UModel Tools Next

UModel Tools Next is dotm5's fork of the UModel Tools Blender add-on. It turns UModel and FModel map exports into a focused Blender scene recovery pipeline, with stronger path matching, layered shader-rule reconstruction for packed Unreal texture patterns, and automatic layout for generated shader node graphs.

Repository: https://github.com/dotm5/UModel_Tools_Next

Compatibility

UModel Tools Next requires Blender 5.1 or newer. The v1.4.0 release has been validated on Blender 5.2.0 LTS for add-on registration, material reconstruction, automatic node layout, and installation from the packaged ZIP with its bundled NetworkX runtime dependency.

Why This Fork

• Recovers Unreal Engine map JSON exports into Blender scenes, including static mesh placement and reusable asset caches.
• Matches map assets across UModel/FModel-style export layouts and mixed path conventions.
• Reconstructs common packed PBR material layouts, with optional creator rule datasets for game-specific texture names and channel packing.
• Converts DirectX normal maps for Blender's OpenGL-style tangent space.
• Applies shader hints for glass, water, emissive, foliage-like alpha, and other Unreal material patterns.
• Produces missing-asset diagnostics so incomplete exports are easier to fix instead of silently failing.
• Keeps packaging lean: only runtime site packages are bundled, while fork-maintained reference importers live inline.
• Direct single-asset import and interactive AutoTex repair workflows are intentionally outside this add-on and can be split into a separate module later.

Showcase

Imported Unreal map content in Blender, shown alongside the reconstructed material node graph for packed PBR textures, DirectX normal conversion, and shader routing.

Features

• Map import from Unreal Engine JSON exports with static mesh placement.
• FModel-style World/Level/Actor/component reference traversal with template and parent-transform fallbacks.
• Engine BasicShapes recovery from exported meshes, with dependency-free procedural previews when those meshes are absent.
• Blender asset cache generation and reuse for repeated map recovery work.
• Optional experimental skeletal map preview with PSK/PSKX armatures and one basic AnimToPlay PSA Action; morph targets, animation blueprints, montages, retargeting, and root motion remain out of scope.
• UModel/FModel path inference for exports that do not share one exact directory shape.
• Map material reconstruction from Unreal material descriptors, FModel JSON, texture parameter patterns, and TOML rule datasets.
• Automatic Sugiyama-based layout for generated material node trees, adapted from Node Arrange through the vendored arrangebpy core while preserving the generated nodes and links.
• Packed mask support, DirectX normal conversion, glass/water hints, and packed diffuse alpha emission masks.
• Missing-asset reports for diagnosing partial or inconsistent exports.

Packaging

The distributed Blender add-on keeps only runtime site packages in umodel_tools/third_party. Reference importer code that is part of this fork, such as the PSK/PSKX importer integration, lives inline under umodel_tools so the vendored dependency folder does not grow into a mixed plugin dump. Built-in material rule datasets use TOML only and are parsed with Python's standard-library tomllib. Generated material node trees are arranged with the vendored arrangebpy Sugiyama core; packaged builds include NetworkX as its runtime graph dependency. Build distributable copies without --noreq unless umodel_tools/third_party has already been populated from requirements.txt.

Material Rule Example

name = "ExampleRules"

[[texture_rules]]
name = "diffuse"
diffuse = true
[texture_rules.match]
param_names = ["base color", "diffuse"]
suffixes = ["d", "basecolor"]
[[texture_rules.connections]]
from = "image.Color"
to = "ao_mix.Color1"

Credits

• Skarn for the original UModel Tools add-on.
• Gildor for UEViewer.
• Developers of FModel.
• Developers of the original UE map import scripts.
• Befzz for the Blender PSK/PSA importer foundation.

Disclaimer

Game assets and maps are copyrighted by their respective owners. This software is intended for artistic, archival, and research workflows.