Enscape & AI Enhancement | Modulus Render
TLDRIn this tutorial, the speaker shares a method to enhance renderings using AI tools, specifically focusing on materials that are not photorealistic in Enscape. They discuss the process of scaling models in SketchUp to achieve finer details on materials like carpet and grass, and then use an AI engine called Kaa to enhance these materials. The AI improves details in fabrics, vegetation, and reflections, but may not always be perfect for all elements in a render. The speaker demonstrates how to use the AI's 'enhance' feature and then carefully integrate the results into the original image using Photoshop, creating masks to isolate the improved materials. They also showcase examples of how the AI can add realistic details to various textures, such as velvet and glass, emphasizing the potential of AI in rendering while noting its current limitations.
Takeaways
- 🎨 **AI Enhancement in Rendering**: The speaker discusses using AI to enhance materials in renders, particularly those not photorealistic enough, such as glass, reflections, fur, carpet, and vegetation.
- 🚀 **AI Tools Not Fully Relying**: They mention not fully relying on AI tools from the start, acknowledging that while they are improving, they are not yet perfect.
- 🌟 **Lighting Techniques**: A technique involving a large black box with a soft box and an emissive material inside is used to create soft lighting effects.
- 📐 **Scaling for Realism**: The importance of scaling objects in the scene by a factor to achieve finer details, such as carpet strands, is highlighted.
- 💡 **Lighting Adjustments Post-Scaling**: Advice is given to scale the 3D model first and then adjust the lighting to maintain the desired effect.
- 🤖 **AI Engine Selection**: The speaker chose Kaa AI for its cost-effectiveness and satisfactory results over another engine, Magnific.
- 📈 **AI Enhancement Process**: The AI's 'enhance' feature is used without significant tweaking, demonstrating the ease of use and immediate impact on the render.
- 🖌️ **Photoshop for Fine-Tuning**: After AI enhancement, manual work in Photoshop is necessary to mask and refine the areas of the render to maintain other materials' integrity.
- 🌿 **Enhancing Vegetation**: The AI's ability to improve the appearance of plants and add realistic details to fabrics is showcased.
- 🪟 **Improving Glass Materials**: The AI is particularly effective in enhancing glass materials, which are challenging for some rendering software.
- 🧵 **Adding Details to Fabrics**: The AI can add realistic folds and textures to fabric materials, enhancing the overall quality of the render.
- 🪖 **Detailing 3D Models**: Even complex models like a character from GI Joe can benefit from AI enhancement, adding details and improving the overall visual appeal.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the tutorial?
-The main topic of the tutorial is enhancing 3D renders using AI tools, specifically focusing on improving materials like glass, reflections, fur, carpet, and vegetation in Enscape.
Why did the author choose to use AI for enhancing materials in their render?
-The author chose to use AI to enhance materials that were not photorealistic enough in their Enscape render, aiming to improve details in fabrics, reflections, and other textures.
What AI engines did the author try and which one did they end up using?
-The author tried two AI engines, Kaa and Magnific, but ultimately chose Kaa because it was cheaper and provided good results.
How does the author suggest scaling the model to improve the appearance of materials like carpet?
-The author suggests scaling the model 10 times larger, which allows for finer strands of carpet material or grass material, resulting in a more realistic appearance.
What is the recommended approach when scaling the model and then applying lighting?
-The author advises to scale the 3D model first and then apply lighting. One should not scale the lights with the model as they will not become more powerful.
How did the author use the AI engine to enhance the carpet material in their render?
-The author used the 'enhance' option in the Kaa AI engine to improve the carpet material. They then downloaded the enhanced image and used Photoshop to mask out the carpet material and overlay it onto the original render.
What are some of the limitations the author encountered when using the AI engine for enhancing the render?
-The author found that while the AI engine did a great job on the carpet material, it was too aggressive on other elements like the leather on a book, making it look like plywood. It also added unwanted details to some parts of the render.
How can the AI engine be used to enhance details in other materials such as cushions and plants?
-The AI engine can be used to enhance details by adding more realism to textures, such as making cushion materials appear more wrinkled and plants look more detailed, after which these elements can be masked and integrated into the original render in Photoshop.
What was the author's approach to enhancing glass materials in the render using AI?
-The author used the AI engine to enhance the glass material, then masked out all other elements in the render, leaving only the improved glass to be composited back into the original image.
