How to Create Realistic Lighting in SketchUp and Enscape

You can create stunning, realistic renderings in a matter of seconds with Enscape's real-time rendering plug-in for SketchUp. AEC professionals use Enscape directly in SketchUp, so you can create a SketchUp rendering and see a virtual reality simulation of your design without having to switch to another tool or export or import any files.

As already used by 85 of the top 100 architecture firms, Enscape helps SketchUp users create realistic renderings while improving the design process, speeding up decision making, and enabling more efficient communication and collaboration with clients.

Workflow

A photorealistic snapshot of your SketchUp model can create using Enscape. Using the Extensions tab in the SketchUp menu bar, Enscape will be available once installed. This drop-down menu provides access to the Enscape functions, as well as the Enscape toolbar.

By clicking on the Start Enscape button, you can now view your completed SketchUp project in Enscape. Any changes you make to your SketchUp model will be immediately visible in the Enscape window.

Exterior Lighting

A clear horizon and a white background are best achieved by bringing the sun intensity down to about 20%. Furthermore, you reduce the sharpness of the shadows to zero. This makes the yellow is outweighed by the blue, and the sky is outweighed by the yellow.

Interior Lighting

In the same way as photographic lights, these are only put in the room to enhance the final result. The rectangle lights are slightly rotated around their axis and made into a group with multiple rectangle lights.

Lighting and shadows are scattered in many directions, making shadows longer and thicker around points of contact, including furniture on the floor and lights on the ceiling.

Portal or Fill Lights

When your scene has all the light fixtures you want, you might want to add a few fill lights or portal lights created using several line lights grouped. The soft shadows and ambient lighting created by these types of lights are remarkable.

Final Touch

There was a 3D building outside that was a little dark, so the best way to fill it with light without creating hard shadows was to use large rectangles with emissive materials.

If you chose to use a flash, ensure that the exposure is set properly so that the image is not overexposed after all the lights have been set up.

If you want to get a feel for the light balance in the image, you must bring down the saturation from the image settings to see the live render in black and white without the colors of the materials.

Key Reason of using Enscape in SketchUp

The Enscape SketchUp render plug-in makes it possible for you to create animated fly-through, walkthroughs, and animations using your model to experience it in 3D.

Besides high-quality rendering assets, the Enscape plug-in includes a materials editor and lighting options. In addition to 3D panoramas, QR codes, and web links, you can export your model so that others can view it and review your ideas, helping you to communicate your ideas and design in whichever format suits you and your audience.

Wrapping it Up

Lighting always plays a major role in achieving realistic results in interior renders. The lighting won't even have soft shadows or visible contact shadows.

That can be done by grouping light types together in Enscape so that you can use them with more control over shadows and lighting.

To learn more, watch the following video tutorial.

Video Source: Modulus render