Datasmith/Dataprep Cannot Import .FBX Files... Says No Translator Found

CW_Designs · August 5, 2021, 7:19pm

I’ve been struggling to get this to work. While I can import .fbx files into Unreal, I cannot through Datasmith or Dataprep. I can import .udatasmith files however. I have enabled the FBX importer plugin and tried this on two different engine versions (4.26.2 and 4.27.0) and both do not work. I have the latest graphics drivers. I have tried both ASCII and binary .fbx files.

The error in output says this:

[2021.08.05-18.12.46:310][424]LogSlate: Window ‘Choose Location for importing the Datasmith content’ being destroyed
[2021.08.05-18.12.46:493][424]LogFactory: FactoryCreateFile: DatasmithScene with DatasmithImportFactory (0 0 D:/Kitchen/kitchenUV.fbx)
[2021.08.05-18.12.46:493][424]LogDatasmithImport: Warning: Datasmith import error: no suitable translator found for this source. Abort import.

Antoine_Guillo · August 6, 2021, 12:57pm

Hi CW_Designs !

The Datasmith FBX importer is for the CAD Deltagen and VRED exported models, and will not work with the more “standard” FBX you can usually import in Unreal Engine.

You can see the supported file formats on the following doc page : Datasmith Supported Software and File Types | Unreal Engine Documentation

Cheers,
Antoine

CW_Designs · August 7, 2021, 8:07pm

Ok… I know I was able to import the “standard” FBX in previous engine versions. What do you recommend then to import from Blender? I want to utilize the Dataprep workflow as I am using archviz and need easy iteration. I use SketchUp (and have used the .udatasmith, which works amazingly, but I have many UV issues that I can only resolve in Blender). I don’t want to import back to SketchUp as it takes forever to transfer that model into the file. Is there a plugin coming for Blender? Or am I stuck with traditional import option by dragging all into the scene? Thanks for your response!

Antoine_Guillo · August 8, 2021, 2:30am

FBX support through Datasmith (and Dataprep) has never been a thing other than Deltagen and Vred.

There is an unofficial Blender Datasmith plugin for Blender on github, I know they have a discord too if you need guidance.

For your UV issues in Sketchup, what kind of problem do you have ? We’d be happy to help and fix those.

Cheers,
Antoine

CW_Designs · August 8, 2021, 5:45pm

My lightmaps often times come in where they overlap or are “out of bounds.” I’m attaching pictures of what happens after Datasmith import regarding both the result of the incorrect lightmaps and an example of what those look like in the Mesh Editor. I have tried unwrapping them and generating new UV’s but those tools have both been useless, most of the time making the problem worse. With Blender I am able to build the UV’s correctly, but the workflow is new and I’m struggling to get all UVs correct without having to spend 1-3 hours in Blender adjusting those. I did find the unofficial plugin and am using it now. If you need any more information or files please let me know and I can send those to you. I appreciate your help!