How do I install orthophoto scenery in Prepar3D?

To install orthophoto scenery in Prepar3D, extract the package to a permanent folder, verify that a scenery subfolder contains compiled .bgl files, then activate it through its supplied add-on.xml or the Scenery Library—not both. Place airports above the imagery, restart Prepar3D and test within the covered area.

What should a Prepar3D orthophoto package contain?

A ready-to-install Prepar3D orthophoto package normally contains compiled terrain files rather than loose photographs or map tiles. Orthophoto and photoreal scenery are commonly used as interchangeable terms in Prepar3D documentation.

An FSX-labelled photoreal package may work when it uses conventional terrain .bgl files, but compatibility is not guaranteed. Old installers cause more trouble than the scenery itself: if an installer cannot detect your Prepar3D version, do not force it into another simulator's directory.

How do I install the orthophoto files?

Use the package's XML method when one is supplied; otherwise register its parent folder through the Prepar3D Scenery Library.

1. Read the supplied instructions. They may define a required installation path, supporting library or layer order. Do not activate the same package through both add-on.xml and the Scenery Library.
2. Extract every archive part. Prepar3D cannot load scenery from a ZIP or other compressed archive. If the download is split into several parts, extract them as instructed so that all resulting .bgl files remain in the same package structure.
3. Check for double nesting. A common mistake is ending up with a hierarchy such as Photo Region/Photo Region/scenery. For a legacy installation, the folder selected in the Scenery Library must be the direct parent of scenery.
4. Choose a permanent location. Keep add-ons outside Prepar3D's core installation directory unless the package specifically requires otherwise. A self-contained XML package can use the version-specific Prepar3D Add-ons folder under Documents when instructed; a legacy package can reside on another reliable local drive.
5. Activate the package. Prepar3D normally detects a correctly placed add-on.xml package and offers to enable it. For a legacy package, open the Scenery Library, add a new area, select the folder above scenery, and make sure the resulting entry is enabled.
6. Set the priority. Put detailed airport scenery and local airport exclusions above the regional imagery. Keep the preferred orthophoto above competing photo coverage and default scenery.
7. Restart and test inside the coverage area. Load a daylight flight at a known included airport. Orthophoto packages often have exact boundaries, so testing a few miles beyond the edge can make a correct installation appear to have failed.

Menu wording and add-on discovery differ slightly between Prepar3D releases. Users of that edition can follow our Prepar3D v5 instructions for XML packages and legacy scenery folders.

Where should orthophoto scenery sit in the layer order?

Orthophoto scenery should normally sit below detailed airports and local overlays but above default regional scenery and any photo package it is meant to replace.

• Higher priority: add-on airports, airport ground polygons, local exclusions and detailed city scenery.
• Middle priority: the preferred regional orthophoto or photoreal package.
• Lower priority: competing regional imagery, broad landclass and default scenery.

An entry nearer the top of the classic Scenery Library generally has higher priority. If several products overlap, our recommended Prepar3D scenery layer order explains how to place airports, overlays, imagery and default areas.

Terrain mesh is different: it supplies elevation, while orthophoto supplies the image draped over that elevation. Prepar3D selects mesh primarily according to available resolution and terrain settings, so simply moving a mesh above the imagery does not sharpen the photograph. See our mesh and photoreal layering guidance when both packages cover the same region.

Why is my orthophoto scenery not showing in Prepar3D?

Missing orthophoto scenery is most often caused by an inactive entry, the wrong folder being registered, incomplete extraction or testing outside the package boundary.

• No scenery entry appears: confirm that add-on.xml is still at the package root or add the direct parent of scenery through the Scenery Library.
• The entry is enabled but nothing changes: verify the package's coverage coordinates, then temporarily disable other regional photo scenery covering the same location.
• Only part of the region appears: check that every archive part was downloaded and that all files were extracted into the intended structure.
• The airport ground has disappeared: move the airport package and its exclusions above the orthophoto entry.
• Black or blank areas always appear in the same place: re-extract the package and check for missing or corrupt .bgl files. Persistent fixed gaps may be no-data areas or a compilation defect in the scenery itself.
• Prepar3D reports incompatible scenery: disable the package and confirm that it was compiled for FSX or Prepar3D. X-Plane orthophoto folders cannot be copied into Prepar3D.
• The package appears twice: remove one registration. Duplicate XML and Scenery Library entries make priority problems harder to diagnose and provide no visual benefit.

Why is the imagery blurry, flat or missing autogen?

Blur, flat terrain, absent buildings and unchanged seasonal colours are often package or display limitations rather than installation errors.

• Blurry imagery: allow the simulator time to load detailed tiles, use a fast local drive for large regions, and select a texture-resolution setting appropriate to the package and your hardware. No setting can recover detail missing from the source imagery.
• Flat-looking hills: an aerial photograph does not create elevation. Install compatible terrain mesh if the default ground shape lacks detail.
• No buildings or vegetation: photoreal scenery needs matching autogen annotations, commonly supplied as .agn files in a texture folder. Confirm that the folder is present and that the simulator's autogen density is not disabled.
• No seasonal or night variation: the package will retain its daytime or single-season appearance unless its author included separate seasonal and night textures.
• Incorrect water or coastlines: the scenery may lack suitable water masks, or another vector scenery package may be conflicting with it.

Can Prepar3D use JPG, PNG or GeoTIFF orthophotos directly?

Prepar3D cannot use raw image files simply by placing them in an add-on folder. Even a georeferenced GeoTIFF must be processed with the appropriate Prepar3D SDK terrain tools and compiled into terrain .bgl files.

Compilation requires correct geographic bounds, projection, pixel resolution and source definitions. Seasonal imagery, night textures and water masks require additional source data. Our guide to creating and installing custom Prepar3D scenery covers the separate workflow for source imagery that is not already an installable package.

If the finished orthophoto will be shared, the imagery licence must permit redistribution; being visible in an online map or downloadable as a GeoTIFF does not automatically grant that right.