Revit Worksharing: Enscape Update Available

Enscape recently released an update to ease a pain point specific to Revit users who work on workshared projects (aka Central Models).

Currently, from Enscape version 3.0, when multiple users are leveraging Enscape in the same shared Revit model, they will occasionally see the dreaded workset error shown in the following image.

This post explains the issue, the current fix, and rough plans for a longer-term related enhancement.

What’s the issue

When anything is modified in a Revit workshared model, that element is checked out for that user until they Synchronize with Central (SwC). If someone tries to edit that same element while it is checked out, they get the error shown in the previous image.

In Enscape, when a named Preset is modified, the workset that Enscape uses to manage all of the views is checked out. Therefore, if anyone else tries to make changes to any Preset while someone else has it checked out, they will get the Revit error.

As it happens, this error is also triggered when simply selecting a different Preset without attempting to make any visual settings adjustments.

The solution

The solution to this problem is two-fold. There is a short-term fix (described in this post) and a longer-term solution mentioned in the conclusion below. 

The short-term fix is to allow users to select a different Preset without triggering the error.
This fix requires two things:

• Installing the Dec 7 update, found here: https://enscape3d.com/download/ (image 
  below).
• Creating named users and logging in to an Enscape account.
  
  

It is important to note that setting everyone up with an Enscape account does not have implications on licensing. For example, if all of your users access Enscape through floating licenses, nothing will change. Users do not have to have a separate named-user license like other projects.

Also, once users have a named-user license, they can use the cloud-based Panorama Gallery feature (keep an eye out for a new blog post that I have written on this topic coming out soon!).

Creating named users in Enscape

Creating an Enscape user account involves an Enscape account administrator logging into the portal on the Enscape website (or via the Enscape toolbar, described further below) and performing the steps outlined below.

How to create an Enscape named user:

1. Sign in via the Enscape website, toolbar, or go direct to: https://accounts.enscape3d.com/
2. Access User Management
3. Click the + ADD NEW button
4. Enter one or more email addresses (see batch user workflow below)

Once a named user account is created, the User Account (Login) button can be found in the About dialog, as shown below. This must be done only once, and then the user will remain logged in until they click the User Account (Logout) button.

Once the update is applied, and the user is logged in, they will be able to change the current preset without triggering the workset error.

Account access via the Enscape toolbar

For users that have updated to one of the preview versions of Enscape 3.5, you might have noticed that a new user area has been added to the Enscape toolbar. This provides another way for you to log into your account. Simply click on the person icon as highlighted below.

From here, you can redeem promo codes for additional assets and materials and keep track of your license status. You can also access the Upload Management function where panoramas and web standalone files can be managed and exported to the cloud.

Batch user account creation

If you have a list of emails in Excel and would like to add them as new users in Enscape, follow these simple steps.

Conclusion

The short-term solution will remove a pain point for many users working in Revit workshared models where multiple designers are also using Enscape at the same time. 

The longer-term solution is likely going to involve Enscape assigning a named Preset to the workset of each view rather than a larger separate workset. Keep your eye on the Enscape Blog and sign up for their emails for all the latest Enscape information.

Hero image credit: Lake|Flato