Can FSX or Prepar3D scenery be converted to MSFS? Learn what can be reused, what must be rebuilt, why conversions fail and how to test them.
Yes, but FSX or Prepar3D scenery rarely works by being copied into Microsoft Flight Simulator. The practical conversion is a rebuild: reuse only licensed source models, textures or imagery, then recreate airport data, terrain, materials, effects and packaging with the MSFS SDK. Simple airports convert best; complex scenery may not be economical.
Can I put an FSX or Prepar3D BGL in the MSFS Community folder?
No. A .bgl file is a compiled container, not a universal scenery format, and the data inside an FSX or Prepar3D BGL differs from what Microsoft Flight Simulator expects.
The shared extension causes a mistake we see constantly: an old scenery and texture folder pair is copied into the Community folder and treated as an MSFS package. Prepar3D add-on.xml files and scenery-library entries do not translate either. A locally installed MSFS package is built for the simulator and normally has manifest.json and layout.json at its package root.
Some development tools can read parts of legacy files, but that is asset extraction or translation, not direct compatibility. The resulting assets still need permission, conversion, packaging and testing.
What parts of FSX or Prepar3D scenery can be reused?
Editable source assets offer the best conversion prospects; a compiled distribution package is the least useful starting point.
| Scenery component | Conversion outlook | Work required in MSFS |
|---|---|---|
| Airport layout source | Fair | Use it as a reference, then rebuild and verify runways, taxiways, aprons, parking, signs, routing and exclusions. |
| Editable 3D models | Good | Export through an MSFS-supported model workflow, recreate materials and inspect scale, orientation, lighting, collision and levels of detail. |
| Compiled MDL or model BGL | Variable | Geometry may be recoverable when the licence permits it, but materials, animations and attachment effects often need replacement. |
| Texture artwork | Often reusable | Correct file references and rebuild legacy materials for the MSFS rendering system, including transparency and night textures. |
| Georeferenced source imagery | Possible | Retile and compile the original imagery. A legacy photoreal BGL should not simply be copied across. |
| Object placement | Depends on dependencies | Replace unavailable FSX or Prepar3D library objects and package every permitted custom asset. |
| Landclass, autogen and terrain | Poor direct conversion | Recreate vegetation, polygons, exclusions and terraforming for the MSFS world system. |
| Effects, scripts and custom logic | Low | Replace unsupported effects and code with MSFS-native features where an equivalent exists. |
Our detailed breakdown of which FSX scenery components can be reused in MSFS explains why airport data, models and photo scenery need different treatment. Prepar3D adds its own material, model and packaging complications, covered in our guide to the practical limits of Prepar3D scenery conversion.
Can an automatic converter do the whole job?
No automatic converter can turn every legacy airport into a finished, efficient and legally distributable MSFS package.
Conversion utilities can save time by inspecting a BGL, translating basic geometry or recovering placement information. They cannot restore missing source detail, grant rights to third-party assets, replace an absent object library, recreate airport routing correctly or decide how legacy terrain should interact with the MSFS world.
ModelConverterX is useful for individual permitted assets rather than one-button airport conversion. Our FSX model conversion workflow using ModelConverterX covers the model-specific steps and the material work that remains afterwards.
How do you convert FSX or Prepar3D scenery to MSFS?
The dependable method is to create a native MSFS project and treat the old scenery only as source material or a visual reference.
- Confirm ownership and permission. Check the licence for every model, texture, image, logo and library object. Having a working copy of the old add-on does not automatically grant conversion or redistribution rights.
- Choose the target simulator. Decide whether the package is for MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024 or both, then use the appropriate SDK and test each claimed version separately.
- Inventory the scenery. List airport data, models, textures, imagery, effects, animations, terrain files and external object libraries. Unrecorded dependencies are a frequent cause of missing buildings.
- Recover only permitted assets. Prefer original model source, texture masters, airport source data and georeferenced imagery. Treat anything extracted from a compiled file as an intermediate asset that still needs inspection.
