Real-time visualisation is rapidly becoming a mission-critical part of the design process for architectural firms worldwide

And when tools like Enscape make it so simple and enjoyable for architects and designers to review and communicate their ideas, it’s easy to see why.

Enscape 3.3 is the latest version of the only real-time renderer that plugs into Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad, and Vectorworks. Now architects and designers can design beyond boundaries and better communicate their ideas to clients through realistic visualisations, project walkthroughs, animations, and virtual reality.

In this article, we see what’s new and improved in Enscape 3.3.

Import geometry and topography into renderings

Architects and designers can now import real-world, location-specific site context into their rendered scenes. Buildings and landmarks, streets, pavements, and topography can all be imported. There’s no need for a third-party tool or workarounds, reducing the time and effort typically required to add these to a render.

Enscape’s Site Context feature utilises data provided by OpenStreetMap. A user can enter an address or coordinates and then position their project on the map before selecting which geometry and topography they’d like to import. Now it’s easy to incorporate a building’s surroundings, experience a project with additional environmental context, and create more realistic-looking visuals.

Design and review on the same screen

Some architects enjoy using multiple screens – their design application open on one monitor and their visualisation software on another. But there may be times when only one screen is available, or perhaps even preferred.

With the ‘Pin Enscape on Top’ feature, users can choose to have the Enscape rendering window pinned to the top of their design application. Instead, you can design and visualise every single change made, as it happens, on the same screen.

Export renders with transparent backgrounds

Creating the right scene for a rendered project just became a lot easier. Customising project backdrops is now much faster with Enscape 3.3’s Alpha Channel functionality, which exports renders with a transparent background.

Simply open a separate design editing software, such as Paint or Photoshop, open your render, and insert any image behind your project. Think sunsets, mountain ranges, river views, skylines, anything you can think of. This reduces the time and effort spent in post-processing.

Choose from an expanded asset and material library

Enscape 3.3 comes with education-themed 3D models, including furniture suitable for pre-school classrooms up to university lecture theatres. This takes the total number of ready-to-use assets up to 3,000. The Enscape Asset Library is populated with low-poly, high-performance assets created by Enscape’s own in-house team of 3D artists.

In addition, this release provides 40 new high-quality materials. A new Material Overwrite function has also been developed to make it possible to quickly exchange materials during design and iteration. While these new assets and materials are categorised under education, they can be used in corporate or home projects, too.

Image provided by Enscape & SketchUp user Mohammed Hamdy

Image provided by Enscape & SketchUp user Mohammed Hamdy

Every year, Enscape updates its software to ensure compatibility with the newest versions of the supported modelling tools. With Enscape 3.3, real-time rendering and visualisation is now possible with SketchUp 2022.

Refining the design process with Enscape 3.3

Enscape’s latest update helps architects and designers design beyond boundaries and further refine the design process. The real-time visualisation plugin creates renders in a matter of seconds and provides a far more inclusive and engaging way to design, communicate ideas, and delight clients along the way.

A free trial of Enscape is available. To learn more, visit the Enscape website.

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