Summary
In Unreal Engine 5.8.1, the transform gizmo stops appearing on selected actors in the Perspective viewport after importing a large Datasmith scene. The same actor selected in an orthographic viewport (Top/Front/Right) shows its gizmo correctly, so this is not a selection problem or a “Show Transform Widget” toggle problem. Deleting the imported Datasmith/IFC actors from the level makes the gizmo behave normally again, which points at the imported Datasmith content itself as the trigger.
This looks like a more specific, reproducible trigger for the behavior previously reported in “Transform Gizmo Keeps Disappearing in Editor” (Transform Gizmo Keeps Disappearing in Editor), which was closed as unable to reproduce (FORT-972717) in November 2025. There is also an earlier unresolved report with the same trigger: “Gizmo Issue After Datasmith Import” (Gizmo Issue After Datasmith Import). I can reproduce this consistently with Datasmith content, including with Epic’s own official Revit sample project, so hopefully this gives a reliable repro path.
Please select what you are reporting on:
Creative
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
UI/Tools
Steps to Reproduce
- Import a .udatasmith file with a large actor count into a level. Reproduced with both of the following:
- IFC files imported via the Datasmith CAD Importer
- Revit files exported via View > Twinmotion > Export to Datasmith file, including Epic’s official Revit sample project “Pacific Continental Residence”
One of the reproducing scenes contained 7,897 actors.
- Select any imported StaticMeshActor in an orthographic viewport (Top, Front, or Right). Observe that the transform gizmo appears correctly.
- Select the same actor in the Perspective viewport. Observe that the gizmo does not appear at all.
- Delete the imported Datasmith/IFC actors from the level, then select any other actor in the Perspective viewport. Observe that the gizmo appears normally again.
Expected Result
The transform gizmo should be drawn on the selected actor in the Perspective viewport, exactly as it is in the orthographic viewports.
Observed Result
No transform gizmo is drawn in the Perspective viewport for any selected actor while the imported Datasmith content is present in the level. The orthographic viewports (Top/Front/Right) are unaffected and continue to draw the gizmo correctly for the same actor. Once the imported Datasmith/IFC actors are deleted from the level, the Perspective viewport draws the gizmo normally again.
This is consistent rather than intermittent. It has been confirmed multiple times across separate imports and separate source files, and step 4 (deleting the imported actors restoring the gizmo) has likewise been confirmed multiple times across different imports.
Platform(s)
Windows 11, Unreal Engine 5.8.1 (editor only)
Additional Notes
Tried, and did NOT resolve the issue:
- Toggling “Show Transform Widget” off and back on
- Show Flags (Eyeball menu) > Use Defaults. This is worth calling out specifically, because it is the workaround that resolved the issue for one user in the FORT-972717 thread. It does not work in this case, which suggests this is a distinct trigger rather than the same transient editor state.
- Deselecting and reselecting the actor within the Perspective viewport
- Restarting the editor. The issue returns as soon as the Datasmith content is present in the level.
Note on the required fields above: the “Please select what you are reporting on” dropdown only offers Creative / Unreal Editor for Fortnite / Verse, none of which apply. This is a core Unreal Engine 5.8.1 editor issue, reported against the Datasmith importer and the level editor viewport, not a Fortnite/UEFN issue. The Island Code field is left blank for the same reason.
For anyone else working with Datasmith-heavy scenes (IFC via the CAD Importer, or Revit/Twinmotion exports): please try the steps above and reply with your engine version, source file type, and approximate actor count. Per Epic’s updated bug reporting process (Changes to the Process for Submitting Unreal Engine Bug Reports), a post that reaches 5 upvotes gets a ticket created in Epic’s internal system, so an upvote from anyone seeing the same behavior genuinely helps get this looked at.