Create MSFS 2024 liveries with Blender: prepare the right UV model, paint textures, preserve PBR channels, package them and fix common errors.
Use Blender as the 3D painting and UV-checking tool, not as the livery installer. Start with a legitimate paint kit or model whose UV map exactly matches the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 aircraft, paint the base-colour textures, preserve its PBR channels, then build a separate livery package and test it from the PC Community folder.
Can Blender create a complete MSFS 2024 livery?
No. Blender handles 3D previewing, UV inspection, stencil projection and texture painting, but an MSFS 2024 livery also needs correctly formatted texture files, aircraft references, package metadata and a valid content layout.
You will normally use Blender alongside an image editor and the Microsoft Flight Simulator SDK package tools. Our comparison of the software used at each livery stage explains where paint kits, DDS tools and Blender fit into the process.
A livery does not need to contain or export the aircraft's 3D model. The model in Blender is only a painting reference. Do not extract encrypted aircraft assets or redistribute a proprietary preview mesh; use an official paint kit, a developer-supplied Blender scene or another model supplied with permission.
Blender-to-MSFS 2024 livery workflow
- Identify the exact aircraft and variant. A texture made for one engine, fuselage length or developer's version of an aircraft can have completely different UV coordinates from another. Matching aircraft names are not proof of compatibility.
- Start from a valid livery template. Use an official sample, developer paint kit or your own known-good package for that exact aircraft. Keep the project outside the simulator's Official folder, which may be streamed, repaired or replaced by an update.
- Load the supplied model and UV map. Import the legitimate reference mesh or open the supplied Blender file. Confirm that its UV islands line up with the paint-kit textures, and do not re-unwrap or re-UV the mesh; doing so makes the artwork incompatible with the aircraft in the simulator.
- Connect the existing textures. Assign each fuselage, wing, tail and engine texture to the correct material. Set base-colour images to
sRGB. Packed material maps and normal maps should normally use Blender'sNon-Colorsetting so colour management does not alter their data. - Paint the design. Use Texture Paint, stencils or projected artwork while checking the 2D UV editor. Extend colours beyond UV-island edges to prevent pale or dark seams when MSFS displays lower mip levels.
- Check mirrored and overlapping UVs. Many aircraft reuse one texture area on both sides. A logo may therefore appear backwards on one side. Blender cannot separate genuinely mirrored geometry through painting alone; use the aircraft's supported decal method or redesign the asymmetric element.
- Save every edited image externally. Saving the
.blendfile is not enough, and packing an image inside it does not update the livery package. Preserve the paint kit's pixel dimensions, alpha channel and naming convention. - Export or compile the textures. Follow the template's established route: either provide supported source images to the SDK package build or create DDS files using the same format and channel handling as the originals. Do not select a compression format that discards alpha simply to reduce file size. Our detailed repaint and MSFS packaging workflow covers the conversion and material stages in context.
- Build a separate livery package. Give the package and livery unique identifiers, retain the correct base-aircraft association and regenerate its content layout after changing any file. A copied
layout.jsoncontaining old paths or file sizes is a common reason a finished texture is ignored. - Install and test the built package. Put the package itself—not an extra parent folder—into the PC Community folder. Inspect both sides, every engine and tail option, different distances, daylight, rain and night lighting. The PC Community-folder installation checks help distinguish a broken package from one installed at the wrong folder depth.
Which texture files should I edit?
Edit only the texture types required by the design, retaining the paint kit's filenames, dimensions and channel conventions.
| Texture type | How Blender should treat it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Base colour or albedo | Paint colour, logos and markings in sRGB; preserve the supplied alpha channel. | Flattening or deleting alpha data used by the aircraft material. |
| COMP or packed PBR map | Use Non-Color and follow the aircraft's existing packed-channel convention exactly. | Painting it as an ordinary RGB image, producing chrome-like or excessively matt surfaces. |
| Normal map | Usually leave it unchanged unless the repaint genuinely requires altered surface detail. | Colour-correcting or inverting channels without checking the simulator convention. |
| Emissive or decal texture | Edit only when the paint kit identifies its purpose and material assignment. | Assuming every visible marking belongs in the main fuselage texture. |
For an ordinary airline or private-aircraft repaint, we recommend changing the base-colour artwork first and leaving the working normal and COMP maps alone. Add material changes only after the basic livery displays correctly.
Why is my Blender livery broken in MSFS 2024?
Most broken Blender liveries are caused by a package, UV or texture-format mismatch rather than the painted artwork itself.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Livery does not appear | Check the base-aircraft reference, unique identifiers, folder depth and rebuilt content layout. Remove older duplicate copies while testing. |
| Aircraft is pink, chequered or plain white | A texture name, path or fallback reference is wrong, or the exported image format is unsupported by that package workflow. |
| Artwork is shifted or split | The Blender mesh or paint kit belongs to another aircraft variant. Return to the exact model-specific UV layout. |
| Text is backwards on one side | The aircraft uses mirrored UVs. Use its supported decal system or avoid asymmetric text in that area. |
| Paint becomes shiny, metallic or very matt | The packed PBR map, base-colour alpha or colour-space setting was altered. Restore the original maps and reintroduce changes one channel at a time. |
| Coloured seams appear at a distance | Artwork stops at the UV boundary or mipmaps were mishandled. Add edge padding and let the established package process generate the required mip levels. |
| Blender changes disappear after reopening | The edited image was not saved to disk. Save each texture separately instead of relying on the .blend file. |
| A registration appears over the artwork | The aircraft is drawing a dynamic registration or decal layer. Adjust the supported livery configuration or leave clear space for it. |
Will the livery work in MSFS 2020 or on consoles?
Do not assume an MSFS 2024 livery will work with the similarly named MSFS 2020 aircraft. Compatibility depends on the same aircraft container, geometry, UV layout, material names and package system being retained; the reliable approach is to rebuild and test against a paint kit intended for the target simulator and aircraft version.
This loose-package workflow is for PC. Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 do not expose the PC Community folder, so console users cannot copy a Blender-made livery package directly into the simulator. Console distribution requires the simulator's formal in-sim publishing route and compliance with its content and licensing requirements.