Help Needed: New Livery

M

Mach3DS

Charter Member
Would anyone who has this process nailed down help me figure out what to do to get a new livery added to MSFS? I've watched the many tutorials on YT, but they all mainly focus on using a tempate for the Airbus and don't explain what is actually happening...just do this, do that... which doesn't translate over when you don't have a template to start from using a completely different airplane. I would be very grateful! Textures are all created, but have no idea what I'm supposed to do. Tried following the adding a new livery package MSFS official step by step...it's obsolete and calls out things that seem like they were only relevant back when it was still new and not updated. Currently I'm just replacing an existing texture to get mine to be viewable in sim.
 
Mach3DS said:
Would anyone who has this process nailed down help me figure out what to do to get a new livery added to MSFS? I've watched the many tutorials on YT, but they all mainly focus on using a tempate for the Airbus and don't explain what is actually happening...just do this, do that... which doesn't translate over when you don't have a template to start from using a completely different airplane. I would be very grateful! Textures are all created, but have no idea what I'm supposed to do. Tried following the adding a new livery package MSFS official step by step...it's obsolete and calls out things that seem like they were only relevant back when it was still new and not updated. Currently I'm just replacing an existing texture to get mine to be viewable in sim.
Click to expand...

I may have painted one or two planes in the past....what plane are you trying to add textures to?
 
What exactly do you need help with? When you say the textures are created, do you mean the repaint is finished and you just need help with how to structure the file for the community folder? Or do you mean the template is ready and you are looking for advice on how to actually repaint the texture files?
 
Yes, I'm trying to understand what I need to do with everything OTHER THAN making the textures/livery. That part is all done. I need help with how to make it it's own independent livery selectable in the sim. Thank you both. I'm trying to add it to the Darkstar, but really it doesn't matter, I just don't understand the process of what needs to be done with the other files. The Airbus tutorials didn't help because they were all using a canned "template" which they all just said go to this folder and open this file then copy paste from the file in my pack to this other file....which doesn't help to to understand what exactly I'm supposed to to include/change/create for a new livery on a different airplane. Many thanks for the help.
 
Mach3DS said:
Yes, I'm trying to understand what I need to do with everything OTHER THAN making the textures/livery. That part is all done. I need help with how to make it it's own independent livery selectable in the sim. Thank you both. I'm trying to add it to the Darkstar, but really it doesn't matter, I just don't understand the process of what needs to be done with the other files. The Airbus tutorials didn't help because they were all using a canned "template" which they all just said go to this folder and open this file then copy paste from the file in my pack to this other file....which doesn't help to to understand what exactly I'm supposed to to include/change/create for a new livery on a different airplane. Many thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

I wrote a pretty detailed FAQ on painting the PMDG 737...it includes how to set up the folders and such to start a paint. The best advice is to copy an existing paint, change the aircraft.cfg to match your livery name and other data (there is a process, but if you look at the aircraft.cfg file you can mostly figure out what to do...the most important line being the "Texture=MACH3-darkstar" (or whatever you name the texture folder), and run the free MSFSlayoutgenerator app you can find on the web.
Then replace the appropriate textures in your new folder with yours and you should be good. I haven't looked at the darkstar or its folder structure, but I'd imagine its similar to all planes.
Read my FAQ here:
https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-f...uggestions-for-painting-the-pmdg-737-for-msfs

Sadly there are many more variables to getting a paint to work in MSFS than in the "old" sims, hehe.
 
ok so, I appreciate the write up. Unfortunately, I know how to edit the code in the aircraft.cfg. Been painting in FSX and P3D for ages....but... It's this lousy layout.json file. You've mentioned a file generator....
 
Unfortunately, Darkstar appears to not have an aircraft.cfg file.... at least not in the aircraft folder which contains the textures, model, effects etc. folders and all the other .cfg files.... LOL. Is this a government operation??
 
There's a bunch of Darkstar repaints over on Flightsim.to. Look under Liveries->Other->General, and page down (they
don't have a separate Darkstar category yet). Maybe by looking at some of those, you can get an idea of how it's done.
I haven't tried any of those liveries yet myself though to see if they actually work.

-RobM
 
RobM said:
There's a bunch of Darkstar repaints over on Flightsim.to. Look under Liveries->Other->General, and page down (they
don't have a separate Darkstar category yet). Maybe by looking at some of those, you can get an idea of how it's done.
I haven't tried any of those liveries yet myself though to see if they actually work.

-RobM
Click to expand...
Thank you! Will do.
 
That did the trick. I looked through what they had and was able to load my livery. It also solved my irritating Fuselage Decal problem. Now I can create my own!
 
Thanks for the help. I now realized why I couldn't get rid of the default stencils...because of that JSON file....yeeeuck. Redoing the markings now! Stencils next...

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RobM said:
There's a bunch of Darkstar repaints over on Flightsim.to. Look under Liveries->Other->General, and page down (they
don't have a separate Darkstar category yet). Maybe by looking at some of those, you can get an idea of how it's done.
I haven't tried any of those liveries yet myself though to see if they actually work.

-RobM
Click to expand...

This is probably the best idea. I have not tired to paint default aircraft so was not aware of their file and folder structure....assuming they were all the same (That's what I get for assuming) :)

AS for the layout generator...here it is
https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/t...a-drag-and-drop-layout-json-generator.448941/

After you grab it...you literally drag your layout.json file (in the root folder of your paint) on top of the .exe and it updates all the entries in the file for you. Once you see it happen, you'll realize its the easiest part of painting in MSFS, hehe.

LOL....i didn't refresh the forum before I replied....glad you have it worked out! Happy painting...and if you want to paint real planes...the PMDG and Fenix paintkits are a joy to work with. :) If you've painted PMDG in P3d in the past...you're paints will migrate over to MSFS, VERY easy. ;)
 
Thank you! I'm mostly doing DCS these days. But I do have some "Irons in the MSFS fire" outside of this one but those are TBA.
 
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