Create a FlyByWire A32NX or A380X livery in MSFS: edit the paint kit, export correct DDS textures, package it and fix display errors.
To create a FlyByWire A32NX or A380X livery in Microsoft Flight Simulator, start with the paint kit and livery template for that exact aircraft. Edit only the intended artwork layers, export textures with unchanged names, dimensions and formats, assemble the MSFS package, regenerate layout.json, then test it in the simulator.
Which FlyByWire paint kit should I use?
Use the paint kit intended for the installed FlyByWire aircraft and model generation, not one made for another A320neo or A380. Similar-looking aircraft can have completely different UV mapping, materials, texture names and package dependencies.
The paint kit supplies the editable artwork and texture guides; the livery template supplies the MSFS folder structure and configuration. For the narrow-body aircraft, our A32NX base package and repaint notes provide useful background on its livery resources and conversion requirements.
If the kit includes layered image files, preserve those layers. If it includes a 3D scene, use that to preview seams and UV placement, but retain a separate layered master rather than painting destructively over the exported texture.
How do I turn the paint kit into an MSFS livery?
The reliable workflow is to paint a copy of the master files, export them exactly as the template expects and let the package template provide the aircraft configuration.
- Match the aircraft and template. Confirm that both the paint kit and livery template name the A32NX or A380X. Do not combine an A32NX texture set with a default A320neo livery package, or an A380X paint kit with another A380 model.
- Create a working copy. Keep the untouched masters so you can recover masks, panel lines, rivets, weathering and alpha channels. Give the package, livery variation and aircraft title unique identifiers to prevent conflicts with another repaint.
- Paint beneath the detail layers. Place colours, logos and registrations on dedicated layers below panel lines and surface details unless the kit instructs otherwise. Extend artwork beyond UV boundaries slightly to prevent pale seams caused by filtering and mipmaps.
- Check the UV layout. Use the supplied 3D preview where available. A temporary numbered grid is especially useful for finding mirrored areas, overlapping UV islands and artwork crossing separate fuselage sheets.
- Export the textures. Preserve every filename, pixel dimension, alpha channel, DDS format and mipmap setting used by the template. Base-colour or
ALBDtextures contain the visible paint; do not overwriteCOMPor normal maps merely to change the colour scheme. - Configure the livery package. Set a unique
titleandui_variationin the suppliedaircraft.cfg. Keep its exact base-aircraft reference, model entry and texture identifier unless the template documentation explicitly calls for a change. - Build or update the package. If the template is an MSFS project, build it using the package workflow supplied with that project. If it is a ready-made Community template, replace its example textures and regenerate
layout.jsonafter every file addition, removal, rename or export. - Install one test copy. Place the finished package in the simulator's Community folder, ensuring that
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonsit at the package root. Remove older copies, restart MSFS and select the new variation from the aircraft livery menu.
What should the livery package contain?
A normal standalone repaint references the installed FlyByWire aircraft rather than including the aircraft itself.
manifest.jsoncontaining package metadata.layout.jsonlisting the packaged files with up-to-date metadata.SimObjects/AirPlanes/[livery-container]/aircraft.cfgdefining the selectable variation and its base-aircraft dependency.- A
texture.[variation]folder containing the exported DDS textures and the template'stexture.cfg. - Any preview images or supporting files required by that particular template.
Copy the structure from the aircraft-specific template rather than typing base-container names from memory. Those names are internal identifiers, and a plausible-looking but incorrect value can stop the livery appearing at all.
What changes when painting the A380X?
The A380X uses more exterior surface area and texture sections, so alignment across fuselage joins demands more checking than on the A32NX. Large cheatlines, tail graphics and titles may cross several UV islands even when they look continuous on the aircraft.
Paint and validate one section at a time. Check both sides because some small components may be mirrored or share texture space; text placed on a mirrored island will appear backwards. Also inspect engines, pylons, doors, wing surfaces and tail sections separately rather than assuming the main fuselage sheet controls them.
Do not enlarge or rename texture sheets to simplify the job. The model's materials request specific assets, and changing their dimensions or names without rebuilding those material references causes missing, blurred or fallback textures.
Why does my FlyByWire livery not appear or look correct?
Most failed liveries are caused by package metadata, stale layout entries or an export that no longer matches the template.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Livery is absent from the menu | Wrong base-aircraft reference, duplicate title, malformed configuration, stale layout.json or an extra nested folder | Restore the template configuration, assign unique identifiers, regenerate the layout and check the package root |
| Aircraft appears white or uses default paint | Incorrect texture identifier, missing texture.cfg, bad fallback path or mismatched filename | Copy these entries from the matching livery template and preserve exact spelling |
| Pink, chequered or missing surfaces | A requested texture is absent or its DDS export is unreadable | Re-export using the source texture's dimensions, channels and compression settings |
| Only part of the aircraft is painted | The artwork is on another texture atlas, or a required sheet was omitted | Use a numbered test grid to locate the surface and include the relevant exported texture |
| Logos are backwards or split | Mirrored UVs or artwork crossing a seam | Preview in 3D and create separate artwork for each usable side |
| Paint is sharp nearby but shimmers at distance | Missing or unsuitable mipmaps | Match the mipmap method used by the supplied texture template |
| A working repaint breaks after an aircraft change | The model, material assignment or texture set has changed | Move the artwork into a paint kit and livery template intended for the updated aircraft |
A mistake we see constantly is changing a DDS file but leaving the old layout.json. MSFS may then ignore the changed asset or treat the package inconsistently. Regenerate the file and restart the simulator before investigating the artwork itself.
Can one livery package work in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?
Not automatically: the livery works only where the compatible FlyByWire base aircraft and package structure are available. Test separate installations of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 rather than assuming that a package accepted by one will behave identically in the other.
This file-based workflow is for PC. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro users cannot install an arbitrary loose Community-folder package, so a privately created repaint cannot simply be copied to those consoles.
How should I package a finished livery for sharing?
Distribute only the standalone livery package, source acknowledgement and installation notes; never bundle the FlyByWire base aircraft. The extracted package folder should open directly onto manifest.json, layout.json and the package directories, without an accidental second folder of the same name.
Test the repaint in daylight and low light, close up and at distance, and from both sides of the aircraft. Confirm that the thumbnail, livery name, registration and aircraft dependency are accurate, then remove editable source files and unused textures from the release archive. A package prepared for our MSFS aircraft and livery library should also identify the required FlyByWire aircraft and state which simulator editions were actually tested.