CC Jan-Feb 2022

INDUSTRY focus
Real-time renders
Enscape 3.2 offers dynamic real-time visualisation and streamlined workflows for architects and
designers, writes David Chadwick
Iremember a comment from an
architect I was chatting to at Digital
Construction Week who said that
Enscape was an essential item within
their architectural toolset. He added that
he couldn't envisage now not being able
to make changes to an architectural
design, and then immediately switch to
Enscape to see what the changes looked
like in real-time.
We've come a long way from the days
when you had to swap out your 3D
model to a render farm to produce a
lifelike visualisation, and while you can
now handle it all on your own
workstation, there is still a disconnect
between the design and the
visualisation process. Current
applications also tend to focus on
different markets for the results - to
produce stunning visualisations of
static scenes with precise
representations of surfaces, materials
and reflections, or to create realistic
walkthroughs and interactive scenes.
Both types demand considerable
computing power and tend to be set up
post design, with the 3D model having
to be exported and set up before it can
be rendered.
Enscape, on the other hand, focuses
on providing real-time visualisation, 3D
rendering and virtual reality scenarios
for architects, engineers and other
design professionals in the AEC
industry, with fast and easy immersive
transformations of BIM and CAD
models. It integrates with the design
application - currently Revit, SketchUp,
Archicad, Vectorworks and Rhino - and
enables users to see creations evolve
as they work on designs. Users can
also invite clients to get involved in the
design process.
ENSCAPE 3.2
Enscape has recently released Version
3.2, which enables architects and
designers to produce even more vivid
real-time visualisations, and to
streamline the design workflow. It also
introduces a new asset placement tool
that is used to populate scenes for
additional effect, to render multiple
panoramas, and to manage data
uploading and the sharing of links. It
also comes with a library of green
building assets and materials to satisfy
the growing demand for sustainable
architecture.
DYNAMIC ASSET PLACEMENT
As Enscape and the modelling software
are linked, everything that is added to
the model is instantly available in the
rendered image - and vice versa. Not a
problem when the assets you want to
load are to be found in either the
applications or Enscape's asset
libraries. Once they are placed in a
scene, they can be rotated, scaled and
moved, depending on the modelling
software, with changes synched back
to the project.
Dynamic Asset Placement can also be
used to populate scenes with multiple
objects - trees, cars and people -
directly inside Enscape, in order to
create realistic panoramas.
PANORAMA ENHANCEMENTS
With Batch Panoramas, users can
create scenes in Mono or Stereo from a
3D project, which can be shared by
saving as a file and emailing it to a
client. You can also upload single or
multiple panoramas to the cloud where
they can be saved as a gallery, or
accessed on suitable devices using QR
codes. Once again it's all done within
the Enscape application - you don't
need to access external apps to
generate them.
Once a link has been established, or a
QR code assigned, Enscape can
upload the new scenarios each time
changes are made, without viewers
having to re-enter links or codes.
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE
Architects and clients are getting
serious about sustainable design, and
you can ruin a good pitch if you
populate a zero carbon building
concept with a totally unsuitable
16
January/February 2022