Which repaints work with FSX add-on aircraft?

Only FSX liveries or repaints made for the exact aircraft package, developer and model variant you have installed will work reliably in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition. Matching the real aircraft type is not enough: every add-on model has its own texture mapping, file names and aircraft.cfg requirements.

Which FSX liveries and repaints are compatible with my add-on?

The required base aircraft named by the repaint author is the decisive compatibility test. The mistake we see most often is choosing by real aircraft type alone: one developer’s Boeing 737-800 repaint will not fit another developer’s 737-800 model.

1. Match the base package: Check the developer, product name and any required expansion or update. Freeware versus payware makes no difference; the underlying 3D model and texture mapping determine compatibility.
2. Match the model variant: Confirm the fuselage length, passenger or freighter layout, engine option, wheel or float configuration, winglet type and virtual-cockpit version where applicable. Variants from the same package can use different texture maps and model= values.
3. Check the simulator label: Prefer a download explicitly marked for FSX or FSX: Steam Edition. Do not assume that an FS2004, Prepar3D or MSFS livery will work because its texture files have a familiar extension.
4. Read the dependencies: Some repaints require an additional model, expansion or shared texture set. Install those dependencies before troubleshooting the livery itself.

A .dds or .bmp file opening successfully does not prove compatibility. Its artwork still has to align with the exact UV mapping used by the intended aircraft model.

How can I tell a repaint from a complete aircraft?

An FSX repaint is a texture-only addition that requires an aircraft already installed in SimObjects\Airplanes. Its archive commonly contains a folder such as texture.airline, preview images, a readme and an [fltsim.x] configuration block.

A complete aircraft package normally includes its own aircraft.cfg, flight-dynamics file, model and other required components. If the description says “repaint only”, “textures only” or “requires”, it is not a flyable aircraft by itself; use our instructions for installing a complete FSX aircraft package when that is what you have downloaded.

Do FSX repaints work in FSX: Steam Edition?

Most FSX repaints work in FSX: Steam Edition when the identical base aircraft and variant are installed there. The repaint structure and aircraft.cfg registration method are substantially the same.

Old automatic installers are the usual problem. They may search for the boxed FSX directory or create files in an unused location. For a manual installation, find the active Steam Edition installation and place the repaint in the correct aircraft folder under its SimObjects\Airplanes directory. If boxed FSX and Steam Edition are both installed, verify that you are editing the copy Steam Edition actually loads.

How do I install a compatible FSX repaint?

A compatible repaint must be copied into the required aircraft’s folder and registered with a valid [fltsim.x] entry. Follow the supplied readme where it differs, or use our full FSX repaint installation procedure for a more detailed walkthrough.

1. Back up the configuration: Make a copy of the aircraft’s existing aircraft.cfg before editing it.
2. Copy the texture folder: Place texture.name directly beside that aircraft’s existing model, panel, sound and texture folders. Avoid an extra nested folder created when extracting the archive.
3. Add the supplied aircraft entry: Paste the repaint’s [fltsim.x] block into aircraft.cfg and replace x with the next sequential number. If the final entry is [fltsim.5], the new one should be [fltsim.6].
4. Verify the identifiers: A value such as texture=airline must point to texture.airline. Keep the supplied sim= and model= values unless the aircraft documentation says otherwise, and ensure every title= is unique.
5. Save and restart FSX: Save the file as aircraft.cfg, not aircraft.cfg.txt. If Windows blocks the change, edit a temporary copy and move it back with the required administrator approval.

Why does a compatible repaint not appear in FSX?

A compatible livery usually remains hidden because FSX cannot find its folder or parse its configuration entry. Check these points before deciding that the repaint itself is unsuitable:

• The repaint was installed in the active FSX or Steam Edition aircraft folder, not another simulator installation.
• The archive has not produced a doubled path such as texture.airline\texture.airline.
• The texture= suffix exactly matches the texture-folder suffix.
• The [fltsim.x] sections begin at zero and remain sequential, without duplicate numbers or gaps.
• The repaint has a unique title= value and a valid ui_variation= label.
• The supplied model= value points to the intended aircraft variant.
• The aircraft-selection screen is showing all variations and is not hiding the repaint behind manufacturer, publisher or aircraft-type filters.

If FSX reports a duplicate aircraft title while loading, change the new repaint’s title= to a genuinely unique value. This identifier is separate from the name displayed through ui_variation=.

Why is the aircraft white, black or misaligned?

White or distorted surfaces usually indicate missing shared textures, a broken fallback path or a model mismatch rather than a registration error.

• White or untextured sections: Many repaints include only the files changed by the author and use texture.cfg to fall back to a base texture folder. Missing base textures or an incorrect relative fallback path leave parts of the aircraft blank.
• Misplaced logos or markings: The repaint was made for different UV mapping, often another developer’s aircraft or another variant from the same package. Renaming files will not correct it.
• Black, transparent or excessively reflective surfaces: The texture may have an incompatible alpha channel or rely on legacy material handling. FSX’s DX10 Preview can also expose problems in older FS2004-era aircraft and textures.
• Every livery is affected: Suspect the base aircraft, rendering settings or shared texture installation rather than one repaint.

Do not copy an arbitrary texture.cfg from an unrelated aircraft as a quick fix. Fallback paths are relative and product-specific; use the repaint author’s file or compare it with a working livery for the same base model.

Can FS2004, Prepar3D or MSFS liveries be used in FSX?

Liveries from another simulator should be treated as incompatible unless their documentation explicitly names the same FSX base model.

• FS2004: A legacy repaint may work when the FSX aircraft is a conversion of exactly the same model and the author confirms support. Texture formats, materials and folder arrangements can still differ.
• Prepar3D: Some products share model ancestry with an FSX release, but other editions use revised mapping, materials or model variants. Match the named product and simulator version rather than assuming cross-compatibility.
• MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024: These simulators use different package structures, models and material systems. Their liveries do not install into FSX; our explanation of FSX add-on compatibility with MSFS 2020 and 2024 covers the wider platform differences.

Can I rename a repaint to make it fit another aircraft?

No. Renaming a texture folder or changing its texture= entry only changes how FSX locates the same artwork; it cannot remap that artwork onto another 3D model.

Several variants can share a repaint when their developer deliberately reused the same UV mapping, but the documentation should confirm this. Otherwise, adapting the livery requires the correct model-specific paint kit and attention to texture formats and alpha channels, as covered in our guide to creating and registering an FSX repaint.