AssetsBridge

Bidirectional asset bridge between Blender and Unreal Engine.

AssetsBridge enables seamless round-trip asset workflows between Blender and Unreal Engine. Export meshes from Unreal, modify them in Blender, and send them back—preserving materials, transforms, skeleton references, and morph targets.

Sister Project: Blender Addon

This Unreal Engine plugin works in tandem with the AssetsBridge Blender Addon:

🔗 AssetsBridge Blender Addon

Both components are required for the full workflow:

Component	Purpose
This Plugin (Unreal Engine)	Export assets to glTF, read modified assets back, manage UE-side integration
Blender Addon	Import assets from Unreal, edit meshes/skeletons/shape keys, export back

Features

Unreal Engine Plugin

• Export to Blender - Export Static Meshes and Skeletal Meshes to glTF format
• Import from Blender - Read modified assets back with preserved metadata
• Material Tracking - Maintains material assignments and slot order
• Transform Preservation - Keeps world position, rotation, and scale
• Morph Target Support - Exports and reimports blend shapes/morph targets
• Skeleton References - Preserves skeleton paths for skeletal mesh reimport

Blender Addon

• Bidirectional JSON Protocol - from-unreal.json and from-blender.json coordinate transfers
• Mesh Tools - Split meshes, assign UE5 skeletons, set export paths
• Shape Key Transfer - Selective transfer between meshes
• Collection Hierarchy - Mirrors Unreal content browser structure
• Automatic Scene Configuration - Sets up Blender for Unreal-compatible units

Installation

Unreal Engine Plugin

Option 1: Download Release (Recommended)

1. Download the zip for your UE version from Releases
2. Extract to YourProject/Plugins/AssetsBridge
3. Open your project in Unreal Engine
4. Enable the plugin: Edit → Plugins → Search "AssetsBridge" → Enable
5. Restart the editor when prompted

Option 2: Clone Repository

Note: This repository contains a complete Unreal project (required for Epic Marketplace submission). You can open the project directly to explore how AssetsBridge works, but you'll need to copy just the plugin folder to your own project.

# Clone the full project
git clone https://github.com/nitecon/AssetsBridge.git

# Open AssetsBridge.uproject to explore the plugin

# To use in your project, copy the plugin folder:
# Copy: AssetsBridge/Plugins/AssetsBridge
# To:   YourProject/Plugins/AssetsBridge

Blender Addon

See installation instructions at assetsbridge-addon

Configuration

First-Time Setup

1. Configure Bridge Directory

   • In Unreal: Click the AssetsBridge settings icon in the toolbar
   • Set the bridge directory (shared folder between Blender and UE)

2. Configure Blender Addon

   • In Blender: Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → AssetsBridge
   • Point to the same bridge directory

The bridge directory is where JSON files and exported glTF assets are stored for transfer between applications.

Usage Workflow

Unreal → Blender (Export)

1. Select assets in the Content Browser
2. Right-click → AssetsBridge → Export to Blender
3. Assets are exported to the bridge directory
4. In Blender: Click Import Objects in the AssetsBridge panel

Blender → Unreal (Import)

1. Make your modifications in Blender
2. Select modified objects
3. Click Export Selected in the AssetsBridge panel
4. In Unreal: AssetsBridge → Import from Blender
5. Assets are reimported with changes applied

Mesh Tools (Blender)

• Split to New Mesh - Separate faces into new wearable pieces
• Set Export Path - Configure Unreal destination path
• Assign UE5 Skeleton - Reuse existing skeleton on reimport
• Shape Key Transfer - Copy morph targets between meshes

Supported Asset Types

Type	Export	Import	Notes
Static Mesh	✅	✅	Full support with materials
Skeletal Mesh	✅	✅	Includes skeleton and weights
Morph Targets	✅	✅	Shape keys preserved by name
Materials	✅	✅	Material slots tracked

Requirements

Unreal Engine

• Unreal Engine 5.4+
• DatasmithImporter plugin (included with UE)
• EditorScriptingUtilities plugin (included with UE)

Blender

• Blender 4.0+ (5.0+ recommended)

Troubleshooting

Assets not appearing in Blender

• Verify both applications point to the same bridge directory
• Check that from-unreal.json exists in the bridge directory
• Ensure Blender scene units are set to Metric with 0.01 scale

Materials lost on reimport

• Material slots must maintain the same order
• New materials are assigned the default WorldGridMaterial

Skeleton issues on reimport

• Use Assign UE5 Skeleton in Blender to specify existing skeleton path
• Ensure bone hierarchy matches the original

Support

If you find this project useful, consider supporting development:

☕ Buy me a coffee

License

This project is open source under the GPL license.

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Made with ❤️ by Nitecon Studios LLC