How do I create aircraft repaints in FSX?

To create an aircraft repaint in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, use the paint kit for the exact model, edit its layered texture sheets, export them in the original DDS or BMP format with alpha channels and mipmaps preserved, then add a new texture folder and matching [fltsim.x] entry to aircraft.cfg.

FSX aircraft repaint workflow

The safest method is to clone a working livery for the same model variant and replace only its paintable texture sheets with exports from the correct paint kit.

1. Find the exact paint kit. Match the developer, aircraft release and model variant; a kit for another version of the same aircraft may have different UV mapping. Our FSX Boeing 787-8 paint-kit example shows the layered sheets and mapping guides typically supplied in a usable kit.
2. Back up the aircraft. Copy aircraft.cfg and the livery folder you intend to use as a reference. Aircraft are normally under Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes in boxed FSX or Steam\steamapps\common\FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes in a default Steam installation, although custom library locations differ.
3. Create a working texture folder. Inside the aircraft folder, copy a known-good livery for the same model and rename it along the lines of texture.MyAirline. Keep its supporting textures or texture.cfg fallback file; copying from a different model variant is a common cause of white or missing surfaces.
4. Paint the layered master. Keep the wireframe or UV guide above the artwork while positioning colours, registrations and logos. Do not resize the canvas. Save a layered PSD, XCF or other editable master so that compressed simulator textures never become your only source files.
5. Preserve the alpha channel. In FSX, alpha may control transparency, reflectivity or another material property. Start with the paint kit's alpha channel or copy it from the corresponding working texture; replacing it with solid white or black can make the aircraft excessively reflective, dull or partly invisible.
6. Export the simulator textures. Retain the exact filenames, dimensions and texture type expected by the model. Generate mipmaps and follow the paint kit's DDS orientation instructions—FSX DDS workflows commonly involve vertically flipped textures, but many exporters perform the flip automatically.
7. Add a new aircraft configuration entry. Copy the [fltsim.x] block belonging to the same model variant, assign the next sequential number, give it a unique title=, and make texture= match the new folder suffix.
8. Test in daylight. Restart FSX if the old texture remains cached, select the new variation, and inspect both sides, the tail, control surfaces, underside and night lighting. Check at several distances so that mipmap or compression problems are visible.

Which texture format should an FSX repaint use?

Use the format and compression type employed by the original working livery unless the aircraft's documentation explicitly specifies something else.

GIMP, Photoshop and other editors can produce suitable artwork when equipped with the necessary texture support, but the export settings matter more than the editor name. Our guide to FSX repaint formats in GIMP explains the distinction between editable source files and simulator-ready DDS or BMP textures.

Do not repeatedly open, alter and resave a compressed DXT texture. Each cycle damages fine lettering and colour boundaries. Make every revision in the lossless layered master, then produce a fresh simulator export.

How do I add the repaint to aircraft.cfg?

Copy a working [fltsim.x] section from the same aircraft variant and change only the fields needed to identify the new paint.

• [fltsim.12]: replace the number with the next contiguous unused value; do not duplicate an existing section number.
• title=: give the variation a unique title. A duplicate title can prevent it from loading correctly.
• texture=MyAirline: this must correspond to the folder texture.MyAirline.
• model=, sim=, panel= and sound=: retain the values from a livery using the same physical model.
• ui_variation=: set the livery name shown in the aircraft-selection menu. The other ui_ fields should remain consistent with the aircraft.

Edit the file as plain text and avoid smart quotes or accidental changes to unrelated sections. For a complete worked example of folder placement and sequential configuration entries, see our practical FSX repaint installation walkthrough.

Why is my FSX repaint white, transparent or missing?

Most failed repaints result from a filename, folder reference, alpha-channel or model-variant mismatch rather than the painted artwork itself.

• All-white aircraft: confirm that the exported filename is unchanged, texture= points to the right folder, and required shared textures can be reached through texture.cfg. Our white-aircraft texture checks cover these fallback and variant problems in detail.
• Repaint absent from the menu: look for a duplicate title=, duplicated or skipped [fltsim.x] numbering, a malformed entry, or edits made to the wrong copy of aircraft.cfg.
• Black, glass-like or invisible areas: restore the original alpha channel and export in a format that retains it.
• Upside-down markings: correct the DDS export orientation. Do not flip the artwork and also enable an exporter that performs its own flip.
• Mirrored registration or logo: the model may reuse one texture area for both sides. Separate left- and right-side markings are impossible through repainting alone when the UV mapping is mirrored.
• Shimmering at a distance: regenerate proper mipmaps. If small text becomes muddy, inspect the generated mip levels and avoid repeated lossy saves.
• Changes do not appear: verify that FSX is displaying the new variation rather than the source livery, then restart the simulator to clear cached resources.

Can I make an FSX repaint without a paint kit?

You can repaint from an existing texture, but it is slower and gives less control over seams, shading and mirrored surfaces.

Start from the highest-quality clean livery available for that exact model, convert it once into a lossless layered working file, and preserve its alpha channel separately. Existing textures may contain baked-in logos, panel shading and compression artefacts, while the absence of a UV wireframe makes alignment across the fuselage and tail much harder.

How should I package an FSX repaint for sharing?

Distribute only the new texture folder, any permitted fallback file, and clear installation instructions unless the base aircraft's licence explicitly allows its other files to be included.

State the exact aircraft release and model variant required, and provide the matching [fltsim.x] block without assuming which section number the user has available. Do not bundle the aircraft model, gauges, panel or sound files merely to make installation easier; those remain subject to the original developer's licence.