Summary
UE 5.8.2 Datasmith CAD Importer successfully imports older Inventor IPT files and STEP geometry, but native IPT files saved by Autodesk Inventor 2027 fail during the TechSoft/HOOPS Exchange native parsing stage before B-Rep extraction or tessellation.
The installed UE 5.8.2 Datasmith CAD stack contains HOOPS Exchange 26.3.0. A retained pre-Inventor-2027 representation of the same part imports successfully and freshly generates a real Solid1 Static Mesh (332 vertices, 332 triangles, valid bounds). After the part is saved by Inventor 2027, native IPT parsing fails through both CADKernel and TechSoft paths and produces zero bodies/meshes.
A brand-new minimal Inventor 2027 IPT (~100 × 60 × 30 mm single extrusion) reproduces the failure in a clean UE 5.8.2 project. STEP exported from that same Inventor 2027 part imports successfully through Datasmith and generates a valid Static Mesh (24 vertices, 12 triangles).
Tech Soft’s HOOPS Exchange 2026.4.0 release notes identify Inventor 2027 as a format update introduced after the 26.3.0 version bundled with this UE installation.
Could Epic please confirm which Unreal Engine/Datasmith release will first bundle HOOPS Exchange 2026.4+ and officially support native Inventor 2027 IPT/IAM files, and whether an updated Datasmith CAD Importer for UE 5.8 is planned?
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
Editor
Steps to Reproduce
nstall Unreal Engine 5.8.2 and enable the stock Datasmith CAD Importer plugin.
In Autodesk Inventor 2027, create a new standard Part containing a single rectangular extrusion (approximately 100 × 60 × 30 mm) and save it as a native .ipt.
Create a new blank UE 5.8.2 project with Datasmith CAD Importer enabled.
Import the Inventor 2027 .ipt using the supported Datasmith CAD ImportScene workflow.
Observe that native IPT parsing fails and no body or Static Mesh is generated.
Export the same Inventor part as STEP and import it through the same Datasmith CAD workflow.
Observe that the STEP file imports successfully and generates a valid Static Mesh.
As an additional control, import an IPT stored in an Inventor 2026-or-earlier representation. Observe that it also imports successfully and generates a valid Static Mesh.
Expected Result
Datasmith CAD Importer should successfully parse a native Autodesk Inventor 2027 .ipt file and generate renderable Static Mesh geometry, or clearly report that Inventor 2027 native files are not supported by the bundled CAD translator. The corresponding STEP geometry and older-format IPT already import successfully through the same Datasmith pipeline.
Observed Result
Native .ipt files saved by Autodesk Inventor 2027 are recognized by the Datasmith CAD Importer, but native model parsing fails before B-Rep/body extraction. CADKernel processing fails, followed by the TechSoft fallback, and the import produces zero bodies and zero Static Mesh assets.
UE 5.8.2 contains TechSoft/HOOPS Exchange 26.3.0 in the tested installation. As controls, a retained IPT in an Inventor 2026-or-earlier representation imports successfully and freshly generates Solid1 (332 vertices, 332 triangles, valid bounds). STEP exported from the same Inventor 2027 test geometry also imports successfully and generates a Static Mesh (24 vertices, 12 triangles, valid bounds).
A newly created minimal Inventor 2027 IPT reproduces the native parsing failure in a clean UE 5.8.2 project.
Affects Versions
5.8
Platform(s)
Windows
Additional Notes
Additional diagnostic evidence is available, including clean-project reproduction logs, Datasmith CAD worker/parser logs, file hashes, and minimal reproduction files.
The installed A3DLIBS.dll reports TechSoft/HOOPS Exchange 26.3.0. The failure has been isolated to native Inventor 2027 model parsing: the CAD worker launches and exits normally, while older-format IPT and STEP controls successfully produce Static Mesh geometry.
We are specifically seeking confirmation of the first Unreal Engine/Datasmith CAD Importer release that bundles HOOPS Exchange 2026.4.0 or later and officially supports Autodesk Inventor 2027 .ipt and .iam. We are intentionally not replacing the bundled HOOPS binaries manually.