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Material Library for Enscape Software

By David Spergel | Virtual Reality, Visualization

Overview

The Enscape Material Library comes with a selection of pre-made PBR materials that you can import into the Enscape Material Editor and then use as they are or you can choose to edit them further to create rich materials for your projects.

Once materials are imported into the Material Editor, they will then also be available to assign to surfaces from within the CAD you are using Enscape with.

The Material Library can be accessed in one of two ways, and it’s worth noting that Enscape does not need to be open and running to gain access to either the Enscape Material Library or Enscape Material Editor when using an Enscape Fixed Seat License. Although, a free seat must be available if you are using an Enscape Floating License.

NOTE: For Revit 2018 users, the Material Library and Material Editor are not supported. This is due to an API hook not having been made available from that Revit version.

Either via the Enscape toolbar in that CAD, shown here in Revit and SketchUp

Or, via the Material Editor menu option:

Opening the Material Library via the Material Editor menu
Opening the Material Library via the Material Editor menu

Either way will result in the Material Library dialog opening:

The Enscape Material Library dialog window

The Enscape Material Library dialog window

Being one of Enscape’s Core Features, where a license is invalid expired, whether that be a full or the 14-day trial license, or there are no seats available on a floating license, then the Material Library will be blocked from being used and you will see a notification similar to that shown below, depending on the cause.

The Enscape Material Library dialog window

The Enscape Material Library dialog window

IMPORTANT: Before importing any materials, you should decide whether the project will be shared with another user for collaborative purposes. If this is the case, a storage location where all users working on a project will have access should be used. Specifying this location as early as possible in a project’s life cycle is highly recommended. Therefore, you should pay attention to the ‘gear’ icon that can be found at the bottom left corner of the dialog in both the Material Library and the Material Editor. If you do not adjust the storage location then when a project file is opened by another user, that user will not be able to access the materials assigned in the project due to the default storage location being assigned locally by default. This means that the materials assigned in the project will need to be manually reimported and reassigned.

Pressing the ‘gear’ icon at the bottom left of the dialog, therefore, allows you this option to easily share projects by changing the location where textures are imported and stored whilst also providing a warning dialog about modifying already imported textures that reside on the storage path, as well as a warning about relocating them to another location. This feature can allow you to store materials on a shared network drive for example.

Click on the Folder / Path link to change the storage location of imported textures, once you have selected your storage path, hit Save to close the Imported Texture Path dialog.

Imported Texture Path

Imported Texture Path

Offline Material Download Link

Pressing the ‘gear’ icon at the bottom left of the dialog, therefore, allows you this option to easily share projects by changing the location where textures are imported and stored whilst also providing a warning dialog about modifying already imported textures that reside on the storage path, as well as a warning about relocating them to another location. This feature can allow you to store materials on a shared network drive for example. Click on the Folder / Path link to change the storage location of imported textures, once you have selected your storage path, hit Save to close the Imported Texture Path dialog.

Working with the Material Library

You can select multiple materials’ to import at one time, clicking the Import Selection button becoming available when at least one material is selected.

Furthermore, you can Favorite materials by clicking on the star buttons in the top left corner of the tiles. These are then shown in the Favorites folder. Just click on the star again so it is not solid to remove materials from the Favorites folder.

New materials that get added over time by Enscape will show in the New folder, as well as be listed under their respective category.

Favorite and select a material to be imported to the Material Library

Favorite and select a material to be imported to the Material Library

Once the import process has finished you will find the material listed in the Enscape Material Editor, where you can further edit the material if required.

Make sure to refer to the relevant CAD articles you will find listed here to understand how to work with the Enscape Material Editor with the CAD you are using Enscape with, including how to import *.matpkg files.

Material imported into the Enscape Material Editor

Material imported into the Enscape Material Editor

Replace Materials in CAD

Current materials in the CAD model can be replaced with ready-to-use materials from the library. This can be performed by the material editor. This is illustrated in corresponding to the Materials in CAD article for your CAD and can be found here.

 

Need more information about Enscape?

Click here to learn more about Enscape, or to contact our visualization experts at enscape@microsolresources.com.

INDUSTRIES: Architecture, Buildings

Published on May 31, 2022 in .

About the Author

David Spergel is an Applications Specialist at Microsol Resources and specializes in emerging visualization technology for architecture and construction industries. He provides training, and consulting service, and supports Microsol’s clients using software applications from Bluebeam Revu to McNeel’s Rhino, Chaos Group’s V-Ray, and Enscape. He is a Bluebeam Customer Success Representative, a Bluebeam Certified Instructor, and a 3D printing specialist. David holds a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University.

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