MDL file format (MSFS)
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MDL sections
MSFS uses glTF files for models, but when these are combined to BGL file for use in scenery they are still wrapped as MDL files. These MDL files have a similar RIFF container structure as FSX MDL files. The table below shows the different sections and their content.
| Section | Content |
| GXML | This section contains the model XML file. Within this XML the object GUID, the levels of detail and the animations used are defined. |
| GLBD | This section contains all the representations of the object. It is a collection of GLB sections, one for each level of detail. |
| GLB | This section contains the binary glTF data of the object for a specific level of detail. It is stored as a binary glTF file, which means that the JSON glTF data and the binary BIN data are combined in one binary file. This binary file is stored in this section. |
glTF standard exceptions
Although the glTF files are stored in binary form inside the MDL files, there are a number of optimizations that the MSFS package tool performs that makes them deviate from the glTF standard. The list below gives an overview of these differences.
TODO add list
