Twinmotion Preferences | Twinmotion Documentation

Twinmotion Preferences

Settings for configuring general Twinmotion preferences.

Windows
MacOS
Linux

The Preferences panel is divided into three tabs: Settings, Quality, and Appearance. Each tab contains options that you can set for using Twinmotion, including general preferences, tool options, Viewport rendering quality settings, and media export preferences.

To open the Preferences panel press Ctrl + P, or in the menu go to Edit > Preferences.

open-preferences-panel.png

Preferences in the menu

Settings

The options in the Settings tab define the general preferences for working in Twinmotion.

Setting

Description

Unit system

Sets the unit system used in the Twinmotion user interface.

By default, Meters are used.

Options: Centimeters (cm), Meters (m), Inches (in), Feet (ft)

Time stamp

Sets how the time of day is displayed in the Time of day option in the View menu, and in Settings > Location > Time of day.

Options: 24H, 12H

Graphic hardware support

Specifies which version of the DirectX technology to use for the DirectX Raytracing (DRX) feature on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).

DirectX12 is required to use the Path tracer feature and to enable Lumen global illumination.

By default, DirectX12 is selected if it is supported by the GPU.

Options: DirectX11, DirectX12

The Path tracer feature in Twinmotion is currently supported on Windows computers only.

Path tracer

Multi-GPU

Select the Multi-GPU checkbox to enable support for multiple GPUs when using the Path tracer.

Sample settings

Specifies the maximum number of samples per pixel and light bounces to use for the Low, Medium, and High presets of the Path tracer.

The default presets are as follows:

Low

Medium

High

Samples per pixels

8

64

256

Bounces settings

6

8

10

Probes resolution

Specifies the resolution value for Reflection Probes in the Viewport, and when exporting images, videos, panoramas, and Local Presentations.

Reflection Probes are used in Real time rendering mode to improve interior and exterior reflections, the reflections on glass surfaces, and to create mirrors.

The default value for Viewport and Export is 256.

Options: 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024

If you are using Reflection Probes to create a mirror, we recommend selecting 1024.

Skydome resolution

Defines the resolution of Skydomes and Backdrop HDRIs in the Viewport and when exporting images, videos, panoramas, and Local Presentations.

The default value for Viewport and Export is Medium.

Options: Low, Medium, High

Grass fading

Specifies at what distance from the camera grass starts to appear in the Viewport.

This pertains only to grass from the Library > Vegetation > Grass and flowers and Detail grasses categories added with the Vegetation painter or Vegetation scatter tools.

The default value is Medium.

Near: Grass can be seen at a distance of 15 meters from the camera.

Medium: Grass can be seen at a distance of 30 meters from the camera.

Far: Grass can be seen at a distance of 50 meters from the camera.

Selecting Near can help to improve performance and the frame rate in the Viewport.

Custom paths

Specifies the location where User library assets, downloaded Quixel Megascans, Twinmotion, and Sketchfab assets, and templates are saved on your computer.

By default, the files are saved in the UserLibrary, QuixelCloudLibrary, TwinmotionCloudLibrary, SketchfabCloudLibrary, and TemplatesCloudLibrary folders in the following location:

  • Windows: C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Twinmotion[version]\[folder name]

  • MacOS: HD:Users:[username]:Documents:Twinmotion[version]:[folder name]

Motion blur

Deselect the Viewport motion blur checkbox to disable motion blur in the Viewport. This can improve the responsiveness of Twinmotion when using it in a remote desktop environment.

Direct Link

Specifies the location of the DirectLinkTextures folder.

When 3D models are imported into Twinmotion with the Datasmith Direct Link workflow, imported textures are saved in this folder. For more information, refer to The DirectLinkTextures folder.

By default, the files are saved in the following location:

  • Windows: C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Twinmotion[version]\DirectLinkTextures

  • MacOS: HD:Users:[username]:Documents:Twinmotion[version]:DirectLinkTextures

Gizmo

Angle snap specifies the increments in degrees by which objects are rotated when using the Rotate tool. The default value is five degrees ().

When the Auto camera-facing option is selected, the Gizmo always faces the camera, regardless of the position of the camera.

Save

Enables or disables the autosave feature, and specifies the autosave settings and the location where files are saved.

Interval: Sets the time interval between autosaves. By default, the value is 15 minutes.

Number: Specifies the number of files to save. When the number is reached, newly saved files overwrite existing files. By default, the value is 3.

Path: Specifies the location where files are saved. By default, files are saved in the following location:

  • Windows: C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Twinmotion[version]\AutoBackups

  • MacOS: HD:Users:[username]:Documents:Twinmotion[version]:AutoBackups

Export

Defines the following export settings for media:

Update reflections: Updates the Reflector Probe reflections at each frame. This can be useful when creating videos, to ensure that reflections are accurate when moving around a scene. Selecting this option can increase rendering time.

Warming up: Updates particles before media is exported.

Height fog / Haze quality: Improves the quality of Volumetric Fog.

Vsync

Select the Activate check box to limit the frame rate of the scene in the Viewport to match the refresh rate of the screen. This can help to improve performance and lower power consumption.

For more information about the frame rate in Twinmotion, refer to FPS in Statistics.

Point cloud

Select the High quality export checkbox to improve the resolution of point clouds in exported images, videos, panoramas, and Presentations.

Selecting this option can increase Video Random-Access Memory (VRAM) usage and increase processing times.

VR

When viewing Twinmotion in Virtual Reality (VR) mode, this setting determines whether the right or left hand controls the VR menu.

Options: Right, Left

Mouse

Selecting Use relative mouse improves the ability to accurately navigate and drag objects in a scene, especially if you use a pen tablet or use Twinmotion in a remote desktop environment.

