Skybox as a Background

What is a Skybox?

A Skybox is an image that describes the look of your projects background environment. It’s basically a sphere that surrounds your project and which is textured with an image. As you know, textures are rectangles – if you want to map them onto a sphere, you have to unwrap the Skybox like it’s done with a world map. This format is called Longitude/Latitude, one term for one axis.

There is another way to save the Skybox into a file, unlike Longitude/Latitude. It is called the cross format and looks like an unfolded cube. Both image formats are supported and can be loaded into Enscape.

How can I load a Skybox?

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

Visual Settings button

Navigate to the Sky Settings tab’s Horizon section. Here, choose the option Skybox from the dropdown and then click on the folder icon next to Load Skybox from File to select a file. Enscape supports Skybox image files (*.hdr, *.bmp, *.jpg, *jpeg, *png, *tif, *.tiff, *.tga) either in cross or panoramic (Longitude/Latitude) format.

The other options for the Skybox are:

  • Rotation – Rotates the Skybox. This is only adjustable on a horizontal axis and can not be adjusted along a vertical axis, nor can it be scaled.
  • Brightest Point as Sun Direction – This will position the Enscape sun on the brightest spot of your Skybox for additional realism
  • Normalize the average brightness to the value set below – This setting will brighten or darken your Skybox’s light emission to compare with the Enscape sun brightness
  • Brightness – Regardless if the Normalize the average brightness to the value set below is enabled, this option will adjust the overall brightness of your Skybox – great if you’re located inside a building in your project and want to optimize the view outside of that building.
The Sky tab with Skybox Options

The Sky tab with Skybox Options

Which Skyboxes are supported?

We support horizontal and vertical cross Skyboxes – they have to match a resolution ratio of 4:3 (respectively 3:4 ). Panoramic Skyboxes should have a resolution ratio close to 2:1.

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

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

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

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


    Do you need help with Enscape? Please contact our technical support here
    or send request directly through Enscape. Don't know how? Check this article.

    Was this article helpful?

    YesNo

    Please provide us short feedback: (required)

    If you require a response to your feedback, then you will need to provide your email address below (optional)*:

    *In the framework of our postings on our website, we may ask you for your feedback on the respective posting. Here, only the input of your feedback is required. The provision of further data, such as your e-mail address, is optional. If you provide further data, such as your e-mail address, we will use this to ask you questions about the feedback, if necessary, and thus to improve our services even more specifically. The legal basis for data processing is your consent (Art. 6 s. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR). The granting of consent is voluntary and is given when providing the optional email address which can be revoked at any time with effect for the future. Your data will be deleted when the processing is no longer necessary to fulfill the purpose, but at the latest with the revocation of your consent.