What is DXTbmp, and how do I edit flight sim textures?
DXTbmp is a texture-conversion tool used mainly with older Microsoft flight simulators such as FS2004, FSX and Prepar3D. You use it to open aircraft or scenery textures, send the image to a paint editor, preserve or edit the alpha channel, then save the file back in the correct simulator format.
What DXTbmp actually does
DXTbmp is not a full repaint program. It sits between the simulator texture and your image editor, keeping the file in a format older Microsoft sims understand. That matters because a normal paint program can save the colour artwork while stripping out the compression type or alpha data the simulator still needs.
The alpha channel is where many aircraft textures store shine, reflectivity or transparency. Lose it and windows turn solid, polished metal goes flat, or the whole model starts to look wrong even when the paint itself seems fine. If you need the tool, our DXTbmp utility page is the right starting point.
How do you use DXTbmp to edit a flight simulator texture?
The safest workflow is to let DXTbmp manage the simulator format while you do the actual painting in a separate image editor.
- Back up the original texture folder. Copy the whole
texture,texture.xxxor scenery texture folder before changing anything. Some add-on aircraft share files between liveries, so one bad save can affect several paints at once. - Open the original file in DXTbmp. Check the main image and the alpha preview. If the texture has transparency or shine, plan to preserve that alpha even if you do not intend to alter it.
- Send or export the colour image to your paint editor. Make your repaint changes there, not directly in the compressed simulator texture. Keep your working copy in a lossless format while you are still editing.
- Import the edited image back into DXTbmp. This is the part many people skip. Saving straight from a basic paint program over the simulator texture is a common way to break the format.
- Edit the alpha only if needed. On many aircraft, a lighter alpha means more reflectivity or more opacity, while a darker alpha reduces it. The exact effect depends on the model and material, so compare with the original before making large changes.
- Save in the same texture format as the original. Matching the original file is the safest rule until you know exactly what the aircraft or scenery model expects.
- Put the file back in the correct folder. For aircraft repaints that usually means the livery's texture folder. If you are creating a new repaint rather than replacing one, you will also need the right folder name and a matching
aircraft.cfgentry. Our guide to installing aircraft repaints and textures in FSX covers that part. - Reload the simulator and inspect the result. Older sims often need a full restart before a texture change appears properly.
If the repaint belongs to a complete aircraft package and the folder structure looks suspect, our FSX add-on aircraft installation walkthrough helps you check the package layout before you blame the texture file.
Which save format should you choose?
Use the original texture format unless you have a specific reason to change it. Choosing the wrong compression is one of the fastest ways to produce broken glass, missing shine or rough edges.
| Format | Use it when | Typical problem if chosen wrongly |
|---|---|---|
| DXT1 | Opaque textures or simple on off transparency | Smooth transparency is lost and edges can turn jagged |
| DXT3 | Textures that need alpha but not especially smooth gradients | Soft transparency can look coarse or blocky |
| DXT5 | Textures with smoother alpha transitions such as glass or reflective effects | Changing these to DXT1 often breaks transparency or shine |
| 32-bit | Testing, maximum quality, or files that must stay very sharp | File size grows quickly and some add-ons were tuned for compressed textures |
We would not convert everything to the smallest format just to save space. Glass, polished metal, prop discs and night textures often rely on the alpha behaving exactly like the original.
Why does the edited texture look wrong in the simulator?
Most failed repaints come from a short list of mistakes.
- The aircraft is flat or far too shiny: the alpha channel changed even though the colour art looks correct.
- Windows or prop discs turned solid: the save format no longer matches the original transparency behaviour.
- Nothing changed in the sim: you edited the wrong texture file, the aircraft uses shared textures, or the livery is pulling files from a fallback folder.
- Registration text or cockpit labels became fuzzy: the texture was compressed too aggressively.
- The texture appears white, black or corrupted: the file was saved with an unsupported format or the alpha import went wrong.
- The repaint looks blurrier at distance: the mipmap behaviour changed.
How do I know if I edited the wrong texture file?
If one part of the aircraft refuses to change, check whether the repaint folder is missing that file and whether a texture.cfg file points to a shared base texture set. Many add-ons store wings, VC parts or common fuselage sections outside the livery folder, so the texture you need may live somewhere else.
A mistake we see constantly is editing only the colour texture. On many classic aircraft, the alpha channel is half the repaint. If the model suddenly looks like flat plastic or the windows become solid, go straight back to the alpha before changing anything else.
Can you use DXTbmp with MSFS or X-Plane?
Usually not as your main texture tool. DXTbmp is most useful for FS2004, FSX and many Prepar3D add-ons that rely on older bitmap and DDS workflows.
Modern MSFS and many X-Plane aircraft use PBR materials with separate albedo, normal and metallic or roughness maps. DXTbmp may open some of those files, but it is not built around that newer workflow, so we would only use it there if the add-on documentation says the texture format is compatible.