Epic Games releases Twinmotion 2024.1.1
Epic Games has released Twinmotion 2024.1.1, the next version of its Unreal-Engine-based real-time visualisation software.
The release adds new wind animation controls for vegetation and fabric, and updates the software’s materials, rendering and sequence editing tools.
An easy-to-use tool for visualising CAD data
Originally created by visualization studio KA-RA and acquired by Epic Games in 2019, Twinmotion streamlines the creation of still or animated visualizations of buildings.
It imports hero models in a range of 3D file formats, or via live links to CAD software, with users able to dress the scenes using a library of stock assets.
Atmospheric properties – including clouds, rain and snow, and ambient lighting based on geographical location and time of day – can be adjusted via slider-based controls.
The software is now free to indie artists and studios with revenue under $1 million/year, following Epic Games’ recent changes to the pricing of its products.
Twinmotion 2024.1.1: new options for wind animation
Despite the small change in version number since Twinmotion 2024.1, there are a reasonable number of new features in Twinmotion 2024.1.1.
They include a new Wind parameter in the Fabric material, making it possible to simulate wind animation on curtains and other draped fabric.
Wind animation on vegetation has also been improved, with a new Sway parameter for Foliage materials, intended for overall back-and-forth motion.
Updates to materials, rendering and sequence editing
Other changes include a new Randomize UV parameter, intended to make materials look more natural by reducing visible repetition of textures.
It is available on “selected materials”, and is primarily intended for ground materials.
For rendering, the Match Sun to HDRI feature – for matching the settings of the Sun light to a HDRI environment – now has parity between the raster and Path Tracer renderers.
The change only applies to newly imported HDRIs, and is only intended for daylight HDRIs.
Workflow improvements include new keyboard shortcuts when editing Sequences, and the option to snap animation tracks and camera parts.
Users with paid subscriptions get 62 new tree species in the Twinmotion Cloud library.
Price and system requirements
Twinmotion 2024.1.1 is compatible with Windows 10+ and macOS 12.5+.
Integration plugins are available for CAD and DCC apps including 3ds Max 2017+, Modo 17.0+ and SketchUp Pro 2019+.
The software is free to users with gross annual revenue under $1 million/year. The free edition lacks access to Twinmotion Cloud, but is otherwise fully featured.
For larger studios, subscriptions cost $445/seat/year.
Read a full list of new features in Twinmotion 2024.1.1 in the online changelog
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