Creating Sequences

The steps to create sequences can vary depending on how you like to work, but the basic workflow is the following:

1. Import the animated files you want to use in your sequence into Twinmotion, and add any animators you want to use into the scene.

   For information on the supported animated file formats, see Supported Animated File Formats in Animation Overview.

   For information on Twinmotion animators, see Animator Tools.

2. Create a sequence in the Media dock.

3. Add camera parts and keyframes. You can add parts using an action camera or an orbit camera. For more information about action and orbit cameras, see Action Camera and Orbit Camera in Sequences.

4. Finetune the sequence by adding visual transitions, camera rolls, and ambience settings, and manage the path and speed of the camera.

5. Use the sequence controls and playhead to preview the sequence as you build it.

6. Once you have completed the sequence, export it as a video.

Creating a Sequence

1. Open the Twinmotion scene you want to use to create the sequence.

2. In the Footer, click Media to open the Media dock.

   

3. In the Media dock, click the Sequence icon.

   

4. Click the Add sequence ( + ) icon.

   

   The sequence is created and consists of:

   • One camera track that contains one 10 second action camera part.

   • One keyframe inside the part.

   • One animation track for each animated file you imported into Twinmotion.

   • One animation track for each animator in the scene.

     You must add objects to animators to use them as animation tracks in sequences.

   

Selecting Viewpoints

When you add camera parts and keyframes to a camera track, you choose a viewpoint in the scene as the starting point for each part and keyframe. You can do this by navigating in the Viewport, but to have more control over the position of the camera you can select, move, and rotate the camera object that appears in the viewport when you open the Media preview window.

In Media preview mode, the camera and the camera's path are visible in the viewport. To change the viewpoint of the camera, select it in the viewport and move it in the scene or use the attached Gizmo to translate, rotate, and move it up or down.  As you move the camera in the viewport, the Media preview window shows you the scene through the camera's viewpoint according to its position and the direction it is pointing to. Once you've selected a viewpoint, hover over the thumbnail of the keyframe and click the Refresh icon to apply the viewpoint to the keyframe. 

For more information about the Media preview window and how to open it, see Media Preview.

Camera Parts

Adding a Camera Part

1. Position the playhead on the part after which you want to add a new camera part.

   

2. In the viewport, select the point of view you want to use for the first keyframe in the new part. You can do this by navigating in the viewport, but for more precise control over the camera's position, open the Media preview window.

3. Once your point of view is selected, click the Add camera part icon. By default, the action camera is selected and an action cam part is created.  To select the type of camera, click the ellipsis (...) to open the menu and select Add action cam or Add orbit cam. 

   

   • If you select an action camera, a 10 second camera part that contains one keyframe is created. 

     

   • If you select an orbit camera, a 10-second camera part that contains two keyframes is created.

     

4. Once a keyframe is created, you can continue to experiment and adjust the viewpoint in the keyframe by moving the camera in the viewport. Once you've selected a new viewpoint, apply it to the keyframe by hovering over the thumbnail of the keyframe and clicking the Refresh icon.

When a new sequence is created, by default it contains one action camera part. If you want to start a sequence with an orbit camera part instead, create an orbit camera part then either delete the action camera part, or move the orbit camera part before the action camera part. To move the position of a camera part on the timeline, click the ellipsis (...) on the part to open the menu, and select Move before or Move after.

Changing the Duration of Parts

The duration (or length) of a part on the timeline is displayed in the upper-right corner of the part and in the Properties panel (Duration).

To change the length of a part, do one of the following:

• Enter a new value in the part or in the Properties panel.  

  

• Grab the edge of the part and click and drag it along the timeline. 

  You can snap camera parts to the start or end of animation tracks.

Track Edit Mode

When you change the duration of a camera part, you can select one of the following Track Edit modes: Default or Scale. 

• In Default mode, the position of keyframes on the timeline does not change.

• In Scale mode, the position of keyframes on the timeline changes proportionally.

For more information, see "Track edit mode" in Sequences. 

Applying Visual Transitions Between Parts

You can add black or white fade-out effects to the start and end of parts to create a smooth visual transition between the parts.

To apply a visual transition:

1. Position the playhead on the part.

2. In the Properties panel, under Orbit cam or Action cam, click Details to expand the section.

   

3. Under Transition type, select Fade to black or Fade to white for the start (In) and end (Out) of the part.

   

To remove a visual transition: 

• Under Transition type, select Cut for the start (In) and end (Out) of the part.

