Animation tool can assemble scenes from multiple sources, including Enscape, V-Ray and Corona
Chaos is gearing up for the beta launch of Chaos Envision, a new photorealistic real-time ray traced 3D assembly and animation tool, designed to help architects and visualisers streamline the process of architectural storytelling.
One of the key aims of the software is to enable architects to do the type of work that previously would have to be done by a visualisation specialist in expert tools like Autodesk 3ds Max or Unreal Engine.
Scenes can be assembled from multiple sources, including vrscene exports from Enscape, V-Ray and Corona, with ‘no prep needed’. There are also plans to support neutral exchange formats, such as OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, USD and MaterialX.
“You can have the design in Revit and the terrain in 3ds max, or an interesting facade in Rhino, and then you can assemble everything in Envision,” says product manager, Ana Lyubenova.
According to Chaos, visualisation starts immediately, and original data is loaded directly and accurately, preserving the visualisation effort that’s done in the 3D creation tool, even as each scene evolves.
“Whatever you have created with Enscape will be preserved when you import it in Envision, so you can continue working, adding stuff from the Chaos Cosmos library and then animate on the timeline,” says Lyubenova.
Once inside Chaos Envision, scenes can be enhanced with realistic animated humans and crowds through direct integration of the Chaos Anima engine.
Anima’s 3D human models move and avoid obstacles automatically, while the crowd animation system utilises collision backgrounds, character distribution and socialisation area controls to make it easier to create realistic crowd movement. The software also introduces variety to the scene by randomizing the colour of the clothes each 3D human is wearing.
Animated vehicles, custom behaviours, vegetation can also be added to Chaos Envision, before videos are published using the ‘flexible and intuitive’ animation system.
The software allows users to present multiple design options to clients, through animated videos that transition between variations, phases, views, materials, times of day and more.
Chaos Envision is capable of handling very large scenes. “We’re speaking about trillions of polygons,” says Lyubenova.
Chaos Envision is due to enter beta later this month.
