Twinmotion 2023.1 Preview 1 is now available.
If you're an existing user, you can download and install the latest release from the Epic Games Launcher on your computer.
If you're a new user, you can get started here.
Feel free to start a New Discussion in the Twinmotion support community to share your thoughts on this release. If you need to report a bug regarding this release please contact Customer Support.
Important Note
New File Format Changes Affect User Library Assets
The Twinmotion *.tm file format has been updated in version 2023.1 Preview 1 (see New File Format below). If you want to bring User Library assets from previous Twinmotion versions into 2023.1, proceed as follows to preserve the integrity of the *.tmi files:
In the version of Twinmotion prior to 2023.1, place all the User Library assets that you want to bring into Twinmotion 2023.1 into the scene.
For objects, drag them into the Viewport.
For materials, apply the material to a simple primitive object (for example, Box 1m or Sphere 1m in Library > Objects > Primitives) in the Viewport.
Save the scene.
Open the scene in Twinmotion 2023.1, and save the objects and materials in the User Library.
What’s New
Unreal Engine 5.0 Support
Twinmotion now supports Unreal Engine 5.0, which greatly improves the Viewport display compared to previous versions.
Limitations
Twinmotion does not yet offer certain Unreal Engine 5.0 features such as Lumen or Nanite.
Home Panel and Templates
Displayed at the start of Twinmotion, the Home Panel allows you to:
Create a new scene.
Browse and open your files.
Update your version of Twinmotion.
Browse and open architecture or product design templates.
The templates in the Home Panel provide an advanced and comfortable starting point for creative users from various industries. They are designed to help users easily create professional-grade images and animations of their projects. The library of templates will expand over time.
In the Preferences panel, you can set a custom path to download and store the templates from the Home Panel.
For more information, refer to The Home Panel and Templates in Twinmotion.
New File Format
The new TM file format has a positive impact on file size, scene save and load speed, and global performance.
The new file format involved several modifications:
Deduplicating meshes and textures: Twinmotion can now identify identical meshes and textures in a project and avoids duplicating them in the saved file.
Results:
Speed: we only save changes made on modified meshes or textures. Saving an existing scene is incredibly more effective and faster than before.
File sizes are considerably reduced for files containing several copies of the same asset (example: Quixel or Sketchfab library items).
Better multithreading: With the new file format, scenes are saved with a multithreaded compression on multi-core hardware.
Result: Overall, the saving sequence is faster compared to previous releases.
Embedded HDRI files: All HDRI files (Library and custom) are now considerably compressed and embedded in Twinmotion files.
Results: This results in better GPU performance, reduced VRAM consumption, significantly reduced file sizes, and faster file opening.
WIP: All custom HDRIs loaded in Twinmotion are now accessible in the User Library in the "localHdris" folder. In the near future, thumbnails for custom HDRIs will be added and visible in the User Library. There will be no need to reload the original HDRIs, and dragging assets from the User Library to the Viewport will be extremely fast.
Added New Materials for the Product Design Industry
New materials using 4K resolution textures were added for Product Visualization.
These materials have been added to the Fabric, Leather, Plastic and Metal categories and are merged with the current architectural materials.
They are hosted on the cloud library and follow the same download and creation process of the cloud library assets. A search tag named “prodviz” has been added to find them more easily.
New Glass Base Materials
The Glass (translucent) base materials have been completely overhauled.
This material now offers two shading models in one. Every glass material offers a switch between Standard (translucent shading model) and Colored (thin translucent shading model).
While the Standard glass is similar to the legacy glass material and is convenient for architecture visualization cases, the Colored glass offers a better transmittance of color through the glass and allows you to cast colored shadows in Path Tracer renderings.
The Glass material is now displayed with a PBR Roughness/Metallic workflow and includes the following features:
The Reflectivity parameter has been renamed to Roughness and has an inverted behavior that follows most software that use PBR shaders.
The following texture maps can now be added:
Base color, Roughness, Metallic, and Normal.
