Datasmith Supported Software and File Types

Details all the third-party software applications and data formats that Datasmith works with.

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This page describes all the third-party software applications and data formats that Datasmith works with.

Current Software Application Support

Datasmith currently works with the software applications and file formats listed in the following table.

For each type of software or file format listed, the Status column uses the following icons to indicate the level of readiness you should expect:

Icon

Meaning

Production-ready

Production-ready.

Beta or Experimental

Beta or Experimental feature, shared with customers for testing and feedback. Expect changes, and we may deprecate functionality at our discretion.

The Workflow Type indicates how you package the information from your design application:

  • Direct Direct means that the Datasmith Importer Plugin in Unreal reads the application's file format directly.

  • Export means that you need to export the content from your application to a specific file format before Datasmith can import it into Unreal, using an exporter that is already built into your application.

  • Export Plugin means that you need to install a new plugin into your application in order to export your design data into the format that Datasmith imports into Unreal.

The last column, Importer Plugin , tells you which Datasmith importer plugin you need to enable in your Project in order to be able to import files of each type.

All Export Plugins , as well as all Datasmith importers in the Unreal Editor, are currently only available for Microsoft Windows platforms.

Status

Application or File Format

Supported Extensions

Version

Workflow Type

Importer Plugin

Production-ready

3D ACIS

.sat

Up to R27

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

3DEXCITE DELTAGEN

.fbx (CSB not supported)

2017, 2018

Export

FBX

Production-ready

3DXML

.3drep, .3dxml

R2018X

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Autodesk 3ds Max

.udatasmith

2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Production-ready

Autodesk Alias

.wire

Up to 2021

Direct

CAD

Beta or Experimental

Autodesk AutoCAD

.dwg

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Autodesk Inventor

.iam, .ipt

Up to 2019

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Autodesk Revit

.udatasmith

2018.3, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Production-ready

Autodesk Navisworks

.udatasmith

2019, 2020, 2021

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Production-ready

Autodesk VRED

.fbx

VRED Professional 2018, 2019, and 2020

Export Plugin

FBX

Production-ready

Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5

.CATpart, .CATproduct, .cgr

R10 - R29

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks

.sldasm, .sldprt

Up to 2019

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

ESRI CityEngine

.udatasmith

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Beta or Experimental

glTF

.gltf

2.0

Direct

glTF

Beta or Experimental

Graphisoft Archicad

.udatasmith

23 and 24

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Production-ready

Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)

.ifc

IFC 2x3

Direct

IFC

Production-ready

Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES)

.iges, .igs

5.2, 5.3

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

JT Open

.jt

Up to 10.2

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

MAXON Cinema 4D

.c4d

Direct

C4D

Production-ready

McNeel Rhinoceros

.udatasmith

up to 6

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Production-ready

Parasolid (x_t)

.x_t

up to 31

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

PTC Creo (Pro/ENGINEER)

.asm, .creo, .neu, .prt

V13 up to Creo 6

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Siemens NX

.prt

V11 - NX CR

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Siemens PLM XML

.plmxml, .xml

7.0.3 and later (Compatible with TeamCenter 11 or later)

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

STEP

.step, .stp

AP203, AP214, AP242

Direct

CAD

Production-ready

Trimble SketchUp Pro

.udatasmith

2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Export Plugin

Datasmith

Formats Supported by Unreal Engine Directly

Unreal Engine offers built-in support for importing and exporting FBX files.

These FBX-based workflows are optimized to support game requirements, which tend to be focused on working with individual objects. Datasmith, by contrast, brings in entire scenes, potentially containing thousands of objects, each with its materials, pivots, scale, hierarchy, and metadata, from a wide range of sources. However, you should feel free to use the FBX import pipeline if it suits your needs. For example, you might use it to import pieces of additional set dressing that you'll use to augment your Datasmith content in your Unreal Level.

For details, you can read about our FBX Content Pipeline .

As of Unreal Engine 4.19, there is also experimental support for importing the glTF format directly into the Content Browser using the built-in Unreal Editor importer. Like the FBX import process, this has been optimized for object-based workflows, and has different limitations compared to the Datasmith glTF importer. However, you might find it works for you in select cases. To try it out, go to Edit > Plugins > Importers , enable the glTF Importer plugin, and restart the Editor.

Backward Compatibility

We may from time to time need to change the Datasmith file format and the behavior of the importer plugins in order to add new features. We do not guarantee backward compatibility between all versions of Unreal and all versions of the Datasmith export plugins. Although it may work to import a .udatasmith file generated with an older version of an export plugin into a newer version of the Unreal Engine, we do not recommend depending on it.

Always use the version of an export plugin that matches the version of the Unreal Engine and of the Datasmith plugin that you need to use that exported file with. To get the most out of Datasmith, and to make sure you benefit from the latest fixes and features, we recommend always using the latest possible version of the export plugins and of the Unreal Engine.

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