Lockheed Martin Releases Prepar3D v5.4

Lockheed Martin has just released a brand new incremental update for Prepar3D v5. The new update, Prepar3D v5.4 comes with a range of performance, stability, and usability improvements.

The simulator’s performance improvements come from better use of background threading. There has also been three additional backend flight plan GPS systems that allow for staging, secondary and offset flight plan systems. For those using VR, there have been plenty of VR fixes and improvements make VR setup and calibration easier and more user friendly.

The full changelog is down below that gives you a good idea of the other various fixes and changes that come with Prepar3D v5.4.

The vast majority of the changes are in Prepar3D’s Client Installer meaning that you will only need to update that one module. However, there has been some changes to the Content and Scenery components that can be optionally installed.

Each fix listed below is categorized per installer. Please note, you must first have Prepar3D v5 installed to utilize any of the standalone installers (Client, Content, and Scenery). The Prepar3D v5.4 update may require you to reactivate your product, however if you have an internet connection or have not made any major hardware changes between installations this should not be an issue.

Prepar3D Website.

This isn’t quite the Prepar3D v6 that many had been hoping for, but it’s good to see that Lockheed Martin are still issuing updates for the simulator. It’s worth noting that Lockheed Martin’s Prepar3D team will be making an appearance at FlightSimExpo in Houston this coming June, and attendees will be able to ask questions about the platform.

Fixes and Improvements

• Improved application background thread performance.
• Three additional backend flight plan GPS systems can now be integrated into aircraft allowing for staging, secondary, and offset flight plan systems.
• Fixed startup crash that could occur in some cases with MSAA and Enhanced Atmospherics active.
• Fixed crash when calling SimConnect BeginVideoStream.
• Fixed issue that could cause Scaleform aircraft panels to flicker in some cases.
• Fixed issue where shared cockpit could get into a bad simulation state after resetting.
• Fixed issue preventing render to texture views from drawing in HTML5 panels.
• Fixed identification of final approach fix at flight plan load time.
• Fixed “Turn to Fix” to not generate a turning waypoint when turn is negligible.
• Fixed segment generation to include “final” legs that precede the final approach fix.
• Waypoints created by ident and through visual runway extension approaches now display their names in the GPS map.
• Adding and deleting waypoints no longer clears existing procedures and flight plan data and no longer makes active procedures inactive.
• Added FlightPlanNewDepartureTransitionToFlightPlan GPS var to connect departures to subsequent waypoints/arrivals/approaches.
• Fixed procedure connection ordering when chaining departures, waypoints, arrivals, and approaches.
• Added GPS vars to reload procedures.
• Fixed issue where arrival and departure “IsLoaded” flag was not being synced in shared cockpit.
• Procedure legs can now be added and removed by ident.
• Added capability to direct-to a specific leg in a procedure. List of bypassed legs can also be retrieved.
• Adding a new waypoint now automatically creates a flight plan instead of needing to create a direct to waypoint first.
• Runways are now independently selectable alongside transitions for departures.
• Distance and bearing is now calculated for initial procedure legs.
• Departure runways marked ‘B’ will now display all corresponding runways for departures.
• Procedures can now be loaded without requiring transitions or runways to be selected and departure runways can be selected without requiring a SID.
• Fixed issue where Visual Runway Extension Approaches could have incorrect runway numbers at add-on airports.
• Fixed issue where Scaleform and HTML5 VarGet calls would not work on Unicode strings with A:Vars.
• GPS now handles proper hold entries (Direct, Teardrop, or Parallel) depending on the approaching course relative to the holding pattern. DME also correctly displays distance from the hold fix.
• Hoist can now be fully retracted with no load attached.
• Fixed issue where rope could appear detached from the object in some cases.
• Added configuration options for hoist rope length, weight, radius, and color.
• Added configuration options for tow plane rope radius and color.
• Fixed crash that could occur on scenario reset if map was opened.
• Fixed issue where scenario would not start paused if traffic was enabled.
• Fixed issue causing undocked 3D windows to draw on top of undocked panels after task switch in full screen mode.
• Fixed issue where window and panel sizes and positions could be incorrect when loading a scenario in a different full screen state than when it was saved.
• Fixed issue preventing Ace tool from properly displaying error messages.
• Fixed issue causing Ace tool to crash if no gauge root element was present.
• Fixed issue causing panels docked in secondary views to revert to main window on load.
• Fixed issue causing panels to open in wrong window after docking to a different view.
• Fixed issue causing docked panels to revert position to top-left corner on load and when initially docked.
• Improved view clamping behavior of docked views.
• Added GPS var to ghost “step-down” fixes on MFD approach displays.
• Enhanced GPS Holding logic for progressing about the segmented points.
• Added GPS var to add initial waypoint in departure originating from center of airport.
• Fixed GPS Holding procedures for Direct Entry scenarios.
• Updated application exit prompts.
• Launch bar auto-retract based on throttle position can now be disabled.
• Fixed issue where adding a waypoint would clear the currently active procedure waypoint in the GPS.
• Fixed issue where adding more than one waypoint or deleting a waypoint if there was more than one currently loaded would always trigger a waypoint activation.
• Fixed GPS Holding procedures to limit outbound leg distance if specified
• Added new direct-to GPS vars to set current waypoint in flight plan without clearing existing procedures.
• Added GPS vars to retrieve list of any bypassed waypoints and procedure legs when direct-to is set on flight plan.
• Fixed issue where 3D windows docked within a floating 3D window would not open inside their parent window when loading a scenario.
• Holding pattern entry inbound leg now tracks the course rather than flying direct to the hold fix.
• Added GPS vars to add airways to flight plan by defining entry and exit points.
• Fixed issue causing additional background work to occur when no library objects were present.
• Maximized state of windows is now saved to scenarios.
• Fixed issue that could cause aircraft to appear above the ground at various add-on airports.
• Fixed issue preventing flight plan procedures from correctly transitioning when added out of order.
• Flight plan waypoints now generated an internal unique ID that can be queried through GPS vars.
• Primary flight plan can now be hidden in the GPS map.
• Fixed case where waypoint names would only draw on map if there were more than one in the flight plan.
• Fixed case where departure waypoint names would only draw on map if a flight plan waypoint was loaded.
• Added Tacan support for setting X-Y band on standby tuner.
• Fixed memory leak with graphics resources.
• Fixed issue causing material lookup errors if variables were used that weren’t supported (i.e. EmissiveScale on a general material).
• GPS now supports inputting an intercept course to a direct-to waypoint and canceling intercept course before execution.
• Fixed bug where canceling out of the scenario edit screen for the first time would cause a full reload and set the current time incorrectly.
• Fixed bug where the IgnoreLowResolutionWarning config setting was not respected.
• Added “DirectFrom” GPS vars allowing for waypoint/procedure point to be set as the initial point in a flight plan with the subsequent point being activated.
• Added recordable flags to effects created through SimConnect.
• Fixed crash when opening multiplayer chat while using the AutoStart config option.
• Added picking support for VC views using an orthographic projection.
• Fixed screen flashing issue caused by on screen text in some cases.
• Improved HMD calibration.
• Updated tracker visualization to show current and saved tracker offsets.
• Added VR setting for which class of tracked device to use as the origin.
• World object portals are now hidden in non VR views.
• Fixed base specular color issues with general material.
• Added support for text version of KEY_MARKER_SOUND_SET event to be consistent with other audio panel sound set events.
• Missed approach segments can now have their own color set in the map gauge.
• Fixed issue where focal points would not render correctly in VR if they also rendered into a non-VR views.
• Various improvements and optimizations to network traffic handling.
• Fixed multiplayer issues that could cause disconnects with large amounts of network traffic.
• Added VR setting to auto-restore tracked origin.
• Added UV flipping support to panel.cfg texture entries.
• Fixed bug causing hangs when using SwapChainUseWaitableObject=1 config setting.
• Discontinuities can now be set in flight plans in GPS gauges.
• Allow texture axis flipping for RTT Texture elements via XML Texture element.
• Leading ‘0’s are now added to runway numbers for procedure points.
• Discontinuities are now generated for manual sequence points in flight plans.
• 5nm offset point is no longer generated at the beginning of VECTORS approach transitions.
• Fixed crash that could occur when having autogen building density set to extremely dense.

