Revit MCP vs Twinmotion
A side-by-side look at the Revit MCP and Twinmotion MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Revit MCP for architecture & design work as a local process; choose Twinmotion for architecture & design over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Revit MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
add_pipe_cap, adjust_section_datums, align_titleblocks_on_sheets.
Choose Twinmotion when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
SCANBIM_USER_KEY. - You want tools like
tm_import_rvt, tm_set_environment, tm_render_image.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Architecture & Design | Architecture & Design |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | SCANBIM_USER_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 103 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 167 | 5 |
| Full listing | View Revit MCP | View Twinmotion |
Tools & capabilities
Revit MCP tools 167
add_pipe_cap在管件的未連線端安裝管帽或法蘭。自動尋找開放的接頭並連接。adjust_section_datums自動調整剖面視圖的網格線 (Grids) 與樓層線 (Levels) 2D 範圍與氣泡顯示。align_titleblocks_on_sheets批次將多個 sheet 上的 titleblock 移動到同一個 anchor 座標。可用『referenceSheetNumber』指定要拷貝某張 sheet 上 titleblock 的位置，或用『referencePositionMm』直接給絕對座標。anchor 決定要對齊 titleblock bbox 的哪個角（top-left / top-right / bottom-left / bottom-right / center）。建議先 dryRun=true 預覽 delta，確認後再實際執行。觸發條件：使用者提到 titleblock 對齊、圖框對齊、把所有 sheet 圖框對齊到 X、change_element_type 後圖框沒跟著移動、align titleblock、move titleblock to match。align_view_cropbox_to_element將指定視圖的 CropBox 對齊到目標元素（如 Detail Group 圖框）的 BoundingBox。保留原 Z 軸深度與 CropBox Transform。viewId 不指定時使用 active view。analyze_beam_penetration分析特定結構梁上的套管穿孔。回傳精確的幾何數據，如距離柱心長度、梁深度、開孔直徑等。analyze_corridor_width分析走廊寬度。使用 Revit 端的房間邊界線段找出平行牆對，回傳實測寬度、最小寬度與各區段檢討結果。analyze_floor_slopes分析樓板頂面排水坡度：以 Solid→PlanarFace 法向量與 Z 軸夾角計算每片朝上頂面的坡度百分比，回傳每片樓板的 Min/Max 坡度，並可回寫至指定參數（預設 Comments）。未指定 elementIds 時自動收集 Function=Exterior 的樓板。analyze_smoke_detectors偵煙探測器設置分析：掃描當前視圖的探測器、空調出風口（FCU/冷風機）、房間，回傳各探測器的距出風口距離、距牆/樑距離、距天花板距離，以及各房間的探測器數量與樑區格數。供 JS 端進行五項法規判定。analyze_tall_partition_roomsFind rooms on target levels that share or contain TYPE partition walls taller than a threshold. Uses room boundary segment ElementIds so shared room-to-room walls are assigned to both rooms, and can add upward ray evidence from room bottom to floor underside.apply_panel_pattern將面板排列模式套用到帷幕牆。需要類型映射表和排列矩陣。arrange_viewports_on_sheet依指定順序排列圖紙上的視埠（僅限 DraftingView）。支援水平或垂直排列，邊緣對齊（edge-to-edge）。第一個視埠的位置作為錨點。可用 viewNames（view 名稱陣列）或 viewportIds（視埠 ID 陣列）指定順序，二擇一。assign_existing_material將既有材質（透過名稱查找）套用到指定的 Type。不建立新材質。用於復原或批次指派既有材質（例如把 9 個柱子從 'White_MCP' 改回 '鋼 AISI 1015'）。- +155 more on the listing page
Twinmotion tools 5
tm_import_rvtImport a Revit/BIM model into the Twinmotion visualization pipeline: downloads the source file from a public URL, uploads it to an APS OSS transient bucket, and kicks off an SVF2 + thumbnail translation job. Returns the base64 URN (project_id) used by every other tm_* tool. When to use: when a user wants to prepare a Revit (.rvt), IFC (.ifc), or other BIM/CAD model for real-time visualization in Unreal Engine / Twinmotion — typically the first step before rendering stills, defining scenes, or exporting FBX/glTF/OBJ geometry for a UE import. Also use when you need thumbnails or view metadata from a source file that has not yet been translated by APS. When NOT to use: not for MEP clash review (use navisworks-mcp), not for quantity takeoff or cost estimation (use qto-mcp), not for Twinmotion presets editing — Twinmotion itself has no public REST API, so scene/material authoring must happen manually in the UE editor after FBX/USD export. APS scopes required: data:read data:write data:create bucket:read bucket:create viewables:read. Uses Model Derivative API (translation) + OSS (upload). Twinmotion has no public REST API; all automation is APS Model Derivative + manual Unreal Engine export. Rate limits: APS default ~50 req/min per app per endpoint; Model Derivative translation jobs ~60 req/min; large .rvt/.nwd/.ifc files are often multi-GB and translation can take 5–60 min — poll the manifest with exponential backoff (start 5s, cap 60s) rather than retrying this tool. Worker request ceiling is ~100MB body; extremely large files may need signed-URL upload instead. Errors: 401 = APS token failed (check APS_CLIENT_ID/APS_CLIENT_SECRET, re-auth); 403 = scope missing (bucket:create/data:write not granted — have user re-consent); 404 = file_url unreachable; 409 = bucket key collision (rare — retry, tool uses timestamp); 413/507 = file too large for worker memory (advise signed-URL upload); 422 = unsupported source format (only Autodesk-accepted types: rvt, ifc, nwd, dwg, dgn, 3dm, stp, etc.); 429 = back off 60s before retrying; 5xx = APS upstream outage, retry with backoff. Side effects: CREATES a new transient OSS bucket (scanbim-viz-<timestamp>, auto-expires in 24h), CREATES an object in OSS, STARTS a translation job consuming APS cloud credits. NOT idempotent — each call creates a new bucket + URN. Writes a row to usage_log D1 table.tm_set_environmentConfigure the visualization environment (weather, time-of-day, surround context) for a previously imported model. Validates the model exists via APS Model Derivative manifest, then stores the environment config in KV (24h TTL) so tm_render_image and tm_export_video can apply it. When to use: after tm_import_rvt completes and the manifest status is 'success' (or in-progress if you just want to pre-stage config), when the user wants to set scene context — e.g. 'render the tower at 17:00 in an urban setting with clear weather' — before generating images or video walkthroughs. Typical step 2 in the Twinmotion flow. When NOT to use: not for editing geometry, materials, or UE post-process volumes (those live in the Unreal Engine editor after FBX/USD import — Twinmotion has no public REST API). Do not call before tm_import_rvt — there is no URN to attach config to. APS scopes required: viewables:read data:read (manifest + metadata fetch only — read-only for this tool). No bucket or write scopes needed. Rate limits: APS default ~50 req/min per app per endpoint; manifest/metadata are cheap but polling-heavy if the model is still translating — prefer a single call per user intent, not a status-poll loop. KV writes are effectively unlimited at this scale. Errors: 401 = APS token expired/invalid; 403 = viewables:read not granted; 404 = URN unknown to APS (wrong project_id, or translation never started); 409 = n/a; 422 = n/a; 429 = back off 30s; 5xx = APS Model Derivative outage. Side effects: WRITES the env config to KV under key env_config_<urn> (TTL 86400s). Idempotent — calling again overwrites the prior config. Writes a row to usage_log.tm_render_imageRender a still preview image of the model at a specified resolution by pulling the APS Model Derivative thumbnail (capped at 800x800 by the APS endpoint). Also resolves the camera_preset against model metadata to identify which 3D view it maps to, and applies any stored environment config from tm_set_environment for reference. When to use: when you need a quick visual sanity-check of an imported model (e.g. 'show me what Tower A looks like'), to preview a specific named view before committing to a full UE/Twinmotion render, or to embed a low-res preview in a chat/report. Pair with tm_list_scenes first to discover valid view names/GUIDs. When NOT to use: not for production-quality renders (APS thumbnails are low-res and raster-only; for cinematic output use Unreal Engine Movie Render Queue after FBX/USD export), not for arbitrary custom camera angles (only named views from the source file are resolvable — there is no runtime camera placement API here), not for 2D sheet exports (use tm_list_scenes to find 2D roles and fetch directly). APS scopes required: viewables:read data:read. Hits Model Derivative thumbnail + metadata endpoints only. Rate limits: APS default ~50 req/min per app per endpoint. Thumbnail endpoint is usually fast (<2s) once the model has translated; if called while status='inprogress' it returns no thumbnail. Do not loop-poll this tool — poll the manifest via tm_set_environment or tm_list_scenes instead. Errors: 401/403 = token/scope; 404 = URN not found or thumbnail not yet generated (model still translating — retry after manifest reports success); 409 = n/a; 422 = n/a; 429 = back off 30s; 5xx = APS upstream. Side effects: NONE (read-only on APS). Reads KV env_config_<urn>. Writes a row to usage_log. Idempotent.tm_export_videoPrepare a model for an animated walkthrough / video export by verifying the manifest is complete, then starting a secondary Model Derivative job that produces OBJ geometry (suitable for ingestion into offline rendering pipelines, Blender, or Unreal Engine). Also returns the list of available named views so the operator can stitch them into a camera path. Does NOT itself produce an mp4 — video encoding happens in the downstream UE/Twinmotion pipeline. When to use: when a user wants a walkthrough/flythrough video of a BIM model (e.g. 