Importing Rhino Models into Twinmotion for Basic 3D Visualization

Twinmotion is a user-friendly, real-time visualization and rendering application favored by architects and designers. It allows you to generate photorealistic, interactive representations of 3D models. With minimal effort, you can populate your scenes with lighting, materials, and objects, and even experience your designs in VR.

This guide is tailored for newcomers and demonstrates how to import geometry from Rhino into Twinmotion. It provides the foundational steps needed to create your first render. Producing a great visualization takes patience, practice, and creativity—so take your time, follow along, and don't hesitate to experiment with the settings to develop your personal visual approach.

Installing Twinmotion

Step 1: Get the Epic Games Launcher

Head to the Epic Games Store and download the Epic Games Launcher for your operating system.

Once installed, open the launcher. If you don’t already have an Epic Games account, you’ll need to create one. Otherwise, just sign in.

Step 2: Download and Install Twinmotion

Inside the Epic Games Launcher:

• Click on Unreal Engine in the sidebar menu.
• At the top navigation bar, choose Twinmotion.
• Select the latest version.
• Begin the installation process for Twinmotion.

Step 3: Install the Datasmith Exporter for Rhino

To efficiently import Rhino models into Twinmotion, it's best to use the Datasmith Exporter plugin.

• Go to the Twinmotion Plugins page.
• Find and download the Datasmith Exporter for Rhino, ensuring you choose the correct version for your operating system.
• Follow the installation instructions provided to complete the setup of the UnrealDatasmithRhinoExporter.

Tip: You can also find a Datasmith Exporter for Revit on the same plugins page, useful if you work with multiple design platforms.

Preparing Rhino Geometry for Export

Organize Layers and Materials

Open your Rhino file and ensure your model is organized across multiple layers. Assign a unique material to each layer—not for visual fidelity, but to preserve organization when importing into Twinmotion.

Note: Twinmotion discards Rhino layer information during import, but retains material assignments. This workaround helps you maintain a logical structure within Twinmotion.

Organize with Separate Layers in Rhino

Structure your Rhino project using multiple layers. This improves clarity, allows for easier modifications, and simplifies material assignments in Twinmotion—since material groupings help maintain organization when importing.

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When Objects Don’t Appear in Twinmotion

If something is visible in Rhino but missing in Twinmotion, it’s likely due to surface orientation. Here are ways to fix it:

1. Enable Double-Sided Materials

• In Twinmotion:
  Materials → Properties → Misc → Enable Two Sided

2. Extrude the Surface in Rhino

• Use the ExtrudeSrf command to convert flat surfaces into solids with volume.

3. Correct Surface Direction

• In Rhino, use the Dir command to visualize surface normals.
• If needed, use Flip to reverse the direction so it faces outward.

Exporting Geometry from Rhino

Use the Datasmith Export Tool

1. In Rhino, open the Datasmith toolbar.
2. Click Export 3D View to create a .udatasmith file.
3. Save this file with a clear name in an easily accessible location.

⚠️ Avoid using the direct link feature for live updates—it's known to be unstable and may cause irrecoverable project crashes.

🔍 Datasmith vs. FBX

Tip: Always choose Datasmith when working with Twinmotion to ensure smoother imports and better project management. Use FBX only if you're targeting generic 3D platforms or lack plugin access.

File Management Tip

The export process may create additional folders alongside your .udatasmith file. Twinmotion needs these, so be sure to keep them intact and store everything in the same directory as your Rhino and Twinmotion project files.

Importing into Twinmotion

1. Launch Twinmotion and start a new scene.
2. Open the Import menu (bottom of screen).
3. Click the + icon or use the shortcut Ctrl + L.
4. Select GEOMETRY as the import type.

Recommended Import Settings

• Collapse: by material
• Use Full Precision UVs: ✅
• Full Precision Normals: ❌
• Light Settings: Use original
• Enable Substitution: ✅

Next, generate a substitution table:

• Click the three dots next to “substitution table”.
• Choose Generate Default Table and save it in your project folder.

This table links Rhino materials to Twinmotion materials and ensures that updates to Rhino geometry won’t require reapplying all your Twinmotion material settings.

After clicking OK, your model should appear in the scene. If it doesn't:

• Too Far from Origin: Check the Scene Graph (bottom-right) and right-click a model element, then choose Zoom to Selection.
• Flipped Geometry: Ensure you’re only exporting closed geometry like polysurfaces or extrusions. Try viewing the model from another angle.

Syncing Changes from Rhino to Twinmotion

You can continue modifying your Rhino model and re-exporting as long as your setup remains consistent.

• If overwriting the existing .udatasmith file, go to the Import tab in Twinmotion and click the refresh icon.
• If using a new export file, click the three dots on the old file, select File Settings, and update the link to your new .udatasmith file.

This workflow keeps your Twinmotion project in sync with evolving Rhino designs.