Keyframes

Adding a Keyframe

1. In the part, move the playhead to the position on the timeline where you want to add a keyframe.

   

2. Select the point of view you want to use as the starting point for the new keyframe.

   If you want to pause the camera movement between two or more keyframes, do not select a new point of view when you add a keyframe. You can, however, rotate the camera during the pause.

3. Click the Add keyframe ( + ) icon attached to the playhead.

   

   A new keyframe is added to the part.

   

Changing the Position of a Keyframe on the Timeline

1. Select the keyframe.

2. In the Properties panel, under Camera key, type a value in the Key time text box.

   

Camera Rolls

With the camera roll feature, you can rotate the angle of the camera per keyframe in local space using a slider that goes from -180 to 180 degrees. 

The image below shows a scene in the Viewport with a 20 degree camera roll angle.

To apply a camera roll angle to a keyframe, do the following:

1. Select a keyframe.

2. Under the Camera key section in the Properties panel, move the Roll angle slider to the desired angle or enter a value in the text box.

   

You can override the camera rolls you apply to the keyframes in a part. Overriding camera rolls does not delete them, but temporarily disables them and returns the camera angle to a 0.00 (zero) degree angle.

To override camera rolls, do the following:

1. Select the part.

2. In the Properties panel, under the Action cam or Orbit cam sections, click Details and select the Override camera roll checkbox.

   

Ambience Settings for Keyframes

You can apply Ambience Settings from the Ambience panel (such as lighting, weather, camera settings, exposure, and rendering modes) to one or more keyframes, and quickly copy and paste these settings  to one or several keyframes in the same sequence.

Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts

The following keyboard and mouse shortcuts can be used to select multiple keyframes, and to copy and paste ambience settings.

Applying Ambience Settings

1. Select the keyframe(s) where you want to apply the ambience settings.

   • To apply ambience settings to one keyframe only, select the keyframe. 

     

   • To apply ambience settings to more than one keyframe, use one of the keyboard and mouse shortcuts to select the keyframes, or choose Select all keys in the camera part menu.

     

2. In the Ambience panel, click the Env (Environment), Camera, Render, or FX tabs and change the ambience settings.

   

   The changes you make are automatically applied to the keyframes.

Copying and Pasting Ambience Settings

1. In the keyframe that has the ambience settings you want to copy, open the keyframe menu and select Copy ambience. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Command-C (macOS).

   

2. To paste ambience settings to one keyframe only:

   • Hover over the keyframe, then click the ellipsis (...) to open the keyframe menu and select Paste ambience. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command-V (macOS).    

     

   To paste ambience settings to more than one keyframe:

   • Select the keyframes using one of the keyboard and mouse shortcuts, or select all the keyframes in a part by choosing Select all keys in the Camera part menu.

   • Press Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command-V (macOS).

Updating Keyframes

A keyframe shows the status of the scene at the moment the keyframe was created. If you create a keyframe and then make changes to the scene (such as moving the position of the camera, or adding, hiding, or removing assets), you can update the keyframe by clicking the Refresh icon on the thumbnail of the keyframe.

Camera Paths and Speed Management

The Properties panel contains several options to help you fine-tune the position and shape of camera paths, and to adjust the speed of the camera on the paths.

Controlling the Speed of the Camera

You can apply an easing-in and easing-out effect to camera parts to control the speed of the camera at the beginning and end of the parts.

Option	Image	Description
Linear		The camera moves at a constant speed from the beginning to the end of the camera path.
Ease in / out		The camera starts moving slowly at the start of the camera path, accelerates in the middle, and slows down at the end.
Strong ease in / out		Similar to Ease in / out, but the changes between the transitions are more noticeable.
Linear ease out		The camera starts moving at a constant pace and slows down at the end of the camera path.
Ease in linear		The camera starts moving slowly at the start of the camera path and speeds up to a constant pace to the end.

Action Camera Options

The following options apply to the action camera only.

