How to Import an HDRI Image as HDRI Texture and not HDRI Cubemap?

Development Rendering
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25

Bringing this one back since I found a definitive solution:

  • Go to Project Settings → Interchange
  • Open the DefaultTexturePipeline in Content Import Settings → Pipeline Stacks → Textures → Pipelines → Index [0]
  • Remove the .hdr extension from File Extensions to Import as Long Lat cubemap

How did I find this?

I ctrl-f’d the engine code for .hdr and EImageFormat::HDR and found the EditorFactories.cpp with the ImportTexture(...) function in which it mentions HDRImportShouldBeLongLatCubeMap being set from the .ini settings:

GConfig->GetInt(TEXT("TextureImporter"), TEXT("LoadHdrAsLongLatCubemap"), LoadHdrAsLongLatCubemap, GEditorIni);

I tried adding the following to my DefaultEditor.ini settings:

[TextureImporter]
LoadHdrAsLongLatCubemap=0

To no avail.

I then checked the log and mentioned it said this:

LogInterchangeEngine: [Pending] Importing
LogInterchangeEngine: Display: Interchange start importing source [C:/somelocation/onmydrive/youknow/mertens.hdr]
LogInterchangeEngine: [Success] Import Done

So I figured the first location I found in the EditorFactories.cpp must be outdated and no longer called, it appears this is handled by Interchange. I did some digging and found the right location in no time then.

Cheers,
WW