How do I repaint an aircraft in FS2004?

To repaint an aircraft in FS2004, start with a paint kit made for that exact model, edit its layered texture sheets without changing their dimensions, preserve the alpha channels, export them in the original FS2004 bitmap format, then create a new texture folder and matching [fltsim.x] entry in aircraft.cfg.

What do I need to make an FS2004 repaint?

An FS2004 repaint requires model-specific templates, a layer-capable image editor and a texture utility that understands Flight Simulator extended bitmaps.

• The exact paint kit: UV mapping differs between developers and even between variants from the same developer. A kit for one Boeing 737, for example, will not necessarily fit another.
• A layered image editor: Keep markings, colours, panel lines, shading and weathering on separate layers. Paint kits are commonly supplied as PSD or another layered format.
• An FS texture converter: A utility such as DXTBmp can extract and reinsert alpha channels and write DXT or 32-bit extended BMP files. An ordinary BMP export may strip the alpha channel or use an incompatible layout.
• Permission for distribution: Check the aircraft and paint-kit documentation before releasing your work. Personal repaints and publicly distributed packages may be treated differently by the author.

Our layered A340 mapping templates show the usual separation of artwork and detail layers. For a more advanced example, the Super Constellation templates with alpha channels illustrate why the source kit must match the intended aircraft variants.

How do I repaint an FS2004 aircraft step by step?

The safest workflow preserves the original aircraft and compresses the finished artwork only once.

1. Back up the aircraft: Copy its aircraft.cfg and the working texture folder before editing anything. FS2004 aircraft are normally stored under <FS2004>\Aircraft\<aircraft folder>.
2. Confirm the exact model: Match the paint kit to the aircraft developer, model and variant. Winglet, freighter, engine and fuselage-length variants may use different mappings even when their folder structures look similar.
3. Create a separate texture folder: Duplicate a complete, working livery folder and rename the copy using the pattern texture.MyLivery. This avoids damaging the original and retains any light maps or shared supporting textures required by the model.
4. Edit the layered master: Add colours and markings beneath panel-line, rivet, shadow and highlight layers where the kit is arranged that way. Hide wireframe and guide layers before export. Do not resize the canvas or move the mapped parts.
5. Preserve the alpha channel: FS2004 aircraft commonly use alpha data for reflectivity or transparency, depending on the model's material settings. Retain the supplied alpha unless the paint-kit instructions explicitly explain how to modify it; replacing it with solid white or black can make the aircraft excessively glossy, dull or partly invisible.
6. Export a flattened copy: Keep the editable layered master, but export each finished texture under the exact filename expected by the model. Preserve its dimensions and use an FS-compatible DXT or 32-bit extended BMP format. Texture converters may handle vertical orientation automatically, so do not flip the artwork unless the kit documentation requires it.
7. Add the livery to aircraft.cfg: Copy a configuration section belonging to the same model variant, give it the next continuous [fltsim.n] number, and change its unique title, texture suffix and displayed variation.
8. Test in FS2004: Load the aircraft in daylight and inspect both sides, the upper and lower surfaces, engines, tail, virtual cockpit and moving parts. If FS2004 continues showing an older cached texture, select another aircraft and return to it or restart the simulator.

Avoid repeatedly opening and resaving a DXT texture while painting. DXT is lossy, so keep a layered master and perform the final compression once.

Which FS2004 texture format should I use?

The best starting choice is the format used by the original working texture, unless the paint-kit author specifies otherwise.

Match the original mipmap arrangement at first. Mipmaps reduce distant shimmer but can make markings look softer; omitting them may sharpen the livery nearby while causing flicker at a distance. A standard Windows BMP with the same .bmp extension is not automatically equivalent to an FS2004 extended bitmap.

How do I add the repaint to aircraft.cfg?

The new livery needs a copied [fltsim.n] section whose texture value matches the new folder suffix exactly.

• [fltsim.n]: Replace n with the next number in an unbroken sequence beginning at zero. Gaps can cause later entries to be ignored.
• title=: Give every variation a unique title. A duplicate title can stop the entry loading correctly.
• texture=: For a folder called texture.MyLivery, enter texture=MyLivery, not texture=texture.MyLivery.
• ui_variation=: Enter the livery name that should appear in the FS2004 aircraft selection menu.
• ATC fields: Change the registration, airline and flight number if appropriate for the repaint.

Keep the copied sim=, model=, panel= and sound= values unless the aircraft documentation directs otherwise. The sim= value identifies the flight model, while model= may select a specific visual variant. The folder-and-configuration structure in this finished 737-400 repaint provides a practical reference.

Why is my FS2004 repaint not showing correctly?

A missing or broken repaint is usually caused by an incorrect configuration entry, mismatched texture name, damaged alpha channel or incompatible bitmap export.

• The aircraft is absent from the selection menu: Check for duplicate title= values, gaps in the [fltsim.n] sequence and an accidentally altered sim= or model= line.
• The model loads without the new livery: Make sure texture=MyLivery points to texture.MyLivery and that the exported filenames match the originals exactly.
• Parts are black, white or untextured: Restore missing files from the working texture folder, then verify the exported dimensions and FS bitmap format.
• The paint is displaced: The kit probably belongs to another model or variant. Similar aircraft folders do not imply identical UV mapping.
• Text is backwards on one side: The model may mirror one side of the texture. A texture-only repaint cannot create independent left and right lettering when both sides share the same mapped area.
• The aircraft is too reflective or partly transparent: Restore the original alpha channel and re-export it with the RGB image. Do not assume that black and white have the same effect on every model.
• The livery is blurred or shimmers: Review the mipmap choice, DXT compression and FS2004 texture-detail setting. Testing temporarily in 32-bit format can help distinguish compression damage from a mapping problem.
• Night lighting still shows the old scheme: The aircraft may use separate light-map textures, often identified by an additional filename suffix. Edit those only when the paint kit or original texture set clearly identifies them.

Can I share an FS2004 repaint?

A public repaint should normally contain only the permitted texture files, a readme and the configuration text required to add the variation.

Name the exact base aircraft and variant, credit the model and paint-kit authors, state that the base model is required, and tell users to replace x in [fltsim.x] with their next available number. Do not distribute the complete aircraft or overwrite another user's entire aircraft.cfg unless the original licence explicitly permits that packaging method.