Native asset import, inspection and round-trip export

These workflows use the asset and material categories. Paths such as /Game/Props/T_Normal.T_Normal are object paths; imports take a disk filePath and a content folder packagePath.

Texture batches

asset(import_texture_batch) accepts per-file presets and overrides:

{
  "packagePath": "/Game/Props/Textures",
  "save": true,
  "dryRun": false,
  "items": [
    {"filePath": "C:/Art/T_Color.png", "preset": "color", "lodGroup": "Weapon"},
    {"filePath": "C:/Art/T_Normal.png", "preset": "normal", "lodGroup": "WeaponNormalMap"},
    {"filePath": "C:/Art/T_RMA.png", "preset": "masks", "lodGroup": "WeaponSpecular", "maxTextureSize": 2048}
  ]
}

The normal preset uses Normalmap compression, linear sampling and flipGreenChannel=false. The masks preset uses Masks compression and linear sampling. The color preset uses Default compression and sRGB. All presets disable green-channel flipping. No preset changes the LOD group or streaming setting unless supplied explicitly.

Each item can carry name, packagePath, replaceExisting (default true), preset, and settings. The supported settings are compressionSettings, lodGroup, sRGB, neverStream, flipGreenChannel, and maxTextureSize. They may also appear directly on the item. Precedence is preset, then settings, then direct fields. Compression and LOD names accept the engine prefixes TC_ and TEXTUREGROUP_. Unknown enum names are refused. maxTextureSize is an integer from 0 to 32768; 0 leaves size selection to the source and platform settings.

The batch validates all entries before importing any. dryRun=true performs this preflight without importing or saving. Import-time failures can still leave a partial batch; inspect each item's success, importedAssets, readBack and saved. Saving occurs after settings are applied. Rollback deletes only newly created textures, subject to referencer checks. Replaced source pixels need a backup to restore.

asset(set_texture_settings) accepts one assetPath or 1-500 assetPaths, plus the same preset and settings. It preflights every texture before applying the common settings. save defaults false, preserving unsaved edits unless requested; dryRun defaults false. Each result includes previousSettings, requestedSettings and actual readBack. Dry-run read-back describes the unchanged asset. Its rollback restores the original settings, using the same save choice.

asset(get_texture_info) accepts the same single or batch selector. It reports maxTextureSize, compression, LOD group, sRGB, streaming, green-channel flipping, dimensions, pixel format and mip count.

Skeletal imports and mesh summaries

{
  "filePath": "C:/Art/SK_Prop.fbx",
  "packagePath": "/Game/Props",
  "name": "SK_Prop",
  "importer": "interchange",
  "importUniformScale": 100,
  "replaceExisting": true,
  "importMaterials": false,
  "importTextures": false,
  "createPhysicsAsset": false,
  "save": true
}

Use this argument object with asset(import_skeletal_mesh). importer=auto selects Interchange on 5.8 and later and the legacy FBX importer on earlier versions. Interchange receives an explicit pipeline stack containing scale, mesh type, skeleton and material/texture settings. An unavailable pipeline class or property produces an error before import. The pipeline stack uses the import task's options field, as described in the engine API.

Set skeletonPath to target an existing skeleton; omit it to request a new one. A supplied but missing skeleton is an error. importMorphTargets defaults true, createPhysicsAsset false, and material/texture import true. save defaults false. dryRun=true validates the source, destination and options without importing; it does not predict geometry or bounds.

Results include every imported asset and meshes, whose entries contain bounds, material slots, skeleton and sockets. The existing boxExtent, boundsRadius, morphTargets, numLODs and skeleton fields describe the first imported mesh. Rollback deletes only newly imported assets, subject to referencer checks. Import may change companion assets or shared skeletons; those edits and replaced assets require backup restoration.

asset(get_mesh_info) already summarizes static and skeletal meshes. It now also includes sockets and socketCount, using the same mesh-local and skeleton socket details as asset(list_sockets).

Assigning another skeleton to an existing skeletal mesh is already covered by asset(set_property):

{
  "assetPath": "/Game/Props/SK_Prop.SK_Prop",
  "propertyName": "Skeleton",
  "value": "/Game/Props/NewSkeleton.NewSkeleton",
  "save": true
}

This assigns the reference; it does not retarget geometry or reconcile bone hierarchies. Read the mesh summary afterward. To create a skeleton from an existing mesh, use animation(create_skeleton).

Export for a DCC round-trip

asset(export) already exports static or skeletal meshes to an .fbx output path. asset(export_texture) already writes a Texture2D to PNG. asset(export) now writes MaterialInstance parameters to .json, including parent lineage, scalar/vector/texture overrides and effective inherited values. Layer associations and parameter indexes remain in the JSON.

