How Habitat Studio Architects Cut Visualisation Time by 70% with Gendo

About Habitat Studio Architects

Habitat Studio Architects is led by Principal Architect Wayne Greenland and is known for its commitment to site-specific, climate-responsive, and people-focused design. From high-end custom homes to boutique multi-residential developments and select commercial spaces, the practice blends beauty and function in equal measure.

Every project begins with careful site analysis and a deep understanding of the client’s vision, moving through conceptual sketches and 3D modelling to detailed design and documentation. Throughout, the team places a strong emphasis on visual communication, ensuring clients can fully understand and connect with the spaces being created.

We aim to create architecture that not only looks beautiful but works beautifully. – Wayne Greenland

The Challenge: Flat, Digital-Looking Renders

Although Enscape was already part of their visualisation workflow, Wayne and his team found that the renders it produced often felt too “digital.” Materials lacked the depth they needed, lighting didn’t fully capture the atmosphere, and landscapes appeared flat or overly artificial.

This created two major challenges. First, the visuals didn’t always evoke the emotional response that helps clients truly connect with a design. Second, achieving the right look often meant hours in Photoshop, adjusting textures, balancing light, adding landscaping just to get the presentation to where it needed to be. These delays slowed down internal design reviews and, at times, made client decision-making less efficient.

Discovering Gendo

The search was on for a way to elevate image quality without outsourcing to specialist visualisers or investing in more complex software. Gendo’s Enhance feature immediately stood out for its promise: richer detail, better lighting, and a photographic quality that could be achieved in minutes, without a full re-render.

The promise of richer detail and atmosphere without re-rendering or days of post-processing was immediately appealing, Wayne recalls.

Because Gendo fit seamlessly into their existing workflow, there was no steep learning curve. Within minutes of first trying the platform, the team was experimenting with settings and achieving results that matched and often exceeded their expectations.

Bringing Projects to Life with Enhance

On the Wallaby and Parnki projects, Gendo became the secret ingredient for transforming technically accurate but emotionally flat Enscape renders into images clients could instantly connect with. Using Enhance, the team enriched textures, deepened shadows, softened lighting, and added subtle landscaping details that grounded each building in its setting.

For these projects, Wayne typically set the Input Adherence slider in the mid-to-high range ensuring the core design remained faithful to the original model while giving Gendo enough creative room to add atmosphere and nuance. Post-processing in Photoshop was minimal, limited mainly to inserting occasional people or vehicles.

Before Gendo

The render lacked sharp detail and appeared overly CGI, making them feel less realistic and harder for clients to connect with.

After Gendo

Enhance added photo real detail to elements like plants and reflections in the glass and water, bringing the sky to life and allowing the building to truly stand out.

The Impact: Faster, Better, More Engaging

The time savings were dramatic.

With Gendo, the team reduced image preparation time by around 70%.

Where once they might have spent hours refining an image in Photoshop, they could now achieve 90% of the desired result in minutes.

This efficiency had a ripple effect. More variations could be produced for internal review. Clients could be shown multiple options earlier in the design process. And because the images felt more real, with lighting, materials, and context captured in a way that resonated, approvals came faster and with greater confidence.

One standout example came from the Wallaby project. A bold façade material that the client had been hesitant about was approved immediately after they saw it visualised through Gendo. The enhanced image conveyed warmth and depth that the original render simply could not match.

Before Gendo

Flat Enscape render with CGI-like plants, water, and materials lacking realism.

After Gendo

Enhanced detail in vegetation, reflections, and textures brought the building to life and made the design feel real.

Reactions from Clients and Team

Clients frequently commented that the Gendo-enhanced images “felt real” or “looked like a photo,” making it easier for them to imagine themselves in the finished spaces. This earlier emotional buy-in often translated directly into faster sign-offs and more decisive feedback.

Within the studio, the enthusiasm was just as strong. The team enjoyed using Gendo not only for the quality of its output but for the ease with which it fit into their process. Presenting work became more exciting, knowing that the visuals would do justice to the design intent.

Looking Ahead

Habitat Studio now sees Gendo as an essential step in preparing any client-facing imagery.

Gendo has become an essential part of our visualisation workflow. It turns technically accurate but flat renders into emotive, presentation-ready images in minutes. The time savings are significant, but the real value is how it helps clients connect with the design on a deeper level. – Wayne Greenland

Ready to cut visualisation time by 70%? Get started with Gendo now.