Problems, Solutions and Perspectives of Automated Transfer of Game Scenes between Game Engines
Main Article Content
Abstract
This article examines the technical challenges involved in transferring game scenes between various game engines. It analyzes the key issues arising from differences in scene formats, incompatibilities in rendering and physics APIs, as well as problems in converting materials, shaders, and animation data, and discrepancies in coordinate systems. Existing tools and methods, including automated solutions for exporting, converting, and importing data, are presented with a particular focus on migrating content from Unreal Engine to Unigine. Furthermore, the paper discusses fundamental approaches to solving the problem, such as the use of universal exchange formats (FBX, glTF, USD), the development of middleware, and the modular design of game scenes, which pave the way for future automation. The work also highlights our group’s research results on the formal description of game logic and approaches to porting VR applications across different libraries. The conclusions provide practical recommendations for developers and outline future research directions in the area of automated content transfer between game engines.
Article Details
References
2. Linietsky J. Why we should all support glTF 2.0 as THE standard asset exchange format for game engines // GodotEngine. 2017. URL: https://godotengine.org/article/we-should-all-use-gltf-20-export-3d-assets-game-engines/
3. @Coldwalker37. Creating a Unity to Godot converter, and a Unity to Unreal converter // Reddit. GameDev. 2023. URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/16j7xc8/creating_a_unity_to_godot_converter_and_a_unity/
4. @NegInfinity. Project Exodus – Unity to unreal scene converter //Unreal Engine. Forum. Plugins. 2019. URL: https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/plugin-project-exodus-unity-to-unreal-scene-converter/125362
5. Quevillon A. Utu Plugin – Unity to Unreal Project Converter. 2023. URL: https://alexquevillon.gumroad.com/l/UtuPlugin
6. Migrating to UNIGINE from Unity: Content Creation // Unigine. URL: https://developer.unigine.com/en/docs/future/migration/from_unity/content
7. Zylann M. Unity Engine to Godot Engine exporter // GitHub. 2019. URL: https://github.com/Zylann/unity_to_godot_converter
8. OpenGEX. 2022. URL: https://opengex.org/
9. Torres J.C. Star citizen space sim moves to amazon lumberyard game engine // Lash Gear. Gaming. 2016. URL: https://www.slashgear.com/star-citizen-space-sim-moves-to-amazon-lumberyard-game-engine-26468764/
10. Unity to Unreal Engine Game Transfer // Pungle Studio. URL: https://pinglestudio.com/service/unity-to-unreal-engine-transfer
11. How to transfer your level from Unity3D to Unreal Engine 5 (and vice versa) // Youtube. iBrews. 2023. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cN0m-p8zM
12. Ciekanowska A., Kiszczak-Gliński A., Dziedzic K. Comparative analysis of Unity and Unreal Engine efficiency in creating virtual exhibitions of 3D scanned models // Journal of Computer Sciences Institute. 2021. Vol. 20. P. 247–253.
13. Шараева Р.А. и др. Подходы к проектированию виртуальных тренажёров хирургических операций // Электронные библиотеки. 2022. Т. 25. №. 5. С. 489–532.
14. Selva P.E. GameEngine as a SceneIndex plugin // Alliance for OpenUSD. 2024. URL: https://forum.aousd.org/t/gameengine-as-a-sceneindex-plugin/1238
15. Shikin B. Migrating from Unity to Other Game Engines // AppLovin. 2023. URL: https://www.applovin.com/blog/migrating-from-unity-to-other-game-engines/
16. McConchie J., Ensom T. Preserving virtual reality artworks: a museum perspective // ACM SIGGRAPH 2019 Talks. 2019. P. 1–2.
17. Kugurakova V.V. A formal approach to spatio-temporal modeling of game systems // Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Fiziko-Matematicheskie Nauki. 2024. V. 166. № 4. P. 532–554. https://doi.org/10.26907/2541-7746.2024.4.532-554.
18. Kugurakova V., Vasilov T., Khafizov M. Approaches to automating VR applications porting using common techniques // BIO Web of Conferences. 2024. Vol. 84. Art. No. 02016.
19. Бондарь А. UE to Unigine Exporter // GitHub. 2025. URL: https://github.com/Bonndii/UEtoUnigineExporter

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Presenting an article for publication in the Russian Digital Libraries Journal (RDLJ), the authors automatically give consent to grant a limited license to use the materials of the Kazan (Volga) Federal University (KFU) (of course, only if the article is accepted for publication). This means that KFU has the right to publish an article in the next issue of the journal (on the website or in printed form), as well as to reprint this article in the archives of RDLJ CDs or to include in a particular information system or database, produced by KFU.
All copyrighted materials are placed in RDLJ with the consent of the authors. In the event that any of the authors have objected to its publication of materials on this site, the material can be removed, subject to notification to the Editor in writing.
Documents published in RDLJ are protected by copyright and all rights are reserved by the authors. Authors independently monitor compliance with their rights to reproduce or translate their papers published in the journal. If the material is published in RDLJ, reprinted with permission by another publisher or translated into another language, a reference to the original publication.
By submitting an article for publication in RDLJ, authors should take into account that the publication on the Internet, on the one hand, provide unique opportunities for access to their content, but on the other hand, are a new form of information exchange in the global information society where authors and publishers is not always provided with protection against unauthorized copying or other use of materials protected by copyright.
RDLJ is copyrighted. When using materials from the log must indicate the URL: index.phtml page = elbib / rus / journal?. Any change, addition or editing of the author's text are not allowed. Copying individual fragments of articles from the journal is allowed for distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon article, even commercially, as long as they credit that article for the original creation.
Request for the right to reproduce or use any of the materials published in RDLJ should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief A.M. Elizarov at the following address: amelizarov@gmail.com.
The publishers of RDLJ is not responsible for the view, set out in the published opinion articles.
We suggest the authors of articles downloaded from this page, sign it and send it to the journal publisher's address by e-mail scan copyright agreements on the transfer of non-exclusive rights to use the work.