Skybox as Background

This page provides information about setting a Skybox as a background in Enscape.

Overview

A Skybox is a background image that defines the visual environment surrounding a project. Conceptually, it acts as a large enclosure wrapping around a scene, with an environmental texture mapped to its interior.

Because standard image files are flat rectangles, the 3D environment must be "unwrapped" to be saved as a 2D image file. Enscape fully supports the two most common formats for loading Skyboxes:

• Longitude/Latitude (Equirectangular): This format maps a spherical environment onto a flat rectangle, functioning much like a 2D map of the globe.
• Cross Format (Cubemap): This format represents the environment as an unfolded 3D cube, laying its six interior faces flat to form a cross shape.

How To Load

To load a Skybox, first make sure Enscape is running and then open the Enscape Visual Settings window using its associated button found in the Enscape viewport toolbar.

Visual Settings button

Navigate to the Sky settings tab of the chosen Custom Preset.

The Horizon Source options are shown in a drop-down menu.

Choose Skybox.

Sky Tab Horizon Source

Load Skybox from File

Use the Rotation setting to adjust the horizontal orientation of your Skybox.

Load Skybox from File opens a dialog window to load image files (*.hdr, *.bmp, *.jpg, *.jpeg, *.png, *.tif, *.tiff, *.tga) in either cross or panoramic (Longitude/Latitude) format.

Options available for the imported Skybox are:

• Brightest Point as Sun Direction – Positions the Enscape sun on the brightest spot of your Skybox for additional realism.
• Normalize the average brightness to the value set below – Brightens or darkens your Skybox’s light emission to compare with the Enscape sun brightness.
• Brightness slider controls the overall exposure of your Skybox environment. It functions independently of the Normalize average brightness setting. This adjustment is particularly useful for interior scenes, allowing you to perfectly balance the exposure of the outdoor environment visible through windows.

Supported Skyboxes

Longitude / Latitude Panoramic Skyboxes should have a resolution of approximately 2:1.

Horizontal and Vertical cross Skyboxes must match a 4:3 (respectively 3:4) resolution ratio.

Longitude / Latitude (Panoramic) skybox: 2:1 aspect ratio

Cross Format Skybox - 3:4 or 4:3 aspect ratio

Resources

Go to the Free Samples projects page to download a selection of cubemaps, mostly from Open Footage.

Examples for other sources:

• Shtlab
• Zwischendrin
• Food4rhino
• Hdrlabs
• Enscape3D