An Index of Refraction parameter that has been introduced provides better control on roughness, reflection, and refraction to simulate sandblasted and frosted glass.
Invert features have been added for roughness, metallic, normal, and mask textures.
Certain new features, such as Iridescence and Imperfections, have been added to simulate specific types of glass for the product design industry, such as Polychromatic glass.
Three (3) clear glass, eight (8) blackout glass, and 10 polychromatic glass materials have been added to the Glass material library. All the Glass materials now share the same features and parameters.
For more information, refer to Glass Materials and Settings for Glass Materials.
Limitations
Because the management of certain Index of refraction effects has been improved, the refractive and blurred effects (like frosted glass) are no longer visible in raster rendering.
Because all Glass materials now support the same features, the colors of the brick glass can no longer be customized. Backward compatibility for the legacy brick glass is not ensured, and users that have customized these colors will lose them.
New Glass materials cannot be used in substitution tables (WIP).
The resolution of shadows cast on surfaces with glass materials can be of lower quality. This is less noticeable on surfaces that have very transparent glass materials and a high level of metallicity.
When working in Raster mode (as opposed to Path Tracer mode), geometries that are superimposed and have surfaces with glass materials may not handle display priority correctly.
Artifacts are visible on shadows projected by complex geometries that use glass materials.
Datasmith Exporter
You can now import Twinmotion project files in the Unreal Editor using *.udatasmith files saved inTwinmotion. This new export functionality replaces the need to have the Datasmith Twinmotion Importer Plugin in the Unreal Engine editor to import your Twinmotion projects.
One of the main benefits is that we are reducing the footprint of the Twinmotion Content for Unreal Engine from numerous gigabytes down to approximately 500MB. Exporting via Datasmith should be functionally equivalent to using the existing Twinmotion to Unreal Engine plugin.
Please refer to the following document for information on how to install and get started using this new improved workflow: Twinmotion Datasmith Exporter Feature Brief.
Currently not supported:
Video textures, Construction machines, Boats, Skeletal mesh (animated objects), Particles, Paths (bikes and characters), Sounds, HDRI, Environment light, Location and time of day, Weather and weather effects, Cycloramas, LED Wall, Reflection probes, Notes, Measure tool, Sections.
Disable Gizmo Automatic Camera-facing Orientation
In the Preferences panel under Settings > Gizmo, the automatic reorientation of the Gizmo can now be disabled.
The Angle snap option has also been moved under Settings > Gizmo.
2019 File Support Deprecation
Files created in Twinmotion version 2019 cannot be opened or converted in version 2023.1. To open them in this version, open and save them in an intermediate version, such as 2022.2.x, before opening them in version 2023.1.
Merging of Deprecated 2018 and 2019 Files is Disabled
It is no longer possible to merge Twinmotion scenes created in unsupported 2018 and 2019 versions into a 2023.1 scene. If you attempt to merge a 2018 or 2019 scene into a 2023.1 scene, the OK button in the Merge window will be disabled.
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Cycloramas
In order to quickly set up a studio environment, nine types of procedural cycloramas have been added to the Twinmotion Library under Tools > Cycloramas. The width, depth, height, and radius of each cyclorama can be configured using the settings in the dock.
Currently not supported:
Datasmith export
LED Wall
The LED wall is a new feature that can be found in the Library under Tools > Virtual production.
LED walls are used to create backgrounds for the entertainment industry (shows/films/television) in order to preview the stage before performances or filming. The LED wall can be used with both Twinmotion rendering modes, Raster and Path Tracer, and has emissive properties to light up your scenes.
The following modes are available:
Configuration: In this mode you can set the number of screens in length and width, the size of the screens, and the curvature of the wall.
Texture & video: In this mode you can project an image or a video on the LED wall and adjust its offsets.
Chroma key: In this mode you can apply a color to the LED wall.
Currently not supported:
Datasmith export
Car Paint Material Library
A new material type dedicated to the automotive industry has been created and added to the Twinmotion Materials library.
