Initial Preparation
To connect Cargo to Unreal, first, make sure you're using a supported version of Unreal Engine before attempting software setup.
See this article for version support: Supported 3D software and render engines
Cargo supports Unreal 5.2 - 5.6.
Cargo no longer supports Unreal 5.0 - 5.1
Install Plugin
Ensure Unreal is completely shut down and follow the Basic Software Setup guide:
Go to Cargo > Account > Software Settings, click Add New Software.
Select Unreal from the dropdown menu
Select the Unreal version you wish to connect to Cargo
Allow Cargo to install the plugin behind the scenes
When you see the message below (Activate Your Plugin) Open Unreal, enable the plugin, then activate it within your project.
Step 1
Step 2 & 3
Step 4
After you have selected the version of Unreal, Cargo will install all necessary files to your computer and prompt you to activate your plugin within Unreal.
Step 5
Follow the instructions in the next section to configure the Cargo plugin in Unreal
Cargo Plugin Configuration
To access the available settings for the Cargo plugin, navigate to Edit→Project Settings→ Plugins→Cargo by Kitbash3D
From there, you should be able to see all available options while using the importer
Import Defaults
Default Import Path
This option allows you to specify which location kit folders will be imported to. Each kit will import with its own unique folder holding all related kit contents (Models, Materials, etc.). The default behavior will import each folder into the context folder at the top level. It is recommended to create a folder to import Kitbash3D kits into to keep your project organized
We recommend setting the path to /Game/Cargo, which you may also see as Content/Cargo
Auto Connect to Cargo
This option will ensure Cargo remains connected to Unreal so that assets can be imported through the Cargo application.
Skip Existing Assets
During the import of new assets, this option will look within your project to see if a model or blueprint already exists that is being imported, and if present, skip importing it.
For example, if a prop is being used in multiple different buildings across a kit, it will not re-import that same prop again.
This can save time during the import process by not re-importing assets that already exist within your project
It’s only recommended to turn the assets off if you’ve made changes to the assets, and would like to re-import them to change them back to their original state.
Skip Existing Materials
Same as with the “Skip existing assets” option, except this option is specifically for materials and textures. These two options are highly recommended to leave on to save time on importing assets through Cargo.
Advanced
Enable Manual Import
This option will add a new dialogue window that will open when you press the Cargo button on the toolbar. This gives you the option to import USD files manually, if desired.
This is not a general USD importer, and is designed to work specifically with our asset pipeline.
You can go to the download location set in Cargo, to find the USD files downloaded through Cargo if you wish to manually import them
In addition, any other options that you configure on the Cargo Importer, will still apply during a manual import (Such as Skip existing assets, Default Import Path, etc.)
Manual Import
NEW: The Unreal plugin has a new manual import option in v2.0.
The new manual import option enables the ability import one or multiple USD assets/materials from disk that have already been downloaded from Cargo.
NOTE: Manual import is only certified to work with KitBash3D assets, which have gone through an extensive validation process to ensure compatibility with our Unreal plugin’s feature set. KitBash3d’s importer is not a generic USD importer.
How To Enable the Manual Import Menu:
Click
Edit → Project Settings...
in the top menu barNavigate to Plugins → Cargo By KitBash3D
Click the “Enable Manual Import” check box
How to Manually Import a Single Asset:
Click the “Select File” button
Choose a Cargo USD file to import
Be sure to click the USD file that has the same name as it’s parent folder. This is the root USD asset that references the other USD assets in that folder.
Similar to Cargo’s inspector window, select the texture variant you wish to import
Enable “Skip Existing Assets” to ensure that static mesh, level, and packed level blueprint dependencies that have already been imported into your Unreal project are not overwritten while importing the currently selected asset.
Enabling this option can significantly speed up the import process
Disable this option to re-import all traversed asset dependencies
“Skip Existing Materials” works similarly to the “Skip Existing Assets” option, but for materials and their associated textures.
Click the OK button to start the import process
How to Import a Folder of USD Assets:
Click the “Select Folder” button
Choose a “Models” or “Materials” folder to import
Gameplay Ready Kits for Unreal Engine
For details on the changes we made for Gameplay Ready Kits for Unreal Engine, review our Help Article: Structural Changes to Kits for Unreal Engine
Watch a Gameplay Ready Kit demo by our VP of Kits, Mike Reese:
Unreal Troubleshooting
Unreal Not Detected by Cargo
If Unreal is still not detected by Cargo, run “Verify” on your installs of Unreal in the Epic Games launcher.
Once complete, connect Cargo to Unreal using the steps above. That should resolve the issue.
Cargo plugin installation can't find Unreal
Ensure your version of Unreal is supported : Cargo Supported Software
Try Advanced Setup and help Cargo locate your UnrealEditor.exe
If the Cargo Plugin does not show up in the Unreal Toolbar
If the Cargo Plugin does not show up in your toolbar, ensure that the plugin is enabled.
You can access the Plugins settings in Unreal by accessing these menu actions:
Edit > Plugins > KitBash3D
How to delete the Cargo plugin from Unreal
Close Unreal Engine
Make sure Unreal Editor is not running before deleting any plugins.
Find Your Unreal Installation Folder
This is typically located in these locations:
Windows Example
C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.3\Engine\Plugins\Marketplace\Cargo
macOS Example
/Users/Shared/Epic Games/UE_5.4/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/Cargo
Navigate to the Plugin Path
Right-click the Cargo folder and choose Delete. Confirm when prompted.
Restart Unreal Engine
When Unreal reopens, it will no longer reference the deleted plugin.
Cannot import assets into Unreal
If you've successfully enabled the Cargo plugin within Unreal but are receiving an error message after attempting to import an asset, please review the below steps.
First, ensure you're using a supported version of Unreal.
Completely removing all associated Cargo files will ensure that a reinstallation of Cargo is successful at resolving your issue.
Remove Cargo application files - Windows
Navigate to: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming
Delete kitbash3d folder
Delete Cargo by KitBash3D folder
Empty Recycle Bin
Uninstall Cargo
From the Start menu, run the Window Uninstaller to uninstall Cargo
Ensure the app has been cleared from your Recycle Bin
Reinstall Cargo
Verify your version of UE through the Epic Launcher (shown above)
Ensure your UE is shut down
Install the latest version of Cargo from https://kitbash3d.com/pages/cargo-download
(note the file name of the Cargo application is NOT the version number)Log into Cargo
ACCOUNT > SOFTWARE SETTINGS > ADD NEW SOFTWARE > UNREAL
Allow Cargo to install the plugin into UE
Open UE and enable the Cargo plugin in all locations
Select an asset to import
Retrieve Cargo Logs
If the above steps do not allow you to import an asset into Unreal after a reinstallation, locating and sending our support team the logs will be helpful for the team to see what's going on behind the scenes.
Windows OS
Take the below steps
In the File Explorer, navigate to: Windows: C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\kitbash3d\Logs\cargo.log
There are two logs here: cargo.log and cargo-platform-services.log.Zip up this folder and attach the it to your email (info@kitbash3d.com)
We'll get back to you as soon as our team is able to review the logs.
macOS
In Finder, use
CMD+SHIFT+.
to reveal hidden foldersIn /Users locate the /kitbash3d/ folder
In /kitbash3d/ folder, locate the logs folder
Please email us the cargo.log and cargo-platform-services.log (info@kitbash3d.com)
Email info@kitbash3d.com
Once our team is able to review the logs, we'll get back to you with more information about the issue you experienced.