Can FSX or Prepar3D scenery be converted to MSFS?
Yes, but FSX or Prepar3D scenery cannot usually be copied straight into Microsoft Flight Simulator. Most projects must be rebuilt as an MSFS package, with airport data, models, materials, terrain and effects converted or recreated in the SDK. Simple scenery converts best; complex products often require substantial rework.
The shared .bgl extension causes confusion. An FSX or Prepar3D BGL and an MSFS BGL can contain very different data, so matching file extensions do not make them interchangeable. Our breakdown of legacy FSX add-on compatibility with MSFS covers the broader platform differences.
MSFS expects a built package with files such as manifest.json and layout.json. Copying an old scenery and texture folder pair into the Community folder is not a conversion. Prepar3D scenery-library entries and add-on.xml packages also remain legacy installation methods; our guide to Prepar3D scenery folders and add-on packages shows how that structure differs.
What FSX and Prepar3D scenery can be converted?
Conversion is most practical when you own the editable source files rather than only the compiled BGLs.
| Scenery component | Conversion outlook | Work normally required |
|---|---|---|
| Airport layout | Fair | Rebuild runways, aprons, taxiways, parking, signs, exclusions and other airport data in the MSFS scenery editor. |
| Custom 3D models | Good with source files | Export through an MSFS-supported model workflow, recreate materials and check levels of detail, collision and lighting. |
| Ground imagery | Possible with original imagery | Retile and compile the georeferenced source imagery using the MSFS SDK. A legacy photo BGL is rarely suitable as-is. |
| Object placement | Depends on libraries | Replace unavailable FSX or Prepar3D library objects and package every permitted dependency. |
| Landclass, autogen and terrain | Poor direct conversion | Recreate vegetation, polygons, terraforming and exclusions for the modern world system. |
| Effects, animations and scripts | Low | Rebuild unsupported legacy effects and logic with MSFS-native systems. |
Editable airport XML, model source, texture artwork and georeferenced imagery are valuable references, but they still need checking against the MSFS SDK. Compiled MDL files, proprietary object libraries and scenery containing custom code are much harder to recover accurately.
How do you convert FSX scenery to MSFS?
The reliable method is to treat the old scenery as source material and construct a native MSFS project around the reusable assets.
- Check the licence and source files. Confirm that you may convert each model, texture and image. Locate editable source assets where possible; a compiled distribution package is a poor starting point.
- Choose the target simulator. Install the SDK matching MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 through the simulator’s developer tools. Separate packages are not always necessary, but separate testing is.
- Inventory every dependency. Identify custom object libraries, effects, textures, animations, terrain files and anything supplied by another product. Missing dependencies are a common cause of empty airports.
- Create a native scenery project. Define the package and scenery asset group in the SDK rather than placing loose legacy files in the Community folder.
- Rebuild the airport and terrain. Use the scenery editor for runways, aprons, taxiways, parking, polygons, exclusions and elevation work. Old airport data can serve as a reference, but it should not be trusted blindly.
- Convert permitted models and materials. Export editable models through a supported format such as glTF, then inspect texture assignments, transparency, night lighting, scale, orientation and levels of detail.
- Build and test the package. Resolve compiler warnings, install the built package and test it with other add-ons disabled first. Then add likely conflicting airport, mesh and world-modification packages one at a time.
A converter may extract or translate simple assets, but it cannot reliably repair licensing, missing libraries, terrain differences, unsupported effects or inefficient models. For comparison, this native MSFS scenery package for Honolulu represents the required destination: a package prepared specifically for the modern simulator.
Why does converted scenery look wrong or fail to appear?
Most failed conversions come from packaging mistakes, absent dependencies or conflicts with MSFS default scenery.
- Nothing appears: the package may be nested one folder too deep, the build may have failed, or
layout.jsonmay not match its contents. Rebuild the package instead of manually dropping extra files into it. - Two airports occupy the same site: default runways, buildings or vegetation were not deleted or excluded correctly.
- Objects are missing: the original scenery referenced an external FSX or Prepar3D object library that was not converted and packaged.
- Textures are pink, black or blank: texture references are broken, files were omitted from the build, or the legacy material needs recreating.
- Buildings float or sink: airport elevation, model origin or terraforming does not agree with the MSFS terrain mesh.
- Performance is poor: converted models may lack sensible levels of detail, use oversized textures or create excessive draw calls.
- The scenery is displaced: source coordinates, local model origins or imagery georeferencing were interpreted incorrectly.
Is converting freeware or payware scenery legal?
Permission depends on the original licence, not on whether the scenery was free. Freeware is still copyrighted, and a licence allowing personal use does not automatically permit conversion or redistribution.
For a distributable conversion, you need rights to every included model, texture, image, logo and library object. Do not extract and republish assets from FSX, Prepar3D, default scenery or another developer’s add-on unless the applicable licence expressly allows it.
MSFS 2020 and 2024 need separate testing
Many straightforward MSFS 2020 scenery packages can load in MSFS 2024, but compatibility is not guaranteed. Materials, terrain behaviour, package declarations and platform-specific features can produce different results, so build against the intended SDK and test in each simulator you claim to support.
Conversion and Community-folder testing are PC workflows. Xbox and PlayStation users cannot install arbitrary PC scenery packages; console distribution requires the simulator’s supported publishing and approval channels.