Build what you can't buy — once, to scale, with clean topology. In asset sourcing, Blender is the DCC that models and assembles props and locations. The whole point of Phase 1 is a reusable library: model an asset once, correctly, so it drops into Unreal without rework and gets reused across every shot. Characters arrive from Daz (see the Daz Studio steps); this page is the Blender track.
Of Phase 1's four tracks — characters, outfits, props, locations — Blender owns props (“model or acquire”) and locations (“model → assemble”). The other two are the Daz character pipeline.
Box-model and hard-surface props directly in Blender, or import purchased/scanned meshes and clean them up. Anything held by a character gets its dedicated prop-prep pass later — see Blender in Phase 3.
Model environment pieces, or kitbash / assemble a set from modular and Megascans parts. Keep it organized with collections so a location is one tidy, re-openable unit rather than loose objects.
Work at 1 unit = 1 m and keep quads, sane edge flow, and correct normals. Clean topology shades predictably and imports into Unreal without surprises; junk topology fights you at every downstream step.
Bake object scale and rotation with Ctrl A → Apply → All Transforms so scale reads 1.0. Unapplied scale is the classic asset-sourcing bug: it re-scales meshes on FBX import and breaks physics and modifiers downstream.
Mark props and kits in the Asset Browser (or organized library .blend files) so each is sourced once and dragged into any shot. Reuse is the whole economy of Phase 1.
| Phase 1 track | Where it's sourced | Blender's part |
|---|---|---|
| Characters — base figure + morphs | Daz Studio | none yet — Blender enters at Phase 2 |
| Outfits & hair — fit / conform | Daz Studio | none yet — arrives with the character |
| Props — model or acquire | Blender · Fab / Megascans | models / cleans the mesh |
| Locations — environment kits | Blender · UE Marketplace | models & assembles the set |
The single most common asset-sourcing mistake is exporting with a non-1.0 object scale. On FBX import, Unreal (and Blender's own physics/modifiers) re-interpret that scale and the prop comes in wrong-sized or skewed.
Fix: before export, Ctrl A → All Transforms on every asset. Model to metric scale up front so the numbers stay honest end-to-end.
Sourced props and locations sit in the library until shot assembly in Unreal, where they're placed and — for held props — snapped to a character's hand socket. Characters take a different route: they finalize in Blender next.