Using Enscape with Rhino
Introduction
A quick tool you can use to generate a 3D VR environment is the Enscape plugin for Rhino. Enscape is a paid plugin for Rhino, computers in the VR-lab have the software pre-installed. Student licenses for your own computer are available on the Enscape website, just make sure to use your TU Delft email address to log in.
Enscape does not cofigurate with twinmotion, this means you cannot see the props you add in enscape in twinmotion
Also great to look at:
Setting-up Enscape with VR
Step 1: Connect your VR system to your computer (see Setting up VR with Steam).
Step 2: Type 'enscapestartcommand' then select the VR headset button in the upper right corner. Now you will see the generated environment on your screen. Additionally, you will see the steam VR tab turning green, meaning it is connected.
Step 3: Now you are able to use the headset ‘’walk’’ through your generated environment. If you want to create a more realistic environment with e.g. trees and other streetprops go to step 0.
Understanding the different links
Enscapestartcommand: Here you can open enscape and see your model
Enscapeopenassetlibrarybrowsercommand: Open this to add props to your design. They can give a sense of scale
Enscapeopenmateriallibrarycommand: Here you find different kinds of materials to add to your surfaces. They are great if you want to render in enscape but don't use them if you plan to change to twinmotion or some other rendering program. They do not convert.
Enscapeopenmaterialeditorcommand: Here you can scale the materials you used in enscape
EnscapeEnableordisablecamerasynccommand: When you turn this off you'll see your project in a perspective view
Enscapeenableofdisableliveupdatescommand: When you turn this off, enscape doesn't automatically update everything you do in rhino
Enscapefeedbackcommand: Use this if you want to send feedback to Enscape
Enscapegeneralsettingscommand: Here you find general information about what settings you are using
Enscapeaboutcommand: gerenal information about the version of Enscape you are using
Adding props with Enscape
This tutorial will explain how to add props to your model using enscape and rhino.
Open 'enscapeopenassetlibrarybrowsercommand'.
This opens the enscape asset library. After this you can select different kinds op props to give an extra dimension to your work. Select the prop, then select the surface where you want to place it. Adding people gives a sense of scale to your project.
Does the surface not light up when you try to select it? You probably locked that layer, just unlock it. Does the prop come out in a wrong size? This probably is because you made your rendering in the wrong size, in mm instead of m for example. You can fix this by scaling your model.
When you’re satisfied with the props you open ‘enscapestartcommand’, now you see a rendered version of your work.
Adding and scaling materials with Enscape
This article explains how to add and scale materials using enscape and rhino.
Materials: First place all surfaces you want to give the same material in the same layer. Click materials in the layer section. This brings you to the layer material screen. Select ‘more types’ under ‘type’. Then select import, this brings you automatically to a screen with a lot of different materials. You can now play around with a lot of different materials.
Scaling: Is your material the wrong scale when rendering your project? Follow these steps: Select the problem area in rhino and go to properties -> texture mapping panel. Change the numbers under 'UVW repeat', this scales your materials. If you click 'lock' before changing the numbers your material will scale the same way in the x, y and z-direction.
The materials are now scaled the right way.
Light settings in Enscape
In enscape you select ‘visual settings', this is in the upper right corner. Usually it helps to decrease the shadows and highlights. Increase the exposure if you want more vibrant colours. Increase vignette and add a bit of fog if your model doesn’t have a lot of surrounding buildings. You can also change the clouds to your liking. If you want to print your rendering on a1 or a0 paper you need to select Ultra HD in output.
