Unreal Engine Asset Naming Conventions

The naming pattern

Every asset name follows the same four-part shape, separated by underscores:

Prefix_AssetName_Descriptor_Variant

• Prefix — the asset type: SM_ for a static mesh, M_ for a material.
• AssetName — what the object is: Barrel, Knight, Campfire.
• Descriptor — how it is used, for example a normal map or a damaged state.
• Variant — optional letter or number for versions: 01, 02, A, B.

One barrel can therefore appear as SM_Barrel_01, T_Barrel_BC, T_Barrel_N and MI_Barrel_Wet, and every one of them sorts next to its siblings. The convention is a recommendation rather than an engine rule — agree on it before production starts, and extend the same pattern to any asset type not listed here.

Mesh, Material & Texture prefixes

The assets every game artist creates daily: static and skeletal meshes, materials, material instances and textures.

Skeleton, Rig & Animation prefixes

Everything attached to a character skeleton. Note the difference between SK_ (the mesh) and SKEL_ (the skeleton asset it is bound to).

Blueprint & Data prefixes

Gameplay logic, UI widgets and data containers.

VFX, Sequencer, Media & other prefixes

Niagara effects, cinematics, media playback and a few production helpers.

Texture suffixes (descriptors)

Epic’s page defines the T_ prefix and the idea of a descriptor, but it does not publish a fixed list of suffixes. These are the ones most studios settle on — pick yours, then write them down.

Packed maps save memory and texture samples: one ORM texture replaces three separate greyscale files — see channel packing.

Bone and skeleton naming

The bone hierarchy lives in the skeleton asset (SKEL_), and every skeletal mesh (SK_) and animation (AS_, AM_) that uses it refers to bones by name. Treat these names as an API.

• Keep one casing style for the whole skeleton. Unreal’s own Mannequin uses lowercase names such as pelvis, spine_01 and hand_l.
• Mark sides with one consistent suffix: _l / _r in Unreal, or .L / .R in Blender. Blender’s mirror tools only pair bones when both sides follow a recognised pattern.
• Number chains from the root outwards (spine_01, spine_02, spine_03) so skinning, retargeting and Control Rig mapping stay predictable.
• Never rename bones after animations exist. Every animation, retarget map and socket references bones by name.

Exporting from Blender, Maya and 3ds Max

Most naming mistakes are made before the asset reaches the engine. Settle the name in your DCC tool:

• Name the object in Blender, Maya or 3ds Max with its final Unreal name (SM_Barrel_01) before exporting to FBX, so the asset arrives correctly named.
• Collision meshes use Unreal’s own pattern: UBX_ (box), UCX_ (convex), USP_ (sphere) or UCP_ (capsule), followed by the name of the mesh they belong to.
• Name level-of-detail meshes with an _LOD0, _LOD1, _LOD2 suffix on import so the engine builds the LOD chain automatically.
• For baking, pair high- and low-poly meshes with _high / _low suffixes; this is a DCC convention and is dropped before the asset enters Unreal.

Common naming mistakes

Putting the type at the end

Prefixes sort assets by type in the Content Browser. A suffix-only scheme (Barrel_SM) scatters every mesh, material and texture of the same prop through the list.

Spaces, hyphens and special characters

Stick to letters, digits and underscores. Spaces and symbols cause trouble in scripts, packaging tools and source control.

Mixing styles within one project

M_Wood, Mat_Metal and Stone_Material in the same folder defeat the entire point. Pick the scheme on day one and write it into the team’s onboarding document.

Renaming files outside the editor

Rename and move assets inside Unreal. Doing it on disk breaks references; inside the editor a redirector is left behind, which you clear with Fix Up Redirectors before shipping.

Names that describe the look, not the role

T_Rock_Final_v3_new tells nobody anything. Use a descriptor for the purpose (BC, N, ORM) and a two-digit variant number (_01) when you need versions.

Frequently asked questions