How to Combine Multiple Objects into One in Unreal Engine 5 using Combine Meshes and Merge Actors
Hello everyone! In this short tutorial on Unreal Engine, we’ll see how to combine multiple objects into one, both during the import process and afterward, using the Combine Static Meshes and Merge Actors tools.
This tutorial was created with Unreal Engine version 5.4, and it begins with exporting the 3D model you see on screen from Blender 4.5 in GLB format. The model consists of 15 objects and 9 materials.
To import it into Unreal Engine, I’m simply dragging the GLB file into the Content Browser. By leaving the default import settings, the objects will be imported as separate Static Meshes.
Among other things, the import quality isn’t very high. Many details are lost, but in a moment I’ll show you how to fix that issue as well.
I’ll delete these elements to redo the import, but this time as a single object.
I drag the GLB file into the Content Browser again, but this time I’ll modify two settings in the import panel. The first is Build Nanite, which I’ll disable to keep the original geometry resolution.
The second setting to change is Combine Static Mesh, which I’ll enable before importing.
This time, among the Static Meshes in the folder, we’ll have just one object, which is easier to manage in the level if it’s meant to be used as a non-editable scene prop.
However, combining multiple objects into one can also be done after importing, and it can include only some of the imported objects, not necessarily all of them. So, I’ll delete the current assets to show you this other merging method.
When importing the GLB file again, I’ll need to disable the Combine Static Meshes option. Unreal Engine remembers the last import settings used. The good thing is that Build Nanite is still disabled, as we want it to be.
The cart is made up of twelve objects: the main frame, three shelves, four wheel connectors, and four wheels. Let’s say we want to merge these twelve objects into a single one for convenience.
I’ll place all the elements into the 3D scene, then open the Tools menu and choose the Merge Actors tool.
In this panel, I’ll deselect only the three objects I don’t want to merge with the cart, which are the cables, the TV, and the DVD player. Then, I click on Merge Actors.
Now we have a new Static Mesh, with a name of our choice, in the Content Browser. I’ll remove the models currently in the scene by deleting them from the Outliner, then place in the scene only the new object, the cables, the TV, and the DVD player.
Now I can also delete the twelve original cart components from the Content Browser since I no longer need them. However, I must not delete the Materials and Textures used by those objects, because they are now used by the new Static Mesh.
Alright, that’s it for this tutorial! If you found it helpful, you can thank me with a Like and by subscribing to the channel! Remember to turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next tutorials! See you soon!