Using Datasmith with Solidworks

This page describes how Datasmith imports scenes from Solidworks into Unreal Editor. It follows the basic process outlined in the Datasmith Overview and About the Datasmith Import Process, but adds some special translation behavior that is specific to Solidworks. If you're planning to use Datasmith to import scenes from Solidworks into Unreal Editor, reading this page can help you understand how your scene is translated, and how you can work with the results in Unreal Editor.

Solidworks Workflows

Export Workflow

Datasmith uses an Export Plugin workflow for Solidworks. This means that to get your Solidworks content into Unreal using Datasmith, you need to:

If the Datasmith for Solidworks plugin installer detects multiple versions of Solidworks on your system, and at least one of these versions is supported, it will install the export plugin for all of the Solidworks versions it detects. Note that the export plugin is not supported for Solidworks 2019 and older versions.

1. Install a plugin for Solidworks. See Installing the Datasmith Exporter Plugin for Solidworks.

   Epic releases a new version of the Unreal Datasmith Exporter plugin for Solidworks with every new release of Unreal Engine. If you switch to a different version of Unreal Engine, make sure you download and install the matching version of the plugin.

2. Export your Solidworks content to a .udatasmith file. See Exporting Datasmith Content from Solidworks.
3. Enable the Importers > Datasmith Importer Plugin for your Project, if it's not already installed.
4. Use the Datasmith importer available in the Toolbar of the Unreal Editor to import your .udatasmith file. See Importing Datasmith Content into Unreal Engine 4.

To read more about other types of Datasmith workflows, see Datasmith Supported Software and File Types.

DirectLink Workflow

To preview changes to your Solidworks scene in Unreal Engine in real time, you can set up a Datasmith DirectLink between the two. This way, you don’t need to manually re-import the entire scene into Unreal Engine every time you want to make a change.

Datasmith DirectLink functionality is available from the Unreal tab of the Solidworks main toolbar, after you install the Datasmith for Solidworks plugin.

For more information, see Datasmith DirectLink documentation.

Solidworks Import Considerations

This section describes special considerations when converting and importing objects from your Solidworks scene into various elements in your Unreal Engine Project.

Datasmith for Solidworks supports the following features:

• Product structure
• Solid geometry
• Textures and materials
• Display states
• Configurations
• Metadata

The Datasmith importer currently doesn’t support the following Solidworks features:

• Animations
• Lights
• Cameras
• Construction geometry: points, curves, planes

Converted Entities

When you import a .udatasmith file into Unreal Engine, Datasmith converts the following Solidworks entities into their Unreal Engine counterparts:

Solidworks Data Loading Models

When you open an assembly file, Solidworks can load its active components as either lightweight or fully resolved. Depending on the selected mode, data from the model may or may not be available in Solidworks.

We recommend opening assemblies in fully resolved mode to guarantee that the most amount of information will be transferred through Datasmith. For more information, see Solidworks documentation on Components.

Materials and UVs

Solidworks does not have data for UVs associated with parts. Unlike Unreal Engine, Solidworks stores mapping information per material. When exporting data into a .udatasmith file, the Datasmith exporter bakes UVs into the static meshes using the material information. So, if a part is instantiated several times in the Solidworks assembly, and each part instance uses different materials, it may end up with multiple static meshes in Unreal Engine.

Configurations and Display States

If the Solidworks model has display states or configurations, Datasmith may create a Level Variant Set asset. This asset will hold the translated variant entity. For more information, see Solidworks documentation on Configurations.