The Viewport

The viewport is the area of the user interface that displays the 3D models and scenes that you create or import into Twinmotion.

In the viewport, you can:

• Navigate the scenes you import or create.

• Change the view mode of the Twinmotion user interface.

• Adjust the display settings of the viewport.

• Use visual guides to adjust the framing and composition of the media you create.

Rendering Modes

The contents of the viewport can be displayed in two types of rendering modes: Real time (Standard or Lumen) or Path tracer. The rendering mode you choose determines how your scene is displayed in the viewport.

The rendering mode of the media you create is not tied to the rendering mode you use in the viewport. You can use one type of rendering mode in the viewport, and use another type to output your media. For example, you may want to create images using the Path tracer rendering mode which generates high-quality photorealistic renders. Because path tracing the scene continuously accumulates samples when moving the camera, it can be taxing on performance to work in this mode while actively developing your scene. To mitigate this, you can work in the viewport in the Real time rendering mode and then render the media you create using path tracing.

You can choose the rendering modes in the Render tab in the Ambience panel. To view the Ambience panel, make sure the Scene panel and Properties panel are opened (click Scene and Properties in the Footer), then in the Scene panel click Ambience.

You can also enable the Path tracer rendering mode by clicking the Path tracer icon in the toolbar. 

Navigating the Scene

You can move around in the viewport using several methods, including keyboard and mouse, a trackpad, a 3DConnexion SpaceMouse, certain touchscreen gestures when using a tablet, and virtual reality (VR) controllers when using Twinmotion in virtual reality.

To view the keyboard and mouse shortcuts, see Navigation Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts. You can also open a PDF containing the shortcuts by going to Help > Shortcuts in the Twinmotion menu bar.

The Navigation panel provides a quick view of the navigation options and shortcuts. You can navigate using Twinmotion presets or select the navigation presets of most major BIM or CAD software. For more information, see Navigation Mode.

If you are viewing a Panorama Set in virtual reality, the Navigation panel shows you how to use your VR controllers to navigate the scene. For more information, see Viewing Content in Virtual Reality.

You can change the speed at which you navigate in the viewport using keyboard shortcuts or the Speed options in the View menu. For more information, see Controlling Navigation Speed.

For more information about navigating in Twinmotion, see Navigating in the Viewport.

View Modes

The viewport in Twinmotion can be displayed in Editor mode and Presenter mode.

Editor Mode

In Editor mode, all the elements of the Twinmotion user interface are visible; the viewport, as well as the top bar, the header, the panels, the docks, and the footer. By default, Twinmotion opens in Editor mode.

To increase the size of the viewport in Editor mode, you can hide the docks and panels. Below is an example of Editor mode with the panels visible compared to one where the Panels are hidden. Hiding the panels and docks provides a more usable workspace in the viewport. To show or hide the panels and docks, click the name of the panel or dock in the footer.

Presenter Mode

In Presenter mode, only the viewport is visible; the dimension of the viewport is maximized to the edges of the Twinmotion window and all the other elements of the user interface are hidden. You can navigate in the viewport using the same options available in Editor mode.

In Presenter mode you can preview the scene you are working on. If you select a Presentation in the Media dock you can preview all the media inside the Presentation. The Media strip at the bottom of the viewport shows thumbnail images of all the media assets in a Presentation.

To enable and disable Presenter mode, press the F12 key or click the Presenter mode icon in the viewport.

You can also use Presenter mode to view your scene in a virtual reality environment. For information on how to do this, see the “Local Presentations and Presenter Mode” section in Viewing Content in Virtual Reality.

User Interface Controls

The following controls are available in Presenter mode.

Control	Icon	Description
Play / Pause		Plays and pauses Presentations.
Show / Hide		Shows or hides the user interface controls and the Presenter mode and View menu icons.
Return to Media strip		When viewing an alternative version of a media asset, clicking this returns you to the Media strip. For information on alternative versions, see "Adding Alternative Versions of Media to Presentations" in Modifying Presentations.
View list of media		Shows a thumbnail preview of all the media in a Presentation, if the Presentation contains more than one. To see a media in the viewport, select it from the list.

Working in Presenter Mode

You can use Presenter mode to visualize your scene in an immersive way by maximizing the viewport, giving you complete focus on the scene without the rest of the user interface. The following keyboard shortcuts and commands are available in Presenter mode.

