To enable architects to envision design thoughts and plans as more immersive settings, Epic Games is collaborating with the leading provider of design software in the market, Autodesk.

Although 3D design plans may be created using Autodesk architectural software such as Revit, the alliance will provide designers access to simple tools with capabilities more commonly used in game production, such as Unreal Engine, ray tracing, and a vast collection of 3D objects to fill environments.

Epic Game’s Twinmotion, an Unreal Engine-powered real-time visualization tool that is being utilized inside the urban planning and construction business, is now available to anybody with an Autodesk Revit subscription for free. Revit is a building information modeling solution for architects. For educational and noncommercial uses, Twinmotion is provided as a free trial, however this subscription bonus will save Revit subscribers $499 on a perpetual commercial license.

Autodesk design software such as AutoCAD and Revit are used extensively within architecture and construction planning, from early concept sketches to 3D renders and documents to help aid in the actual building process. While models created in these applications can be highly detailed, projects created through Twinmotion can allow for more interactive experiences, such as realistic still imagery, environmental animations, and even VR integration that could be used for digital tours. The pitch is that clients will be able to communicate changes with architects and designers in real time, allowing them to see requested alterations much faster than when using more traditional developmental tools.

Users can spend more time bringing creative concepts to life and less time managing complicated data and technical procedures by utilizing Epic’s ecosystem of real-time 3D tools and libraries, according to Marc Petit, vice president of Epic Games.

The collaboration between Epic and Autodesk is not new. In 2021, Epic and Autodesk worked together to release a new Unreal Live Link for Maya plug-in, allowing artists to feed data from Autodesk Maya (an interactive 3D graphics production tool) to Unreal in real time. Autodesk joined Epic Games’ Integrated Partners Program back in 2008. It’s also probable that this isn’t the end of the collaboration; according to Epic Games, there are future plans for the two businesses to “jointly build experiences for clients in M&E and manufacturing.”