I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one here who wants to hear from members who have actually tried out one or more workarounds for using Kontakt 7 (VST3) in VEP.
We're not short of opinions here and that's all good. But shouting from the sidelines without actually knowing - or at the very least having real and relevant experience - of what you're talking about isn't going to help us move forward, is it? We need more than mere hubris if we're to seek out and find a convenient and useful workaround while waiting for VEP 8. We do not need need an internecine battle of mere opinions.
Without pointing at any member of this forum, I'm reminded of a recent televised court trial in Connecticut dealing with a notorious case of defamation, in which the jury awarded the plaintiffs almost a billion dollars in compensatory damages. During the trial the judge admonished the defendant thus:
Defendant: "I believe what I said was true."
Judge: "Yes, you believe everything you say is true but it isn't. Your beliefs do not make something true. That is ... [laughing sardonically] ... that is what we're doing here! Just because you claim to think something is true does not make it true. It does not protect you. It is not allowed.
Of course this forum is not a trial court, but nor is it a million miles apart from what a trial court generally does - both endeavour to seek out enough truth to get the job done reliably.
On Kushview Element (v0.46)
I've taken the time briefly to investigate one of the recommendations stated in this thread (by a member whose name is in the list of technical contributors to this particular product) - Kushview Element. The version numbering given on the website suggests this product is still not out of the beta-testing stage.
Element (VST2) loads into a VEP channel but the GUI window is far too short to show more than one or two items in the map, and I could not find any way of re-sizing the window. Element (AU) also loads but in this case the GUI window is properly sized and can easlly be re-sized. However, after having the stand-alone Element app scan for plugins, then inserting the Element (AU) plugin into VEP and loading Kontakt 7 (VST3) into Element's map, selecting any NI factory preset for one of the NI factory library instruments resulted in my computer hanging and being unresponsive. Each time, after several minutes I had to Force Quit VEP.
Moreover, the Kushview website clearly states - quite honestly I believe - various let-out clauses indicating the experimental nature of the product. Also, Kushview closed their webstore in August, stating that "We simply do not have the resources to offer timely support and maintenance."
I'm all for experimental tech designs, but only in suitable circumstances. In this forum I'm pretty sure we have not only professional musicians/composers and music/composition hobbyists but also tech hobbyists. I'm willing to bet that the musician pros and hobbyists here are not nearly as willing as tech hobbyists are to faff around and struggle with experimental tech products. Surely, recommending any experimental product here should be at least accompanied by some indication of what kind of circumstances it's best suited for.
I do not recommend Kushview Element for the purpose of operating Kontakt 7 (VST3) in VEP. Tech hobbyists don't need any opinion from me and no doubt will follow their own whims and take their own chances.