'make a 30-second tour of Tower A') — this tool gets the geometry into a UE-ingestible form (.obj, plus suggests FBX/glTF/USD naming like TowerA_walkthrough.fbx for the exported asset) and enumerates named views to guide camera path authoring. When NOT to use: not to actually encode video (no runtime renderer in this worker — output must be finished in Unreal/Twinmotion/Blender), not before tm_import_rvt, not if the manifest is still 'inprogress' (the tool will short-circuit and return status='pending'). Not for still images (use tm_render_image) or clash animations (use navisworks-mcp). APS scopes required: data:read data:write viewables:read. Write scopes are needed because this kicks off a new Model Derivative translation job (OBJ + thumbnail). Rate limits: APS default ~50 req/min; Model Derivative translation jobs ~60 req/min. OBJ derivatives of large BIM models can be multi-GB and take 10–45 min — rely on manifest polling with exponential backoff, not re-calling this tool. Errors: 401/403 = token/scope (data:write commonly missing); 404 = URN not found; 409 = OBJ derivative already queued (treat as success); 422 = input format does not support OBJ output (some IFC variants / proprietary formats — fall back to FBX/glTF via a different derivative format); 429 = back off 60s; 5xx = APS upstream. Side effects: STARTS a new translation job on an existing URN (consumes APS cloud credits). Writes usage_log. NOT idempotent per-call (each call creates a new job record), but APS will dedupe identical output requests internally if manifest already contains the derivative.tm_list_scenesEnumerate every 2D/3D view ('scene') baked into the translated model, plus a shallow dump of the model object tree (first 50 top-level nodes across all 3D views), plus the list of completed derivatives (svf2, thumbnail, obj, etc.) available via APS. The canonical discovery tool for anything downstream that needs a view name or GUID. When to use: before tm_render_image (to pick a valid camera_preset), before tm_export_video (to plan a camera path across named views), to audit what was translated ('did the 3D coordination view survive translation?'), or to expose the top-level model hierarchy for UI display. Also a useful health check — if scene_count=0, the translation is incomplete or failed. When NOT to use: not for full property queries on individual objects (this tool returns names + GUIDs + child counts only — use a dedicated property-query tool for full attribute dumps), not for geometry data (use tm_export_video for OBJ export), not on a URN that has not yet started translating. APS scopes required: viewables:read data:read. Read-only across Model Derivative manifest + metadata + object-tree endpoints. Rate limits: APS default ~50 req/min. This tool fans out across every 3D view to fetch object trees — for models with many 3D views (10+) it can burn a chunk of the budget in one call. Prefer caching the result on the caller side rather than re-invoking. Errors: 401/403 = token/scope; 404 = URN not found; 422 = n/a; 429 = back off 60s (this tool makes multiple APS calls per invocation, so 429 is more likely than on single-call tools); 5xx = APS upstream. A 202 on object-tree means APS is still building the tree — the tool retries once internally. Side effects: NONE on APS (read-only). Writes a usage_log row. Idempotent.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Revit MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"revit-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@shuotao/revit-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Twinmotion
{
"mcpServers": {
"twinmotion": {
"url": "https://twinmotion-mcp.itmartin24.workers.dev/mcp"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Revit MCP is categorized under Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Twinmotion belongs to Architecture & Design and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Revit MCP for architecture & design work and Twinmotion for architecture & design.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Revit MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Twinmotion has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add revit-mcp and twinmotion as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Revit MCP has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 6 views, 0 installs and 103 GitHub stars. Twinmotion has 49/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.