Linking Enscape Assets to Revit Families for Increased Detail

Enscape just made the process of associating Enscape Assets to Revit Family Components a whole lot easier! Here's the new and improved step-by-step that'll keep your Revit projects graphically clean and your real-time renderings sparkling and beautiful. Just in time for your next crit! :)

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What's The Problem?

Associating Enscape Assets with Revit Family Components was discussed about this time last year on LinkedIn (link). And while the technicals are still correct, it's a manual process that's open to error. With the latest Enscape 2.6 update, the process has been automated simply by selecting the asset and then selecting the Revit Family that you want to be swapped out at time of rendering. If you'd like to go ahead and download the data set associated with this tutorial it's over here (Revit 2020).

To begin, let's take a look at the Type Parameters of the default Revit Chair-Task Family (above). Note the parameters in the menu don't list any Enscape values.

Suggested Best Practice? Anticipating we'll want to associate multiple Enscape Assets with a single Revit Component Family, let's go ahead and create two family types. I've highlighted the two Enscape Assets that we're going to use (above). Each Family Type will be associated to a unique Enscape Asset.

Here's the first Family Type (above) named Chair-Task 01. Go ahead and create a new type named Chair-Task 02 as well.

As you can see in the image below, both new types (as well as the Default Type Chair-Task) have been created.

Open the Enscape Asset Library and filter for Chair to limit the visible assets.

Hover (don't select) over the chair selected in the image above. Move your cursor to the lower right corner of the asset and you'll notice three ellipses. Select these option and a lower panel will open with three options. Select Link Revit Family To Asset.

The Enscape Asset Library window will temporarily close and a new Select Target Family window will open (above). Select the Type shown and OK. This associates the Enscape Asset to the specific Revit Family Type and closes the Select Target Family window and reopens the Enscape Asset Library window.

Repeat the process for the second Revit Family Type by hovering over the asset and select Select Link Revit Family To Asset (above).

Select the second chair as shown above. Once you select OK the window will close and the Enscape Asset Library window will reopen. Close the Enscape Asset Library window.

Copy the Default Type Chair-Task twice more for a total of three chairs (above). The chair on the left will be associated to the default type. Associate the center chair to Chair-Task 01 and the chair on the right to Chair-Task 02.

Open Enscape as shown above and note that the orientation of the chair on the left is different. In some cases it'll be necessary to modify the origin and orientation of the your Revit Family relative to the Enscape Asset (at this time it's not possible to modify these values for the Enscape Asset). Let's modify the origin and orientation of the Revit Family Component.

Open the Revit Family and select the Ref. Level view. The default orientation is shown above.

Rotate the Revit Family 180o relative to the insertion point of the family. The new orientation is shown above.

Reload the Revit Family into the Revit Project. All three chairs are oriented 180o as shown above.

Select all three chairs and depress the space bar twice to rotate the chair 180o (above).

The orientation of the Revit Family is correct with respect to the Enscape Asset as shown above. Keep in mind that in some cases the orientation and insertion point of the Revit Family may have to be modified.

That's it! Now your Revit projects will graphically display properly while your Enscape renderings will display an emotive and lifelike level of detail. Take a moment to review all of the Enscape Assets. There's a multitude of assets that are useful for set dressing your Revit projects as well as associating with your existing Revit Family Components. As a best practice, you should probably associate any set dressing / entourage Assets from Enscape with an appropriate Revit Workset (turned off by default in new views).

Once again, if you'd like to download and use the Revit / Enscape project created while making this tutorial they're over here (Revit 2020).

I sincerely hope this tips and tricks article helps you get the most your of Revit and Enscape. If you have any questions just send me a message on Linkedin or in the comments field below.?Enjoy! :)

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