I know that UE3/UDK didn’t have this feature, but does UE4 have it?
I would like to load 3D models during runtime of the game/application. A user could place an fbx/3ds/whatever in a specific folder and the game/app will load and display it.
Currently the fbx importer and mesh building code is within the editor (doesn’t get compiled for the final shipping game). With source access you could move the FBX importer from the UnrealEd module to its own module or plugin which could be loaded with your game. There is a lot of editor only hooks in this code though so it would be some non trivial amount of work to move this. While we are not currently planning on exposing importers to gameplay code we are planning to make the fbx importer a plugin which would make some of this task easier for you. You could also write your own importer for another format if you wish.
Is this process of moving the FBX importer from the UnreadEd module to its own module or plugin actually allowed? Doesn’t it violate the EULA? Specifically the part where it says that the Product may not contain any code from the Editor source folder. I really need runtime model loading in our game, and would gladly move the code myself.