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Exporting to Unreal

The ultimate bridge between Cygon and Unreal Engine.

Seamless integration and live-sync for USDA files. Requirements.md Cygon Link is a powerful bridge that provides a robust pipeline for bringing USDA (Universal Scene Description) assets into Unreal Engine. It features a custom Factory for automated conversion. It also syncs changes from Cygon to Unreal Engine in real-time.

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Key Features

  • Automated Asset Generation: Converts USDA hierarchies, meshes, and materials directly into native Unreal Engine assets (Static Meshes, Materials, etc.) with collision support.
  • Live Hot-Reloading / Reimport: Detects file changes in Cygon and instantly updates all instances in your active Unreal Engine level.
  • Intelligent Mesh Processing: Uses Unreal Engine's native USD Importer under the hood while applying custom processing to ensure perfect results.

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Getting Started

Installation via Fab (Pre-compiled)

The easiest way to get started is to get the pre-compiled plugin directly from Fab.

  • Go to the Cygon Link page on Fab (soon).
  • Add the plugin to your library and install it to your current Unreal Engine version.
  • Open your Unreal Engine project, go to Edit > Plugins, search for Cygon Link, and check the box to enable it.
  • Restart the editor if prompted.

(For general information on managing installed plugins, refer to the Epic Game Pugin Documentation.)

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Installation via Git (Source Code)

If you prefer to compile the plugin yourself or need the latest development version:

  • Navigate to your Unreal project's root folder.
  • Ensure you have a Plugins folder, or create one if it doesn't exist.
  • Open a terminal inside the Plugins folder and clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/inspyrstudio/CygonLinkForUnrealEngine

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  • Right-click your .uproject file and select Generate Visual Studio project files (or your preferred IDE equivalent).
  • Open your project in Unreal Engine and click Yes when prompted to rebuild the missing modules, or build it directly from your IDE.

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How to use it?

  • Import your assets: In Cygon, export your level into the Content/ folder of your Unreal project (CTRL + S or the export button). As long as the editor is open, Cygon Link detects the new files and imports them automatically — no pop-up, and no editor preferences to enable.
  • Add to Level: Drag the imported asset from the Content Browser into your Level Viewport or Outliner.
  • Live Editing Workflow: Keep your Unreal Engine project open. Open the source file in Cygon, modify geometry or transforms, and Export / Quick Export with CTRL + S.
  • Switch back to Unreal Engine: Cygon Link detects the change and reimports automatically — your meshes update without any manual step.

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Dependencies

This plugin has no third-party code or libraries. The only dependency is USDImporter, which is an Epic Games built-in Unreal Engine plugin (shipped with the engine itself).

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Miscellaneous

  • Requirements Unreal Engine Version: 5.8 or higher (Tested on recent UE5.7 versions). Ensure the USD Importer plugin is enabled in your Unreal project. Cygon Version: 0.2.3i or higher. (Note: versions prior to 0.2.3i do not support the proper export pipeline needed for engine integration).
  • Contributing Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to tell us about anything that doesn't work with the package on the Discord.


Full documentation is available in the Docs/ folder

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