Quality

The settings in the Quality tab determine the quality of the resolution and of certain rendering features on both your computer screen (Desktop) and in VR mode.

These settings have an effect on the viewing quality in the Viewport only. They do not affect the quality of exported images, videos, panoramas, or Presentations. Exported media is always exported in Ultra quality, regardless of the settings in the Quality tab.

The quality levels you can select are : Low (25%), Medium (50%), High (75%), and Ultra (100%). Each level corresponds to a percentage of screen resolution, which is arrived at by using a resolution-based scaling technique called Screen Percentage.

By default, Auto is selected, which means that Twinmotion automatically measures the performance of your computer, and adapts the quality of the resolution and rendering features accordingly to provide smooth navigation inside Twinmotion.

You can, however, select Custom quality settings for each rendering feature. Higher quality settings increase the frames per second (fps) in Twinmotion.

Quality Settings

The table below provides a description of the quality level settings for each rendering feature. The settings are listed in descending order by which they affect Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) performance.

Rendering Feature

Quality

Low

Medium

High

Ultra

Shadows

Specifies the size of shadow map textures.

512 x 512 pixels

1024 x 1024 pixels

2048 x 2048 pixels

2048 x 2048 pixels

View distance

Specifies the LODs (Level of Details) setting, which defines the level of details that you can see on objects.

Levels are from 0 to 4, 4 being the lowest level of detail.

4

2 to 4

1 to 4

0 to 4: Shows all LODs

Effects

Defines the quality of Screen Space Reflections (SSR), Refraction, and Volumetric Fog.

  • SSR: None

  • Refraction: None

  • Volumetric Fog: None

  • SSR: None

  • Refraction: None

  • Volumetric Fog: None

  • SSR: Medium

  • Refraction: Yes

  • Volumetric Fog: Medium

  • SSR: High

  • Refraction: Yes

  • Volumetric Fog: High

Post-processing

Defines the quality of Motion blur, Ambient Occlusion (AO), Depth of Field (DOF), Lens flare, and Bloom.

  • Motion Blur: None

  • AO: None

  • DOF: None

  • Lens flares: None

  • Bloom: None

  • Motion Blur: Medium

  • AO: Low

  • DOF: Low

  • Lens flares: None

  • Bloom: Low

  • Motion Blur: High

  • AO: High

  • DOF: High

  • Lens flares: Medium

  • Bloom: High

  • Motion Blur: High

  • AO: High

  • DOF: High

  • Lens flares: Very high

  • Bloom: High

In VR mode, motion blur and ambient occlusion are set to None in all Post-processing quality setting levels.

Textures

Defines the size of textures and the quality of texture filtering.

  • 1.5 K

  • Filtering quality: Low

  • 2 K

  • Filtering quality: Medium

  • 4 K

  • Filtering quality: High

  • 4 K

  • Filtering quality: High

Anti-aliasing (Desktop only)

Defines the quality of anti-aliasing.

None

FXAA (Fast approximate anti-aliasing)

Temporal AA

Temporal AA

In VR mode, Anti-aliasing is set to Temporal AA in all quality setting levels.

Point cloud

Defines the data point density of point clouds. The point budget is the maximum number of visible points.

Point budget: 2,000,000

Point budget: 5,000,000

Point budget: 8,000,000

Point budget: 12,000,000

Other Quality Settings

Setting

Description

VR dynamic quality (VR mode only)

If this option is selected, Twinmotion dynamically adjusts the quality settings in an attempt to reach the target rendering frame rate of 45 fps (90 Hz/2) in the Viewport.

A rendering frame rate of 45 fps can minimize VR motion sickness.

Use VR headset threshold (VR mode only)

If this option is selected, Twinmotion attempts to match the target rendering frame rate in the Viewport to the refresh rate of the VR headset.

Matching the rendering frame rate in the Viewport to the refresh rate of the VR headset can help to minimize VR motion sickness.

Due to certain limitations, the VR headset refresh rate is currently set to 45 fps.

Activation threshold (in FPS) (VR mode only)

If the Use VR headset threshold option is not selected, this setting specifies the frame rate threshold, in frames per second (FPS), at which VR Dynamic Quality is activated.

Appearance

Option

Description

Language

Specifies the language that is used for user interface text in Twinmotion.

Options: English, Français, Deutsch, Español, Português, 中文, 한국어, 日本語

Visual helpers

Shows or hides visual helpers in the Viewport. Visual helpers can help to identify and select the following Library assets:

All Rotators and Translators, including those associated with the Doors or other animated elements that use them.

  • Reflection probes

  • Paths

  • Painted and scattered objects

  • Lights

  • Section cubes

  • Sounds

  • Particles

  • Decals

To show and hide visual helpers, you can also use the G keyboard shortcut.

All sounds

Specifies whether sounds that are added to a scene from the Library > Objects > Sounds category can be heard in Twinmotion and in exported Local and Cloud Presentations.

Note that for the sound to be heard in Twinmotion and in Presentations, the Audio setting of the sound must be enabled (On).

Also enables or disables footstep sounds when viewing a scene in Twinmotion or in a Presentation in Pedestrian mode (View menu > Pedestrian mode).

Sending data

Specifies whether you agree to share Twinmotion usage data with Epic Games.

Footstep

When navigating a scene in Twinmotion or in a Local or Cloud Presentation using Pedestrian mode (View menu > Pedestrian mode), the sound of footsteps is heard as you move forward, backwards, to the left, or the right.

This setting specifies the surface on which the footsteps are walking in Footstep volume.

Footstep sounds can be enabled or disabled in the All sounds setting.

Options: Carpet, Concrete, Glass, Grass, Gravel, Ground, Metal, Snow, Water, Wood

Footstep volume

Sets the sound volume of footsteps on the surfaces selected in Footstep.

Options: 0 to 100%