Using Blender
Note that this document will not cover the basics of Blender.
Several tools were created to make Blender compatible with modding Arc System Works games.
FModel with Arc System Works animation support
Download the UEFormat addon Download the modified FModel with ArcSys animation support
FModel supports exporting models and animations to a new "UEFormat", which is more accurate than either PSK/PSA or glTF. To export to UEFormat, open FModel's settings, then click on the Models tab. Finally, set Mesh Format to UEFormat (uemodel).
Now, you can right-click a model, animation, or folder containing either, and export the models/animations to UEFormat. The attached Blender addon can then import these.
Aerthas' custom materials & shaders
Download BLENDER-Arc-System-Works-Shader
While not strictly needed for modding, the shader is highly recommended for previewing models and textures within Blender itself.
Aerthas made a ton of practical videos on how to use his shader. Here is a link to a playlist containing said videos.
Scripts
The most useful scripts have their own wiki pages, which also go into detail on how to use them.
A note on Blender FBX export into UE4
The default Blender FBX exporter, while usable, is not preferred for Unreal Engine 4 modding. If you're willing to pay up, consider Better FBX Importer & Exporter instead.
If you are modding Guilty Gear -Strive- or a game newer than it, there is also Epic Games' very own Send to Unreal addon. The linked release is the last one that works on UE4.25. Newer releases only support UE4.27 and above, and the most recent releases only supports UE5.
Note that you must have connected your GitHub account to your Epic Games account in order to view this page. Click here for more information.
If you are not using the Better FBX addon, there is one step that must be followed in order to export an FBX to Unreal:
- The Armature for your model must be named Armature. If it is named anything else, skeletal mesh imports will not animate correctly.
Additionally, if you are not using the Send to Unreal addon, there is one more step that must be undertaken:
- Under the Scene tab of the Properties menu, set the Unit Scale to 0.01. You will also need to scale your model proportionately (100 times).