How did the author use the AI engine to add realistic folds to a velvet chair?
-The author instructed the AI engine with a prompt specifying a 'blue velvet chair,' which led the engine to add realistic-looking folds and crushed velvet texture to the chair material.
What is the author's final recommendation on using AI for render enhancement?
-The author recommends using AI enhancement wisely and locally, focusing on specific elements that need improvement and manually refining the results in Photoshop.
What are the key takeaways from the tutorial for someone looking to enhance their 3D renders with AI?
-The key takeaways are to use AI enhancement for specific materials that need more realism, such as carpets, glass, and fabrics; to scale the model appropriately before lighting; and to meticulously mask the enhanced elements in Photoshop to achieve the desired final render.
Outlines
🎨 Enhancing 3D Renders with AI Tools
The speaker discusses their experience with using AI to enhance 3D renders, specifically mentioning materials like glass, reflections, fur, and carpet in a software called 'ncape'. They share a technique of scaling up their models to improve the fine details of materials like carpet strands. The lighting setup is also described, involving a large soft box and reflective surface to achieve desired effects. The focus is on improving photorealism without relying solely on AI, but using it to enhance certain aspects.
🤖 AI's Impact on Material Realism
The paragraph details the use of two AI engines, Kaa and Magnific, with a preference for Kaa due to its cost-effectiveness and satisfactory results. The AI's 'enhance' feature is used to improve the carpet material in a render. The process involves uploading the render to the AI platform, using the default settings, and allowing the AI to process the image. The results are impressive, particularly on the carpet, which is the main focus of the enhancement. However, the AI also affects other materials in the render, which may not always be desirable.
🖌️ Post-Processing with Photoshop
After enhancing the image with AI, the speaker uses Photoshop for post-processing. They explain how to manually mask out unwanted areas in the image to retain only the enhanced carpet material. The process is described as imperfect but effective for the intended result. The speaker also shares examples of how AI can enhance details in cushions, plants, and glass materials. Each example demonstrates the AI's ability to add realism and detail, but also the need for careful selection and masking to maintain the integrity of the rest of the render.
🌿 AI Enhancement of Various Materials and Details
The speaker provides several examples of how AI can be used to enhance different materials and details in 3D renders. They discuss the improvement of plant textures, the addition of realistic wrinkles to fabrics, and the enhancement of glass materials. The AI is shown to be particularly effective for small details and textures that are difficult to achieve through traditional 3D rendering techniques. The speaker emphasizes the importance of using AI enhancements locally and carefully, as the tool can sometimes make changes that are too drastic or unwanted in certain areas of the render.
Mindmap
Keywords
Enscape
AI Enhancement
Photorealistic
Materials
Kaa or Kaa
Photoshop
Render
Upscaling Factor
Emissive Material
Masking
Velvet
Highlights
The video is a tutorial on how to enhance architectural renders using AI tools.
The author used AI to improve the realism of materials like glass, reflections, fur, and carpet in Enscape renders.
AI is not used from the start but rather to enhance specific elements that are not photorealistic enough.
The tutorial demonstrates creating a realistic carpet material in SketchUp by scaling the model up and using a grass material.
Lighting techniques are discussed, including the use of a large soft box and reflective surfaces to enhance details.
The author emphasizes not to scale lights with the model as it affects their power and size.
Two AI engines, Kaa and Magnific, were tested, with Kaa being chosen for its cost-effectiveness and good results.
The AI's 'enhance' option was used without generating new content, to improve specific aspects of the render.
The AI significantly improved the carpet material, making it look more realistic and detailed.
Post-processing in Photoshop is used to carefully mask and blend the AI-enhanced parts with the original render.
The AI also added interesting details to fabrics, making them look more wrinkled and realistic.
For plants and vegetation, the AI enhanced the details significantly with minimal Photoshop work required.
The AI had difficulty with glass materials, but when it worked, it produced a highly realistic result.
Small details in fabrics, such as velvet, were greatly enhanced by the AI, adding realistic folds and texture.
The AI was used to add interesting metal and leather details to a rendered character model.
The author advises using AI enhancements wisely and locally to avoid over-enhancing and losing original details.
The final render combines the AI-enhanced carpet material with the original scene for a more realistic outcome.
The tutorial concludes with a reminder to subscribe and like for more informative content.