New Enscape Blog Post - Enscape for SketchUp 2026 is now available, plus Save as External Model is back

Just published on the Chaos blog — “Enscape for SketchUp 2026 is now available, plus Save as External Model is back” — a must-read if you use SketchUp + Enscape. The update to Enscape 4.13 brings full compatibility with SketchUp 2026, plus the long-awaited return of the “Save as External Model” feature. That means you can offload heavy components into linked external .skp files, keeping your main SketchUp file lightweight and responsive, while still getting full-fidelity renders in Enscape.

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My Autodesk Design Performance course at NDSU

Congrats to my NDSU graduate architecture student, Micah Wood, for completing the Autodesk course I created, Design Performance and Sustainability with Autodesk Forma, Revit, and Insight. Congrat Micah!

I gave my students a "choose your own adventure" option for the last three weeks of the semester, and Micah decided to take the design performance route!

By the way, Micah is also the President of the NDSU chapter of AIAS.

Learn more about the course here: https://www.autodesk.com/learn/ondemand/course/design-performance-and-sustainability-with-autodesk-forma-revit-and-insight 

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Lighting design professionals: check out my Revit & ElumTools training https://bit.ly/3NJjhCVn

Watch Out Adobe... Affinity is Free!

In case you haven't heard, a major competitor to Adobe, which several AEC firms I know of have previously switched to at a fraction of the cost, is now totally free. And not only that, they announced this with a brand new version that appears to be amazing.

Affinity is totally free.

Also, on a slight tangent, I share some of the tools many of us use that now take advantage of your GPU (including Affinity).

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Texas Society of Architects (TxA) 2025 Conference on Architecture Recap

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the annual Texas Society of Architects (TxA) conference, hosted in Dallas, Texas.

It was another great TxA conference. In this post, I will share some of my experiences and highlight events and sessions:)

Selfie with keynote speaker Carol Ross Barney

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ASAI 2025 Tokyo Recap!

I had the incredible opportunity to present on Lake Flato's architectural visualization workflows and outputs at the annual American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI) conference in Tokyo, Japan, last week! Here is a quick recap of the event that should inspire you to attend the event next year where it will be back in the USA.

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Autodesk University 2025 Recap

I recently attended and presented at Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. I have a brief recap post that I'd like to share.

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New Free Autodesk Course: Design Performance and Sustainability with Forma, Revit, and Insight (I Created)

I’m excited to share that a brand-new free course I developed for Autodesk is now live: Design Performance and Sustainability with Autodesk Forma, Revit, and Insight.

The timing couldn’t be better—Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville was full of energy and inspiring announcements, especially around Autodesk Forma and its critical role in the future of the AEC industry. I was also fortunate to present another session on Forma this year, continuing an ongoing conversation about how these tools are reshaping practice.

This new course is designed primarily for students, though professionals will also find value in it. Through engaging video lessons, hands-on exercises, and real-world examples, learners will explore how Forma, Revit, and Insight can be used to design with measurable impact—integrating performance analysis, sustainability, and outcome-based BIM practices from the start. And best of all, it’s free for everyone.

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