Twinmotion, Better grass and Rendering made easy

[Steve_Nyhof]

I found another post where users were trying to find better ways to generate more realistic grass, and further conversation brought me to Twinmotion to help me render elevations quickly.
Here is a link to what I learned and shared on setting up an environment with grade and trees that is ready to import your CA model...

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/24205-how-to-create-life-like-grass/?do=findComment&comment=284826

Here is the link to both the background.tm and the Grade folder... (will need to be unzipped - see detail in above post for more details)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RsesiBodBiwYzdtgY6il1r1eqF9ubjK1/view?usp=sharing
UPDATE: Updated background files and details at the end of this thread.

See steps in posts below to set up.
FYI, I have been overwriting the background as I have improved it - it now has grass added from Twinmotion.

[Kbird1]

Thanks again Steve ......

 

Here is your Starter Kit Instructions in PDF for Others too.....

 

Updated PDF : TwinMotion Starter Kit.pdf

 

All Thanks / Credit to Steve.....   

 

Mick.

[Steve_Nyhof]

Here are the written steps to set this up... Video below
 

• Background1-One Story.tm has a little shorter trees so they do not over dominate the house
• Background1-Two Story.tm has a taller trees so they still show up in the background
• I am including the Grade.zip file in the new post - Unzip and put the Grade folder into the same folder as the .tm files. Make sure to keep copies of these files. Because I am in the East, I do not have southern trees.
  Example:
  > Your computer folder
  > > Grade folder (some images the .tm file will look for)
  > > Background1-One Story.tm (You can rename this to what your want)
  Example:
  > C:\Houseplans\Myhouse (folder)
  > > C:\Houseplans\Myhouse\Grade (folder)
  > > C:\Houseplans\Myhouse\Background1-One Story.tm (file)
• I have a small gray square that faces the front of the grade and a large circle where your house will land.
• Open one of the .tm files and hit Ctrl+I to import your 3DS model file - it should land right on the circle. All CA models are typically drawn in the center of the paper, and therefore the same coordinates should drop the model on the grade in the same place.
  Note that you may need to lower or raise your model to sit correctly on the grade
• The background trees can be manipulated with the Vegetation paint tool
• The foreground trees are individually placed and can be manipulated and moved

If someone gives it a try, let me know if it worked. It should give you a quick base to create fast renderings.

Here is a video that shows the steps

https://my-plan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v/z9UMeq8JCC21eFkarg2U

[Kbird1]

3 hours ago, stevenyhof said:

Wow! That was nice of you to put that together  _ I did update that description a bit but I will as my video here also...
https://myplan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/WnuZxQd7

 

Oh happy and easy to do, ( C&P to Word > Save as PDF ).....

I like to keep instructions in the Folder with the files I download, in case it's months till I get back too it ...

and can't find the post anymore

 

Feel free to put a Copy in your 1st Post if you like, you can edit the OP if you're not aware? and add your new instructions post and pics all

in the 1st post for someone to find in the future and then delete the other posts to clean it up.... I can delete mine too....

 

Mick.

[Steve_Nyhof]

I've been messing with this and imported a white house, and for the life of me, I cannot get the house model and exterior trees, etc details to match. Meaning, the house just looks translucent, and no mater what I try to reduce the translucence it in twinmotion I cannot get what I want. Maybe someone at some point will have some work arounds. 

[Steve_Nyhof]

Here is a little more that I am learning in Twinmotion...

https://my-plan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v/aR1gwtogDEy6awDUQBKE

[Steve_Nyhof]

Ok, so this is my final background at this point. I think it will serve my purposes very well. It should give anyone wanting to produce a nicer rendering than CA and possibly charge a nice $400+ , could be a nice way to make a few extra bucks. 
 

Video that explains some details and steps...

https://my-plan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v/PokgzScay1fDf6NbeLD4

Here is the link to both the background.tm and the Grade folder... (will need to be unzipped - see detail in above post for more details)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RsesiBodBiwYzdtgY6il1r1eqF9ubjK1/view?usp=sharing

Dark siding house example without any changes to controls - just dropped in from CA with 3DS file - no grade


White siding house example without any changes to controls - just dropped in from CA with 3DS file - no grade


You still have access to many of Twinmotion tools to control lighting inside and out, add landscaping and material for your drive and sidewalk as needed.
 

 

[Renerabbitt]

On 12/29/2022 at 9:38 AM, stevenyhof said:

I've been messing with this and imported a white house, and for the life of me, I cannot get the house model and exterior trees, etc details to match. Meaning, the house just looks translucent, and no mater what I try to reduce the translucence it in twinmotion I cannot get what I want. Maybe someone at some point will have some work arounds. 

You are getting this look because you are not using supportive maps in twinmotion, such as normal/roughness/displacement/metal maps. I would also suggest using generated grass as opposed to a grass texture

[Steve_Nyhof]

3 minutes ago, Renerabbitt said:

You are getting this look because you are not using supportive maps in twinmotion, such as normal/roughness/displacement/metal maps. I would also suggest using generated grass as opposed to a grass texture

Yes, little by little I am learning... I feel like I am getting a lot closer now... See posts just above
Thank you again for your help. 