The 34 car paint materials that have been added have their own parameters and features dedicated to handle all paint effects for car bodies, such as Chameleon paint, Pearlescent paint, Flakes, Orange peel, and Binder Opacity layer.
Limitations:
Car paint materials cannot be applied to the existing Twinmotion cars in the Twinmotion Library. This will be supported at a later date.
Car paint materials cannot be used in material substitution tables (WIP).
Opacity Map
It is now possible to use either an alpha texture embedded in the base color texture or a separate texture mask on most of the material types.
Limitations:
Opacity map parameters cannot be used in material substitution tables (WIP).
Color Correction
It is now possible to perform basic color correction (Gamma, Lift, Gain, and Saturation) on the Base Color texture map of materials in Twinmotion.
Level of Metalness on Materials
The level of metalness for all materials that use the Metalness parameter can now be adjusted between 0 (non metal) and 1 (metal) using a percentage slider. In previous versions, the metalness was either enabled or disabled.
Path Tracer Improvement
Transparent objects inside the depth of field are now represented in a physically correct way.
Replace Container
In the Scene graph, you can now replace the contents of a container with the contents of another one and retain the coordinates of the initial container. Select both containers in the Scene graph, right-click on the one you want to replace, and choose Replace container.
Pivot Edit Rotation
The Pivot edit tool was improved by adding the capacity to manually change the orientation of an object’s local axis. When the Pivot edit tool is selected, use the Toggle Local/World Axis tool to display the rotation handles of the Gizmo.
Limitations:
If the local axis of an object is modified using the Pivot edit tool, some errors may occur when using the Transform panel afterwards.
OpenXR
All VR headsets are now supported through the OpenXR API. Please make sure your headset drivers are up to date.
If you are using headsets from different vendors on the same system, please make sure to set the active OpenXR Runtime:
Meta (formerly Oculus)
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SteamVR
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ViveVR
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Windows Mixed Reality
Download the Windows Mixed Reality OpenXR Runtime from the Microsoft Store.
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Varjo
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Support for Varjo VR Headsets
The following headsets from Varjo are now supported through the OpenXR API and Varjo OpenXR extensions:
Varjo Aero
Varjo VR-3
Varjo XR-3
Bugs Fixed in 2023.1 Preview 1
Content
TM-8368 - Fixed the rotation that was lost on materials.
TM-8539 - Fixed an issue where the orientation of DeadLeaves did not automatically adjust on sloped surfaces.
TM-8670 - Fixed an issue where there was no transparency on tree leaves with different rendering styles such as wood and metal.
TM-8746 - Fixed an issue where decals were not working on Rock 01.
TM-8973 - Agave plants now have the correct wind effect when Wind is toggled Off and On.
TM-9018 - Fixed an issue where Cork Oak and Ashoka trees contained holes.
TM-9672 - The wood grain on rotating doors in the Library now have the correct orientation.
TM-9606 - Fixed the visual issues with the Boxwood1 tree.
Cloud Library - Megascan - Sketchfab
TM-9804 - Fixed a performance issue when downloading Cloud assets including new Home panel Templates.
TM-9481 - The placement Gizmo of cloud assets is now correctly oriented.
TM-8439 - Fixed an issue where texture was missing on Quixel Megascans Assets after converting files from 2022.1.
TM-7087 - Quixel Megascans decals are not correctly aligned to vertical surfaces the first time they are created and applied to objects.
Core
TM-8057 - Fixed an issue where the texture was conflicting when merging scenes.
TM-8058 - The texture path is now properly refreshed after performing a relink.
TM-8658 - Fixed a crash that occurred when opening files created in 2022.2 Preview 1.
TM-8827 - Fixed an issue where scenes only appeared in File > Open recent after saving a scene in the current session and not immediately after opening.
Interoperability
TM-8680 - Fixed an issue where a material may be missing or wrong when updating an imported Datasmith file using the Collapse All option.
TM-8972 - Fixed an issue where the Light Angle from Archicad did not update automatically when the value was changed in the DCC.
TM-8989 - Fixed an issue where objects had the wrong material after reimporting a Datasmith file.
