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Prepar3D V3.3 released a few days ago.

Thanks for that blog post.

So MCX's GP Wizard can export as p3dv2, and these use negative z-bias layers.

Also "No z-write" and "no shadow" need to be selected.

I assume a .mdl with FSX materials from GMAX (or blender) can be run through in the same fashion without having to use the P3D SDK in MAX. I'll have a look later.

I have MCX 1.3, but can't see an option to set up the path to P3d's SDK and there is no p3d v2 option in the GPW.

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My version of MCX shows as version 1.4.0.0. I think the Prepar3D ground polygon tools are part of the development releases post-1.3.
 
Good work Alex,

I had just read your blog and it's perfect.
This post answers to some questions I asked myself after reading the SDK P3D, the SDK is ... very short in explanations.
So I will implement your method on my current scene LFAF - Laon-Chambry that allowed me to understand the technique of ground polygons based on FS2002 GPs.
I think that is enought for me to make the jump from FS2002 GP to P3D native GP. Thanks you.

PS: For the seasonal problem, I think that the new version of SODE [v1.3.3] can solve the problem
=> http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/sode-ground-polygon-shift-wet-surfaces.437438/#post-745325
 
Apparently it fixes the performance issues and issues with 3rd party scenery. But will this hold by the next update?
 
maybe I can get this answered here :) if your doing ground polys in ADE, will it be conpatable?

As far as I know the ADE ground polygons use the FS2002 techniques as well, so that would mean they don't work either.

I hadn't read that P3D v3.3 broke the FS2002 ground polygons before, that explains the recent interest in doing it with the GPW in the P3D v2 mode :)
 
Awesome. That means that most freewares and a lot of pay sceneries will never work.

I wonder if its the developers that need to break apart from P3D. Most simmers I know are not even keeping up to date with P3D (still using v2). So as a developer you have to learn all these new methods just to be able to reach a very limited market base, and you have to make several versions of the same sceneries. I mean it's still fun, but who has the time..........

Has anyone done a market research of of how many simmers are faithfully keeping up with P3D updates? I personally only do it because I get it for free, otherwise I'd still be on V2.
 
Hi,

I'm not against changes, actually MS should already have created a proper alternative for the FS2002 techniques when they released FSX. Carrying those old techniques on is a burden and for the developers at LM it must be hard to keep all that old stuff working as well.

But the MDL files with zbias are not a proper alternative in my case. Because you still give the developer of the addon the burden of making things match the curve of the earth. They should create some specific type of ground polygon that will follow the curve of the earth automatically.

On the positive note, I added the P3D v2 MDL output to the GPW a while back. That functionality might be tested a lot more now. So if people find things that can be improved let me know.
 
Awesome. That means that most freewares and a lot of pay sceneries will never work.
Never is a long time. You could just as easily devote that conclusion to the popular emergence of a new platform, like when X-Plane appeared. I think you overlook your own skill and passion that will give you an advantage when adjusting to new software. If it does not, maybe it is time to pass the torch to new talent. Just saying that I think you do good work and I can't picture it being thrown out the window over changes that improve the simulation.
 
I'm pretty certain L-M gave notice during v2's development that ASM would no longer be supported.
 
I'm pretty certain L-M gave notice during v2's development that ASM would no longer be supported.

True, since FS2004 mdl file already stopped working, it's a wonder the FS2002 ground polygons kept working that long.

Of course it doesn't matter if you make them with ASM or SCASM or something else. It's just that these old bgl opcodes are not supported anymore. Given that since FSX the mdl and bgl structure has changed so much that's just logical.
 
I think the major issue is that not a single scenery developer stopped using the older methods. Or if they did attempt it... they never mentioned to Lockheed-Martin that there were capabilities via ASM/SCASM that Prepar3D would no longer support unless L-M made changes/enhancements to the underlying sim's scenery capabilities.

There was quite the scramble to redo scenery installers so that they would recognize the different versions of Prepar3D, but apparently no effort at all to actually make the scenery itself truly compatible.

Then everyone cried foul when it no longer worked. I believe v2 to v3 release was, what... 2 years?
 
Who is everyone crying foul? We are just talking about it. I think LM are doing a great job introducing a new ground poly and agree with Arno. That we should have been using them before true too.
 
Shaun,

Go read the L-M forums... and Avsim. End-users are livid because the functionality was removed by L-M and the developers hadn't changed a thing. L-M took the brunt of it, not a single developer was held accountable.
 
End users are misinformed. What broke FS2002 GPs at v3.3 was a fix that they made to the new z-bias technology where these GPs are now capable of displaying shadows. Since they are now capable of displaying shadows (3 years after the tech was introduced) they've just now become a viable alternative to FS2002 GPs with the exception of seasonal provisions. So let's set this straight - scenery developers haven't had 3 years to get on board with the new tech - they've had a little over a week. I'm frankly getting really tired of hearing about how developers have been dragging their feet on this, we knew a month after v2.0 was released that the z-bias GPs didn't work for our purposes, they've only now been (partially) fixed.
 
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