Interior designers around the world leverage Trimble SketchUp for its ease of use and vast 3D asset library. And while the aesthetic quality can be pretty nice, it does not have the ability to create photorealistic renders. Chaos develops Enscape, a real-time rendering add-in to SketchUp to fill this important gap.
In this article, I’ll share valuable tips for interior designers using Enscape with SketchUp. I will also offer a glimpse into my new book—a textbook on SketchUp for interior designs that contains a chapter dedicated to learning the basics of Enscape—and showcase some of the AI-powered rendering enhancements I explored while designing its cover.
Introduction
As an author, I've written nearly 100 blog posts for the official Enscape blog. My very first blog post was written in 2016, about a year after Enscape was initially released, and highlighted a presentation I gave to Interior design students at the University of Minnesota.
You can read that post here:
Beyond blogging, my expertise in SketchUp and Enscape has culminated in a new SketchUp textbook for interior designers, co-authored with Professor Maria Delgado. This book provides a structured approach to learning SketchUp while also dedicating an entire chapter to mastering Enscape, making it an essential resource for students and professionals alike.
The interior designers and architects at Lake |Flato use Enscape with SketchUp, Revit, and Rhino. Here is another highlighted post I wrote related to interior design:
Enscape rendering of the Lake Flato Architects lobby
5 tips for interior designers
Here are five short tips for interior designers using Enscape in SketchUp:
1. Optimize lighting for realism
Use natural daylight strategically and enhance it with artificial lighting where needed. Adjust Enscape's time-of-day settings to see how your space transforms under different lighting conditions. Avoid over-brightening areas, as balanced contrast adds depth to the scene. It is best to use photometry (IES files) over generic light source definitions when possible for artificial light.
To learn more: Best Practices for Lights in SketchUp
2. Refine materials for depth
Take advantage of Enscape’s Material Editor to fine-tune textures with bump maps, reflections, and roughness settings. Ensure wood grains, fabrics, and metal finishes reflect light naturally to create a photorealistic effect.
To learn more: SketchUp Material Editor: Enhanced Realistic Materials for SketchUp
3. Use high-quality entourage
Populate your design with detailed 3D objects, furniture, and people models from sources like Enscape’s Asset Library, RenderPoeple, or Turbosquid (custom assets must be optimized for real-time rendering performance). Thoughtful entourage enhances scale and ambiance without cluttering the space.
To learn more: Enscape Asset Library
4. Enhance view composition
Frame your shots with carefully considered perspectives and focal points. Use Enscape’s Depth of Field settings to create a cinematic effect, drawing attention to key design elements while keeping the background subtly blurred.
To learn more: The Best Architectural Rendering Perspective
5. Leverage real-time feedback
Utilize Enscape’s real-time rendering to make adjustments on the fly while designing. Experiment with materials, lighting, and décor interactively, ensuring your design vision is both aesthetically compelling and functional before finalizing renders and presenting to your client.
The image below highlights the power of real-time feedback during the design process. Joseph Mills, an architect in Lake|Flato’s Eco-Conservation Studio, is shown designing in SketchUp while using Enscape on a hospitality project in a cold climate. The results of his design solution can then be conveyed highly emotively to the client using Enscape on-screen or in virtual reality.
These tips will help you maximize Enscape’s capabilities within SketchUp, ensuring stunning, immersive interior visualizations.
New SketchUp book with Enscape chapter
I recently authored a SketchUp textbook focused on interior design with Professor Maria Delgado.
SketchUp for Interior Designers provides a focused approach to help interior designers master the essential skills needed to use SketchUp 2024 in their projects confidently. This book takes you through step-by-step tutorials, transforming basic 2D line work into fully realized 3D models of interior spaces.
Tailored for both independent learners and classroom settings, this guide provides a solid foundation in SketchUp essentials while also introducing you to advanced features that will enhance your design process. Whether you're creating floor plans, furniture layouts, or immersive renderings, this book makes learning SketchUp engaging and accessible for every interior designer.
In addition to the comprehensive book content, this guide also includes accompanying video tutorials that align with each chapter, offering a dynamic, visual approach to learning. Follow along with the videos as you work through the tutorials, reinforcing key concepts and accelerating your understanding of SketchUp's capabilities.
To learn more, visit SketchUp 2024 for Interior Designers.
SketchUp book, which includes a chapter on Enscape
The book contains an entire chapter on using Enscape in SketchUp. While it is written for the beginner, there are likely many tips and tricks for those already using it. Plus, it can be a great resource for new hires in a practice. Below are examples of a few pages from the introduction to Enscape chapter:
Example pages on how to use Enscape within SketchUp
More example pages on how to use Enscape within SketchUp
Creating a book cover
As the author of a SketchUp book with a chapter on Enscape, I had the interesting opportunity to use those tools to create the cover image for the book. The final result of the lobby space created from scratch in the book was rendered in Enscape and then further refined using the Chaos AI Enhancer, which mainly optimizes the people and vegetation. However, the before and after images below reveal some improvements in the materials as well.
Enscape rendering compared with an AI-enhanced image
Notice, in the following images (that are zoomed-in details from the previous images) the noticeably improved quality. But also notice how close the overall look is to the original assets selected and placed.
Zooming in on AI-enhanced details on people assets
In the following comparison, in addition to the improvements to the visual quality of the person, the plant in the background is more defined and bright.
Zooming in on AI-enhanced details on plant and people assets
I also explored the possibility of using Veras, an AI-powered rendering render driven by custom prompts and geometry/material overrides, which was recently acquired by Chaos. This tool can also enhance an Enscape rendered image and significantly change it if desired, offering quick alternatives and design inspiration.
Enscape-rendered image enhanced using Veras
Conclusion
The combination of SketchUp and Enscape has transformed the way interior designers visualize and communicate their ideas. By leveraging real-time rendering, AI enhancements, and a vast library of assets, designers can create compelling, photorealistic presentations that bring their visions to life with greater clarity and impact.
As technology continues to evolve, the integration of intuitive design tools with powerful rendering capabilities will only become more seamless, making high-quality visualizations accessible to designers at every level. Whether you're just beginning your journey with SketchUp and Enscape or looking to refine your skills, the possibilities for creativity and innovation are endless.
I hope this article has provided valuable insights and inspiration for enhancing your interior design workflows. If you're eager to dive deeper, my new book offers a structured approach to mastering SketchUp, with a dedicated chapter on Enscape to help you unlock its full potential.
Happy designing, and may your creativity shine through every space you envision!
