This page provides details about the Enscape .vrscene importer tool.
The Enscape .vrscene importer is currently in beta. Expect improved support in the future.
Overview
The Enscape .vrscene importer tool imports geometry, shading, lights, and cameras in a 3ds Max scene from .vrscene files exported by Enscape.
Importing .vrscene files generated with exporters other than Enscape may result in incomplete and inaccurate outcomes. This is due to unsupported data within these files for import with the Enscape .vrscene importer tool.
Use .vrscene files exported with Enscape version 3.5.6 or newer. Files exported with earlier Enscape versions may not contain proper descriptions of the imported data.
UI path: ||V-Ray menu|| > Enscape .vrscene importer
Enscape .vrscene importer
File – Specifies the .vrscene file to be imported.
Import Geometry – Creates geometry objects for all geometry nodes from the .vrscene file.
Import Lights – Creates light objects for all compatible lights available in the .vrscene file.
Import Cameras – Imports perspective camera that represents the Enscape render view.
Set Background – Enable this option to create the following Environment background maps upon .vrscene import:
- VRaySky for Enscape Clear sky and any Enscape sky preset
- VRayBitmap for Enscape SkyBox image
- VRayColor for Enscape White background
The Set Background option is available for V-Ray 6 update 2.1 and later.
Path – Specifies a path to a folder where .tx files will be generated from the baked pixel data in the imported .vrscene file. These .tx files are referenced as assets in the 3ds Max scene afterward.
Copy external assets – Enable this option to copy external assets that are referenced in the vrscene to the extract assets folder so all imported content keeps its asset files in a single place.
Rescale Objects to System Unit Scale – Adjusts the sizes of imported content to the current 3ds Max system units setup.
For controlling some of the parameters through MAXscript commands, see the MAXScript page.
Import is available only after a .vrscene file is specified in the File field and an extract assets folder is specified in the Path field. If the content of any of these 2 fields is not properly set, then the OK button is grayed out.
The Enscape .vrscene files keep relative paths to their external assets (.ies and .dds files). Make sure that your .vrscene file and its respective .data folder where the external assets reside (if available) are placed together before proceeding with Enscape .vrscene import. Otherwise, external assets may not be found on import.
The Cancel button interrupts the import progress of the .vrscene file to its current state. Clicking the button early in the process may result in only parts of the geometry being imported into 3ds Max; while using it towards the end can lead to incomplete shading import. As of now, there is no way to resume the same import once it's been canceled.
Note that it may take several seconds after the import progress bar has finished filling up before the imported content is available for use in 3ds Max viewports. This delay is expected with heavy scenes and corresponds to the loading processes in 3ds Max, akin to those used when opening a saved heavy .max scene.
Supported features
Here is what to expect when importing Enscape exported .vrscene files:
| Enscape features in .vrscene | Enscape .vrscene import support |
|---|---|
| Camera |  (Perspective camera)1,2 |
| Geometry | 2 |
| Materials | 3, 4 |
| Maps | 5 |
| Artificial lights | Partial6 |
| Sun light | |
| Clouds | 7 |
| Environment map | 8 |
Unsupported features by design
The Enscape .vrscene importer tool has the purpose to transfer data in a way that does not disrupt your workflow in 3ds Max. This is why the import of features as options that would have a global effect in your 3ds Max scene is not executed. For example, Auto exposure is not adjusted on import. Such Enscape features which are not transferred to your 3ds Max scene include:
- Style and Rendering quality from Enscape’s Visual settings;
- Output settings;
- Corrections and Effects - note that most of them are exported as VFB layers and a preset may be obtained if the .vrscene file is rendered in V-Ray Standalone;
- Fog setup;
- Sky presets.
Notes
1 – Enscape’s Orthographic camera is imported in the 3ds Max scene as a perspective camera. To reproduce Enscape's orthographic view, go to 3ds Max Render Setup and change the Camera type to Orthographic, then adjust the target distance in the imported camera.
2 – Several Enscape features are not included in the .vrscene files exported from the Enscape exporter. Such features are Revit RPC geometry and Escapes Two-Point perspective projection. Some features of the camera, such as vignetting and DOF setup, are also not entirely included by the exporter at this time.
3 – Enscape’s Grass and Carpet materials are available as VRayFur in the .vrscene file. Therefore, fur is created on import. For a more realistic setup, you can replace the fur in your 3ds Max scene with a Grass Cosmos preset of your choice.
4 – Enscape’s Water material visually mismatches when exported to .vrscene. This is due to Enscape’s wind setup which is not relevant to V-Ray. Therefore, VRayNoise map is used to shape the water surface instead.
5 – Displacement from Enscape material is exported as bump in the .vrscene file. This is why Enscape displaced materials are imported with a bump map instead.
6 – Artificial lights will be properly positioned in the scene upon import in 3ds Max. However, due to a mismatch between the original light types and the respective imported light objects in 3ds Max, the lighting they emit may not match. This technical limitation is observed with some artificial light types and arises from the mismatch in both lighting units and light shapes.
7 – Contrails are not available in the .vrscene exported by Enscape so they do not appear in the render. You can manually enable them in the VRaySun parameters and adjust their values according to your preferences.
8 – Enscape sky presets are imported as VRaySky without any additional preset-specific customization.