Usage

Configuration

After installing the latest release, open MSFS Livery Tools. If you haven't installed Microsoft's texconv tool yet, install it and click at the "settings" menu or the cog button and choose the path to texconv.exe:

You may also change the "compress textures on build" to meet your needs.

New project

First of all, select whether you want to join model and texture folders in your project structure – it should meet your work needs and won't affect the final package structure. When you create a new project, you're asked to choose a folder in which it will be located. A livery.ini file and a project structure will be created.

Project tab

After that, you're presented with a blank project. You should change "title", "airplane folder" and "creator". All those fields, except "origin", have default values or are copied from the original airplane package. You can select the original plane folder at the "Project" tab, but it is better to choose it at the next tab. "Airplane folder" defines where your files will stay inside your package's SimObjects\Airplanes folder – it must have a unique value. It is also advisable to set "display name" as a short name to be exhibited at the livery selection window at the simulator.

Aircraft tab

At the "Aircraft" tab, you should choose the "base container", i.e. the folder containing the original livery. It lives inside the original package under SimObjects\Airplanes subfolders:

Here you may also set a folder suffix to identify files specific to your livery, an optional tail number (registration) an which folders to include in your livery. "Texture" should always be selected, unless you don't want new textures on your livery.

Registration number tab

Under the "Registration number" tab, you find the options to modify the format of the external registration marks, namely font and stroke colors, and stroke size.

If you want to change the format of the external registration number, you should choose the "Panel" folder at the "Aircraft" tab (that tab is named after the aircraft.cfg file):

Actions

The only mandatory action is "Pack livery": it's your final step building your package. Everything else is optional and most are intended for fine-tuning your project. They are all executed during packaging, according to the project configuration.

Texture actions

Extract textures

This action extracts textures from a glTF file, which should be your reference livery. You may use other tools to do this job, though. The model lives under SimObjects\Airplanes\<base container>\model<suffix> folder at the original package:

This will also copy all *.flags files from the corresponding texture folder, alongside converting DDS textures into PNG files:

Compress textures

This converts PNG files from your texture or model folder (depending on the "join model and textures" option) into DDS files, ready for packaging. This is also done when packing the livery if the corresponding setting is selected (at the application-wide settings window).

Create texture descriptors

Creates JSON files for each DDS texture in your working folder.

Create texture.cfg

Creates texture.cfg file, usually for fine-tuning the texture inheritance hierarchy.

Thumbnail actions

Add placeholder thumbnail

Adds a placeholder thumbnail.jpg to your texture folder. You should later change it for an image taken with the "aircraft capture tool" at the simulator developer's menu.

Resize thumbnail

Creates a thumbnail-small.jpg at your texture folder by resizing the thumbnail.jpg to the appropriate size. It also converts thumbnail.png from capture tool into JPEG and then resizes it.

Aircraft action

"Write aircraft.cfg" writes the corresponding file to your project folder, based on the original package's aircraft.cfg.

Panel actions

Create blank panel.cfg

Writes a panel\panel.cfg file in your project folder with the following content:

[VARIATION]
override_base_container = 0

Copy original panel.cfg

Copies the original panel.cfg file, adding the same content as "Create blank panel.cfg".

Set registration colors

Inserts or changes information on external registration marks according to the project configuration. This is not done by "Copy original panel.cfg"

Manifest action

"Create manifest.json" creates a manifest.json file at your project folder mixing your project configuration and the original project manifest.

Package actions

Pack livery

This is the main action. It asks for you to choose a packaging folder and builds a complete package according to your project settings.

Update layout.json

Updates layout.json at your package folder (asks where it lives).

Instalation and thumbnails

Now that your package has been built, copy it to the Community folder of your Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 installation and open the sim. Your livery is already available! Activate the developer tools in the configurations and enter the hangar. There you can see the new livery. After selecting it, you may go to the developer menu and create an image of your livery with Tools > Aircraft Capture Tool. You may resize it with the "resize thumbnail" action and either copy the thumbnail-small.jpg file or repack your livery.