Keyshot
Data
- Homepage: Luxion KeyShot
- Current version: KeyShot 8.2 from February 2019
Type
- Standalone renderer with import possibilities for a large range of 3d packages
- They have a large range of live linked plugins.
Info
Keyshot is a standalone rendering package. It's goal is to deliver results as fast as possible so they call it a realtime raytracer. It is CPU only. You can animate cameras and modify geometry in a limited way. It can raytrace nurbs surfaces directly. As an add-on you can create VR renderings. Network rendering, but I cannot see if you can distribute one image to the clients or only full frames. Nice option is the possibility to export 3d data. They have a broad range of live plugins. Live means that both applications are open and if you modify anthing in your 3d software, the changes are reflected in Keyshot.
Features:
- HDRI lighting
- physical lighting with IES
- physical sky
- lights emitting materials
- sss
- physically based materials
- post effects like vignetting
- volumes, vdb
Release 8.2:
Network rendering for Linux has been implemented, offline rendering can be paused.
Release 8.1:
Now you can easily adjust your image style in a posteffect. Rendertime booleans offer cool cutting possiblities and it is possible to render volumes and VDB files. Rendering of liquids in glass objects is now simpler. Displacement is implemented. Flakes can be added quite simply to geometry.
Release 4.1:
Focused caustics can create much more accurate caustic effects. New procedural textures are added like the usual noise, wood, marble. You can do NPR with toon shading.
Release 4:
Now you have a life link for Creo, SolidWorks, or Rhino what allows a smoother workflow and easy update of the rendering. Now physical lights are introduced and you can convert any geometry into a light. Pantone and RAL colors are supported. Round corners allow the rounding of sharp edges at rendertime without modification of your geometry. Translucent materials have been improved.
Release 3.3:
New KeyShotVR. This addition enables the user to create Html5 viewable files, cool idea. Color picker has been improved, as well as environment lighting and file import.
Release 3.2:
Undo stack as been improved, bugs are fixed, Autodesk 2013 support.
Release 3.1:
New materials in the library. Metallic flake materials are supported. They improved the maya importer and texture mapping as well as network rendering.
From the supported file formats it looks as if the software is aimed to a professional 3d product visualisation marked. The current price for the full single workstation licence of about $1500 confirm this assumption. But beside the price, the software seems to be a very good renderer. Its CPU based, GPU can be used for rendering effects. They offer as well a keyframeless animation system, however this works. As all the other newer renderers its a progressive one. Have a look at the tutorial videos, its fast and accurate and it supports global illumination, photon mapping and subsurface scattering.
They offer a lot of realtime and interactive updates for your renderings like a realtime bloom or subsurface scatter effect.
Last update: 01.2021