Learn how to create custom flight simulator scenery: choose the right editor, build and package assets, fix conflicts, and test your add-on.
To create custom scenery for a flight simulator, choose the scenery type, use its editor or SDK, place georeferenced terrain and 3D assets, set exclusions and airport data, then validate, package and test it in a separate add-on folder. Tools and export formats differ between Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D.
For general flight simulator scenery development, the first decision is the scenery layer you intend to replace. An airport layout, a city landmark and a terrain mesh use different source data and may require separate tools.
What type of custom scenery are you making?
Choose one clearly defined scenery type before creating models or downloading reference data.
- Airport scenery: runways, taxiways, aprons, parking positions, signs, lighting, buildings and ground markings.
- Landmarks and local scenery: individual buildings, bridges, towers, ports or other accurately positioned 3D objects.
- Aerial or orthophoto scenery: georeferenced ground imagery placed over the simulator's terrain.
- Terrain mesh: elevation data controlling hills, valleys, coastlines and ground contours. Imagery alone does not alter elevation.
- Overlays: roads, vegetation, buildings and other features drawn above an underlying terrain layer.
Terrain work is usually more demanding than placing airport objects because tile boundaries, elevation sources and scenery priority all interact. For X-Plane, our tile-building and load-order procedure for Ortho4XP covers that specialised workflow.
Which scenery editor should you use?
Use an editor and compiler intended for the exact simulator and major version you are targeting.
| Simulator | Typical workflow | Output and testing |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024 | Developer Mode, the SDK project system and Scenery Editor. Follow our MSFS SDK scenery workflow for project creation, object placement and building. | Build a package and test it through the PC installation's Community folder. Build against the intended simulator rather than assuming packages behave identically in both editions. |
| X-Plane | WorldEditor is the normal choice for airports, object placement and overlays. Our WED airport-building procedure explains validation and export. | Export into Custom Scenery and check scenery_packs.ini. Mesh, overlays and airports need the correct relative order. |
| FSX or Prepar3D | Use a compatible SDK compiler and an airport or scenery design tool. Our Airport Design Editor workflow for FSX and P3D covers airport layouts and .bgl compilation. | Install compiled scenery through the simulator's supported scenery-library or add-on system. Match the compiler to the target simulator and Prepar3D generation. |
Most authoring and direct package testing requires a PC installation. Console editions do not provide the normal editable project and add-on-folder workflow used by scenery developers.
How do you build custom scenery step by step?
- Define the target. Record the simulator, major version, location, airport identifier where applicable and the exact area covered. Trying to support several simulators from one compiled package is a common early mistake.
- Collect lawful reference material. Obtain coordinates, dimensions, elevations and photographs from sources whose terms permit your intended use. Check that coordinates use the datum and longitude convention expected by the editor.
- Create a clean project. Keep editable source models, textures, reference material, compiled output and the installed test copy in separate folders. Never edit default simulator files directly.
- Build the foundation first. For an airport, establish runways, taxiways, aprons and elevation behaviour before adding buildings. For terrain, establish mesh and imagery alignment before placing roads, vegetation or objects.
- Add optimised 3D assets. Model at real-world scale, set sensible origins and pivots, map textures correctly and use the material types supported by the target simulator. Add levels of detail where the format supports them; distant terminal buildings do not need cockpit-level geometry.
- Set exclusions and scenery priority. Exclude only the stock objects, vegetation or airport features your package replaces. Overly large exclusions can erase neighbouring scenery, while missing exclusions produce doubled terminals and overlapping runways.
- Compile and validate. Use the target simulator's compiler and resolve validation errors rather than assuming the simulator will ignore them safely. Keep the build log because missing assets and malformed paths are often identified there.
- Test from a clean simulator start. Inspect the location from the ground and every practical approach direction. Check daytime, darkness, different viewing distances and elevation changes, then repeat with other add-ons enabled one at a time.
Why does custom scenery not appear or look correct?
Most scenery faults come from installation depth, load order, conflicting packages or a build made for the wrong simulator version.
- Nothing appears: confirm that you installed the compiled output, not the source project. Check for an extra nested folder and verify that the scenery area or package is enabled.
- Two airports or buildings overlap: another add-on or the default airport is still drawing. Disable other packages for that location, add narrowly targeted exclusions and rebuild.
- Objects float or sink: check the model origin and whether altitude is interpreted as above ground level or mean sea level. Airport flattening and terrain mesh changes can also move the apparent surface.
- Terrain has holes, cliffs or spikes: inspect elevation data, tile boundaries and competing mesh packages. In simulators with ordered scenery layers, only the highest-priority mesh for an area may be effective.
- Textures are missing or blurred: confirm that every texture was exported, compiled and referenced using the supported material format. Also inspect UV mapping and case-sensitive file references where applicable.
- Frame rate collapses near the scenery: reduce unique materials, draw calls, excessive texture resolution and unseen geometry. Add level-of-detail models and reserve collision geometry for surfaces that need it.
A mistake we see constantly is testing only with every existing add-on enabled. Start with the new package alone. If it works, reintroduce nearby airports, mesh, orthophotos and global overlays individually until the conflict returns.
Can you redistribute imagery and 3D models?
Publicly viewable imagery and downloadable 3D models are not automatically licensed for redistribution in flight simulator scenery.
Use material you created yourself or material carrying a licence that permits modification and redistribution. Retain required attribution and licence documents. Referencing a stock library object through the simulator's supported library system is different from extracting and distributing the underlying default asset.
How should you package the finished scenery?
A distributable scenery package should contain only the files required by the simulator, arranged in the installation structure expected by that platform.
- Give the package a unique, stable identifier to reduce conflicts with other scenery.
- State the supported simulator and major version, covered location, dependencies and known compatibility issues.
- Include concise installation, load-order and removal instructions.
- Keep source projects, unlicensed reference images, caches and temporary compiler output out of the release archive.
- Install the packaged release on a clean test setup before sharing it; testing only from the development project can hide missing files.