In this article, Chaos 3D Artist Boyan Petrov demonstrates how to harness AI within an Enscape workflow to build a project from the ground up. From the initial massing stages, the process leverages Veras to spark creative direction with AI, transitions into Enscape Impact for data-driven environmental and thermal comfort validation, and uses Envision for immersive, cinematic storytelling.
Key takeaways:
- Unified ecosystem: The Enscape workflow is a fully linked software suite that eliminates the time-consuming process of exporting and rebuilding scenes between different platforms.
- AI-driven creativity: AI tools like Veras allow designers to rapidly iterate on architectural forms and environments, using AI presets and custom prompts to explore diverse aesthetic directions in seconds.
- Data-backed design: Through Enscape Impact, architects can validate thermal comfort and energy performance during the early modeling stages, ensuring the project is optimized for its specific climate.
- Cinematic storytelling: Envision transforms static geometry into immersive architectural experiences using animated characters, realistic textures, and camera transitions for professional-grade presentations.
- Streamlined collaboration: The integration of Chaos Cloud simplifies the review process by centralizing feedback and version control, allowing stakeholders to track project status and approvals in real time.
Today, we're designing a Lighthouse project entirely from scratch. I'll show you how AI helps shape the initial architectural idea, how Enscape allows us to refine and evaluate the design through performance analysis, and finally, how Envision brings everything together into a cinematic animation that would traditionally take weeks, but now can be completed in just a few hours.
Using Enscape to refine and evaluate the design
To get started, I've prepared a base model in Revit made up of three primary zones. The garage, the living and dining area, and the bedroom wing. At this stage, the focus is purely on the big picture, exploring proportions and massing rather than detail. There are no doors, windows, or fine elements yet, just clean volumes that help us understand the architectural form.
You can jump into a perspective view to better read the composition. I've also added a simple terrain surface, which is essential for understanding how the building meets the ground and sits within its environment.
Exploring creative directions with Veras
Before diving too deep into modeling, this is the perfect moment to explore creative directions using AI. So, let's launch Veras and begin iterating. With Veras open, we land right into the first tab, which is packed with pre-made presets.
Let's run a few of these against our scene to see what kind of look and feel we can spark. In just a matter of seconds, we can jump from a sleek, futuristic vibe to a more fantasy aesthetic. It's impressive how it builds out a lush forest environment while staying true to our base geometry.
Now, let's head over to the compose tab for more control. I'm going to clear the preset prompt and make sure we're using the new render engine 7, powered by Nano Banana. It's usually pretty incredible at imagining awesome ideas based solely on our input image.
It's amazing to see how beautiful it imagined the windows and it seamlessly integrated the wood texture right into our construction. To get more specific, let's try a custom prompt, a gabled roofed villa with dark colors and a luxury car in front.
The results are great and align perfectly with our description, but the surrounding feel a bit too thin. This is where Vera tags come in handy. They help flesh out the scene without the need for a detailed prompt.
With a quick tag, we get the same concept set in a dense moody forest environment. To wrap things up, I'm going to summarize my ideas in this prompt by specifying a dark wooden wall, light gray concrete, and a green roof for our construction.
The results are stunning. It does an incredible job of combining those specific materials. Now, let's experiment with the mood and atmosphere. Adding some fog and that golden hour lighting really takes the visuals to the next level.
Finally, we can head over to the gallery tab. This is our creative hub where we can keep track of every iteration we've generated. It's a perfect spot to compare different ideas and mark our absolute favorites as we move forward in the workflow.
Designing for the climate, not just aesthetics with Enscape Impact
Now that our structure includes windows and doors, let's make sure all the building openings are closed so we can properly conduct the Enscape Impact analysis.
We'll go ahead and open Enscape from the menu. Our model looks exactly like the inspiration we got from Veras, but now we're going to provide data about our project into Enscape Impact. This allows us to design for the climate, not just for aesthetics. Enscape Impact provides detailed graphical analysis without us needing to dive into complex math behind it. Using the performance map, we can easily identify heating and cooling peak loads as well as annual energy consumption.
