How do I install orthophoto scenery in X-Plane 12?

To install X-Plane 12 ortho scenery, extract each ready-made scenery folder into X-Plane 12/Custom Scenery, then order it below airports and overlays in scenery_packs.ini. An Ortho4XP download may instead be source material or a project: only completed tile and generated overlay scenery folders belong in Custom Scenery.

Install ready-made X-Plane 12 ortho scenery

A ready-made orthophoto package can be installed without running Ortho4XP, provided the download contains completed scenery rather than source imagery.

1. Check the package contents. A finished orthophoto tile normally has an Earth nav data folder alongside terrain and texture data. Large regional packages may contain several separate tile folders and an optional overlay folder.
2. Close X-Plane 12 and extract every archive. Do not run scenery from a ZIP file. If the download is split into several archive parts, all parts must be present before extraction.
3. Find the actual scenery folder. The folder copied into Custom Scenery should normally contain Earth nav data directly inside it. Avoid structures such as Custom Scenery/Downloaded Package/zOrtho.../Earth nav data; move the inner zOrtho... folder up one level instead.
4. Copy all required components. Place completed orthophoto tile folders and any supplied overlay folder in X-Plane 12/Custom Scenery. Never put them in Global Scenery, Resources or an aircraft directory.
5. Let X-Plane register them. Start X-Plane 12, allow it to reach the main screen, then exit normally. New recognised folders should appear in Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini.
6. Arrange the loading order. Custom airports and overlays must sit above orthophoto base-mesh tiles. Use the priority example below.
7. Test within the package's coverage. Load an airport or viewpoint known to be inside an installed tile. A neighbouring latitude-and-longitude tile will not supply imagery outside its own boundary.

Ortho4XP in X-Plane 12

After Ortho4XP completes a full tile build, install its finished tile output rather than the Ortho4XP application, imagery cache or project directory.

The output location depends on how Ortho4XP was configured, but completed tiles are commonly written to its tile output or Tiles directory. Copy or link each finished zOrtho4XP... folder into Custom Scenery. Install the shared yOrtho4XP_Overlays folder once; it can contain overlay DSFs for many tiles.

Tile names identify the one-degree cell using the latitude and longitude of its south-west corner. For example, +50-004 covers approximately 50°N to 51°N and 4°W to 3°W. You can also inspect the DSF filename under Earth nav data; the containing directory may represent a larger coordinate group, so use the DSF filename itself when confirming exact coverage.

An unbuilt project may contain gigabytes of downloaded imagery but no usable X-Plane scenery. If there is no completed tile folder containing an Earth nav data tree and its associated terrain and texture files, the tile still needs to be built. Our complete Ortho4XP build and installation guide covers the generation process and overlay setup.

Does X-Plane 12 support photogrammetry?

X-Plane 12 can display compatible custom 3D objects and meshes, but ordinary orthophoto scenery and Ortho4XP tiles are not true photogrammetry.

Orthophotos are aerial photographs mapped onto the terrain mesh. They improve the appearance of fields, roads, coastlines and urban ground patterns, but buildings visible in the photograph remain flat parts of the ground texture. The elevation mesh can shape hills and valleys; it does not reconstruct individual buildings.

True photogrammetry uses textured three-dimensional geometry to represent buildings, structures and other surfaces. That geometry must be supplied by a compatible 3D scenery package. Installing an orthophoto tile alone will not generate it.

Overlays add roads, forests, power lines and generated or library-based buildings above the photographic ground. They make an area look populated, but they do not reproduce every photographed building's exact shape, façade or roof. Recognisable landmarks require suitable custom objects or dedicated landmark scenery. In dense areas, a roof or shadow baked into the aerial image may remain visible beneath a separate 3D building.

Do I need an overlay with X-Plane orthophotos?

An overlay is not required for the photographic ground to load, but it is normally needed for roads, buildings, forests, power lines and similar three-dimensional detail.

If the imagery appears but the area looks empty, check whether the package supplied an overlay or whether Ortho4XP generated the corresponding DSF inside yOrtho4XP_Overlays. An existing overlay folder does not prove that it contains the particular tile being flown; inspect its Earth nav data contents for the matching coordinate.

Overlay packages can also depend on object libraries. Missing-library errors must be corrected by satisfying the overlay's stated requirements, not by moving the orthophoto base mesh above it. Our guide to managing X-Plane 12 overlays explains these dependencies and priority conflicts in more detail.

How should scenery_packs.ini be ordered?

