00 UE ‐ Asset Placement - CDDTreborn/Tekken-8-Resources GitHub Wiki

Asset Placement Basics (This Is Required Knowledge)

When modding Unreal Engine games, assets are not discovered automatically. They are loaded using an exact address.

That address is made of two parts:

  • Folder path
  • Asset name

If either one is wrong, the game will not load the asset.

Why This Matters

We use FModel to inspect the game’s internal file structure.

In FModel, everything starts inside the Content folder.

That Content folder is the root of all asset paths the game expects.

Your mod must recreate the same structure.

The Golden Rule

To reference an in-game asset, you must match its path and name exactly.

That includes:

  • Folder names
  • Folder order
  • Asset name
  • Underscores, prefixes, and capitalization

Being “close” does not work.

What Happens If You Get It Wrong

If an asset is:

  • Placed in a custom folder
  • Renamed for readability
  • Missing part of the folder tree

Then at runtime the game will:

  • Look in the expected location
  • Not find the asset
  • Fail to load it (often falling back to blank or default)

The game does not search or guess.

Example

What FModel Shows

Content/Game/Characters/XYZ/Materials/MI_Body

What Your Mod Must Contain

Content/Game/Characters/XYZ/Materials/MI_Body

Both the path and the name must match exactly.

Why This Is Especially Important for Dirty Material Instances

Dirty Material Instances are references to materials that already exist in the game.

When a mesh loads a material, it stores something equivalent to:

Load material instance at this exact path

If your project does not contain an asset at that address:

  • The game cannot resolve the reference
  • The material will not load

This is expected behavior.

What NOT To Do

Do not:

  • Create your own organizational folder structure
  • Rename assets to be cleaner or clearer
  • Change underscores, prefixes, or suffixes
  • Move assets after assigning them to meshes

Any of these will break the reference.

Simple Mental Model

Path + Name = Address

If the address is wrong, you are pointing to a different asset.

Quick Checklist (Before Testing)

  • Did I copy the folder structure from FModel?
  • Does the asset live under Content/?
  • Does the asset name match exactly?
  • Did I avoid reorganizing things?

If all answers are YES, the asset can be found.

Stop Here

This is foundational knowledge.

Understanding this is required before:

  • Dirty Material Instances
  • Emulated materials
  • Custom materials
  • Any advanced modding steps