Cross project object leak (ish)

Development Rendering
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1

I was playing in a simple test project - created a simple cube (cunning name: Cube) and applied a material to it (cunning name: NewMaterial).

With the project open I then opened another project and got errors on load about not finding NewMaterial.

LogLinker:Warning: Can't find file '/Game/NewMaterial'
LogLinker:Warning: Can't find file for asset '/Game/NewMaterial' while loading ../../../Engine/Content/BasicShapes/Cube.uasset.
LoadErrors:Error: Error /Engine/BasicShapes/Cube : Can't find file for asset. /Game/NewMaterial
LogLinker:Warning: Can't find file '/Game/NewMaterial'
LogLinker:Warning: Can't find file for asset '/Game/NewMaterial' while loading ../../../Engine/Content/BasicShapes/Cube.uasset.
LoadErrors:Error: Error /Engine/BasicShapes/Cube : Can't find file for asset. /Game/NewMaterial
LogLinker:Warning: Can't find file '/Game/NewMaterial'
LoadErrors: Info Failed to load /Game/NewMaterial.NewMaterial Referenced by Cube
LogLinker:Warning: Can't find file for asset '/Game/NewMaterial' while loading NULL.

My main project does have a Default level but does not have a cube in it, nor a NewMaterial.

When I click on the link to Cube in the error it takes me to Engine Content folder (StaticMesh’/Engine/BasicShapes/Cube.Cube’) .

So - I managed to edit the engine level Cube from my test level? When I open this asset in the editor it shows itself as pointing to the WorldGridMaterial and I was able to fix the load error by saving the asset again.

2

So - seems you can edit the engine content without warning? Pretty sure what happened was that I clicked on the Cube MESH link in my dropped cube actor and changed the material there, rather than in the mesh component on the actor I’d placed.

Not enough coffee in my case, but something that a novice user might trip over - or dig themselves into a difficult place to recover from with lots of assets modified in the engine before they realise.

Suggest a one time warning.

3

Hello theonecalledtom,

I’ve placed a feature request in for a warning to be added that will warn against doing this. You can find that report here: UE-41770. You can also use that page it track its progress.

Have a nice day!