Blender, Twinmotion: 3D Modelling, VR & Arch Viz

Learn where to download Blender from Blender.org, select the latest stable or long term support release for Windows, Mac, or Linux, and perform the installation with initial preferences.

Customize Blender preferences to improve usability, covering interface, navigation, undo steps, and input. Save incrementally with a project folder, using save as and underscore 001 suffix to protect work.

Enable Blender add-ons by accessing preferences, enabling extensions and add-ons like Loop Tools and Node Wrangler, and manage them in the add-ons tab to boost mesh editing and texture setup.

Recover Blender work after crashes by using recover last session and auto save in the temp folder. Configure auto save intervals and file paths to guard your edits.

Learn Blender shortcut keys to speed up workflow, including duplicating objects with shift+d and using the object menu, plus access a downloadable PDF guide on the asset page.

Navigate Blender's 3D view by orbiting around the selected object with the middle mouse button. Zoom smoothly with ctrl+middle, pan with shift+middle, and switch views with Alt.

Explore the Blender 3D view editor, switch editor types and modes, and use the tool shelf and side bar for object editing, isolation with local view, and quick playback rendering.

Explore selection types, the quick favorites menu, and transform orientations in Blender. Learn common shortcuts for selecting, transforming, and snapping to streamline 3D modeling.

Explore pivots and snapping in blender, from medium point pivots in object and edit modes to the treaty cursor pivot, using zoom-based snap increments for precise transformations.

Explore the tool shelf and master selection types: select tool, select box, circle select, and lasso select. Place the 3D cursor precisely, then use move, rotate, and scale manipulators.

Master the annotate tool to draw, color, and animate strokes; measure distances and angles with the measure tool; and rapidly block out scenes with the interactive cube tool.

Master extrude, bevel, and edge loop tools in Blender’s edit mode, including extrude region and extrude to cursor, inset, beveling edges and vertices, and loop cuts with offsets.

Learn to cut new edges with the knife tool, using snapping and angle constraints. Explore the bisect and poly build tools for through cuts, retopology, and low-poly modeling.

Master the spin tool to create sweeps and profiles in Blender, using the 3D cursor as pivot, setting the axis, extruding profiles, and sweeping to a full 360 degrees.

Create and customize Blender workspaces by arranging editors for modeling, shading, and scripting. Split, join, and swap editors to tailor a double or multi-view layout for efficient workflows.

Master Blender collections to organize scene objects, control visibility in view layers and renders via scene collection, and move items between geo, cameras, and light collections.

Master the versatile 3D cursor in Blender for precise positioning, snapping, and alignment; use it as an origin, rotation pivot, and insertion point.

Learn snapping in Blender: enable the snap magnet and use increment, absolute, or relative modes to snap to grid points, then snap by vertex, center, or active vertex for alignment.

Learn to use the face orientation overlay in Blender to identify blue front faces and red back faces, flip or recalculate normals, and enable backface culling for accurate shading.

Explore the coordinate system in Blender, focusing on the cartesian axes x, y, and z. Construct the mesh building blocks—vertex, edge, and face—through extrude operations and origin adjustments.

Learn to build and manage an asset browser in Blender, mark objects as assets, create catalogs, and append or link assets from external blend files into a library.

Learn to troubleshoot common Blender issues, from duplicate vertices and hidden faces to nonfunctional loop cuts, with practical fixes like merge by distance, knife tool, and auto keying awareness.

Import and refine an IFC model in Blender, ensuring dimensions remain correct at 40 by 20, and convert remaining tri faces to quads to improve mesh editing and UV mapping.

Simplify the front steps in Blender by optimizing the mesh, removing extra faces, and rebuilding with reference slabs, then apply bevel and mirror modifiers for clean, efficient geometry.

Refine the building's front door in Blender, design a sliding door with an entrance porch, and mirror geometry using the symmetry tool from the origin, and measure it for precision.

Detailing door frame in blender, this lecture covers setting width to 50 millimeters, adding edge loops, aligning origin to 3d cursor, and applying a boolean modifier with a cutter object.

Create a porch canopy and inset lights beneath the porch, modeling light rims with a circle mesh, and apply bevel and array modifiers while ensuring proper scale and UV maps.

Organize imported models using a building-focused collections structure in the outliner and alphabetical naming (e.g., IFC_GF) to enable easy selection, staging with a timeline, and controlled visibility.

Add stairs across multiple floors using Archey pack and Iraqi pack and preview presets to guide placement. Create floor subtractions with a cutter and boolean modifiers to enable inter-floor traversal.

Append assets from another Blender file by selecting the elevator collection and appending it into the building collection, then position and edit the imported objects with origin at world zero.

extend the pillar geometry to the interior ceiling height, merge into one object, then clean floor stubs, convert openings to quads, and apply mirror and array modifiers to update slabs.

Model the external environment around the building using boolean modifiers to carve the underground car park entrance and ramp, then refine the mesh with edge loops and quad-based faces.

Prepare the model for UV mapping by aligning Blender and Twinmotion scales, applying global transforms, unwrapping before modifiers, and correcting normals to ensure clean export for UV mapping.

Create a test material and begin uv mapping by unwrapping the mesh, marking seams, and setting a margin to prevent texture bleed with a principled shader.

Map floor slabs in blender using smart unwrap, mark seams, and set margins to create UV islands. Apply a test material and rotate islands for consistent texture across the model.

Continue uv mapping by unwrapping floors, walls, glass, pillars, stairs, and environment; use smart uv unwrap, mark seams on hidden edges, transfer maps, and apply mirror modifier for twinmotion textures.

Add materials to each object and create additional material slots, map UVs, unwrap surfaces, and assign rim and light surface textures to lights, plus glass and seal materials to windows.

Finalize the building model by naming objects, applying materials and UV maps, checking normals, applying transforms, and exporting the selected objects as an FBX with bevel modifiers and proper orientation.

Explore the Twinmotion interface, navigation, and menus, including the library, content, media, and export tabs, with VR and Unreal Engine integration.

Import the building model with preserved hierarchy, then apply library materials to surfaces. Adjust color, opacity, X-ray, and bump settings while refining UV type for accurate visuals.

Use the urban tool to import Open Street Map models into Twinmotion and position the surrounding context. Build a ground plan in Blender and apply a cobblestone material.

Import context objects into InMotion, apply a metal material or create a custom material with a texture map, and replace objects from the library to customize scenes.

Learn to add objects and create vehicle and character paths in a scene using parts, set routes with density, speed, lane count, and direction.

Learn to animate doors in Blender and InMotion using the translator tool, linking translators to doors, and tuning distance, axis, and triggers to slide doors open and closed.

Use the phasing tool to stage the building’s construction, organize the scene graph with containers, and animate multiple phases from site setup to machinery and site objects.

Learn to add lights in Twinmotion, set day or night lighting, and use light instances to sync changes across multiple lights while adjusting exposure, color, shadows, and global illumination.

Explore camera settings in the scene, render and export an image, and improve reflections by using a box reflection probe while increasing viewport and export resolution.

Configure video settings to build a two-part architectural animation, set external and internal camera positions, apply transitions between clips, adjust lens and timing, and save for export in Blender.

Export and manage Twinmotion videos by selecting the Building Animation video in the export tab, export the main video and its fazing sequence to a chosen folder.

Open Blender's video editor, import media, and combine clips in sequencer with transitions. Configure output settings for MPEG, set frame rate to 30 fps, and render the animation for export.

Explore the presenter tool in InMotion to export an interactive VR-ready application that combines images and videos for sharing and viewing on VR devices.