See what FSX and Prepar3D scenery can be reused in MSFS, how to rebuild it with the SDK, fix common faults and check licences.
Yes, but FSX and Prepar3D scenery cannot normally be copied straight into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024. A dependable conversion means reusing only licensed source models, textures, imagery and reference data, then rebuilding airport records, terrain, materials, effects and packaging with the MSFS SDK.
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. Although Microsoft Flight Simulator also uses BGL files internally, their data and surrounding package structure differ from those used by FSX and Prepar3D.
Copying an old scenery and texture folder pair into the Community folder does not convert it. 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.
Legacy BGLs may contain airport records, object placements, terrain data, imagery or references to separate model libraries. Development utilities can sometimes inspect or extract parts of them, but the resulting data still needs permission, conversion, native packaging and testing.
Which parts of FSX or Prepar3D scenery can be reused?
Editable source assets offer the best prospects; a compiled distribution package is the least useful starting point.
| Legacy scenery component | Reuse potential | Work required in MSFS |
|---|---|---|
| Airport layout, coordinates and placement data | Useful as reference data | Rebuild and verify runways, taxiways, aprons, parking, signs, routing, elevations and exclusions. |
| Original editable 3D models | Usually good | Export through an MSFS-compatible glTF workflow; check scale, axes, origin, collision, lighting and levels of detail. |
| Compiled MDL or model-library BGL | Variable and potentially lossy | Recover geometry only when the licence permits it, then repair materials, animations, attachment effects and model metadata. |
| Texture source files | Often reusable with permission | Correct references and rebuild transparency, emissive lighting and physically based material maps such as normal, roughness and metallic data. |
| Georeferenced source imagery | Potentially useful | Retile and compile the original imagery for MSFS. Do not copy a legacy photoreal BGL. |
| Object placements | Depends on their libraries | Correct elevation and orientation, replace unavailable stock objects and package every permitted custom dependency. |
| Ground polygons, landclass, autogen and terrain | Poor direct conversion | Recreate surfaces, vegetation, exclusions and terraforming for the MSFS world system. |
| Effects, scripts and animations | Low | Replace unsupported smoke, particles, lighting, code and animation controls with MSFS-native features where equivalents exist. |
The cleanest conversion starts with the creator’s original model, texture, airport and geographic source files. When only compiled BGL and MDL files survive, a fresh rebuild may be quicker and produce a better result.
Can an automatic converter do the whole job?
No automatic converter can turn every legacy airport into a complete, efficient and legally distributable MSFS package.
Conversion utilities can recover basic geometry, coordinates or placement information. They cannot grant rights to third-party assets, restore missing source detail, replace absent object libraries, create correct airport routing or decide how old terrain should interact with the modern streamed world.
ModelConverterX is useful for inspecting and translating individual permitted models, not for one-button airport conversion. Our FSX model conversion workflow using ModelConverterX covers the model-specific process and the material repairs required afterwards.
A package compiling without an error does not prove that the scenery has converted correctly. Duplicate airport elements, broken materials, poor levels of detail and misplaced objects may appear only inside the simulator.
How do you convert FSX or Prepar3D scenery to MSFS?
The dependable method is to create a native MSFS project and use the old scenery only as source material or a visual reference.
- Confirm ownership and permissions. Check the licence for every model, texture, image, logo and library object. Owning or downloading an add-on does not automatically grant permission to extract, modify or redistribute it.
- Choose the target simulator. Decide whether the package is intended for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, MSFS 2024 or both. Use the appropriate SDK and test every version for which support will be claimed.
- Inventory the old package. List airport BGLs, models, textures, imagery, effects, animations, terrain files and external object libraries. Unrecorded library dependencies are a common reason for missing buildings.
- Recover only permitted assets. Prefer original model files, texture masters, airport source data and georeferenced imagery. Treat anything extracted from a compiled file as an intermediate asset requiring inspection, not as finished MSFS content. Do not bundle FSX or Prepar3D stock assets.
- Create a native MSFS project. Enable Developer Mode on the PC version, define a proper project and scenery asset group, and use the Package Builder rather than manually placing legacy files in 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 terrain. Create runways, taxiways, aprons, parking positions, signs, polygons, exclusions and elevation adjustments in the Scenery Editor. Check them against reliable airport references and the terrain used by the target simulator rather than assuming the old layout and elevations remain accurate. The practical MSFS scenery-building process covers object placement, package compilation and testing.