Option	Description
Path tension	Sets the tension (smoother or sharper) of the camera path between each keyframe. Moving the slider towards the left produces a smoother curvier path, and moving the slider towards the right produces sharper more abrupt transitions. Adjusting the path tension. The camera path is only visible in Media preview mode.
Target object name	The name of the object selected as the target with the Pick object to track tool.
Pick object to track	When you select the Pick object to track button, you can click an object in the scene and select a target (or camera tracking point).  When you select a target it appears as a pink circle in the viewport, and as the camera moves along the camera path the viewpoint of the camera stays focused on the target. By default, the pivot point of the object you select is used as the target. You can change the position of the target by selecting it in the viewport and moving it.
Tangents	The shape of the camera path is controlled by tangents, which are like handles situated at the start and end of each keyframe (on either side of the control points).  By default Auto is selected and the tangents are not visible. They cannot be moved and their positions are automatically calculated according to the tension of the path. You can still edit the shape of the camera path by manipulating the camera, but as the positions of the tangents stay the same you have less precise control over the shape of the path.   For more precise control over the shape of the camera path, select Manual. When Manual is selected, the tangents for each keyframe are visible, and you can click on the endpoints of the tangents to move them. Editing the position of tangents.
Smooth speed	The Smooth speed option can help you to create more harmonious camera movements by equalizing the camera speed. This produces a constant speed by reorganizing the position of the keyframes in the part according to the distance the camera travels in space.  Smooth speed cannot be applied to the first and last keyframes in a part, or on pauses. To use the Smooth speed option, position the playhead on a keyframe and click the Smooth speed button. The speed is smoothed on the selected keyframe, and on the first and last keyframes next to the selected keyframe.
Distribute acceleration	Controls the acceleration or deceleration of the camera in the keyframe.  Cannot be applied to the first and last keyframes in a part, to pauses, or to smoothed keyframes.

Orbit Camera Options

The following options apply to the orbit camera only.

Working with Animation Tracks

Moving Animation Tracks on the Timeline

To select the point on the timeline where you want an animation track to start playing, select the track and move it along the timeline. You can snap animation tracks to the beginning or end of parts.

Moving an animation track on the timeline.

Enabling and Disabling Animations

You can enable or disable the animations in animation tracks. 

To disable the animation in an animation track, deselect the checkbox before the name of the animation track.

When an animation is disabled, the animated object remains visible in the Sequence tool but is not animated in the sequence.

Organizing Animation Tracks

Use the View options dialog box to filter and sort the animation tracks that appear in the user interface.

Animation tracks can be filtered by content (imported animated file or type of animator) and status (enabled or disabled). 

To sort the order of animation tracks, use the Custom order, Alphabetical, or Scene graph order options.

To organize animation tracks manually, do the following:

1. In the View options dialog box select Custom order.

2. Drag the animation tracks up or down. 

Changing the Length of Animation Tracks

To change the length of an animation track, select a Track Edit mode, then grab the right edge of the animation track to shorten or lengthen the duration along the timeline. You can snap the start or end of animation tracks to the beginning or end of keyframes and camera parts.

When you change the duration of animation tracks, the keyframes, animated files, and animators in the tracks are handled differently depending on the Track Edit mode you select. For more information, see "Track Edit Mode" in Sequences.

Deleting Animation Tracks

You can delete an animation track from a sequence by deleting the animated file or animator that is used in the track. 

To delete an animated file or animator, do one of the following:

• Select the animated file or animator in the viewport or Scene graph, then press the Delete key. 

  You can automatically select an imported animated file in the viewport and Scene graph as follows:

  • In the Import dock, click the ellipsis (...) that appears when you hover over the imported file, and in the menu choose Select all imported objects.

  

• Right-click the root container of the animated file or animator in the Scene graph, and in the menu select Delete.

  

Modifying the Properties of Animated Files

You can view and change the properties of animated files (such as the Play mode, Speed, Start delay, and Animation duration) when you first import them into Twinmotion, but you can also view and change their properties while you create and edit sequences.

To view and change the properties of an animated file in a sequence:

• Select the animation track, or select the animated file in the Scene graph. The properties of the animated file appear in the Properties panel.

  

For information on the properties you can modify for animated files, see Importing Animated Files.

Creating Snapshots

In sequences, you can take snapshots that are automatically saved as images in the Media dock. 

To take a snapshot, do the following:

1. Move the playhead to the position on the timeline where you want to take the image.

2. Click the Snapshot icon.

   

Previewing Sequences

To preview a sequence, use the sequence controls or move the playhead along the timeline.

Exporting a Sequence

You can export sequences locally to your computer, and also add them to Local Presentations and Cloud Presentations on Twinmotion Cloud.

The local export process is identical to exporting images and videos locally, and the export settings and formats are the same as the ones for Twinmotion videos.

For information on how to export sequences locally, see Exporting Media Locally.