I've Installed Datasmith however it is not an option for export file type in 3ds max.

I've Installed Datasmith however it is not an option for export file type in 3ds max. When I go to export in 3ds max Datasmith is not there as an option for "save as type". How do I get around this problem?

Hi ,

Make sure that you are on the File > Export menu in 3ds Max, as other menu's like Save As will not display the .udatasmith file type.

If you still don't see that, could you send a screenshot of what the menu looks like on your end?

Best,

Raghib

Hi Raghib,

Thanks for your reply.

Yeah I have been using the File > Export option in 3ds max and the .udatasmith file isnt appearing as an option. I've installed the latest version and I've restarted my machine. Its very strange. Please see screenshot attached.

Is there anything else I can try?

Thanks.

Chris.

Hi Chris,

I see a Datasmith tab in your ribbon, so it looks like you're using the 5.1 version of the plugin. All Datasmith functions in the 5.1 version of the plugin were moved to that tab, including the export options.

Just so you're aware, the 5.1 version of the plugin isn't compatible with Twinmotion yet, so if you do plan on using Datasmith with Twinmotion, we recommend you uninstall the 5.1 plugin and move back to the 5.0.3 version until we can update Twinmotion to be compatible with the newer plugin.

Best,

Raghib

Hi Raghib.

Ah I didnt even notice that had appeared. Many thanks for pointing that out.

I will revert back to the 5.0.3 version for exports for now.

Many thanks for your help.

Thanks

Chris.

I can't help wondering whose "bright" idea it was to move everything to the ribbon (which is not even used by everyone who uses Max) and NOT even tell anyone? Why would you not leave the old functionality in place (i.e. normal export with the UDATASMITH format files export)? So what if it duplicates the ribbon functionality? At least people won't get confused.

Update notes on the datasmith plugin download page take you to the update notes for UE itself and you're supposedly intended to dig through the long list to find info on the datasmith plugin which is actually its own thing and not a direct part of UE (myself, I didn't even bother trying to dig it out as it should be directly available since I expect to see changes of the plugin, not all of UE. I can see UE changes when I update UE).

Oh, and uninstalling the 5.1 version of datasmith screws up the ribbon configuration in Max which then has to be reset to factory.

You can do better, Ep

Hi ,

Thank you for your feedback. I have passed it along to the Datasmith team for their consideration, and they have let me know some additional details regarding some of the decisions behind the changes.

Regarding moving away from the File export functionality, the Direct Link workflow needed to moved to allow for the inclusion of extra buttons with functions that could not be achieved through the old file export dialog.

The ribbon is also not necessary to use, and you load Datasmith's functions and features onto custom toolbars which you may find more useful.

The team is also aware of the uninstall issue you mentioned, and it is currently being tracked (UE-138129) and worked on. The developers hope to have a solution for this soon.

Best,

Raghib

I've tried to make my own toolbar with the functions when I couldn't find the ribbon set (as I didn't know at the time it was in a ribbon and though it was a toolbar that, in my case, apparently malfunctioned) and I could find only functions pertaining to configuring the export but nothing to actually export (since that's a button function now) which is why I ended up uninstalling it and discovering the uninstall bug.

My biggest issue is that I had to go to google to even find out it's in a ribbon now, via finding this thread, then looking for a long while at the screenshot to ultimately then find the Datasmith ribbon section.