Chaos launches Enscape 4.1: new Enscape Impact tool adds real-time Energy Modeling

Enscape 4.1 includes a beta preview of the new Enscape Impact add-on, which seamlessly combines user-friendly design tools with sophisticated analytics, allowing architects to quickly visualize and enhance building performance right within their design workflow. The free trial version of the add-on will be available for anyone who upgrades to Enscape 4.1 until October 2024.

KARLSRUHE, 31. July 2024 – Today, Chaos launches Enscape 4.1, bringing the power of real-time energy modeling to its intuitive real-time visualization tool. With the new Enscape Impact add-on, architects and designers can now quickly view the energy performance of their building and optimize it within their usual design workflow. The new solution significantly reduces the time  of the analysis: What used to take several hours or even days can now be done in minutes.

The new update combines elevated visualizations with integrated building performance analysis through the expertise of IES, a global climate tech company and leading innovator in integrated performance-based building analysis. Their expertise was crucial for this update. “Buildings are responsible for 39 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions: 28 percent from operational emissions, from the energy needed to heat, cool, and power them, and the remaining 11 percent from materials and construction. 

This has profound implications for climate change and the future of our planet”, comments Petr Mitev, VP Product, Solutions for Designers at Chaos, “The future of sustainable design is changing, and better insights mean better buildings. Our users will soon be able to visualize the performance of a building while designing, with a focus on criteria such as energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission – this has a potential to transform the role of sustainability in architectural design.”

The Enscape Impact key features include: 

• Real-time Energy Modeling: Effortlessly calculate and benchmark key performance metrics, such as Peak Loads & Total Carbon Emission. See the data manifested within the render, making it easier to comprehend and communicate the impact of design decisions.
• Integrated Workflow: Perform analysis directly within the architectural workflow to inform sustainable designs early in the process. Just like the Enscape core product, the add-on is integrated with Archicad, Revit, Vectorworks, SketchUp and Rhino.
• Dials panel: Easy-to-read charts and diagrams intuitively display how geometry adjustments impact building performance. These comprehensive tooltips provide easy-to-understand guidance for beginners in building performance concepts.

Then and now: optimized and unified workflow reduces costs and time

The unified energy analysis and visualisation workflow is not only important for the architects, but also for the engineers working on a project, significantly cutting down the cost and time required to bring a poor performing project back into meeting sustainability goals. 

“Previously, the design process was separated into architects using BIM for design, while engineers conducted performance analysis separately in software like IES offers”, explains Ruth Kerrigan, Chief Operating Officer, IES. “This led to duplicated visualization efforts and frequent misalignment between design intent and analytical models. Thus, the loop of recreating and aligning took long and engineers' reports were often too technical for clients and architects.”

Enscape Impact combines all these steps in one tool and shortens the feedback loop. The real-time, data-based feedback on the building performance leads to informed design decisions early in the process. This minimizes the risk of suboptimal designs that engineers later need to modify, which then causes delays and increased costs.

Optimized assets thanks to AI Enhancer

Enscape 4.1. also includes the Chaos AI Enhancer, which allows the design community to use AI to elevate the visuals and export better-looking assets, such as people and vegetation, straight from Enscape. The AI engine solution identifies the correct pixel selection ensuring better results compared to other AI-generated images. 

Enscape creates its assets in-house, paying attention to the efficient use of polygons to ensure high performance. Users can therefore place multiple assets without loss in performance.

These AI-optimized, realistic assets are crucial to create vibrant scenes that help clients understand the design intent faster. Trees, flowers, people and more do not only add emotions but are important to highlight perspectives and spatiality.

Artistic visual modes

The Artistic Visual Modes in Enscape 4.1 add the ability to create images simulating pencil or watercolor drawings, thus highlighting the architect’s design intent in a completely new and unique way. Users can now create captivating presentations while reducing unnecessary distractions for the clients. 

These new visual styles are available for: Screenshots, batch rendering, and video exports. 

Additional features include:

• Colored Shadows for Artificial Light sources : Colored glass and colored semi-transparent furniture drops colored shadows now when artificial lights are on (in addition to sunlight). Decoration objects will leave a colored impression.
• Colored sun shadows update: Users can now add textures to the glass material (by uploading them) and the drop shadows will reflect those     texture patterns.  The fog setting has more accurate coloration at sunrise and sunset, meaning the distinctive orange hue is consistently represented regardless of the quality setting used. In high and ultra settings, the fidelity of fog shadows is improved, and colored shadows interact with fog realistically.
• Integrated Graphics Native Renderer: Enscape 4.1 can be used on Windows computers with Intel and AMD CPUs (no separate dedicated GPU needed)
• Chaos Cloud:  Now available for Enscape users to create virtual tours from panoramas and renders, customize hotspots, add comments and showcase design options, assign floor plans, and enjoy tour navigation assistance with a minimap. Chaos Cloud is currently free to use, but users would need to upload their content there, which requires a Chaos account login. The direct link for uploading exports directly to Chaos Cloud will be available with the Enscape 4.1.1 release. 

Pricing and availability

Between August and October 2024, Chaos is offering the free beta preview version of Enscape Impact as part of the Enscape license and trial. This is a unique opportunity to test and evaluate Enscape Impact.

For those considering the integration of Enscape Impact into their workflow, Chaos will be offering a cost-effective solution with robust modeling accuracy and affordable licensing models. The tool’s minimal hardware requirements make it accessible, avoiding the need for high-spec equipment.

For more information please visit chaos.com and iesve.com.

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About Chaos
Founded in 1997, Chaos is a leading global visualization technology company. Chaos is defining visualization by offering accessible tools, simplifying and accelerating workflows, and empowering visual storytelling for artists, architects, designers, and other creative professionals.

Chaos’ portfolio of visualization technologies for architecture and design, media and entertainment, and product e-commerce includes: 

• V-Ray, a physically based renderer that has been honored with an Academy Award and an Engineering Emmy
• Enscape, a high-quality real-time rendering and virtual reality plugin
• Corona, an artist-friendly photorealistic renderer
• Cylindo, a 3D furniture product visualization platform for e-commerce
• Anima, a 3D/4D animation software to add realistic people and crowds to visualizations

Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, Chaos has nearly 800 employees and offices in 11 cities worldwide. For more information, visit chaos.com, chaos-enscape.com, chaos-cylindo.com and axyz-design.com.

Press Contacts:

Chaos

Yara Ryabova, yara.ryabova@chaos.com

www.chaos.com

About IES

IES is a global climate tech company delivering innovative technology solutions and consultancy services to decarbonise the built environment. Over the last 30 years, they have built a solid reputation as the leading global innovator in integrated performance-based building analysis and are now home to the largest building physics analytics team in the world.

Supporting energy-efficient, healthy and cost-effective built environments, IES' digital twin technology provides those involved in the design, retrofit and operation of buildings the information needed to make smarter, more sustainable decisions with confidence.

For queries or further information, please contact Stephen Sanders, Emily McGowan-Phoenix, and Kiran Patel at PR Agency One.

T: +44(0)161 871 9140
E: ies@pragencyone.co.uk
www.iesve.com