- Create a native MSFS package. Define a proper project and scenery asset group rather than manually adding legacy files to the Community folder. Our summary of the SDK, Scenery Editor and Package Builder tools needed for airport work explains the core toolset.
- Rebuild the airport and ground work. Create runways, taxiways, aprons, parking positions, polygons, exclusions and elevation adjustments in the MSFS Scenery Editor. Check the result against reliable airport references instead of assuming the legacy layout remains accurate.
- Convert models and materials. Export models through a supported workflow such as glTF, then correct texture assignments, transparency, emissive lighting, scale, model origins and levels of detail.
- Build and test the package. Resolve relevant build errors and warnings, install the built output and test it with unrelated Community add-ons removed. Add possible airport, mesh and world-modification conflicts back one at a time.
Why does converted scenery not appear or look wrong?
Packaging faults, missing dependencies and conflicts with default scenery account for most failed conversions.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing appears | Failed build, incorrect package structure or an extra wrapper folder | Confirm that the built package is being installed and that its manifest and layout files are at the expected package level. |
| Only some buildings appear | External object libraries were not converted or included | Identify every legacy library reference and replace missing objects with licensed packaged assets. |
| Pink, black or blank surfaces | Missing textures, broken paths or unsupported legacy materials | Recheck texture references and recreate the material rather than copying its old definition. |
| Two airports overlap | Default airport elements were not excluded or replaced correctly | Review exclusions, delete commands and the area covered by the package. |
| Buildings float or sink | Model origins, airport elevation or terraforming disagree with the terrain mesh | Correct the model origin and inspect elevation behaviour across the whole airport. |
| Objects are displaced | Incorrect coordinates, local origins or imagery georeferencing | Verify source coordinates and placement rather than moving the entire airport by eye. |
| Animated features do not work | Legacy effects or animation controls are unsupported | Rebuild them with an MSFS-native method or remove the feature. |
| Frame rate is poor | Excessive geometry, draw calls, texture sizes or missing levels of detail | Optimise converted models and test from the cockpit as well as close to individual objects. |
“Are you sure it works?” How to prove a conversion is successful
A conversion works only when the built native package has been tested in its intended MSFS version; a successful export or a single screenshot is not enough.
- The package loads after a simulator restart without relying on files left in a development project folder.
- Every custom model and texture appears with unrelated Community packages disabled.
- The default airport does not show through the replacement, and nearby world scenery has not been removed accidentally.
- Runway starts, parking positions, taxi routing and surface types behave correctly in normal use.
- Models sit correctly on the terrain and remain aligned when viewed from different distances.
- Lighting, transparency and materials have been checked by day and night and under varied weather conditions.
- Likely airport, mesh and world-update conflicts have been added back individually.
- Performance remains reasonable when the complete airport is visible, not just when one building is inspected in the editor.
If those checks fail, the scenery may still be a useful work in progress, but it is not a dependable conversion. There is no honest universal promise that every FSX or Prepar3D product will work in MSFS.
Is it legal to convert freeware or payware scenery?
Legality depends on the original licence and the rights attached to every asset, not on whether the add-on was free or paid.
Freeware is still copyrighted. Permission for personal installation does not necessarily allow modification, extraction or redistribution, and permission from the airport developer may not cover a separately licensed object library or aerial image. Do not include stock FSX, Prepar3D or third-party assets unless their applicable licence expressly permits it.
Will the same converted scenery work in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?
It may, but compatibility must be verified separately in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
A straightforward MSFS 2020 scenery package can load in MSFS 2024, yet terrain behaviour, materials, package declarations and simulator-specific features can produce different results. Build for the intended target and do not claim support for both versions after testing only one.
Creating and manually installing converted Community packages is a PC workflow. Xbox consoles do not accept arbitrary PC packages, and neither does the PlayStation 5 version of MSFS 2024; console scenery requires the simulator’s supported publishing route. MSFS 2020 was not released for PlayStation.