HDRI skyboxes for Enscape

Load an HDRI in Enscape 4.13

1. Open Visual Settings from the Enscape toolbar.
2. Go to the Sky tab and open the Horizon section.
3. Choose "Skybox" from the Horizon Source dropdown.
4. Click the folder icon next to "Load Skybox from File" and select the .hdr file (or the .exr file in Enscape 4.19 and later).
5. Set Rotation to align the sun with your model; Enscape only rotates a skybox horizontally, not vertically, and does not scale it.
6. Turn on "Brightest Point as Sun Direction" so the Enscape sun lines up with the skybox's brightest point, then use the Brightness slider and the "Normalize the average brightness" option to balance exterior and interior exposure.

Try before you buy: the free HDRI samples need no account and carry the same licence as the paid files, so you can check the setup above with a real file before buying.

Enscape 4.18 LTS and earlier accept .hdr, .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff and .tga skyboxes in cross or panoramic (longitude/latitude) layout; 4.19 and later also accept .exr. The same Visual Settings dialog applies when Enscape runs inside SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, Archicad or Vectorworks.

For a longer walkthrough, see the Enscape HDRI skybox guide.

Format note: .exr needs Enscape 4.19 or later

Enscape 4.19 and later load .exr skyboxes directly. Enscape 4.18 LTS and earlier read .hdr only and do not read OpenEXR in the skybox loader. HDRI Hub skies up to HDR 141 and every sIBL set are delivered as Radiance .hdr and load in every version. Skies from HDR 142 onwards are delivered as .exr; on 4.18 LTS or older they need a one-time conversion to .hdr. Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Blender and ImageMagick all write .hdr from an .exr and keep the full dynamic range. The product page lists the delivered format of each sky. Details in .hdr or .exr.

Which resolution

Enscape's documentation does not publish a fixed pixel cap for skyboxes. For lighting and reflections only, a 4096x2048 to 8192x4096 HDRI is enough. For a skybox the camera sees directly, use 16000x8000 to 20000x10000 so the horizon and cloud detail stay sharp; because Enscape renders in real time, 8192x4096 to 10240x5120 is a practical ceiling for most scenes rather than the full 20000x10000 files.

Sun and shadows

Use an unclipped sun HDRI so "Brightest Point as Sun Direction" locks onto the actual sun disc instead of a blown-out highlight. HDRI Hub has 34 unclipped skies for this. With one of these loaded and Normalize Average Brightness enabled, Enscape places its sun on the skybox highlight so shadows line up with the sky. You still use Enscape's sun and sky controls as documented; the skybox drives the environment, it does not replace them.

Frequently asked questions

Can I load .exr skyboxes in Enscape?

Yes, in Enscape 4.19 and later. Enscape 4.18 LTS and earlier read .hdr and several 8-bit formats only, so there you use the .hdr skies from HDRI Hub or convert an .exr sky to .hdr once, which keeps the full dynamic range.

Where do I load a custom sky?

Visual Settings > Sky > Horizon Source: Skybox > Load Skybox from File.

Why are my shadows wrong?

Enable Brightest Point as Sun Direction, adjust Rotation, and prefer an unclipped sky whose sun disc is the true brightest point. A clipped sun can make the option lock onto a blown-out cloud instead.

JPG or HDR?

A .jpg works as a visible background but has no brightness above white, so it lights the scene poorly. Use .hdr for lighting.

More background: which HDRI resolution you need and .hdr or .exr.