Install and use the MSFS 2020 Blender plugin, export a ModelLib asset, and fix missing add-ons, broken materials and failed package builds.
Install the MSFS 2020 SDK that matches your simulator build, then add the Blender exporter supplied inside the SDK through Blender’s Add-ons preferences and enable it. Use that exporter to write your model into a package’s ModelLib source folder, then build and test the package through Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Developer Mode.
How to install the MSFS 2020 Blender plugin
The official Blender exporter is included with the PC SDK rather than installed through Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Content Manager. If the SDK itself is missing, follow our MSFS 2020 SDK and Developer Mode setup first.
- Install the matching MSFS 2020 SDK. Obtain it from the running simulator’s Developer Mode instead of reusing an old installer. Mixing simulator and SDK releases can cause package-builder or exporter errors.
- Check Blender compatibility. Read the Blender notes supplied with that SDK. Use the Blender generation named there rather than assuming the newest Blender release will support an older exporter.
- Find the add-on archive. Look beneath the SDK installation’s
Tools\Blenderarea and its version-specific subfolders. Select the actual Blender add-on ZIP supplied there, not the SDK installer or an enclosing archive. - Open Blender’s add-on preferences. Go to
Edit > Preferences > Add-ons. Depending on the Blender release, the command may be labelledInstallorInstall from Disk. - Install and enable the exporter. Select the supplied ZIP, search the installed add-ons for
MSFSorglTF, and tick its enable box. Install any additional companion add-on only when the SDK’s own instructions require it. - Restart and verify Blender. Confirm that an MSFS-specific export command or panel appears. Seeing only Blender’s standard glTF exporter usually means the simulator add-on is not enabled.
Do not extract an add-on ZIP unless the bundled instructions explicitly tell you to do so. A mistake we see constantly is selecting a parent download that contains the real plugin archive several folders deeper.
Which Blender version should I use with the MSFS 2020 SDK?
Use a Blender release supported by the exporter bundled with your installed MSFS 2020 SDK. Blender’s Python and extension systems change between major releases, so an add-on can install successfully yet fail when exporting.
The safest evidence is the SDK’s Blender folder name, bundled documentation and release notes. If another project requires a newer Blender release, keep separate Blender installations rather than forcing the MSFS 2020 exporter into an unsupported one.
Do not substitute the MSFS 2024 exporter or combine files from both SDKs. The authoring concepts are similar, but exporter metadata, materials and package expectations belong to their respective simulator toolchains. Our breakdown of the add-on development tools explains where Blender, the exporter and Package Builder each fit.
How do I export a Blender model to MSFS 2020?
Export the model into the source directory used by a ModelLib asset group, then let the MSFS 2020 Package Builder compile it. Blender output should not be copied straight into the Community folder.
- Create or open an SDK project. Add a ModelLib asset group and note its configured source directory. A typical project keeps this beneath
PackageSources\ModelLib, although the project definition controls the real path. - Prepare the model. Work in metres, place the origin deliberately, check normals and apply rotation and scale. For scenery, the origin becomes the practical reference point when placing the object.
- Use supported materials. Set up materials through the MSFS exporter’s material controls and use image textures. Arbitrary procedural Blender node networks generally need baking because the simulator cannot reproduce the Blender shader graph.
- Make a simple first export. Start with one static mesh and one material. Once it appears correctly in Microsoft Flight Simulator, add LODs, transparency, emissive textures and animation separately; this makes faults much easier to isolate.
- Choose the MSFS exporter. Use the MSFS-specific entry under
File > Export, or its dedicated export panel if that SDK generation uses one. Point it at the model’s ModelLib source folder. - Keep companion files together. A model can involve glTF data, binary data, textures and model-definition XML. Do not rename or move only one component after export, because references between them can then break.
- Build the project in Developer Mode. Open the project through Project Editor, build the package and read the console for errors. For scenery, add the compiled model with Scenery Editor and save the scene before rebuilding.
For more detail on materials, LODs and ModelLib organisation, use our Blender model export checklist, but retain the MSFS 2020 exporter and package toolchain rather than following its MSFS 2024-specific setup. The next stage is covered in our scenery project, build and testing workflow.
Why is the Blender plugin or exported model not working?
Most failures come from an unsupported Blender release, duplicate exporter installations, incorrect ModelLib paths or unsupported material nodes. Fix the first relevant error rather than repeatedly reinstalling the whole SDK.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The add-on does not appear | The wrong archive was selected, or it is incompatible with Blender | Use the add-on ZIP from the matching SDK folder and a supported Blender release, then restart Blender. |
| Python traceback during export | Blender/exporter incompatibility or mixed SDK files | Remove the old add-on, restart Blender and install one clean copy from the matching MSFS 2020 SDK. |
| Two MSFS exporters appear | An older copy remains in Blender’s user add-ons directory | Disable and remove all duplicate copies before reinstalling the required exporter. |
| Only ordinary glTF export is available | Blender’s built-in glTF exporter is enabled, but the MSFS add-on is not | Return to Add-ons, find the MSFS exporter and enable its checkbox. |
| Model has the wrong size or orientation | Unapplied transforms or inconsistent units | Use metres, apply rotation and scale, and let the exporter handle simulator coordinate conversion. |
| Textures are missing or incorrect | Missing source images, unsupported procedural nodes or broken paths | Use supported MSFS materials, bake procedural effects and verify every referenced image file. |
| The model is absent in the simulator | It was exported outside the configured ModelLib source or the package failed to build | Check the asset-group path and Developer Console, correct the first build error, then rebuild the package. |
Does the Blender plugin create a complete MSFS add-on?
No. The plugin exports model assets; the MSFS 2020 SDK project defines how those assets are compiled and used. Package definitions, scenery placement, aircraft configuration, systems and simulator behaviours remain separate work.
This distinction is especially important for aircraft. Exporting an animated mesh does not by itself connect an aileron, undercarriage leg or cockpit control to the simulator. Animation names and types must correspond with the model XML and the appropriate behaviour templates before simulator variables can drive them.
The SDK and Blender authoring workflow is PC-only. An exported package may be intended for another supported platform, but Blender plugins, Developer Mode authoring tools and package builds cannot be installed or run on an Xbox console.