You can import files that contain animated objects into Twinmotion. You can set the properties for animated files, including the speed of the animation, the length of the delay before the animation sequence starts, and the start and end points of the animation sequence.
This page explains how to import animated files into Twinmotion. For a general overview of the animation feature in Twinmotion, refer to Animation Overview.
Importing Animated Files Into Twinmotion
To import animated files into Twinmotion, do the following:
Open the Import dock by clicking Import in the Footer.
In the Import dock, click the Import ( + ) icon.
Click the Animation tab, then click Open.
In the Import window, navigate to the folder that contains the animated file you want to import.
If you want to import multiple animated files at the same time, make sure to save them in the same folder so you can select them all at once.
Select the animated file and click Open.
In the Import window, under Options, select the importing options. For more information about the options, refer to Import Options.
Import options for animated files. The Nanite feature is not supported for skeletal mesh animations.
If you plan on using the Lumen global illumination rendering mode, we recommend that you scale your 3D model in the Import options window using the Uniform scale factor setting, instead of scaling your model in the viewport after the import. Selecting the scale before you import the file allows Lumen to generate a Surface Cache of the material properties and create Cards for each mesh. For more information on Lumen, refer to Lumen Global Illumination.
Click Import. The import process starts, and the animated file is imported into Twinmotion.
Once the animated file is imported, you can create videos, sequences, as well as images and panoramas that show a specific part of the animation.
For information on how to create videos, refer to Creating Videos.
For information on how to create sequences, refer to Creating Sequences.
For information on how to create images and panoramas, refer to Creating Images and Panoramas.
Working with Animated Files
The animated files that you import into Twinmotion appear in the Import dock.
From the Import dock you can do the following:
Select all imported objects in the file.
Reimport an animated file.
Reset animated files to their original transform settings.
Delete animated files.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Select all imported objects | Selects the animated object in the Viewport and the entire contents of the imported file in the Scene graph. |
File settings | Reimports the file while giving you the option to select different import settings. |
Reset transform on selection | Returns selected objects in the imported file to their original position, rotation, scale, and size. |
Delete | Deletes the animated file from the Import dock. You can also delete animated files from the Import dock by selecting them and pressing the Delete key. To delete multiple imported files all at once, hold down the Shift key while clicking the files you want to delete, then select Delete in the menu or press the Delete key. |
Changing the Properties of Animated Files
When you select an animated object in the Viewport or Scene graph, the settings you can modify appear in the Properties panel. These properties are applied to the animated object as a whole, at the root (Container) level in the Scene graph, and are applied to all the subparts of the animated object. The subparts of animated objects cannot have different properties than their parent objects.
When you import an animated file into Twinmotion you can use the same imported instance in all the media you create and specify distinct properties for the animated file in each media. For example, if you import an animated file that contains more than one animation sequence, and use it in both a video and a sequence, you can use different animation sequences in each media.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Enable | If enabled, the animation plays. By default, animations are enabled. |
Infinite playback | If enabled, the animation plays continuously (whether Twinmotion is in or out of Media mode). If disabled, the animation plays only once. This setting is not available when Twinmotion is in Media mode. |
Speed | Sets the speed of an animation. You can override the maximum value. Options: 1% to 300% |
Start delay | Determines the length of the delay, in seconds, before the animation starts playing. You can override the maximum value. Options: 0 s to 30 s (seconds) |
Animation duration | Shows the duration of the animation, which is defined by the Speed at which the animation plays, and the Start offset and End offset values.
This setting is not available when Twinmotion is in Media mode. |
Animation | Shows the animation sequences for skeletal mesh animated files. If a skeletal mesh animated file contains more than one animation sequence, select the one you want to use. |