One of the core design goals of World Builder Basic (Free) is ensuring 100% round-trip compatibility with Laminar Research’s legacy World Editor (WED). You can open your existing WED projects, enhance them in full real-time 3D, and export them back to WED XML without losing any data.
Non-Destructive Import Architecture
When you open an existing scenery folder containing an earth.wed.xml file, World Builder follows a strict non-destructive rule: the original source pack is never written to directly.
Instead, World Builder creates an isolated project workspace: your project metadata, staged modifications, backups, and incremental build artifacts are kept separate. Your original source WED project remains completely untouched until you explicitly choose to export.
How WED Entities Map into 3D
World Builder parses the full hierarchical node tree of your WED project:
- Airports & Boundaries: All ICAO codes, elevations, metadata properties, and airport boundary perimeters are loaded directly into the dedicated Airports layer.
- Runways & Helipads: Surface types, dimensions, lighting, displaced thresholds, and runway end markings are rendered as high-fidelity 3D meshes adhering to terrain relief.
- Taxiways & Markings: Bezier control points are preserved with mathematical precision. Pavement curves, edge lines, and hold-short bars retain their exact vertex coordinates.
- Default Library Objects: References to X-Plane’s default library assets (ramp vehicles, hangar kits, towers, taxiway lights) are immediately loaded and rendered in 3D.
Exporting Back to WED XML
When you are ready to share your work with other creators who still use legacy WED, or submit to the Laminar Scenery Gateway, navigate to File > Export > WED XML. World Builder validates the hierarchy, checks for orphaned nodes, and writes a fully compliant .xml file ready for WED or Gateway ingestion.