as John mentions he hasn't be able to get it done yet. This is why Orbx has some of their scenery on hold making them P3D v2.1 compatible. Once this is solved new installers will no doubt be published.

I just about dropped my coffee cup when I flew into Benton Airfield and saw the dog park with the people and dogs walking around. I live just up the street from the place and see folks walking their dogs all the time.

[Lionheart]

One other difference as mentioned by John Venema over at Orbx is objects using Object Flow are not working in P3D v2.1. This is the process that allows objects to move. An example seen in the new "Tail of Two Airports" (Redding and Benton) is at the dog park next to Benton Airfield, the folks walking the dogs don't show in P3D v2.1. None of the other people or objext using Object Flow are there at all. Orbx has commissioned a programer to solve this problem but as John mentions he hasn't be able to get it done yet. This is why Orbx has some of their scenery on hold making them P3D v2.1 compatible. Once this is solved new installers will no doubt be published. I just about dropped my coffee cup when I flew into Benton Airfield and saw the dog park with the people and dogs walking around. I live just up the street from the place and see folks walking their dogs all the time.

I thought they had fixed this. Perhaps its only a fix for the models side and the code parser.

[vora]

I thought they had fixed this. Perhaps its only a fix for the models side and the code parser.

If it only was this easy. It's about their ObjectFlow module which controls conditioned appearance/disappearance of objects, thus effecting all the other "Flow" modules. You don't wanna see people in shorts running around in winter. Or take the impressive vegetation of Misha's latest publications of Vernonia and Sekiu... you don't wanna see that lush grass in winter either. Everything that makes OrbX airports "alive" depends on this module.
Unfortunately this module was made by a third party and so far they couldn't get it to run with P3D2. Latest news is that they managed to make objects appear under a defined condition but couldn't get objects to disappear.

[Dino Cattaneo]

Sorry for the late reply...
In terms of aicraft modeling, it is difficult to highlight all the differences but this is what I have seen:
- Some .fx effects embedded in the model do not show (this is why I went for "modeled" effects in the latest versions of my aicrafts)
- Some .fx effect render incorrectly: they do not rotate and/or have different transparency rendering (in general they are LESS transparent)
- Transparency effect (i.e. glass etc.) seem to render slightly less transparent... not sure if it is due to the new lighting or what.
- The new lighting engine, on my machine, seem to induce a slightly different color to the model...but this happens to be more realistic.

This is what I see...I am not sure what is changed/fixed with the updates, as I already modified my models.

Biggest problem, IMHO, was that version 2.1 "out of the box" had issues with some .XML - mistakes that were forgiven in FSX and previous versions, were then counted as errors and the code behaved improperly. This seems to be fixed with the recently realeased hotfix (which replaces all the .dll files).

[n4gix]

The which of course is not a "get out of jail free" option...

...a prudent developer will actually use the new reporting log to find and fix the 'syntax errors.'