Navigation

Basic Movement Controls

Use the following keys and mouse actions to move around your scene:

Adjusting Movement Speed

You can change your navigation speed by pressing number keys:

• 1 = Slowest
• 2–5 = Moderate speeds
• 6 = Fastest

This lets you switch between detailed editing and fast exploration with ease.

Materials

Assigning Materials

In Twinmotion, you can manage and assign materials easily to enhance the realism of your scene.

1. Navigate to the Materials tab at the bottom of the screen. You'll see the materials imported from your Rhino file.
2. Open the Library on the left panel.
3. Go to Materials and select one you want to use.

To replace materials, simply drag and drop the selected material onto the object in the viewport. By default, this applies the material to all objects sharing the same original material.

You can refine how materials are applied:

• Click the icon with two intersecting circles at the top center of the screen.
• From the dropdown, choose whether to apply the material:
  • To all instances of the same material (default)
  • To a single object
  • To a custom selection of objects

Material Settings

Access material properties by using the eyedropper tool (pipette icon) at the top center and clicking the material in the viewport. The Material Settings panel will appear at the bottom right.

Explore the following key settings:

• Tint: Adjusts the material's color.
• Grunge: Adds dirt/wear patterns for a more realistic, less repetitive look.
• Normal: Adds surface depth using normal maps.
• Parallax: Adds realistic 3D depth to 2D materials (enable if available).
  • Tip: Sometimes you'll need to copy the normal map into the parallax input slot.
• Emissive: Makes materials emit light.
• Two-Sided: Forces surfaces to render on both sides.
  • This is useful for thin surfaces that only display from one direction by default.

For detailed material settings, visit: Epic Games Documentation

UV Mapping in Twinmotion

To ensure materials scale and align correctly across objects:

1. In the Properties tab, go to the UV section.
2. Under Triplanar, set it to World Space to align textures uniformly across objects.
3. Enable Randomize UV to break up visual repetition—great for surfaces like grass or gravel.

While Rhino has more UV mapping tools, for most use cases, the settings in Twinmotion are sufficient.

Assets

Placing Assets

To add elements like trees, furniture, people, or vehicles:

1. Open the Library from the left-hand panel.
2. Browse under categories such as Vegetation, Objects, Characters, and Vehicles.
3. Drag any asset directly into the viewport to place it in your scene.

Using Instances for Efficiency

When placing multiple copies of the same object, it’s more efficient to use instances instead of duplicating or dragging the asset multiple times:

1. Select the asset you wish to replicate.
2. Hold Shift and drag the gumball to create a copy.
3. In the pop-up settings, check the box for Instance and configure additional options as needed.

Why use instances?
Twinmotion only needs to load the asset once, even if you’ve used it many times. This greatly improves performance in large scenes.

Additionally, adjusting settings for one instance will update all related instances—ideal for synchronizing lights or repetitive objects.

Populate Panel

The Populate tool helps automate asset placement and is located at the bottom center of the interface. Once acti

Ambience Settings

To access ambience-related controls, select "Ambience" from the Scene Graph. This panel centralizes everything from lighting and atmosphere to camera settings and rendering preferences. All tabs work together, so it’s best to experiment across the board rather than follow a strict order.

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Environment

Twinmotion offers extensive environment settings to tailor lighting and mood.

Add an HDRI

1. Open the Library on the left.
2. Navigate to HDRI Environments.
3. Drag an HDRI into the scene.

• Skydome HDRIs (found under Skies) only affect the sky and do not include surroundings.
• Other HDRIs may add forests, urban scenes, or fields to your background.

Experiment with rotation and intensity under the HDRI tab:

• Intensity directly affects the scene’s brightness and the realism of your lighting.

Weather and Fog

• Adjust Weather settings to simulate rain, snow, or season changes.
  • Note: Rain particles will not appear if the Path Tracer is active.
• Use the Height Fog slider to mask visible horizons or add atmospheric depth.

Natural Lighting

• Boost Sun Intensity to emphasize directional lighting.
• Tweak Ambient Light for overall base illumination throughout the scene.

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Camera Settings

• Turn off Auto-Exposure to take full control of scene brightness.
  • A base Exposure of 0 is a good starting point.
• Under the Lens tab, adjust:
  • Focal Length to zoom in/out
  • Enable Parallelism to make vertical lines perfectly straight—a standard in architectural visuals.

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Render Settings

• Navigate to the Render tab to choose your rendering engine:

Rendering Modes

• Real-Time: Fast and responsive—good for iterative design and walkthroughs.
• Path Tracer: Delivers high-fidelity lighting and reflections, but is slower and more demanding on hardware.