TM-7101 - Translucent materials import at 100% opacity if the OpacityAndRefraction KeyValueProperty has not been set in the imported Datasmith file.
Rendering
TM-7318 - Fixed a performance issue when exporting Path Tracer images containing Vegetation.
Tools
TM-101 - Fixed the rectangle area on the map not being resized in the Context > Urban context.
TM-5822 - Materials can now be applied to objects that cannot be selected with the Material Picker.
TM-5931 - Fixed an issue where the materials on trucks could be selected but not modified.
TM-5915 - Fixed an issue where door sizes were reset and the material was lost after duplication.
TM-9896 - Fixed a crash when changing the time of day via the touch bar on MacBook Pro.
UI
TM-7229 - Fixed an issue where some text in the user interface was truncated when the unit system was in centimeters.
TM-8105 - Fixed an issue where using the Toggle Local/World Axis shortcut with a German keyboard was showing and hiding the View menu.
TM-9020 - FOV is now named Focal length in camera settings.
Known Bugs and Limitations Affecting 2023.1 Preview 1
Cloud Assets - Megascan - Sketchfab
TM-10371 - Copying 3D plants creates incorrect LOD models.
TM-10567 - Cloud asset orientation is not always correct when first dragged in the Viewport, but is correct the second time.
TM-10448 - When opening a scene that contains Sketchfab assets, the Missing Files panel appears even though textures are not missing.
TM-10739 - On MacOS, if Twinmotion 2023.1 PR1 and any other version of Twinmotion are opened at the same time, the warning message "Failed to parse Quixel Asset" appears when you drag and drop a downloaded Quixel Megascans asset into either one of the versions.
Workaround: Close both Twinmotion versions and use only one version at a time.
Content
TM-10762 - Multiple unused materials are created in the Material Manager when cloud assets are dropped into a scene.
TM-10791 - Local Presentations crash upon opening when they contain certain Posed humans from the Characters category in the Library.
Core
TM-9862 - The Go to library option is not available on HDRIs embedded in new Templates.
TM-9816 - FPS performance degradation for some scenes on Mac M1.
TM-9761 - Backward compatibility issues with Landscapes saved in the User Library. Loading Landscapes saved in the User Library of previous Twinmotion versions is not currently supported.
TM-10150 - Lag when first saving a copy of an imported asset that has a large number of meshes.
TM-10170 - Painting with blending mode on Landscape is wrong when using brushes with Quixel materials.
TM-10169 - The original material scale input should be kept when dropped in the Landscape dock.
TM-10168 - Painting the edges of landscapes is no longer possible.
TM-10166 - Distance fading does not render correctly on Landscapes.
TM-10392 - Copy/instance is slower in 2023.1 compared to 2022.2.
Interoperability
TM-8860 - Datasmith imported Opacity masked material is imported as not masked.
TM-10406 - Material does not update when reimporting a Datasmith file with a new file.
Render - Export
TM-9760 - Artifacts visible on the horizon line when enabling Path Tracer.
TM-10007 - Dropped frames on videos containing a LED Wall with a video texture.
TM-9538 - Translucent materials issue with reflection cubemaps.
TM-10741 - Cloud Presentations fail to process if they contain Notes added from the Library.
Workaround: Remove Notes before uploading Presentations to Twinmotion Cloud.
Tools
TM-8949 - Color on the head and tail of the Measure tool is not persistent between sessions.
TM-8910 - Turning off the Facing camera setting for Notes does not revert back to the previous state.
UI
TM-9871- Separator between the Scene graph and Statistics Panel has the wrong appearance.
TM-9861 - Custom HDRIs do not display a name on their thumbnail.
TM-10467 - The Vegetation icon for duplicated trees is missing in the Scene graph.
VR
TM-10548 - Haptic feedback duration is too long on controllers when using the Varjo OpenXR runtime.
TM-10547 -The edges of the central display area can be seen on the Varjo VR-3 and XR-3 headset due to continuity issues between the central area and peripheral area. This effect is worse on higher quality modes.