With Twinmotion 2020.1 now available, the software is fast becoming the go-to visualization tool for professionals working in architecture, interior design, urban planning, and landscaping, for everything from designing residential properties to providing VR walkthroughs of large-scale infrastructure projects. The latest release raises the bar for realism and includes new features for project presentation and review.
A big part of the Twinmotion’s success lies in its ease of use. Going from a CAD or BIM model to an interactive 3D experience is simple and straightforward in Twinmotion, with no lengthy or complex processes required. And as well as a simple and intuitive interface that takes the pain out of learning, there’s a range of online learning resources available to get users started with the tool. This article will explore some of them.
Getting started
In the Unreal Online Learning library, an introductory course to Twinmotion gives a comprehensive overview of everything new users need to know to start using the tool. They’ll learn how to add life to their scenes using the built-in tools and assets, as well as how to output designs as images, panoramas, video, and VR.
For those looking to understand how the tool can accelerate their archviz workflow, this Fast architectural visualization webinar explores the types of projects the software is best suited for and presents a deep dive into some of the features that will get you the most from Twinmotion.
Importing BIM and CAD assets in one click
Assets can be imported from almost every 3D modeling solution into Twinmotion. The tool supports 21 file formats, including FBX, C4D, OBJ, and SKP. Twinmotion also offers direct one-click synchronization with ARCHICAD, Revit, SketchUp Pro, RIKCAD, and now Rhino (including Grasshopper), dramatically reducing the amount of time it takes to import data from these software packages.
ARCHICAD users can watch the webinar explaining how to use the Direct Link to import and work with ARCHICAD data in Twinmotion, while a webinar for SketchUp users explains how to use the SketchUp Direct Link. To learn how to work with assets from providers such as Quixel, AXYZ, Turbosquid, and Xfrog, users can watch Epic’s webinar on importing and working with external assets in Twinmotion.
Beyond the basics
Once users have mastered the basics, they can turn to a comprehensive knowledge base that covers everything from how to create a phasing animation to creating PBR materials to prototyping in VR.
There’s also an active and passionate community of Twinmotion users that has created many of its own videos to help beginners learn the ropes. These cover topics from “how to get started with rendering” to deep dives into Twinmotion features. The official Twinmotion community group on Facebook is a great place to visit for tips and tricks from other users, as well as to take a look at some of the inspirational archviz created by the community.
How to get Twinmotion 2020
Twinmotion 2020 is now available for purchase at a special introductory discount of 50% off, with free upgrades to all new releases until December 31, 2021. As a special thank-you to early adopters, those who had downloaded the previous Twinmotion release are automatically entitled to get Twinmotion 2020 for free; users simply need to install it from the Epic Games launcher.
There’s also a free unlimited-time trial available for those looking to test the features before purchasing or to work on non-commercial projects, and a free educational version for students and teachers. All the options can be seen on the Get Twinmotion page.