Unreal Plugin - Load a model

Execute the project to connect Unreal with 3drepo.io and import models

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Written by Faisal Ramady
Updated over a week ago

Requirements

Before you start the process you must download and install the following applications:

Step 4. Load the demo Unreal project

  1. Clone the 3drepoUnreal project, and enter the repounreal directory

  2. Right-click the .uproject file and select Generate Visual Studio project files. This will build a Visual Studio solution in the same directory

  3. Open the Visual Studio solution

  4. In the Solution Explorer right-click on the repounreal project. In the pop-up window select the option Set as Startup Project

  5. Now Start Debugging. This will open the Editor with the debugger attached

Step 5. Load a Demo model

Since we already have some models in the Demo account, let's go ahead and load one of them to our Unreal Editor. We'll be using the developer tools and you must do the following:
The sample code registers two command console commands: 3drepoimport & 3drepoconvert.

  1. In the Unreal Editor open the console, press the Tilde ¬ key.
    Alternatively, open the Output Log (Window > Developer Tools > Output Log)

  2. We're required to specify the model, so we'll be using the following information:
    ​Teamspace: Repo3DDemo
    ​Model ID: 518632d0-1954-11ed-8af4-17d2589567ea

  3. In the console give the following command:
    ​3drepoimport [teamspace] [model id] [revision tag]*
    ​*revision tag is optional
    Here is an example that you can use:
    ​3drepoimport Repo3DDemo 207de880-d9e6-11eb-9b08-7bd2d03ee2bc

The model will be imported as a new Actor in the world. The 3drepoimport command can be given at design-time (in Editor) or in-game (e.g. in Play-In-Editor mode).

Step 6. Load a model from your 3D Repo account

The project will have the demo account web configuration hardcoded in. If you want to load models from your own account you will need to update the URL & API information in the repounreal.cpp:

  • url points to the server location ie. www.3drepo.io (UK) or ca.3drepo.io (Canada)

  • apikey is to authenticate your API Request

To load your own models into unreal editor repeat the steps shown in Step 5 using your own information for Model ID & Teamspace.

Units

A couple of points on how units are applied to models in the plugin:

  • Scaling will be applied to take the model from the source units to the destination units of the Unreal engine

  • The units of the model in 3D Repo can be seen in the setting panel of the model

  • Unreal world units are in cm

  • The scale is applied to the Transform of the top-level ARepoSupermeshActor object

Step 6. Packaging the Plugin

Use the Package Project option in the Editor. By default, support for Mac is disabled via the WhitelistPlatforms property to allow building on a standalone PC. Configure remote-compilation to build for Mac.

The repounreal project (Solution -> Games) has the plugin (in the Plugins folder) and project code (in the Source folder).

The plugin can be packaged and redistributed. The plugin is registered as a dependency in the project code's repounreal.Build.cs as it would be in any third-party project.

The code under Source demonstrates how to use the plugin. This is what would be replaced in a real application. The demonstration of the plugin's API is in ImportModel. The sample registers this method with the Console Manager under the command 3drepoimport.

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