Viewport Modes

The Default viewport mode shows you the final result of your scene with all the materials and lighting applied. You can also view the scene using other viewport modes, which offer various technical visualization options: Unlit, Wireframe, Lumen surface, and Nanite triangles.

Although viewport modes can be applied to media assets when you work in Media mode, you cannot export media with visible viewport modes. Media is always exported using the Default viewport mode.

To select and apply a viewport mode, do as follows:

• In the upper-right hand corner of the viewport, click the viewport mode icon, and select an option in the menu.

  

You can view the scene using one of the following viewport modes: 

Default

Default shows you the final result of your scene with all the materials and lighting applied. 

Unlit

Unlit removes all the lighting and shadows from the scene, and shows you only the base color and texture of materials. This mode can be useful in certain circumstances, for example:

• To see objects more clearly when the scene is in a dark environment.

• To easily view the base color of materials.

• To view the scene in a simplified manner without complex lighting and shadows.

The Unlit viewport mode also provides a gain in performance when you work in Twinmotion as lighting and shadows do not need to be calculated.

Wireframe

Wireframe shows you the mesh and triangles of the 3D models in the scene.

Lumen surface

Lumen surface displays Lumen Surface Cache coverage and mesh conflicts when you use Lumen as the rendering mode. For more information about Lumen global illumination and mesh conflicts, see Using Lumen Global Illumination. 

Nanite triangles

Nanite triangles shows you the triangles on all the Nanite geometries in the scene. For more information about Nanite, see Optimizing Geometry with Nanite.

View Menu

The View menu is where you can access various display settings for the viewport. Depending on which view mode you are using — Editor or Presenter —, certain options are only available in one or the other.

Option	Editor Mode	Presenter Mode	Icon	Description
Time of day				Sets the time of day in which to view a scene.
Speed				Controls the speed that is used for navigating in a scene. Options: 1 (Inspect), 2 (Handle), 3 (Walk), 4 (Cycle), 5 (Drive), 6 (Fly)
Screenshot				Takes a screenshot of the current scene in the viewport and saves it to the desktop.
Travel mode				Switches between the Walk and Drone modes of movement in a scene. In Walk mode, you can travel on the ground planes and be affected by physics and object collision. You can also select the eye-level height of the camera. In Drone mode, you can move freely in all directions.
VCAM				Connects Twinmotion to the Unreal VCam app on both Android and iOS handheld devices.
VR				If a VR headset is connected to your computer, selecting this option enables the VR mode of viewing. For more information, see Viewing Content in Virtual Reality.
Rendering styles				Determines the rendering style of the scene in the viewport. Options: Flat, Shaded outline, Plaster, Wood, Metal, Foam, Default
Phasing groups				When there are phasing groups in a Presentation, this enables or disables the ability to view phasing by showing or hiding the phasing slider. When phasing is disabled, the phasing slider is hidden. Options: Phasing on, Phasing off For more information about phasing, see Working with the Phasing Tool.
Views				Determines the orthographic view of the scene. By default, Perspective is selected. Options: Perspective, Top, Front, Left, Right, Back, Bottom, Custom
Clipping				When using an orthographic view, this setting determines the distance at which the clipping plane starts clipping (or hiding) objects that are in front of or nearest to the camera. This can be useful to create cross-sections of buildings in architectural scenes. The clipping plane cuts objects perpendicularly to the angle of view of the camera, and can be moved forwards or backwards relative to the position of the camera. This setting can only be used in orthographic views. To use a clipping plane in a perspective view, use the Near clipping setting in the Ambience panel (Camera > Camera effects).
Navigation				Shows and hides the Navigation panel in the viewport.
Settings				For information on the setting options, see the "Presenter Mode Settings" section below.

Presenter Mode Settings

Composition Overlays

The Camera tab in the Ambience panel contains a Composition overlays category that provides visual guides. You can enable these guides to assist with the framing and composition of your scene in the viewport.

By default, the Grid overlay displays a white 3x3 grid on the viewport. You can add and remove grid rows and columns, and change the color of the grid.

The Safe areas overlay displays visual guides that are used in television production, showing which parts of the frame are visible on television screens. You can change the dimensions and colors of the safe areas.

For more information about the composition overlays in Twinmotion, see Ambience Settings.