- Convert models and materials. Export through a supported glTF-based workflow, then check scale, axes, model origin, bounding information, transparency, collision and levels of detail. Recreate legacy materials rather than merely renaming their files.
- Replace unsupported features. Rebuild night lighting, windsocks, seasonal behaviour, smoke, particles, animated objects and custom logic with SDK-supported features, or remove them if no suitable equivalent exists.
- Build and test the package. Resolve relevant build warnings, install the built output rather than the source project and begin testing with unrelated Community add-ons disabled. Add airport, mesh and world-modification packages back one at a time to expose conflicts.
Why does converted scenery not appear or look right?
Packaging faults, missing dependencies, legacy materials and conflicts with default scenery account for most failed conversions.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing appears | The raw BGL was copied, the build failed, the package has an extra wrapper folder or the wrong Community folder is in use | Install the built package and confirm its manifest and layout files are at the expected package level. |
| Only some buildings appear | An external object library was not included or replaced | Identify every legacy library reference and package only licensed custom assets. |
| Two airports or duplicate buildings appear | Default airport elements were not excluded or replaced correctly | Review the airport replacement settings, exclusions and the area affected by them. |
| Buildings float or sink | Legacy altitude assumptions, model origins or terraforming disagree with the terrain mesh | Check absolute versus above-ground placement, correct model origins and inspect elevation across the whole airport. |
| Objects are displaced | Incorrect coordinates, local origins or imagery georeferencing | Verify source coordinates and orientation instead of moving the entire airport by eye. |
| Aprons flicker | An old ground polygon overlaps a default or native surface | Rebuild the surface rather than stacking nearly coplanar polygons. |
| Surfaces are pink, black, blank or unnaturally glossy | Missing textures, broken paths, transparency errors or unsupported legacy materials | Verify every texture reference and recreate the material for the MSFS rendering system. |
| Lights, effects or animations do nothing | Legacy effect files and animation controls are unsupported | Implement an MSFS-native replacement or remove the feature. |
| Performance is poor | Excessive geometry, material assignments, draw calls, texture resolution or missing levels of detail | Optimise the models and test from the cockpit with the complete airport visible. |
Package priority can also cause missing objects, overlapping airports or exclusions that remove another add-on’s content. Check MSFS package priority and Community-folder management before rebuilding scenery that may simply be losing a conflict.
How do you prove that a scenery conversion works?
A conversion is successful only when the built native package has been tested in every intended simulator version; a successful export or one good screenshot is not enough.
- The package loads after a simulator restart without relying on files left in the development project.
- Every custom model and texture appears with unrelated Community packages disabled.
- The default airport does not show through, and nearby world scenery has not been removed accidentally.
- Runway starts, parking positions, taxi routing and surface types work during normal ground operations.
- Models remain aligned with the terrain when viewed from different positions and distances.
- Materials, transparency and lighting have been checked by day and night, in varied weather and at different scenery-detail settings.
- Likely airport, mesh and world-scenery conflicts have been restored individually.
- Performance remains acceptable when the whole airport is visible, not only while one building is inspected in the editor.
Is it better to convert or rebuild the scenery?
A hybrid rebuild is usually the best choice: retain lawful, high-quality source assets and reference data, but recreate airport and scenery definitions natively in MSFS.
- Reuse converted assets when editable source files, clear permissions and accurate custom models are available.
- Rebuild from scratch when only compiled files remain, the airport depends heavily on legacy ground polygons or stock libraries, or its geometry and imagery are outdated.
- Stop the conversion when ownership is unclear or repairing recovered assets would take longer than creating clean native replacements.
Small airports with a few original models are the strongest candidates. Complex products with custom terrain, scripts, extensive effects and many external libraries may not be economical to convert.
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 scenery was free or paid.
Freeware remains copyrighted. Permission for personal installation may not allow extraction, modification or redistribution, while permission from the airport developer may not cover separately licensed imagery, logos or object libraries. Do not include stock FSX, Prepar3D or third-party assets unless the applicable licence expressly permits it.
Will the same scenery work in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?
A converted package may work in both simulators, but compatibility must be tested separately in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
A straightforward MSFS 2020 package can load in MSFS 2024, yet default airports, terrain, vegetation, streamed scenery, materials, package declarations and SDK behaviour can differ. Do not claim support for both versions after testing only one.
Scenery development and manual Community-folder installation are PC workflows. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro do not provide an equivalent way to sideload arbitrary converted packages; console scenery requires the simulator’s supported publishing route. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was never released for PlayStation.