Lumen (Real-Time Enhancement)

Enable Lumen while using the Real-Time engine for more realistic lighting with minimal performance loss. It’s ideal for:

• VR
• Video walkthroughs
• Live design updates
• Less powerful computers

Effects and Clay Mode

• While Twinmotion includes FX filters, post-processing is often better handled in dedicated editing software.
• Use Clay Render to output a clean, texture-less version of your model—useful for form studies or conceptual presentations.

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Output Settings (Image Tab)

• Adjust the Render Size based on your intended use:
  • 4K for high-resolution prints or presentations.
  • 2K for faster, still-decent results.
• Enable Tiled Rendering if your system struggles with full-resolution output—this breaks the render into manageable pieces.

Exporting

Twinmotion allows you to generate and export still images and animated videos directly from your scene using the Media and Export tabs.

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Creating Images

1. Open the Media tab (bottom center of the screen).
2. Select Image (leftmost icon in the top Media bar).
3. Click the + icon to capture an image with your current camera view and ambience settings.

If you later update the camera angle or ambience:

• Hover over the image thumbnail.
• Click the Refresh button to apply those updates.

Copying Ambience Between Images

To reuse ambience settings:

1. Hover over the source image and click the three dots.
2. Select Copy Ambience.
3. Hover over the target image, click the three dots, and select Paste Ambience.

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Creating Videos

1. Open the Media tab again.
2. Click Video in the top bar.
3. Click the + icon to create a new video clip.

• The first frame captures your current camera view and ambience settings.
• As you add more frames, Twinmotion interpolates the camera movement between them.

Adjusting Video Settings

• Above the frames, you can set the duration of the camera movement.
• Use the + camera button to add more segments.
• Preview your animation by clicking Play at the center top of the media interface.
• You can assign different ambience settings to each frame for dynamic lighting or mood shifts.

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Exporting Your Media

1. Open the Export tab at the bottom center.
2. On the right panel, you'll see categories like Image, Video, etc.
3. Click the + icon next to the desired media type to select the files for export.

Recommended File Formats

• Images: Use .png for high-quality stills.
• Videos: Use .mp4 for standard compatibility and performance.
• For advanced editing in external software, experiment with different formats to suit your postprocessing workflow.

Virtual Reality

Twinmotion offers a simple workflow for immersive VR experiences, which can be a powerful way to assess design scale and atmosphere or impress clients with interactive presentations.

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Setting Up a VR Headset

1. Connect your VR headset before launching Twinmotion.
2. Once Twinmotion is open, click the eye icon at the top of your screen (next to the Scene Graph).
3. Select VR Mode and put on your headset.

In VR, navigation is done using teleportation, controlled with your headset's hand controllers.

This feature is ideal for walkthroughs, spatial evaluations, and real-time design presentations.

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Creating and Viewing Panorama Images

You can also export panoramic images for immersive viewing:

1. Go to the Media tab.
2. Select Panorama (similar to creating a standard image).
3. Export the panorama using the Export tab like any regular image.

Viewing Panorama in VR

Once exported, panoramas can be viewed in VR using:

• A browser-based viewer
• A smartphone
• A specialized VR app like ImmerGallery on the Oculus Quest
  🔗 https://immervr.com/

This is a lightweight alternative to live VR walkthroughs, perfect for sharing immersive visuals across platforms.

Tips & Tricks

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Importing Custom 2D Assets

Want to use your own 2D graphics like people or props?

1. Create your artwork (digitally or by hand).
2. Remove the background and save as a .png with no padding beneath the object.
3. In Twinmotion, navigate to:
   Library → Characters → Cutout
4. Place any default character into the scene.
5. Select it, go to Properties → Texture → Open, and upload your custom image.
6. Adjust the X and Z scale percentages to match the correct proportions.
7. Rename your object in the Scene Graph, then right-click and select Add to User Library.

Find your asset later under:
Library → User Library

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Recovering from Disorientation

If you find yourself lost or “falling” in the model:

• Open the Scene Graph
• Right-click any object and select Zoom to Selection
• Or press the shortcut key F to refocus on that object

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Manage File Versions

To protect your progress, save your Twinmotion file as new versions frequently (e.g., project_v1, project_v2). This allows you to roll back changes if needed and prevents irreversible errors.

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Centralize All Project Files

Keep all essential files together in one directory:

• .3dm Rhino file
• .udatasmith export
• .tm Twinmotion file
• Substitution table
• Any linked textures or assets

This structure makes it easy to archive your project or transfer it to another system without losing references or dependencies.

This comprehensive Q&A guide is designed for architects, designers, and 3D artists using Rhino and Twinmotion. Whether you're optimizing lighting, fine-tuning materials, managing UVs, or exporting stunning renders, these answers will streamline your Twinmotion workflow and boost your visual quality.

Free Access and Licensing

System Requirements

General Workflow

Materials

UV Mapping

Lighting

HDRI & Environment

Camera & Render Settings

VR and Panorama

Troubleshooting

Related Topics

• Twinmotion Datasmith Plugin for Rhino