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Dcc referencing comparison

reference a mesh, and modify the UV.

Supported

Only Maya supports editing UVs on a reference

  • Maya stores them as reference edits in the working scene.
  • You can inspect and manage these in the Reference Editor.
Not supported

Blender
- you can override a mesh data block (verts, faces, UVs, vert colors, …), but not just the UV.
- override works for properties (like location, visibility, modifiers, materials).
Unity
- the prefab system is similar to Blender’s datablocks.
Unreal
- can’t edit mesh UVs without scripting or USD

More details for each dcc

Unity

  • ✅ Prefab System = referencing with overrides.
    • Prefabs reference a base asset.
    • You can override components, materials, and transforms — but not mesh data (like UVs or geometry).
  • ❌ You can’t override UVs or vertex data in a prefab.
  • 🧩 Workaround: You could use a custom component to apply mesh modifications at runtime or clone and edit meshes via script.

Unreal Engine

  • ✅ Supports referencing via Blueprints, instanced assets, and Data Layers.
  • 💡 Geometry Script (in UE5) can modify mesh data at runtime, including UVs.
  • ✅ USD integration supports referencing with overrides (materials, transforms, UVs).
  • ✳️ Unreal also supports hierarchical instancing and nanite instances, but they don’t allow low-level UV edits directly on instances.

Maya

  • ✅ File Referencing is one of its core features.
    • You can reference in an asset (e.g., a character rig or mesh).
    • ✅ You can override materials, UV sets, transforms, etc. non-destructively.
  • 🔒 Some things (like topology) can’t be changed unless you do a reference edit or import it.
  • 🧩 You can use reference edits or deformer nodes (like UV editors or custom deltas) layered on top of a referenced mesh.

Blender

  • ✅ Supports linked libraries (.blend file linking).
  • ❌ You cannot edit geometry or UVs of a linked object directly.
  • 🧩 Workaround:
    • Use a Proxy Object (older) or Overrides (Blender 3+).
    • You can override materials, transforms, and certain properties — but not geometry/UVs.
    • To modify UVs, you must make it local, which duplicates the data — defeating your purpose.