Fixes and Improvements (Professional Plus Only)

• Fixed bug where DIS relative timestamp would not be set.
• Fixed issue where DIS PDU’s could be sent with the same location and dead reckoning values more than once.
• Fixed issue where articulated parts would effect heartbeat rate when disabled.
• SimObjects now incorporate their simulation time when calculating DIS relative timestamps.
• Dead reckoning now uses sim-time rather than frame time when determining if threshold have been exceeded reducing heartbeat frequency
• Fixed bug where entity state PDU would broadcast before the position had been set.
• Fixed bug where entity state PDU would heartbeat based on dead reckoning thresholds before it had simulated or broadcast a PDU.
• Added additional checks to promote PDU staggering.
• Added ground speed check to prevent acceleration from broadcasting while stopped (i.e. parking brake set).
• Added check to try and prevent broadcasting oscillating bank velocities for AI aircraft flying straight and level.
• Reduce dead reckoning thresholds for objects turning on the ground.
• Added mirror texture support for Varjo HMDs showing XR camera pass through on screen.
• Added custom origin HMD offset to Varjo interface.
• Fixed a bug with custom origin breaking AR camera overlays in OpenVR.
• Fixed Varjo settings load and calibration issues in some cases.
• Added auto-calibrate to Varjo tracking inititialization to fix issue where the HMD starts with an odd offset above the cockpit.

Prepar3D Content

Fixes and Improvements

• Active arrivals and departures now draw by default in the p3dgps gauge.
• Procedures are now set to transition to each other as well as waypoints when applicable by default in the p3dgps gauge.
• Arrivals and Departures can be activated when loaded similar to Approaches in the p3dgps gauge.
• Fixed issue preventing instance names from working in the Focal SWF file with scenario variables.