I work with Sketchup + Twinmotion. Since the last two 2022 releases, TM either loses materials, or doesn't consistently replace them.
Import files with the classic way: in TM> Import> Select file. To update an edited sketchup file, I click on the 'resync' icon.
Loss of materials:
When resynchronizing an imported skp file, or reopening a TM file.
They turn white. Not all, just some, and not always the same when reopening or refreshing. To restore them, you need to select the material (one by one) and move the reflection level bar.
Lack of consistency:
I import a sketchup file, and replace the materials with TM's.
I import a new sketchup file that has the same materials as the previous one, but the latter are not replaced (consistently with the first replacement of the same material), the sketchup ones remain, and you have to replace them again, manually, one by one.
The whole thing is extremely frustrating. For changes that would take a minute, it takes 15 or 20. Multiplied by all model updates.
Thank you for posting in the community regarding the material issue. We are aware of the white material issue and have documented this bug to address in a future hotfix or release.
At the moment the workaround when the materials are white and become visible when changing a setting is to go to the Preferences > Quality settings and change it to medium(or anything else then what you currently have set), then click ok. The materials should display, and you can then go back and change the Quality setting to what it was before.
I recommend you also try and use the datasmith exporter plugin if you have Sketchup or request udatasmith files as those have more consistency. Hope this helps.
When you find bugs you can directly contact us by using the [ contact us ] button from the home page or by following this link: https://twinmotionhelp.epicgames.com/s/case-community-page
I'll try changing the quality settings - if it resets all materials without having to handle them one by one, it saves a lot of time.
I had already tried the datasmith importer for sketchup, but I found it problematic in some respects, which I don't remember now, and I was back to the classic import. Maybe I'll do some more tests.
I did an SKP-TM sync test with Datasmith Exporter. It seems to work better than the first version I tried when it came out. The latter seems to solve many of the most recurring problems, such as white material and the loss of vegetation on the attack surfaces (which sometimes happened when resynchronizing with the classic way). And it's faster, with automatic continuous sync.
For now, I've just made a quick try with a test model. At the first opportunity, I will try it with a more complex model.
I was hoping the hotfix yesterday would fix it.. But unfortunately not. (It does look it works way faster on my machine btw.)
At my current project I work with import the Sketchup file, and then resync every change..
But that gives some problems also, because not al changes are visible then. Somehow. So back trying to use the datasmith link..
Now trying with hotfix 22.2.1, and newest plugin nr 5.0.3 on Sketchup pro 2022.
New clean file; import / direct link / then the file is visible in source.. / click import; and then I have my model, so far so good, but then i see missing random parts again.
examples;
A double glass door, right door has glas, the left is not there.
And a jacuzzi I made in sketchup, has just random parts missing..
Changing the quality back and forth does not help either..
Don't know how to go on with a project, which has several hours in it...
This has happened to me through the years without any official fixes.
What I notice is it happens most often to TM files that have just been updated to a newer TM version. What I do is I open the TM file first in the older version (whichever version syncing worked properly for the file), and re-sync direct link models there before updating.
Hope this helps someone, this is not a consistent workaround.
Thank you for the follow-up, I also wanted to let you know we released an update today with some improvements regarding white materials showing up after an update. Please try the latest version as well as that should provide you with the best experience.
This workaround has been doing the trick for a few months, but yesterday stopped working (changing the Quality settings temporarily). So now I've had to re-apply materials to a large model full of Generic_BC textures.
I'm not using datasmith because my cad software doesn't support it (I export to FBX).