[Renerabbitt]

8 minutes ago, stevenyhof said:

See posts just above

Yes keep it up, templating is a good approach

I saw the video working on the hillside, the building itself still lacks the secondary maps that would make it realistic. Also noticed you aren't using the pathtracer...I would suggest that you start to build out materials with supporting maps to save to your twinmotion library, and also consider using scene backdrops so you arent flooding the background with trees to hide the undeveloped terrain..this is the purpose of the scene backdrop.

This scene for instance only uses two trees, the background is a spherical HDRI

You can see it clearly with these two, two totally different HDRI's

[Steve_Nyhof]

1 hour ago, Renerabbitt said:

the building itself still lacks the secondary maps that would make it realistic

Ah! That is making sense to me now. I'm assuming the maps can be applied to my materials, like siding?
And I will look more into the backdrops - at the moment I am using the sky images
I plan on messing with it more tomorrow. I would like to get the grass down too

[Steve_Nyhof]

23 hours ago, Renerabbitt said:

the building itself still lacks the secondary maps that would make it realistic

I got more together and got some really nice grass put together. I feel like my environment is very nice and I can make it better from here.
Do you have a video where you show how to apply the secondary maps to the model?
Thank you,

Steve

[Steve_Nyhof]

FYI, I have been overwriting the background.zip as I have improved the file - it now has grass added from Twinmotion.

Here is the link to both the background.tm and the Grade folder... (will need to be unzipped - see detail below)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RsesiBodBiwYzdtgY6il1r1eqF9ubjK1/view?usp=sharing
 

Here are the written steps to set this up... Video below showing the steps

• Background1-One Story.tm has a little shorter trees so they do not over dominate the house
• Background1-Two Story.tm has a taller trees so they still show up in the background
• I am including the Grade.zip file in the new post - Unzip and put the Grade folder into the same folder as the .tm files. Make sure to keep copies of these files. Because I am in the East, I do not have southern trees.
  Example:
  > Your computer folder
  > > Grade folder (some images the .tm file will look for)
  > > Background1-One Story.tm (You can rename this to what your want)
  Example:
  > C:\Houseplans\Myhouse (folder)
  > > C:\Houseplans\Myhouse\Grade (folder)
  > > C:\Houseplans\Myhouse\Background1-One Story.tm (file)
• I have a small gray square that faces the front of the grade and a large circle where your house will land.
• Open one of the .tm files and hit Ctrl+I to import your 3DS model file - it should land right on the circle. All CA models are typically drawn in the center of the paper, and therefore the same coordinates should drop the model on the grade in the same place.
  Note that you may need to lower or raise your model to sit correctly on the grade
• The background trees can be manipulated with the Vegetation paint tool
• The foreground trees are individually placed and can be manipulated and moved

If someone gives it a try, let me know if it worked. It should give you a quick base to create fast renderings.

Here is a video that shows the steps

https://my-plan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v/z9UMeq8JCC21eFkarg2U

The difference now is that you will need to erase the grass from the driveway, walk and landscaping areas. The price you pay for having real looking grass vs an image map.

[Kbird1]

Thanks for posting further about your Journey with TM 2023 (?) , I'm still playing catchup though and haven't gotten to your videos yet.

 

So you updated your Background Files ?  just wondering if the links above all lead to the same File?

 

I looked at Materialize last year but never played much with it as I also have been using PixPlant Freelancer (now version 5),

for a few years ( since V.3) The freelancer version is the full version they just charge $39 for it is you are a single

User / One man band operation for it. the is also a free Trial version if you want to try it as it can make seamless textures

and all the Maps ( AO,Normal,Roughness,Metal,dispalcement etc.)  easier if you don't have other software.

   https://www.pixplant.com/     or         https://www.pixplant.com/purchase.php

 

M.

 

[Steve_Nyhof]

On 1/1/2023 at 4:07 PM, Kbird1 said:

Thanks for posting further about your Journey with TM 2023 (?) , I'm still playing catchup though and haven't gotten to your videos yet.

 

So you updated your Background Files ?  just wondering if the links above all lead to the same File?

 

I looked at Materialize last year but never played much with it as I also have been using PixPlant Freelancer (now version 5),

for a few years ( since V.3) The freelancer version is the full version they just charge $39 for it is you are a single

User / One man band operation for it. the is also a free Trial version if you want to try it as it can make seamless textures

and all the Maps ( AO,Normal,Roughness,Metal,dispalcement etc.)  easier if you don't have other software.

   https://www.pixplant.com/     or         https://www.pixplant.com/purchase.php

 

M.

 

Hi Mick,

Yes, I did update my background files to include grass from TM. Now when I place a model I need to erase the grass I do not want. 
You have a .zip file above with the old and that is fine also as it is another way of offering a nice settings. I have kept a copy of that myself.
I will add a video here to explain other things I am learning about TM and materials...

