Working with Enscape to bring designs to life, by HBC Visual
Enscape is a comprehensive and powerful real time rendering application and an ideal fit for any architects' designers' or visualisers' workflow. Seamless integration with some of our most popular CAD modellers such as SketchUp and Rhino 3D, every iteration of this popular real-time renderer continues to provide creative professionals with all that they need to realise and bring to life stunning interior and exterior scenes.
Henry Cheney, founder of HBC Visual, took time out of a very busy schedule to share some insights on why he backed Enscape as the real-time renderer of choice for his Swindon based design and visualisation company, HBC Visual.
Henry Cheney, background
Having initially studied furniture and product design and then finding myself working as an interior designer for 10 years across both residential and the commercial hospitality sector I had come to a point where I wanted a new challenge, one that would push me creatively with the skill set I’d been developing for the last 4 years. This was the point at which HBC Visual was born. With this new venture I was now able to spend time and energy on helping discerning clients realise the potential of their design projects through beautiful visuals and walkthroughs. Harnessing the possibilities and power of real-time rendering has been the foundation for being able to start a business in the field of design and architectural visualisation.
It wasn’t too many years ago that you would click render, go make a cup of tea, then grab some lunch, go for a walk, and then realise that a chair was floating in midair or someone had their hand in a rosemary pot, and the process would start all over again. This was the workflow (albeit driven by limitations in hardware and software at the time). Real time rendering was the dream, but it wasn’t yet the reality! We started to see the introduction of some early generation real-time rendering engines, that not only allowed us to view projects instantly but also brought with them a more simplified interface and toolset that meant you didn’t need a degree to understand why your glass material was glowing red!
Enter new kid on the block, Enscape. Direct link to Sketchup, allowing for easy integration with current workflows, intelligent name-based material links, and incredible speed and quality, Enscape was the answer.
We got on board back in 2019 when Enscape really started to take off and we were on the lookout for a more time efficient and dynamic approach producing high-end visualisation in our workflow. Fast forward four years and Enscape has positioned itself as one of the market leaders in real time rendering; we backed the right horse!
Benefits of Real Time
Save Time
Time is the biggest factor for us. It’s the only thing we can’t create or buy more of, and in a fast-moving world, people are expecting results sooner. With our workflow using Sketchup to Enscape we have found that taking concept to reality turnaround often exceeds our clients expectations. Not only are we able to turn around the project quickly, but the quality of what we produce exceeds their expectations.
Quick Updates
The ability to work in real time means you can build the foundation of your model as you work, ensuring lighting, materials, and finishes are all in place and working well. This ensure that there isn’t a rush at the end of the project to make sure that light levels are correct, or materials are looking accurate. When a client has a request to see a different finish, you can easily drop that in to the model, do a draft render and get feedback from the client straight away, helping to move the project along and not wasting time.
Getting Artistic
Where you are able to save time in the project as designers is the ability to use our artistic approach to bring projects to life. We have all seen renders which look like someone has plugged a model into some software, pressed render and that’s it. The truth is, anyone can do that, but just like anyone can drive a sports car, to drive it well and to get the best performance out of it, you need a professional. This is where projects can go from good to brilliant.
There will always be some upsides and some downsides to whatever program you decide to learn. The name of the game is to pick one that you can learn, there is no point starting with the most advanced and becoming frustrated after struggling to even figure out how to turn on the lighting. Enscape has an abundance of features that make our lives easier, for example an area that Enscape really excels in is the ease in which you can create and adjust materials. We all know that materials are so important to giving visuals a realistic look and feel, so being able to do this in real-time makes such a difference. Once created you can save these down and then apply them to new projects where you want to use them, speeding up the workflow
There is nothing stopping you from advancing once you have learned the basics and built a solid foundation. Time is money, for our clients and for us, so the quicker we are able to work, the better for everyone.
To immerse yourself in HBC Visual's growing portfolio of stunning work visit their website and follow their IG profile.
Enscape is available in Fixed and Floating variations on our webstore