Getting client sign-off on architectural visuals often means messy email threads and scattered feedback. In this article, Chaos 3D Artist Yane Markulev breaks down an Enscape and Chaos Cloud Collaboration workflow that streamlines the process, using a project review between an artist and the 3D team as a working example.
Key takeaways:
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Centralize feedback in one review board: upload images, videos, or full 3D models, then move items through to-do, in-progress, and review stages so nothing gets lost in email threads.
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Use comments and references together: artists and approvers can leave specific suggestions (like swapping a sofa for an armchair) alongside reference images, making revision requests unambiguous.
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Assign editors vs. viewers based on control needed: editors have full review authority, while viewers can still comment and approve, giving flexibility for different team roles.
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Video comments support timestamped feedback: reviewers can flag exact moments in an animation, and comments carry over with clickable timeline links for precise revisions.
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Model review removes the software barrier: approvers can roam a live 3D scene and comment directly from their browser, with no need to install Enscape or any other viewer.
Today, we're going to be dealing with client feedback. I'm talking about Chaos's Cloud Collaboration tool, which can take a little of the stress off and help you keep track of your project. I will take you through the review process we had on a project for the latest Enscape release video, which is a nice house, created by my colleague Samir Mujovi.
Setting up your review board
Let's get a nice snapshot first of this view and save it as an image. Once it is ready, I'll open the Chaos Cloud Collaboration in a browser of my choice and navigate to a project folder I already created. From the create new button, I'll go ahead and create a new review. This will be our review board.
Then, let's go inside and check out the structure. It's pretty simple. The first thing I'm prompted to do is add or upload an image or video. So, let's upload our render, and I'll name it properly so it looks nice on the board. It is now on our to-do list. I'll move it to the in progress, and I can go ahead and submit it for review.
Adding comments and inviting approvers
I want to add a comment as an artist to share how I'm thinking of improving the image and ask for an opinion. I will add a suggestion about replacing the sofa with a pouf. We can see that the image already has one comment and to get more feedback, we need some approvers or reviewers.
We can invite people from the approvers menu. I'll go ahead and invite the 3D team and set them as editors, but keep in mind that viewers can also comment on and approve items. Editors simply have full control over the review, while viewers are limited to feedback and approvals.
By clicking them in the members list, we send them to the approvers list and now they will be prompted to review and approve our work. Now I can drag and drop the image to the ‘for review’ column so the approvers know they need to take care of it.
Reviewing as an approver
Now, let's put ourselves in the approver's shoes and see what our collaboration page looks like. We have the house review board and we'll check it out. There is an item I need to review, so, I'll open it up and see that someone has already commented on it. Let's check all the comments.
The comment says a pouf will not be suitable and that separate seating is needed. So, let's provide a reference on what to replace the sofa with.
Making revisions and resubmitting
Back as myself, I see my image is back to 'in progress.' Let's check what's going on in the notifications. There are a couple of comments and a reference. I love references! Let's quickly go back to Enscape and fix those minor issues.
We'll replace the pouf with armchairs from Cosmos, which is fast and easy to do. We can place and rotate them around until we're happy. We can also rotate the girl so she comes home to a nice garden. Once it's ready, create new snapshot and save it.
Go back to the cloud an click the three dots to upload a new version of our image. I'll pick the new render and upload it, and we can see clearly that we have a second version of our item here. I'll open the image with the comments visible and check them out once more and mark them as resolved. The image is now ready for a second review.
Final approval and positive feedback
Back in the approver's shoes, I see something has changed. As there are no active comments, let's check the results; I see the armchairs and the woman walking in. The scene looks good, so, let's praise the artist by leaving a few positive comments—they deserve it.
To do this, I'll use the markup tools which helps me specify what I want to communicate. I especially love the freehand drawing; It lets me be very specific and is easy to use. I like the image as it is, and I can now move it to the approved column so the artist knows there are no more changes pending.
Reviewing video and animation
Meanwhile, our skilled 3D artists have been working on an animation for this project and want to show it off. So I, the 3D artist, upload the video to the same review board. You can tell it's a video by the small green rectangle showing the timestamp. I'll move it to 'in progress' and let's give it a quick play.
We can see all our review items below. Here, we can add comments and suggestions the same way as we did on the image. For example, I'm not sure about the rock right in front of us, so I'll mark it and I'll submit it for review.
Now, as the approver, I can now check out the video and the comments. I want to keep the rock, so I'll resolve the comment and focus on another issue I noticed further down the timeline. The comments in the image haven't been amended here. I can specify the time frame I want this comment to cover. To do this, click the plus sign and drag the segment till the end. This is what is more specific about video commenting. We can see the time, place, or time range in the blue bubble under the comment, which specifies where in the video the comment is about.
So, return the changes back to the artist to go through the comments. Clicking them will take us to the comment's timeline, which are all good.
Commenting directly on the 3D model
Now I want to show you another amazing collaboration method that hasn't been possible in any workflow I know of so far—commenting directly on the model. I will upload the model directly from Enscape and I'll choose the project folder we already have.
Once it is uploaded, I'll click open in cloud. We can see it in the project folder, but not yet in the review board. I'll go to the review board and click 'Add Files.' This time, we can see the model in the project. So let's choose it and add it to the review board. I'll move it to the ‘in progress’ and open it. When I click play, once it loads, we have full control to roam around our scene in real time. We can go anywhere we want, look at any element we need to, and comment on it.
And again, with the rock, let's suggest removing it once again. The comment bubble sticks to the rock. We can continue to the window area, where I suggest adding some furniture and lamps to brighten it up a bit on the inside.
We have all the commenting tools available, such as adding reference images, marking, and drawing. We can submit it for review, and our approver can see the model right in their browser. No additional software needed. They can click on the comments, and it will take them exactly where they are supposed to be. Additionally, they can freely explore their project and the scene, and of course, approved is what we are after.
Wrapping up
From uploading renders and videos to commenting directly on a live 3D model in the browser, I hope this glimpse of the Enscape and Chaos Cloud Collaboration workflow can help you to collaborate more effectively with your team and clients. Track feedback, resolve revisions, and get approvals faster—all without leaving the platform or asking approvers to install any software.