--- title: Researchers Use Enscape and BIM to Digitally Reconstruct Villa Rufolo description: Learn how University of Salerno researchers used Enscape's real-time rendering and BIM to digitally reconstruct and explore Villa Rufolo's rich history. image: https://blog.chaos.com/hubfs/Fig.-4_grey.png --- [Chaos Logo](https://blog.chaos.com/) - Products - [Enscape](https://www.chaos.com/enscape) - [V-Ray](https://www.chaos.com/vray) - [Corona](https://www.chaos.com/corona) - [Veras](https://chaos.com/veras) - [Cloud](https://chaos.com/credits) - [V-Ray Blender](https://www.chaos.com/vray/blender) - [Arena](https://www.chaos.com/arena) - Industry solutions - [Education](https://www.chaos.com/education/educational-hub) - [Student](https://www.chaos.com/students) - [Educator](https://www.chaos.com/educators) - [Institutions](https://www.chaos.com/educational-institutions) - [Architectural design](https://www.chaos.com/architecture) - [Architectural visualization](https://www.chaos.com/architectural-visualization) - 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[Film and television VFX](https://www.chaos.com/film-vfx) - [Virtual production](https://www.chaos.com/virtual-production) - [Advertising](https://www.chaos.com/advertising) - [Automotive](https://www.chaos.com/automotive) - [Games](https://www.chaos.com/games) - [Product design](https://www.chaos.com/product-design) - [Software development](https://www.chaos.com/developers) - Learning & Community - [Learning](https://chaos.com/learning) - [Chaos Academy](https://academy.chaos.com/) - [Blog](https://blog.chaos.com/) - [CGconnect](https://chaos.com/cgconnect) - [Gallery](https://chaos.com/gallery) - [Forum](https://forums.chaos.com/) - Support - [Contact Support](https://chaos.com/contact-us) - [Help Center](https://support.chaos.com/hc/en-us) - [FAQ](https://support.chaos.com/hc/en-us/categories/360003671518-FAQ) - [Documentation](https://documentation.chaos.com/) - [Pricing](https://www.chaos.com/pricing) [Try](https://www.chaos.com/free-trial) [Buy](https://www.chaos.com/pricing) [\< All Blog Posts](https://blog.chaos.com) Dinnie Muslihat Last updated: September 15, 2025  •  4 min read # How Researchers at the University of Salerno used Enscape to Rediscover the History of Villa Rufolo Summary: - Anna Sanseverino and Carla Ferreyra earned their Ph.D. in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Salerno (UNISA). - Anna’s research focuses on the structural aspects connected with BIM methodologies and Carla’s research is on the virtual dissemination of cultural heritage. - They worked together on the Villa Rufolo project, which involved architectural surveying and using [real-time rendering](https://www.chaos.com/enscape/real-time-rendering) to understand the history of the building. ---   The [University of Salerno](https://web.unisa.it/) collaborated with Villa Rufolo Direction to rediscover and reconstruct the villa's true history and retrace its thousand years of existence. The monument holds centuries of history and magnificent legends, and Anna and Carla's goal was to reveal its history. ## Reconstructing Villa Rufolo’s history Villa Rufolo is a jewel in the crown of Ravello in Italy. It’s a structure that has lived moments of glory and darkness and has a style that continues to attract attention over the centuries, inspiring artists, writers, historians, and lovers of beauty. Due to its strategic position on the shores of the Amalfi Coast, it became a place of enormous cultural, natural, and commercial value during the Middle Ages. Despite the effects of time, the villa has preserved many of the environments that make it one of the most exciting examples of [twelfth-century architecture](https://blog.chaos.com/architectural-styles-that-changed-the-industry?hsLang=en) in southern Italy. ## Incorporating Enscape into the design workflow Anna discovered [Enscape for SketchUp](https://enscape3d.com/sketchup-rendering/) during a class that involved creating the Coromandel Estate Manor House in South Africa. She introduced it to Carla when they were looking for a fast and efficient rendering tool. “Having used several real-time visualization software, Enscape was intuitive and fast. The results it produced convinced us. It was also advantageous to have an educational license,” explains Anna. Enscape was used on Villa Rufolo’s most significant element, the Moorish Coister. The site was chosen because the UNISA team had been working in Ravello for several years and wanted to deepen the widespread knowledge of the architectural heritage.  The project involved using Enscape to render the villa’s design. Carla modeled the project and needed help to improve its texture of it. Anna came up with the idea of using [real-time visualization](https://blog.chaos.com/using-real-time-visualization-throughout-the-architectural-workflow?hsLang=en). They had photogrammetry survey data which was of good quality and had good texture. They needed to find a way to use it as 3D information within the model for degradation and material analysis. Enscape allowed them to work with the data and go beyond the simple geometric model to create [stunning renderings](https://blog.chaos.com/exterior-design-renderings?hsLang=en).  ## 5 benefits of using real-time visualization ### 1. Storytelling with new technology The availability of [new visualization and real-time rendering instruments](https://blog.chaos.com/webinar-using-the-next-generation-of-visualization-technology?hsLang=en)allowed Anna and Carla to connect the different levels of information in a multidimensional view. The study and interpretation of the modeling of Villa Rufolo helped them discover events that had escaped or had never been reported. It also helped to place, with scientific rigor, circumstances that were only previously known in an approximate or incorrect way. New technology allowed Anna and Carla to use the stones as a pen and the mortar as an ink to tell a story made up not only of construction techniques but also periods of decadence and wealth. ### 2. Quick installation of Enscape as a multi-platform One of the things the researchers of UNISA enjoyed most about Enscape was the [easy integration of BIM objects](https://www.chaos.com/bim-management), as it allowed them to fix flaws within the project rapidly. And since Enscape is usable on every kind of personal computer, even on the ones with an average to low-quality graphics card—this made it even easier! Anna adds that she enjoyed having the project within one workspace in real-time, “it has another window, but you can directly see the changes. When I had to fix the texture in Revit, it was easy to see the model as it was changing. It sped up the process by at least ten times.”  ### 3. Intuitive and simple to use During the project’s process, Anna and Carla introduced the project to 25 students in the university’s computer graphics course at UNISA.  Anna was capable of understanding Enscape fully within a short amount of time, and because of this, they thought students could too. They decided to run a two-hour class about Enscape, and by the end of the class, the students were able to produce good-quality renders and were impressed by the fast workaround time.  “We presented Enscape to the students of the computer graphics course in the civil engineering and architecture department. We showed how it could deal with the representation of integrated data with a BIM approach,” shares Anna. Anna and Carla were also surprised at how easy it was to create a rendered video of the villa. They made the video using a model as the basis and building maps from the photogrammetry survey. ### 4. Easy sharing with colleagues and collaborators Another benefit of working with Enscape is the easy way to [share projects with various collaborators](https://blog.chaos.com/collaborative-design-and-real-time-rendering?hsLang=en) worldwide. “The possibility to export a model as a webstandalone helped us share it with most of our stakeholders. We could grant them direct access, and they could navigate the asset without having to install any software,” says Anna. ### 5. Working in their native languages Since Enscape is available in multiple languages, it's convenient for both researchers to use Enscape in their mother tongue. Carla is originally from Argentina and uses Enscape in Spanish. Anna uses the Italian version of Enscape when working with SketchUp and the English version when working with [Enscape for Revit](https://enscape3d.com/revit-rendering/). The project earned Anna and Carla an award at an Italian convention. Their case study won the best paper award. An Italian architecture journal about BIM published the case study, which [can be read in Italian and English](http://www.dienne.org/2021/08/26/index8/). ### Ready to try Chaos products? Start your free trial today and explore all features. [Start Free Trial](https://www.chaos.com/free-trial) Share [mailto:?subject=Researchers%20Use%20Enscape%20and%20BIM%20to%20Digitally%20Reconstruct%20Villa%20Rufolo&body=Researchers%20Use%20Enscape%20and%20BIM%20to%20Digitally%20Reconstruct%20Villa%20Rufolo%20https://blog.chaos.com/university-of-salerno](mailto:?subject=Researchers%20Use%20Enscape%20and%20BIM%20to%20Digitally%20Reconstruct%20Villa%20Rufolo&body=Researchers%20Use%20Enscape%20and%20BIM%20to%20Digitally%20Reconstruct%20Villa%20Rufolo%20https://blog.chaos.com/university-of-salerno) [Revit](https://blog.chaos.com/tag/revit) [SketchUp](https://blog.chaos.com/tag/sketchup) [Education](https://blog.chaos.com/tag/education) [Enscape](https://blog.chaos.com/tag/enscape) [Case studies](https://blog.chaos.com/tag/case-studies) Dinnie Muslihat Dinnie is part of the Content Team at Chaos and specializes in Enscape, Veras, and Envision. She enjoys sharing informative, insightful, and inspirational pieces for architects and designers to empower their visualization workflows. If you have an excellent idea for a blog post, get in touch via blog-editor@chaos.com. ## Related Articles ### [September 28, 2026 What 3D Software Should Architecture Students Learn First? A Career-Honest Answer Ana Savova  •  11 min read Read more](https://blog.chaos.com/best-3d-software-architecture-students?hsLang=en) ### [September 3, 2026 From CAD Model to Finished Render: How Architectural Rendering Actually Works Teodora Mircheva  •  9 min read Read more](https://blog.chaos.com/cad-rendering-workflow-architecture?hsLang=en) ### [August 17, 2026 What is rendering? A plain-English guide for architecture and design students Zornitsa Meshkova  •  10 min read Read more](https://blog.chaos.com/what-is-rendering-architecture-design-students?hsLang=en) [Visit the blog for more articles](https://blog.chaos.com) ## Subscribe to Our Blog Get the best tips and articles delivered straight to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletter. Learn all about the latest news, company updates and recommended content, cherry-picked for you. 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