Over in the thermal comfort tab, it breaks down each floor by area in square meters. By simply selecting each room type and running the analysis, the tool shows us exactly where the comfort zones are and which areas might need more work. Plus, with the built-in filters, we can quickly toggle between room status or types.
In the analysis tab, we can view a clear overview of the results through yearly or monthly charts. Between these results and the performance map, we can review the comfort of every single room, allowing us to balance and optimize our design in these early stages.
Once the analysis is complete, Enscape even generates reports that we can share and document for our design. We can save those into different formats and choose our preferred unit system. The summary reports provides those key performance insight in a clean, easy to share PDF, while the detailed report gives us a deeper data comparison for a more thorough look at the results.
Adding materials easily with Cosmos AI materials
Creating materials is easier than ever with Cosmos AI materials. I can build new ones or simply replace existing materials with AI generated ones. I'll just upload my desired image to Cosmos and select a pattern and it generates a tileable texture for me. Before hitting the generate button, I'll pick the specific resolution I need for my textures.
Once I click generate, you see it creates a full PBR material. Then by clicking download, it automatically replaces the material in my scene. I'm going to follow that same process for the concrete walls. Again, I'll upload the image and crop it down to a specific section I want Cosmos to use for the tiling. I'll go with a 2K resolution and hit generate.
As expected, the materials look great. The tiling scale looks a bit small at first, but I can easily adjust that in the material properties. Now that I've set up the base textures, I can export my scene to Envision for the cinematic presentation. With our geometry refined, performance validated, and materials established, we're ready for the final stage.
Creating a cinematic presentation with Envision
Now, it's time to export the project and transition into Envision, where the design evolves from a static model into a cinematic presentation. And this is where the entire workflow truly comes together, transforming a concept into an immersive architectural experience.
Once inside Envision, you'll immediately notice how seamlessly everything transfers. All of our Cosmos assets, lighting setups, and materials come across perfectly, allowing us to continue working without interruption. And even though the scene is already fully reconstructed, we still maintain complete creative control.
Materials can be adjusted directly inside Envision. Light intensity can be refined and subtle color shifts can be introduced to establish the exact atmosphere we're aiming for. For example, I'm going to replace the existing Enscape grass with a more detailed scatter setup I created earlier specifically for this project. This instantly adds richness and realism to the landscape, helping the environment feel more natural and grounded.
Adding animated characters in Envision is straightforward. I just draw a path and assign a model to generate the animation. To find what I need quickly, I head over to the Cosmos 3D models. Navigate to the people category and filter for animated and favorite objects.
Once I've dragged my selected character in place, I would just actor count and hit generate. I can also add 40 characters with a simple drag and drop from Cosmos. These animated figures really help make the scene feel alive and tell a better story.
To capture the moment, I'm using Envision's advanced key frame interpolation to create smooth motions. I want to combine two cameras here with a clean transition between them. After setting the timing and key frame position, I adjust the end frame for both.
The motion looks a bit constant at first, but I can fix that with the interpolation. I'll choose a slow start for the first camera and a slow end for the second. Now the transition is exactly as I intended, smooth and professional. For the final long shot, I've animated the clouds by combining two different environments.
Share and track project status with Chaos Cloud
To complete the workflow, we'll use Chaos Cloud to share our project with colleagues and clients for approval. Chaos Cloud has made the entire reviewing process so much more manageable. I can easily share and track the project status in the review section. I'll start by creating a new review and upload my file directly into the project.
From here, I can upload the project status and share it with my team or clients simply by sending them an invitation. The team can review the work and provide feedback through the comment section where they can share their insight and suggestions. They also have the ability to update the project status as we progress.
When I have an update, I can upload the new version to the same project. Refresh the status and even manage the approval process by adding specific stakeholders to the approvals list.
One fully connected ecosystem
This workflow ensures everything remains organized and eliminates any confusion as a project evolves, from the first sketch all the way to a final presentation. That means no exporting back and forth, no rebuilding scenes between software, and no breaking your creative momentum. Everything stays linked, making the entire AI-driven process faster and far more intuitive.
By removing the need to export files or rebuild scenes between software, this integrated approach allows architects to move from a raw sketch to a polished, validated presentation in a fraction of the time, ensuring that creative momentum remains unbroken from concept to client approval.