Epic has released the latest version of Unreal Studio. Version 4.23 adds a new direct workflow with Cinema 4D that preserves the key elements of the original scene. Features of this new integration includes a non-destructive reimport process that handles iterative changes you make in Cinema 4D after initial import into Unreal Engine, the ability to convert animations into Level Sequence Assets, the ability to preserve complex scene hierarchies and layers, import of cameras with physical properties, the ability to convert surface materials to Unreal Engine’s physically based rendering system, and more.
Datasmith now also offers compatibility with IFC (Industry Foundation Class) files which are imported with geometry, scene organisation, metadata properties and more.
This release also adds a new collaborative template that allows multiple users to join a shared runtime experience, interact with the scene by moving objects around and making objects transparent, set up and play “explode” animations that deconstruct complex assemblies, pace Bookmarks to mark key viewpoints on the scene, and more.
The Static Mesh Editor gains the ability to create UV projections in the Unreal Editor. This was formerly only available through a scripting interface in Blueprint and Python.
There are also several improvements to the integrations for 3DS Max, Revit, Rhino, VRED and Deltagen and more.
See the full list of changes and demos on the Unreal Blog.
It boggles my mind how convoluted UE4’s FBX importer is, compared to Unity’s anyway. Especially when reimporting the FBX with updated geometry, animation and hierarchy. The only way around it, if you are using 3ds Max, is to use Datasmith. Which has its own limitations. Unity, on the other hand, if I give an FBX with updated animation, geometry, or hierarchy, there’s very little to worry about if you just overwrite the file.
Hopefully they keep improving Datasmith with the other packages to be like the Cinema4D one. I love the way everything looks in UE4. It’ll take Unity years to get their node material editor up to snuff with UE4.
I guess the trend will go to USD. Both Unity/Unreal/3dsmax/maya/blender/hou have it implemented/or in process, this should make our life easier in general.
YESSSS that’s a big hope, USD or GLTF, I want to get rid of FBX 🙂
You can thank autodesk for that and their years long past process of sabotaging fbx, which turned something that should have been a nice universal format into a disgusting amalgam of importers/exporters all working in their own way.
What, how? Look at how simple and easy it is to import, and update FBX in Unity. It’s as simple as it gets, and works great. Then look how UE4 does it. It’s Epic’s fault here. Autodesk does a lot of stupid stuff, but putting the blame on them for Epic’s backwards thinking for importing a format? Sure.
I would rather see USD or other universal 3d format to be standard in game and vfx industry something good and stable – fbx has long messy history and it has had many bugs in many dcc apps/softwares. Unity might handle it nicely at the moment because its unity’s main format – it will convert all imported 3d models into fbx format so that might be reason: priority (they focus development for old format because its still quite popular but it doens’t mean that it is best option – its just old format and there are better options). While Unreal’s datasmith is still under development but it support already many formats natively. Sure Unity support also other formats but it lacks in many areas or at least used to lack few years ago.
Unity has always handled it nicely, for as long as I can remember. I’m sure Epic had other priorities than updating their FBX importer. Epic pushes out much more updates than Unity ever could. They just left FBX to rust in a poor state because it’s good enough for game developers, not those of us that visualize CAD models and the hundreds of parts and animations that go along with it. The major thing I don’t like about Datasmith, is that it isn’t built into UE4. And once beta is over, what will it cost?
but yeas you are right that current version is epic’s “fault” because they haven’t integrated / updated their fbx support as fast as unity and that their datasmith is still under development.
I think after in nowember twinmotion free license ends epic will improve and add Unreal studio skills in new twinmotion 2020 and not continous with Unreal studio .. because twinmotion has more realistic in few months, totaly different twinmotion 2018 about realistic, when you use will see..lumion’s destiny will ve cryegine, in first more popular after will forgetten