FBX Camera Import into Sequencer - Scale Does Not Apply to Scene-Dependent Attributes (e.g., Focus Distance)

When importing an FBX camera into a Level Sequence via the FBX Import dialog, we rely heavily on the Import Uniform Scale and Convert Scene Unit options for DCC interoperability. These settings should ensure that the spatial scale of the camera and its properties match our original scene from tools like Maya.

Currently, when applying a scale (e.g., Import Uniform Scale = 10.0), only the camera actor’s transform (location, rotation, scale) is affected. Scene-dependent camera attributes — most critically Manual Focus Distance — are not scaled accordingly.

This leads to mismatches in focus distance in Sequencer shots when compared to the original DCC. This is especially problematic in virtual production and cinematics pipelines where accurate focus pulling is crucial.

Expected Behavior:

If Import Uniform Scale or Convert Scene Unit is applied during FBX import, we expect all scene-dependent properties — such as Manual Focus Distance — to be automatically scaled to match the imported world scale. Properties like focal length or aperture (which are intrinsic to the lens) should remain unchanged, but positional/distance-based properties should scale.

Steps to Reproduce
In a DCC (e.g., Maya), create a camera with a custom focus distance animation

Export as FBX

In Unreal Engine 5:

  • Open a Level Sequence.
  • Create a Camera

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  • Import the FBX into the camera (right-click the camera and Import…).

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  • Set the Import Uniform Scale = 10, or whatever would be the unit conversion scale.

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  • Optionally enable Convert Scene Unit, apparently it does not make a difference.

Observe that the camera actor Transform scales correctly.

Check Manual Focus Distance value: it remains as in the FBX, unscaled, which no longer matches the spatially accurate focal point in world space.

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Thanks for raising this.

I’ve logged a bug for the dev team. You can follow along on the issue at https://issues.unrealengine.com/issue/UE-275262. It could take 24 hours before it appears.

If this is blocking you in some way, you can take a look at modifying MovieSceneToolHelpers::ImportFBXCameraToExisting. In this code you can see where we set things like focal length and field of view, and you can modify the import there.

Hey there,

Just wanted to update you that I’ve submitted a fix that you can try, to main in CL: 42447511 and at GitHub at https://github.com/EpicGames/UnrealEngine/commit/c8579246aa1e5d6b48dea54a7dfdb9d144ccde2b.

Dustin

Oh I see, thanks for that Dustin, can’t wait to get my hands on 5.6

Thanks Dustin. As a temporary workaround, I developed a Python function that retrieves the keyframes from the camera’s Manual Focus Distance track and scales each keyframe by a factor to account for the unit difference between the DCCs.