We should be announcing the release date for version 1.1 of Prepar3D very soon. I thought I would take a little bit of space to let you know of the changes and fixes in this release. This is not the finalized list, but pretty close to it. There will be a complete changelog available to reflect the final 1.1 release version.
New Features
- Multi-Touch support added
- Multi touch on single touchpanels and across multiple touchpanels
- New functionality to Save and Load Custom Control configurations
- New SimConnect APIs Added to support enhanced development
- Synchronous SimConnect
- Allows for “blocking” callbacks, meaning that the SimConnect server side will wait until you release it to continue running the sim
- Both new APIs and additional flag values for existing APIs
- Ground Info Query
- Allows querying for a grid of ground alt info around a point or a SimObject
- Can query for just ground, or ground and platforms (landable surfaces)
- Synchronous SimConnect
- External Simulation Support Available through SimConnect
- Allows writing an external simulation via SimConnect
- Primary External Sims are the main sim for a SimObject, they compute everything
- Secondary External Sims allow adding additional secondary sims to handle simulating/animating subsystems
- SimObject containers can be created that use External Sims (via the aircraft.cfg/sim.cfg file)
- Existing objects can be created and have their existing simulation overridden with a primary external sim at runtime
- Secondary external sims can be attached to existing simobjects at runtime
- Simple sample external sim included in the SDK’s SimConnect samples directory
- Additions to the standard vehicle models (legacy aircraft showing some of the proud history we have!)
- Lockheed P-38 Lightening courtesy of Just Flight Inc
- Lockheed C-69 Constellation “Connie” courtesy of Just Flight Inc
GPS Gauge Enhancements to Allow FAA Qualification
- GPS welcome/verification page
- Support for SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) and STARs (Standard Arrivals)
- XML format defined for SIDs and STARs
- Added synchronization of CDI scale with analogue instruments
SDK
- Updated Sensor view integration, examples and documentation
- Multi-channel instructions rewritten for clarity
- GUID generator example
- Documentation to add SIDS and STARS
- How to control observer views through SimConnect
Performance Improvements
- More efficient handling of Bathymetry
- Optimizations for running with Bathymetry disabled
- Upgraded rain/snow shaders to 3.0
- Upgraded default aircraft shaders to 3.0
- Default system performance configuration has been updated
User Interface Updates/Modernization Continue
- Redesigned, dynamic menu system
- New modernized screens
- Kneeboard
- Settings
- ATC
- Fuel payload
- Multiplayer chat
- Flight plan