I have been trying to find documentation / help with bringing in models from elsewhere [outside of unreal] and just learned of Datasmith. unfortunately it seems to be limited to a select few applications however, so I am still in need of help figuring this out 
my models were made in Lightwave 3D, and later converted into FBX and surfaced elsewhere but just getting them into unreal is proving a mystery at this point.
Is there any simple step by step how-to that exists for something like this?
thanks,
-just to be clear; trying to install Datasmith itself only leads to an area for downloading Datasmith plugins but not the application itself, so I don’t understand if it is a stand-alone application at all or if it just exists as a plugin for non-unreal applications?
If they are already FBX, then I don’t think you need Datasmith. Just import them into Unreal Engine normally like any other asset and see how they turn out. Datasmith probably doesn’t doesn’t support your software currently anyhow.
hmmm
it’s an intuitive process [which is also weirdly undocumented from what i have found as well]
-the import fbx process asks you to select your mesh then a window opens asking for its directory within the unreal directory, where it isn’t even located when i just told unreal where the asset is located…
just going rogue with it, i selected the blueprint/asset directory since it was the only one remotely relevant to a mesh object and it imported.
okay… unsure why i needed to select a directory where the asset doesn’t exist in order to import it but it worked at least.
then unreal opened a second instance of unreal with less controls. entirely unsure what it is for or why there is an instance of unreal for it when it did open it.
it was bad enough i cannot even open a ‘blank’ or ‘empty’ project at all to just start from scratch with something. i am forced each time to select a pre-existing project or a template of some kind, let it open, delete everything in it, and save it as a new project.
still haven’t figured out the most basic thing- starting an empty project and starting from nothing.
it’s just a strange new animal to figure out. will take time to get accustomed to it.
Create a new project with the Blank Template from the Unreal Launcher. Then File/New Level/Empty from that project. Click Add/Import in the Content Browser, and select “Import to \Game”. Select any file you want on your PC, and then confirm the import settings. This may help you further.
1 Like
The first window is to select the file you want to import, the second window is to select where within the game directory you want to import it to.
I’m assuming this was the asset window?
yeah i eventually figured this out 
i don’t get the same options that you do in your screengrabs but i haven’t got this problem anymore, thanks 
1 Like
