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StudioTwin Plugin Installation

This guide walks you through installing the StudioTwin plugin into Unreal Engine, connecting it to your account, and confirming it works.

Before you start​

You will need:

  • A StudioTwin account and an API key. Sign up at app.studiotwin.ai, then create a key on the API Keys page. See Get Started if you don't have an account yet.
  • Unreal Engine 5.6, 5.7 or 5.8. Each build is compiled against one specific engine version.

Installation​

Four steps, in order. Once you have finished step 4 you are set up and can start generating.

1. Install the plugin​

Pick the method that suits you. Your choice is remembered across this page.

StudioTwin is listed on FAB and can be installed through the Epic Games Launcher, which handles the download and puts the files in the right place.

Get StudioTwin on FAB

FAB Logo

  1. Open the listing and add StudioTwin to your library.
  2. In the Epic Games Launcher, go to your Fab Library (Fab → My Library).
  3. Select StudioTwin, then click Install plugin.
  4. In the Install Plugin dialog, pick your engine version under Slot to add plugin to, then click Install.

StudioTwin in the Fab Library in the Epic Games Launcher

The Launcher installs the plugin into that engine version, so it is available to every project using that engine.

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Ensure that you verify either your Unreal Engine version or your specific Unreal Engine project version, and install the corresponding plugin version. Past releases and their supported engine versions are listed in the Changelog.

2. Check the plugin is enabled​

Whichever method you used, confirm the plugin is enabled before going further.

  1. Open your project and go to Edit → Plugins.
  2. Search for StudioTwin.
  3. If the checkbox isn't ticked, tick it and click Restart Now.

The toolkits only appear once the editor has restarted.

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Installing into a project usually enables the plugin for you. Installing through FAB or into the engine does not, so this check matters most for those two methods.

3. Configure API Key​

The API key authorises the plugin to talk to the StudioTwin cloud service.

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You can create and manage keys in the StudioTwin Dashboard. See API Keys for details.

  1. In Unreal Engine, go to Edit → Project Settings.
  2. Under Plugins, select StudioTwin.
  3. Paste your key into the Api Key field. Keys begin with st_.
  4. Leave Api Endpoint Url empty. It defaults to the correct endpoint.

API Key Settings

The key is validated in Project Settings, so a mistyped or inactive key is flagged here rather than failing later during a generation.

tip

Paste carefully. A trailing space picked up while copying is an easy way to end up with an invalid key.

4. Verify the installation​

Open the Tools menu. You should see a STUDIOTWIN section listing every toolkit:

  • Audio Toolkit
  • Environment Toolkit
  • Material Toolkit
  • Mesh Toolkit
  • Motion Toolkit
  • Help

Hovering a toolkit opens its submenu of tools. If you see this menu and your API key is accepted, the installation is complete.

For a quick end-to-end test, open Tools → Motion Toolkit → Text to Motion and generate from a short prompt such as A person is walking forward hastily. It costs 5 credits and needs nothing in your project, since the plugin ships its own skeletal mesh, so it confirms the full round-trip to the cloud service. See How Credits Work for what each tool costs.

That's it. Now explore the Toolkits.

Maintenance and troubleshooting​

You don't need any of this to get started. Come back when you are upgrading, removing the plugin, or something isn't working.

Upgrading​

From v2.5.0 onward the plugin checks for new versions and notifies you when one is available. How you upgrade depends on how you installed it.

warning

Always upgrade using the same method you installed with. Installing manually and then upgrading through FAB, or the reverse, leaves two copies of the plugin in different locations and will break your setup. If you want to switch methods, uninstall the existing copy first.

Upgrade through the Epic Games Launcher, the same way you installed. The Launcher replaces the previous build for that engine version, so there is no need to delete anything by hand.

Close the Unreal Editor before upgrading, and reopen your project afterwards.

Uninstalling​

  1. Close the Unreal Editor.
  2. Remove the plugin, through the Epic Games Launcher if you installed from FAB, or by deleting the StudioTwin folder if you installed manually.
  3. Reopen your project.

Generated results that are standard Unreal assets, such as the Texture2D and TextureCube environment maps, Static Meshes, Materials, animations and sound waves in your Content folder, are unaffected and keep working.

warning

The Environment Toolkit's Environment Map to World tool also creates a StudioTwin-specific data asset to assemble the scene. Assets of that type depend on the plugin and will stop loading once it is removed.

Troubleshooting​

The plugin doesn't appear in Edit → Plugins

Usually a folder layout problem. Check that StudioTwin.uplugin sits exactly one level below Plugins, and that you installed into the engine version you actually launched.

Error: "The following modules are missing or built with a different engine version"

The build you installed was compiled for a different Unreal Engine version than the one you are running. Download the build that matches your engine and reinstall. Past releases and the engine versions they support are listed in the Changelog.

If you are running an engine built from source, it may not be binary-compatible with a build made for the corresponding official release.

The toolkits are missing from the Tools menu

First, scroll right to the bottom of the Tools menu. The STUDIOTWIN section sits below Unreal's own entries and is easy to miss on a short screen.

If it still isn't there, the plugin may be installed but not enabled. Go to Edit → Plugins and search for StudioTwin. If its checkbox isn't ticked, tick it and click Restart Now. The toolkits only appear once the editor has restarted.

The API key is invalid
  • Check for a leading or trailing space introduced when copying.
  • Confirm the key is Active and not suspended on the API Keys page.
  • Confirm the key belongs to the organization you expect.
  • Confirm Api Endpoint Url is empty.

Still stuck? See Support, and include your plugin version, Unreal Engine version, and anything in the Output Log that mentions StudioTwin.