 

SORRY: VIDEOS HAVE EXPIRED. WORKING ON FIXING A NUMBER OF MY VIDEOS

Background and grass...
https://myplan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/Qwuj5zoe

Materials and Materializer...
https://myplan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v1uE0zqR

PixPlant Materials...

https://myplan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/WnuZ09vN

Here is a shared Spreadsheet of the Maps Details. Make a copy...
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HvQ18eHLjGgcysSi2NEvR7VWZ9iqhi45xR6rDeE2ZU0/edit?usp=sharing

[Kbird1]

Thanks again Steve especially for the Excel Spreadsheet, thanks for including Pixplant in it too , I've downloaded all the above which is great !

 

PS...let me know what I should remove above......as I am now behind your posts.... and don't want to confuse others

 

M.

[Steve_Nyhof]

Might be best to remove those first posts and/or details. I'm currently working on a B&B siding in CA and I think it's doing a good job. I'm using one of their materials and modifying it. I have learned over the past few years just to make white siding as my default and then I can color it to what ever I like. I have most of my materials connected to my template materials so making changes if easy and uniform...

https://my-plan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v/O4yEchRzSf2IveRI25qP

 

I'm including the files I was using in the video above.

Board_Batten_White.zip

[Kbird1]

10 minutes ago, stevenyhof said:

Might be best to remove those first posts and/or details. I'm currently working on a B&B siding in CA and I think it's doing a good job. I'm using one of their materials and modifying it. I have learned over the past few years just to make white siding as my default and then I can color it to what ever I like. I have most of my materials connected to my template materials so making changes if easy and uniform...

https://myplan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/P8uNGznN

 

I'm including the files I was using in the video above

Board_Batten_White.zip 6.13 MB · 0 downloads

 

Sounds great , thanks.

 

Once you have the B&B perfected you can export the Chief.calib file from the Library directly too , so it installs with everything setup "just so"

 

M.

[Steve_Nyhof]

Ok, Now I feel like I have learned a lot and accomplished what I was set out to do so calling it a day... Next I plan to make up a few more horizontal sidings that will look good in CA and the material maps work good in TM. - Two maps, the IMG and the NML files. Roughness can be accomplished in CA and TM with controls/tools.

https://my-plan.stevenyhofdesigns.com/v/PokgzScay1fDf6NbeLD4
Ignore my voice, it was late and I was very tired.

[Steve_Nyhof]

15 minutes ago, Kbird1 said:

Once you have the B&B perfected you can export the Chief.calib file from the Library directly too , so it installs with everything setup "just so"

Ah yes! Will so that. Thank you.
I think this worked - .calibz included - Not sure if it is including my new image maps

 

BnB Siding.calibz

[MarckusW]

Happy New Year All,

 

A question for Twin Motion users?  

 

Why CA to Twin Motion rather than Lumion? 

 

And/Or why not CA to Sketchup into Enscape since it is a plug in in Sketchup?

 

Mark

[Kbird1]

53 minutes ago, MarckusW said:

Why CA to Twin Motion rather than Lumion?

 

Fairly easy I think?....... TM is  (was???) free for many and Lumion is $3000 the last time I looked....

 

https://www.twinmotion.com/en-US/license

 

* TM is still free for non-commercial use it appears

 

M.  

[MarckusW]

Thanks Kbird1.

 

If cost were not a factor, why TM?

[Steve_Nyhof]

haha - that would be my answer too - cost. I would say that someone using CA, TM and Lumion will need to answer this.

For me, I wanted to find a way to offer nice looking renderings as a means to offer the whole service, knowing that to market myself as someone who also renders is more likely not going to be a thing - we'll see. I am however interested in staying ahead of any competition in my area. I found a smaller investment, a week or so (maybe 30 hours) learning and developing a system within Twinmotion that I am very happy with, and in less than 15 minutes to produce a rendering. And to top it off, I just gave anyone who wants it, my background and settings, and some direction to generate their own rendering in less than 15 minutes.

Lumion looks amazing from what little I have looked into it, but to purchase it would mean I would also have to justify the investment.

[Kbird1]

3 hours ago, stevenyhof said:

haha - that would be my answer too - cost. I would say that someone using CA, TM and Lumion will need to answer this.

For me, I wanted to find a way to offer nice looking renderings as a means to offer the whole service, knowing that to market myself as someone who also renders is more likely not going to be a thing - we'll see. I am however interested in staying ahead of any competition in my area. I found a smaller investment, a week or so (maybe 30 hours) learning and developing a system within Twinmotion that I am very happy with, and in less than 15 minutes to produce a rendering. And to top it off, I just gave anyone who wants it, my background and settings, and some direction to generate their own rendering in less than 15 minutes.

Lumion looks amazing from what little I have looked into it, but to purchase it would mean I would also have to justify the investment.

 

Bingo ....... I picked up TM several years ago when Epic made it Free but at around the same time I also looked at D5 Render ( unfortunately Chief declined working with them to make a plugin)  and Chief started with the new PBR RTRT Engine and I had high hopes for it and being able to keep the workflow  " all in chief " unfortunately that has not come to fruition yet.

 

M.