X-Plane reads scenery_packs.ini from top to bottom, so higher entries take priority over lower ones. Use this pattern, replacing the example folder names with the exact names installed on your system:

1. SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/My Custom Airport/
2. SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/My Custom Landmarks/
3. SCENERY_PACK *GLOBAL_AIRPORTS*
4. SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/My Road and Building Overlay/
5. SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/yOrtho4XP_Overlays/
6. SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/zOrtho4XP_+50-004/

In practical terms, the order is custom airports and landmarks first, then *GLOBAL_AIRPORTS*, followed by overlays and finally orthophoto or other base-mesh tiles. A package with several related folders may specify its own internal ordering, which should be preserved within the appropriate category.

Only one base mesh can control a given one-degree tile. If two orthophoto, Ortho4XP or regional mesh packages overlap, the higher enabled base-mesh entry wins for that entire tile. X-Plane cannot blend two competing base meshes simply because both are listed.

Do not delete scenery_packs.ini as a routine repair. X-Plane can rebuild it, but the rebuilt file may lose the priority order you arranged.

Why is X-Plane still showing default scenery?

Default terrain usually means the intended tile is unbuilt, incorrectly installed, outside the test location or losing to another base mesh.

• The Ortho4XP tile was never built: imagery caches, masks, OSM data and project files are working material, not scenery. Find or generate the completed tile output.
• The output folder is nested: if Earth nav data is buried inside an extra download or region wrapper, X-Plane may register the wrapper but fail to find scenery inside it.
• The coordinates are wrong: compare the airport's latitude and longitude with the coordinate in the tile folder or DSF filename. Pay particular attention to negative longitudes and locations close to a one-degree boundary.
• The overlay was not generated: this does not normally stop the photograph from loading, but it explains missing roads, buildings and forests. Confirm that the matching overlay DSF exists.
• The entry is disabled or missing: check that the line starts with SCENERY_PACK, not SCENERY_PACK_DISABLED, and that its path matches the real folder name.
• Another mesh has priority: move the intended orthophoto tile above the competing base mesh or disable one of the overlapping packages.
• Extraction is incomplete: missing DSF, terrain or texture files often indicate a failed extraction or an absent part of a multipart archive.
• X-Plane logged an error: reproduce the problem, close the simulator and inspect Log.txt in the main X-Plane 12 folder. Search for the scenery folder's name and references to missing DSFs, textures, terrain definitions, libraries or failed loads.

If the photograph appears but airport buildings do not, the orthophoto tile is working; investigate airport and overlay priority. If buildings appear but the photographic ground does not, concentrate on tile coverage, the completed output folder, mesh conflicts and Log.txt.

Where is the rest of the ortho scenery?

A single Ortho4XP tile normally covers one latitude-by-longitude degree, not an entire country or region. Regional downloads are often divided into many tile folders or archive parts, and every required tile must be extracted and installed.

If the photography stops abruptly along a straight north-south or east-west line, the adjacent tile is probably absent, unbuilt or failing to load. Check the coordinate of the missing side and look for that neighbouring tile rather than reinstalling the tile that already works.

Will X-Plane 11 orthophotos work in X-Plane 12?

Many X-Plane 11 orthophoto packages load in X-Plane 12, but compatibility is not guaranteed. Older meshes, overlays, coastlines and water masks can produce sharp shoreline transitions, flat photographic water or results that do not match X-Plane 12's water and weather rendering.

Aerial imagery is also baked into the scenery, so it cannot fully follow seasonal ground changes. Prefer scenery explicitly prepared for or confirmed with X-Plane 12, especially around coastlines, lakes and airports that depend on mesh corrections.

Can I keep X-Plane 12 ortho scenery on another drive?

Yes. Store the complete tile folders on another drive, then place a working symbolic link, directory junction or supported folder alias inside Custom Scenery. Link the whole scenery package rather than moving its texture files separately.

Confirm that the link opens the real folder, the external drive is mounted before X-Plane starts and the package appears in scenery_packs.ini. An ordinary desktop shortcut or a link pointing to a disconnected drive will not provide usable scenery.

Large orthophoto collections consume considerable storage and can increase loading time and texture-memory use. Keep only the regions you use active, or choose lower-resolution tiles if storage or performance becomes a problem.

Streamed or cached imagery uses a different installation method from completed local tile folders. Simmers who prefer that model should follow our AutoOrtho installation and scenery-order instructions rather than copying its cache into Custom Scenery as though it were a finished Ortho4XP tile.