PTA: Where has this been all my life?

P3D Tweak Assistant (PTA) for P3D v4 is amazing. Where has this been all my life? I saw this on the REX website and checked it out. I wish I had this before today. It is truly what they advertise. If you are like me, visit (https://www.simtweaks.com/) to get this program. I truly don't know how I missed out on this until now.

If you're like me, it's the latest thing for faffing with, until you find a combo you're happy with.

And then it gets left there.

 

For others, it seems like another thing to go `wrong` and need help with.

 

Be interesting to see how it amalgamates with REX Sky Force, due imminently.

Be interesting to see how it amalgamates with REX Sky Force, due imminently.

 

That's been due imminently since August 2016 - maybe they'll get it out this time. Hope it's as good as the hype.

 

Another good product in the line of PTA is Envshade - very similar to PTA but just provides a few popular presets - keeps some users out of trouble playing around with settings they know nothing about.

 

Vic

I think Mallcott has a good point and for me...I have gone from all kinds of add ons and stuff and now I run P3D pretty much default and it runs really well...and at 30 to 40 thousand feet I just need good weather and clouds for my PMDGs as that is all I fly and I am a happy camper....er....simmer LOL and Oh...fps is locked at 30.

That's been due imminently since August 2016 - maybe they'll get it out this time. Hope it's as good as the hype.

 

Another good product in the line of PTA is Envshade - very similar to PTA but just provides a few popular presets - keeps some users out of trouble playing around with settings they know nothing about.

 

Vic

 

Correct. As you know I `run` five different systems for simmers at the local flying club, including our club desktop P3Dv4.1 simulator.

Installed PTA on mine, Envshade/Envtext on the others.

 

Why? PTA needs too much `hands on` activity by the user, with a great possibility of getting things wrong for the benefit if you ask me. I've also noted that several of the recommended Presets do not show the same results as the screenshots on my rig.

 

What PTA is really good at is as a development tool to figure out ones' own settings (and the ability to return everything to baseline defaults with a click or two). But it really only works if it's used repeatedly to explore, install and test the very many features.

I started out with that, but ended up just installing a favourite preset and leaving it there - which is what Envshade does.

 

 

PTA is the in-depth tool. Envshade (and URP freeware addons) the `click-and-forget` option

I should also add that users need to understand the difference between Shader adjustment and Post-Processing shader adjustment:

 

PTA amends the shaders.

URP modifies those PTA shaders

 

Envshade is a post processing tool.

 

If one switches between them one needs to switch off the other - PTA by restoring default shaders and settings; URP by switching off in the `add-ons` sub-menu under the Prepar3D `Options` drop-down menu.

 

Envshade is disabled from the main Envdir menu or as a temporary measure by utilising the Envshade sub-menu and switching PTA `ON` (which physically does the same thing as URP but for the Envshade menu under P3D-Options-Addons.)

BOTH URP and Envshade are added to P3D via the addons.xml menu so a seasoned user can also alter that file manually.

 

If you do go down the PTA route, then restoring is the ONLY way to get original shaders back, unless one wants to go down reinstalling parts of 3D itself, so do NOT forget to back up the default shaders before playing.