Should I stay with Enscape?

I've got access to all of the big renderers and a capable machine , but the one thing that stands out every single time when I see the great work that people make in all of them is that the skill of artist is more important than the software itself.

I think sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the tech lust for something else - but the main thing to do is to evaluate whether those things actually add value to your existing workflow.

All of the softwares have their own pros and cons and many of them are geared up towards specific types of presentation.

There is more integration coming between Enscape and V-Ray already - if you need to move to a fully path traced solution on top of what you do in Enscape.

V-Ray 6 has material synchronisation and the Enscape Cloud system. It's quite cool actually you can edit your materials within the Enscape Material editor and this kicks across into V-Ray 6

This is perhaps a sign of the direction the new company is moving.

Totally get that . Planting is such a big part of what you need to show.

There is often only a tiny % of assets in any of the built in libraries that actually meet my needs.

I tend to curate by own selection of assets now via the enscape custom library.

Often I grab stuff from SketchUp 3D warehouse and save it for later.

For other things from TurboSquid or SketchFab or Quixel megascans or just general 3D formats you can grab elsewhere Transmutr does a great job of turning those into useable assets also, things you can keep to yourself for as long as you have storage.

Beyond that, what I would say is that Enscape is fast and runs well on even mid range machines.

As soon as you start looking at other systems offering Ray Tracing, Path tracing or different GI solutions you'll find that you often lose out on that speed, Whether that is from moving around the model or simply getting a reliable preview of what your image or video may look like.

Quote from Grizzler

Haven't Sketchfab and Quixel have recently been integrated into other render softwares extending their effective libraries considerably? I really would like to encourage Enscape marketing people to try to retain customers with an indication of what they have in store and, critically, when they might be releasing it.

yeah, that company bought both of those companies. That Fortnite money...

The Sketchfab stuff is just the CC0 stuff from the site anyway, which you can download via the website.

Megascans are also downloadable via megascans bridge.

The simple reply to this is Adam.Fairclough is correct in saying "skill of artist is more important than the software itself", but it's undeniable that the R&D side of other programs like D5 and Twinmotion are greatly outpacing that of Enscape.

Enscape seems to be focused lately on making the UI look pretty and run well vs giving users more features to produce better renderings. Considering our clients never see the UI side of Enscape, that doesn't really seem to be a high priority to myself and others who have pointed that out. Speaking for myself, I would take a program with all my wishlisted features but terrible UI over a program with the opposite any day.

I am still on the Enscape train for now (mostly because Twinmotion still looks like a video game without post-processing, and D5 I feel still doesn't have the quality lead over Enscape), but all it could take for me to jump ship is a huge update from a competitor. Brand loyalty for software is almost non-existent, I am sure Enscape is aware of that, but as long as large firms purchase licenses and they still have a slight lead over the competition they are free to ride the wave as they please.

This morning on LinkedIn, I saw an article with a short video about V-Ray 6.0 being used with SketchUp and Enscape. The rendering quality was exquisite. They mentioned a coming Beta for Revit at a later date. The link to the video is the second one.

I still would like more clarity on how Enscape benefits from the Chaos merge and when new features will be rolled out.

Vray SketchUp Rhino Enscape

V-Ray 6.0 Video

you can have the best computer in the world, with the best 72 most complete design programs in the entire planet, but if you are not a good artist unfortunately there will be nothing to help you improve or embellish your poor quality sketches.

I think ENSCAPE is top. every day it evolves more and better.

Its results are excellent.

"to evolve is a complex process, takes time and effort."

I must say I totally agree with the quote ‘the skill of artist is more important than the software itself.’

But last months I was fiddeling with d5 pro to see how the workflow goes in our company. And I must say I am very impressed with their quality and options, but most of all their incredible update speed. In the last months they have added:

Round Corner/Volumetric clouds/Rain/snow/parallex images/moving characters/cars and so much more while the quality is high and the tool so diverse. If I then look at the updates for Enscape which were mainly focussed on UI (it seems), it does push me in the other way. Also the pricing gap is getting larger. But still I prefer Enscape as my main tool.

But I do feel with all the other things the competitor is having in stock, things which are being requested for years already on this forum, Im slowly getting pushed more in their direction.

Lets hope Enscape is stepping up bigtime! Because I still really like Enscape’s power and speed.

With D5 and, I think, TM, you do almost all the work in the renderer, materials, lights and most importantly assets.

I personally do not like that at all, I want to do as much as possible within SketchUp and then view the results …. Ie, the Enscape way.

