Set the correct X-Plane 12 scenery_packs.ini order for airports, overlays, orthophotos and mesh, with fixes for missing or conflicting scenery.
In X-Plane 12, entries at the top of scenery_packs.ini have higher priority. Put custom airports first, then Global Airports, landmarks and overlays, followed by orthophoto scenery and other base meshes at the bottom. Pure libraries may sit anywhere, although keeping them together makes the file easier to maintain.
What is the correct scenery_packs.ini order?
The dependable rule is specific scenery above general scenery, with packages containing base mesh below object overlays. Package instructions take precedence when an add-on has an unusual structure or several separately named components.
| Priority | Scenery type | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Custom airports, heliports and airport enhancements | These must take priority over the corresponding default airport and its exclusion zones. |
| High | Regional airport collections, then Global Airports | Every replacement for a default airport belongs above Global Airports. |
| Middle | Landmarks, city scenery, roads, forests and other object overlays | Overlays need to load above the terrain or orthophoto mesh on which they appear. |
| Low | Orthophoto packages containing base mesh | These provide terrain and imagery rather than just placed objects. |
| Lowest | Other terrain and fallback base-mesh packages | Only the highest-priority base mesh covering a particular tile is used. |
A generated overlay supplied alongside orthophotos is not part of the base-mesh group: place that overlay above the orthophoto tiles. Our worked orthophoto installation and priority example shows that separation in context.
Pure libraries do not form a visible layer, so their position normally has no effect. They simply need to remain enabled. If a package described as a library also contains scenery tiles, or two libraries export the same resources, follow the developer's ordering instructions.
How do I edit scenery_packs.ini safely?
- Close X-Plane 12. The simulator reads and updates the scenery configuration during start-up, so editing it while X-Plane is running can undo your changes.
- Find the file. Open
X-Plane 12/Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.iniand make a backup copy before changing it. - Move complete lines. Reorder the lines beginning with
SCENERY_PACK; do not alter their folder paths unless a folder was actually renamed. - Put custom airports above Global Airports. This is the most common correction. Keep airport packages containing replacements or enhancements above the default airport collection.
- Place overlays above meshes. Landmarks, roads, forests and generated overlays belong above orthophotos and terrain mesh. Put the preferred base mesh above any fallback mesh covering the same area.
- Save as plain text and restart X-Plane. Check
Log.txtin the main X-Plane folder if a package is skipped or reports missing resources.
X-Plane normally adds a newly discovered scenery folder near the top of the file. That is suitable for a new airport but potentially wrong for newly installed orthophotos or terrain mesh, so inspect the order after every scenery installation. Folder prefixes such as a_, y_ and z_ help organise packages, but the line order in scenery_packs.ini is authoritative once the file exists.
Why is scenery still missing after changing the order?
Incorrect priority is only one possible cause of missing scenery. Check these common failures before repeatedly moving entries:
- The package is disabled: a line beginning with
SCENERY_PACK_DISABLEDis ignored. Change it back only if you intend to enable that package. - The folders are nested incorrectly: extracting an archive can create an extra outer folder, leaving the actual scenery package one level too deep.
- Global Airports is above its replacement: move the custom airport above the Global Airports entry.
- An exclusion zone has higher priority: a higher airport or overlay package may deliberately suppress objects, forests, roads or buildings below it.
- Another base mesh wins the tile: move the preferred orthophoto or terrain mesh above the competing mesh. Meshes are not blended together.
- A required library is absent: moving the scenery line cannot repair a missing dependency. The relevant message normally appears in
Log.txt. - The package itself is incompatible or incomplete: ordering cannot fix missing terrain tiles, invalid files or scenery built around unsupported components.
For broader checks involving add-on folders and disabled entries, see our general X-Plane mod installation troubleshooting.
What happens when two mesh packages cover the same area?
X-Plane uses the highest-priority base mesh available for each scenery tile; it does not combine the terrain from both packages. Put the mesh you want above the alternative, while keeping object overlays above both.
This also explains why an orthophoto tile can disappear after installing another terrain package. Our guide to graphics packages and competing mesh priorities covers that interaction in more detail.
Some airport packages include their own mesh. Because the airport and mesh may share one package, moving it changes the priority of both. Use separately supplied airport, overlay and mesh folders when available; do not split a combined package manually.
Should I delete scenery_packs.ini and let X-Plane rebuild it?
Delete scenery_packs.ini only to recover from a missing or badly corrupted file. X-Plane can rebuild it from the installed folders, but it cannot determine which packages are airports, overlays, orthophotos or competing meshes, and previously disabled packages may be enabled again.
After any rebuild, restore the priority manually: custom airports, Global Airports, overlays, orthophotos, then other base meshes. Keeping a known-good backup is faster and safer than relying on automatic reconstruction.