Installing Cineware components for the Unreal Editor

If you download the latest version of Cineware for Unreal from the official website https://www.maxon.net/en/downloads/unreal, it will automatically be installed in the correct Unreal directory during installation. Just make sure that you also use the Cinema 4D version that matches Cineware and Unreal. This is important because new object types or generators are added with almost every C4D version, which must be supported by the appropriate Cineware plug-in. Information on the compatible program versions can be found on the Maxon website directly under the download links (see illustration below).

At the beginning of the installation you have the choice between various Unreal components, which allow you to open native Cinema 4D files, or to install the Direct Link plugin for Cinema 4D, which allows you to exchange and synchronize data directly from Cinema 4D. Changes to data within Cinema 4D can thus be sent directly to the Unreal Editor without having to reimport the assets in Unreal.

In short, the installation components make this possible:

• Datasmith: This enables support for the Cinema 4D data format for importing models, lights, cameras, materials and basic animations. The interactive Direct Link function for synchronizing data edited in Cinema 4D is also based on this component. As a rule, this should therefore remain activated.
• Importer for Unreal Engine: This component is an integral part of Datasmith and enables data exchange between Cinema 4D and the Unreal Editor via the native data format of Cinema 4D (file extension .c4d). The importer is installed by default for Datasmith.
• Direct Link for Unreal Engine: This component is based on the Datasmith component in the Unreal Editor and a separate plug-in that is installed in the Cinema 4D directory. This allows changes to a scene opened in Cinema 4D to be made directly visible in Unreal.
• Importer for Unreal Engine using Interchange: This optional plug-in provides an alternative interface to Datasmith for Cinema 4D data. Some of the supported object, material and animation types differ from those supported by Datasmith. If you install both Datasmith and the Interchange component, you can use the best importer for your project. The differences between the objects and parameters supported by Datasmith and Interchange are described on this page.

For the selected components of the Cineware connection to the Unreal Engine, enter the desired directories in the following installation step. To install the importer on the Unreal side and the optional Interchange support, at least define the Plugins directory within your Unreal installation. The default path is entered automatically and can therefore usually be used unchanged.
If you have also decided to install the Direct Link plugin, the Plugins directory of your Cinema 4D 2026 installation must be specified. This directory is also usually entered automatically in the installation dialog.

This is certainly the preferred installation, but you can also decide to use the Cineware components only for a specific, already existing Unreal project. In this case, specify the Plugins folder in the corresponding Unreal project folder during the installation of the Datasmith and Interchange components.

To check within the Unreal Editor whether all components required for full Cineware or Cinema 4D support have been installed and activated, open the Plugins Browser via the Edit menu in the Unreal Editor. If you have only installed the Cineware components for a specific project (in its Plugins folder), this project must first be opened.

In the Plugins Browser, you will find all available categories for the extensions in the left-hand column. Cineware by Maxon is relevant for Cineware in the Editor category (see image below). If you have also selected this during installation, the Interchange component will also appear in this list.

If one of these entries is not activated in the activation column, check the corresponding box. This change must then be implemented by restarting the Unreal Editor. You will find a corresponding Restart Now button directly at the bottom of the Plugin Browser (see also the following illustration).

Activating the Cineware by Maxon component automatically activates the component for the Datasmith Importer, which can be found in the Importers section of the plug-ins (see illustration below). This is also required by Cineware. The component for the Datasmith Content is part of this, but should already be activated by default.
If one of these components has been deactivated by mistake, switch it back on and then restart the Unreal Editor to update this change.
The older Datasmith C4D Importer extension, which is also still available, is no longer required in current Unreal versions and should therefore remain deactivated.

If Cineware by Maxon does not appear in the Plugins Browser, make sure that you have installed the plugin versions that match the Unreal Editor version. If you still encounter error messages or other problems, you can find support here: https://support.maxon.net
You can find out how to prepare your assets in Cinema 4D and then import them into Unreal on this information page.

The installation of the Direct Link component can be verified within Cinema 4D. There, the functionality appears in the Extensions menu under the term Unreal Direct Link (see following image).