We strive to keep Enscape available for as many configurations as possible and in contrast to the constantly evolving market, we’ve managed to maintain the requirements rather flexible.
However, as with every modern software, there are some thresholds in terms of computing power that need to be met. Let's start with that and look at the system requirements.
System requirements
Enscape is available for both Windows and Mac workstations. You can find the minimum requirements for both here:
However, let’s dive deeper into what these requirements mean.
Recommended hardware
Mac
When it comes to Mac computers, the requirements are fairly straightforward. You would need:
- An M-chip series Mac (a model not older than 2020);
- An up-to-date version of the macOS (not older than 12.6).
Note: Please make sure to check the requirements of the CAD you’re going to be using, as some versions do not support the most recent macOS versions. For example, macOS Sonoma is only supported by SketchUp 2024 or newer.
- Intel-based Mac workstations are not supported by Enscape following the release of Enscape 2.0
- Parallels and Boot Camp are not supported by Enscape
Windows
If you are a Windows user, the most important and relevant piece of hardware you have to take into consideration is the graphics card, also referred to as “GPU”, but we'll look into the rest of the relevant components as well.
GPU Brand & Ray-tracing
Both AMD and NVIDIA are supported by Enscape. However, what you must consider, is that hardware Ray-tracing capabilities would not be available on most AMD cards and the full extent of the feature is only available for the RTX series cards from NVIDIA.
These Ray-tracing capabilities improve upon the looks of the lighting and shadow quality of the render and add an additional layer of life-like qualities to it.
GPU Memory (VRAM)
Your graphics card needs to have at least 4GB of memory to ‘officially’ be supported by Enscape.
While technically possible to start Enscape when using a GPU with less than 4GB of memory, this would be insufficient when attempting to render almost any project. The amount of VRAM we recommend is 8GB or more.
The geometry, textures, render resolution, render quality, etc., each requires a certain amount of VRAM to be computed. In fact, simply starting Enscape and the host application, would already require a certain amount of VRAM.
In general, the more complex your scene becomes, the more memory it would require.
With this in mind, our recommendation would be to use a GPU with as much memory as possible.
Note: If you intend to use the VR capabilities of Enscape, 12GB of VRAM would be recommended.
GPU Speed
The speed of the graphics card would be relevant in terms of the overall performance during rendering. While generally, most cards that meet the minimum requirements of Enscape would be able to provide you with a relatively smooth experience, keep in mind that Enscape is not unlike a video game engine - The faster and more powerful graphics card you have, the smoother your experience would be, especially when choosing higher render resolution and quality.
CPU
The CPU is only as important as being powerful enough to run the host application smoothly and allow you to have an uninterrupted workflow.
Enscape does not utilize it and the only way it would affect its performance is if it’s causing a bottleneck for the GPU. This could happen if there’s a significant difference in the classes of the CPU and GPU.
Storage
Aside from the graphics card and the CPU, the storage is likely going to be the other component worth mentioning. While it won’t directly affect the performance of Enscape, a fast SSD will allow you to more quickly load and save your projects.