I’ve looked at/played with both and after a couple of hours I ended up uninstalling both of them, whilst the result can be good I found the interfaces awkward or down right cumbersome. Let’s be honest their biggest appeal is their cost … ie .. free,

Paul Russam I 100% agree that Enscapes rendering process is significantly better than that of other rendering engines. But I can argue that at a certain point the lack of features offered by Enscape vs those offered in alternative stand-alone programs I.E. Twinmotion, D5, Lumion, makes the awkward interface worth more from a pure output standpoint. Add in their cost, free(except for Lumion), and it's obvious why some people would jump ship.

If I'm doing a beachfront residential project with lots of vertical water and fire features, it's a no-brainer to go with another program to complete the project because Enscape work-arounds look subpar. Implementing those features isn't an overnight possibility but the fact that they have been on the wishlist since pre 2018 and haven't even been touched. In the meantime D5 is adding volumetric lighting and seasons plus already has those water and fire features when it was released two years ago is a slap in the face to Enscape. It makes you wonder what is holding Enscape back.

Quote from Tearch

Paul Russam I 100% agree that Enscapes rendering process is significantly better than that of other rendering engines. But I can argue that at a certain point the lack of features offered by Enscape vs those offered in alternative stand-alone programs I.E. Twinmotion, D5, Lumion, makes the awkward interface worth more from a pure output standpoint. Add in their cost, free(except for Lumion), and it's obvious why some people would jump ship.

If I'm doing a beachfront residential project with lots of vertical water and fire features, it's a no-brainer to go with another program to complete the project because Enscape work-arounds look subpar. Implementing those features isn't an overnight possibility but the fact that they have been on the wishlist since pre 2018 and haven't even been touched. In the meantime D5 is adding volumetric lighting and seasons plus already has those water and fire features when it was released two years ago is a slap in the face to Enscape. It makes you wonder what is holding Enscape back.

Completely agree. I don't understand why some people want to defend Enscape so much and tell others to use something else. It's a good render engine, and that's why people buy the licenses. But why trying to suppress opinions to make it much better? Especially after years of complaining about the botched video editor, visual setting save change, not supporting Rhino's basic functions (edge softening, UV mapping, different material on each surface, lighting, mesh modifier, etc,).

It is a tool for architects not archviz artists. They are keeping it light on purpose. Thats why it is being used so much in the industry. You get 4k renders, Panaromas in seconds also there is VR. You won't see high quality trees, grass, fire, rain etc. in the near future. We are also using D5 Pro, it is way better for archviz. High quality vegetation, lots of high quality assets, better render quality. However, it is slow. We cant use it in the design phase. Waiting 3-4 mins for a render is not an option for us.

Quote from L.S

Completely agree. I don't understand why some people want to defend Enscape so much and tell others to use something else. It's a good render engine, and that's why people buy the licenses. But why trying to suppress opinions to make it much better? Especially after years of complaining about the botched video editor, visual setting save change, not supporting Rhino's basic functions (edge softening, UV mapping, different material on each surface, lighting, mesh modifier, etc,).

yeah true most of basic things they are not support on rhino especially lights and ies lights !! and it has been requested for many years from a lot of users and no action from their side and i got tired from requesting and hearing upvoting things...even the portal not having any transparency . i stopped my license with enscape from 3.2 i guess, and waiting till 3.5. to see if you they do what they promise or not .coz they said they will fix lights issues in rhino in 3.4 or 3.5 ..if they didn't i will go unreal 5 .. and i believe they follow a roadmap no matter what users request.

-unintended post. Can be deleted

Rdrest1 If D5 came out with a optimization update that reduced render times to roughly a minute, and made usability partially easier would you continue to pay for Enscape?

"You won't see high quality trees, grass, fire, rain etc. in the near future." You might be correct, but the program that introduces the entire package first will sweep the market. The goal of every rendering company is to create a program the vast majority of the market, architects and archviz alike, want to use and therefore pay for.

There are people like myself, and I'm sure others who like the mechanism behind Enscape but see its features/developmental process falling behind competitors. If Enscapes goal is only to capture the "novice renderer" percentage of the market they should just come out and say that. They cant say that though because they know I and others waiting patiently for features will leave and stop paying. What I am sure they are aware of, but I believe are underestimating is the point at which that group of users throws up their hands and leave before they have a recovery plan in place. They can ride the big arch firm license wave out, but HOK and others will abandon them for the next program if something better comes along.

Let's ask Demian Gutberlet