For example, export /Game/Props/MI_Prop.MI_Prop with outputPath="Saved/Export/MI_Prop.json" and format="json". Relative paths resolve against the project directory. replaceExisting defaults true; false refuses an existing file. dryRun=true on asset(export) validates the path and asset-specific format rules without writing. Registered exporter availability is checked only when exporting. Results report the output path, class and file size, plus the exported material data in readBack. The source asset is unchanged; overwritten disk files need a backup to restore.

Asset Registry queries

asset(list) supports these additions while retaining cursor pagination:

{
  "directory": "/Game",
  "classPaths": ["/Script/Engine.AnimSequence", "/Script/Engine.AnimMontage"],
  "recursiveClasses": true,
  "nameRegex": "pick|grab|loot|search",
  "regexIgnoreCase": true,
  "includeMetadata": true,
  "limit": 100
}

The name regex is limited to 512 characters. Use conventional regular-expression syntax; the server checks its syntax and the editor matches it with its regex implementation. classFilter retains its existing substring behavior and combines with classPaths when both are supplied. includeMetadata adds metadata.skeletonPath and metadata.playLength (seconds, or null when the registry has no length tag). These are registry tags, without loading each animation. They can lag unsaved edits.

Find skeletal meshes sharing a skeleton by using classPaths=["/Script/Engine.SkeletalMesh"] and skeletonPath. Package paths and object paths for the skeleton are accepted. All filters participate in cursor identity, so a cursor cannot silently resume a different query.

asset(get_referencers) already accepts multiple packages. Add includeDetails=true to report Blueprint paths, maps, external actor packages and reference depth. maxDepth defaults 2 and ranges from 1 to 8; only Blueprint referencers are followed beyond the direct references. Each package appears once through one shortest route. includeMeshInfo=true adds mesh summaries and static mesh collision setup to detailsByPackage.

The query uses saved hard and soft package references. Save newly created or changed Blueprints with asset(save) before querying; compiling a Blueprint does not persist its package dependencies. Runtime-only references and unsaved changes are not included. Standard map external-actor folders are resolved against registered World assets; unmatched external actor packages are reported as unresolvedExternalActors. Traversal caps are reported as truncated; the requested depth also limits coverage. No map needs to be loaded.

Parameterized master materials

Master-material authoring is already covered by material(create), add_expression, set_expression_value, connect_expressions, connect_to_property, recompile, create_instance, and batch_set_instances. build_material can also build a parameterized master and its instances in one call (textureParameters, parameters, nodes, instances); the step-by-step recipe below gives control over each node.

Create the material first, then add these nodes. Give each node the listed name and use parameterName on parameter nodes. Keep each returned expressionIndex for setting defaults.

For each texture node, call set_expression_value with texturePath. Set its sampler in a separate call using propertyName="SamplerType" and value="SAMPLERTYPE_Color", "SAMPLERTYPE_Normal" or "SAMPLERTYPE_Masks". This reflection setter requires the enum identifier, including its prefix. Virtual textures require the corresponding variant, such as SAMPLERTYPE_VirtualColor.

Connect ScaledUV to the Coordinates input of all three texture nodes. Connect TintedColor to BaseColor, Normal's RGB output to Normal, ScaledRoughness to Roughness, ScaledMetallic to Metallic, and RMA's B output to AmbientOcclusion. This channel order is RMA; ORM uses a different order. Recompile, then verify using read_graph and list_parameters.

Create each instance with parentPath pointing to the master. Assign textures with set_parameter or a single batch_set_instances call:

{
  "instances": [{
    "assetPath": "/Game/Props/MI_Prop.MI_Prop",
    "parameters": [
      {"name": "BaseColor", "type": "texture", "value": "/Game/Props/Textures/T_Color.T_Color"},
      {"name": "Normal", "type": "texture", "value": "/Game/Props/Textures/T_Normal.T_Normal"},
      {"name": "RMA", "type": "texture", "value": "/Game/Props/Textures/T_RMA.T_RMA"},
      {"name": "Tint", "type": "vector", "value": {"r": 0.8, "g": 0.7, "b": 0.6, "a": 1}},
      {"name": "UVScale", "type": "scalar", "value": 2},
      {"name": "RoughnessScale", "type": "scalar", "value": 0.9},
      {"name": "MetallicScale", "type": "scalar", "value": 0}
    ]
  }]
}

Read the resolved values with material(read_instance). These existing mutations save their results and return their own rollback descriptors; they do not offer a combined dry run for the entire graph recipe.