I have been using Enscape since it was in beta and crashed more than it actually ran. I have watched the company and software evolve over the last 4+ years. I continue to use Enscape today and continue to be impressed by many aspects of the program.
With my recent reviews of Lumion 10 and Twinmtion 2020, plus the fact that I haven't really mentioned Enscape since 2017, I thought it was about time to review the latest version of Enscape (2.7) and some of the ways I use it.
Continue reading to see my review of Enscape and see some examples of how I use it on real-world projects...
First, I will start with my explanation of what Enscape is...
Similar to Lumion and Twinmotion, Enscape is a real-time rendering and visualization software. But, Enscape differs from Lumion and Twinmotion because does not run on it's on. Enscape actually runs on top of (or with?) Autodesk Revit. So, instead of setting up 3D views, exporting to collada or FBX, then launching and importing, all you do is press "play".
In general, all three of the programs I have been reviewing have similar base features. But, I want to focus on how I use Enscape and what I like and don't like about it...
First, if you'd like to check out the video review before reading the detailed review, here it is:
What I Like:
Integration With Revit
If you know how to make a rendering in Revit, you can use Enscape. Period.
That, alone, is pretty awesome. One of the unique things about Enscape is that it sits on top of Revit. Enscape becomes a complimentary, beautifully rendered, working view of your Revit model. Essentially, Enscape is what Revit's "ray-trace" view style should be.
And for this. I love it.
The fact that Enscape sits on top of Revit and auto-updates while you build your model (just like a 3D view in Revit itself would) makes it an important part of my design process. If you're like me, you've probably threw in 100 cameras while designing a building in Revit just to get a sense of scale, perspective, or "feel" of a space as it evolves.
I used to do this all time. Sometimes even printing the views to sketch over as a model along (check out this video of my design process to see what I mean).
One of my favorite ways to use Enscape is to have it open on a second monitor in "White Mode" with slight Outline on as I design a building. This becomes a constant working 3D view for me to walk around, explore, and "feel" spaces.
Interior Lighting / Scenes
One thing you will notice when using Enscape is how great interior scenes looks with very little effort. I have no idea what is happening under the hood, but Enscape has managed to create a program that properly lights interior spaces.
Whether you are using artificial lighting or sunlight, the exposure, ambient lighting, global illumination, and shadows are always impressing me. This is not the case with many other real-time rendering programs. They will usually require additional reflection planes or probes, artificial lighting, and other workarounds to properly render an interior space.
Kudos to the Enscape team on this one!
Some examples of interior scenes (raw images with no post-processing):
Rendering Axon Views
"Axonometric View" is a new feature the Enscape team rolled out in the latest release
What can I say? It just looks super cool:
This feature kind of ties into the "Integration with Revit" area above. With the ability to have beautifully rendered Axonometric views you can finally make rendered 3D floor plans without any perspective (just like a realistic or "ray trace" view in Revit).
Very cool indeed.
Virtual Reality
I get asked this question quite often, "Jeff, why do you use Lumion [or Twinmotion] and Enscape? Why both?".
My answer is always twofold, "Integration with Revit (see above) and Virtual Reality."
I have been using Enscape for Virtual Reality (VR) for well over 3 years now. In fact, check out this post from 2017 that breaks down some real-world VR case studies.
My reason for using Enscape for VR back in 2017 is still the same reason I use it for VR today: quality.
When it comes to most VR software (made for AEC, at least) there seems to be a balance that has to be made between quality, performance, and resolution. Essentially, you can't have all three. For example, if you want something with really high quality and resolution you will probably have really poor performance in the headset. Meanwhile, if you want a scene with really smooth performance and resolution, you may not get a high quality (reflections, shadows, etc...).
Ultimately, Enscape has the best balance of quality, performance, and resolution when it comes to VR. As I mentioned back in 2017, I have tried all of the available VR software on the market (for AEC), and although some have different functionality than others (ie. moving objects, sketching in 3D, and collaboration), Enscape still, today, has the best looking scenes in VR. Period.
As I mentioned in my recent review, Twinmotion has the potential to rival the look and feel of Enscape but it lacks functionality and performance is pretty awful when maximizing the quality.
Enscape is still the VR champion in my book.
Price
Enscape has a simple pricing structure and it is extremely affordable. Here are the current pricing options as of the date I am drafting this article (March 2020):
Pretty fair price, in my opinion....
P.S. - They also offer a free student license for all you students out there!
What I Don't Like:
Integration With Revit
I know, I know. I just mentioned how much I liked the seamless integration with Revit.
It's also one of the reasons I don't like Enscape for specific types of scenes.
By being a complete add-on to Revit you must use Revit for everything. Of course, I believe you can model anything in Revit and the amount of content out there has been growing exponentially. But, the benefit of rendering a detailed interior scene in a real-time rendering program is being able to build a detailed scene that requires very little post-processing.
For example, if you were rendering the interior of a high-end lobby in a real-time program the scene would not be complete without furniture, artwork on the walls, computers on the desk, plantings, and maybe even a coffee pot or two with cups and creamer.
Now, imagine adding all of those details and models in Revit.
Yeah, not fun or even possible in some cases...
One of the things I like about standalone renderers such as Lumion or Twinmotion is that you can also import models from most other software. So, you can bring in a high poly, fully detailed, fully textured, model from model libraries like TurboSquid right to your scene. Or take advantage of other detailed model libraries that only offer objects for 3DS Max, etc... Sure, you can bring some of these models into Revit as 3D blocks, but I could tell you from experience you will never get them to look the same...
So, one of the main reasons I love Enscape is also one of the main reasons I don't...
Asset Library
Enscape has been trying to overcome the issue of living and dying in the Revit environment by building their own library of Assets.
To be fair, the asset library is growing every single day and the content is actually really good.
Check it out:
The reason I am not a huge fan of this approach is because the assets live inside your Revit models now. In the model they appear as weird poly objects and can have a negative impact on performance.
What I have done in the past is placed these assets within their own Design Option. It helps with managing the assets, but, I know the thought of these assets in larger models will make BIM Managers cringe.
"Settings" Windows
As you can imagine, when you are trying to specifically adjust the color or image settings you need to see the Enscape view as you adjust...
Hopefully, this is just a bug that gets fixed... Maybe?
In Conclusion...
So there you have it.
Enscape is and continues to be a major part of my workflow. I encourage everyone to sign up for the free trial and try it our for yourself. When you do, let me know how you can see it benefiting your workflow and daily life.
If you are looking for a software to easily launch you models in VR, stop looking and use Enscape. I promise. Let me save you some time and effort and tell you to stop looking.
P.S. - I do have a bonus section about my VR setup and a walkthrough of how I use Enscape for VR in the real-world in BIM After Dark - Volume 1 here...
.... See, BIM can be sexy ....
Enscape is and continues to be a major part of my workflow. I encourage everyone to sign up for the free trial and try it our for yourself. When you do, let me know how you can see it benefiting your workflow and daily life.
If you are looking for a software to easily launch you models in VR, stop looking and use Enscape. I promise. Let me save you some time and effort and tell you to stop looking.
P.S. - I do have a bonus section about my VR setup and a walkthrough of how I use Enscape for VR in the real-world in BIM After Dark - Volume 1 here...
.... See, BIM can be sexy ....
