KeyShot 3 review

KeyShot is specialized software developed by expert in field of light scattering to bring photorealistic rendering capabilities to not only experts but also amateurs bringing simplified GUI (Graphics User Interface) and many more features. KeyShot as the only rendering engine features is certified by the CIE (International Commission on Illumination). Using scientifically accurate materials and real world lighting, KeyShot delivers the most accurate images in a matter of seconds.

A time ago we brought interview with the developers of KeyShot Henrik Wann Jensen and Thomas Teger from Luxion where they revealed something from the background of KeyShot 2.0 and also something from the upcoming version 3.0. After the interview we decided to review KeyShot mainly for his rendering capabilities, photorealistic results and friendly GUI.

The new KeyShot 3.0 is filled up with new features and enhanced old ones. It’s featuring a new GUI, Animation systems, improved importer and many more including 300+ new materials.

Keyshot 3.0 specification

 

 

KeyShot 3.0 overview

The software package which you get by purchasing KeyShot or by downloading the trial version include; KeyShot 3.0, 400+ predefined materials including texture and bump maps, 20+ lighting environments including 5 professional outdoor environments, backplates and help files. The GUI of KeyShot 3.0 is very simple and clean. At the first moment you will ask yourself „Where are all the buttons? “, but this was intended by developing the software. The initial GUI consists from the workspace, contextual menus on the top and 6 button located at the bottom of the screen. These 6 buttons will guide you through the process of using KeyShot 3.0 and allows you just with 6 click import your model and render. This is really a fantastic feature and you can use KeyShot and render your first image within few minutes of using it.

What’s new in KeyShot 3.0

• New animation system (optional KeyShot 3 add-on) Setup, edit, and playback inside realtime raytraced environment
• Full interaction with camera, lighting and materials during animation playback
• Individual object and camera transforms
• Copy and paste of animation transforms from one object to another
• Animation wizard: Step by step guide for first time users
• Helper objects: Select any part or assembly as rotation centre
• Interactive adjustment of camera transforms in timeline
• Camera animation types: Orbit, Incline, Zoom, Translate
• Part and object animation types: Turntable, Rotation, Translation
• Fast preview output: AVI, MPEG
• High quality render output: AVI, MPEG, Flash, individual frames including Alpha channel
• UI Improvements BIP file preview
• Main tool bar cleanup
• Dockable toolbar
• Redesigned content library
• In-project material library
• Dialogue clean-up
• Editable cameras
• Overwrite protection of contetn with visual feedback
• Gamma adjustment of startup environment to provide images with less contrast

KeyShot 3.0 allows you to import various formats of models which were created in your favourite 3D application like AutoCAD (DWG/DXF), CATIA v5, SolidWorks 2012 and many others. The variation of the allowed formats is huge and you could be sure that whenever you create your model in 3DsMax or similar software you will be able to render it using KeyShot. The import process is very fast and after importing the model will appear in the workspace. The workspace is changing according to the settings which the users do. If you apply any material to your model, the material will appear in the scene and KeyShot will start redrawing the current scene according to the used material and environment. You can also scale the model, move and rotate using the right click option and the menu which will appear next. After manipulating the model you can continue to the next steps which are the materials. I really recommend you to at least read the user guide and also to look on the hot-key maps to help you to orient in some features which KeyShot have. 

The installer of KeyShot includes also a huge material library with various types of materials which you can apply to your model. This helps a lot at the beginning where the user is getting familiar with the software. Of course you can also create or edit your own materials and change various of parameters like IOR. Like this you can customize almost everything. After the materials are applied you need to choose the environment (HDR map) which simulates the real environment outside and allows KeyShots materials to take reflection from it. It’s very similar like in 3DsMax where you have to choose also the environment from which will your model take reflection. The variation of the HDR maps will allow you to experiment with the settings of the environment and adjust the map as you which by controlling parameters like brightness.

Inside KeyShot you can also import any photography or image which should be used like a backplate. The backplate is a simple an image where you want to put and render your model. Using the right materials and setting up the HDR map you can achieve results which will put the model into backplate like it was there before. The last step is rendering. KeyShot was develop to bring simplicity to the user and because of this in the rendering step are already predefined profiles which divide the out in few categories depending on the settings from low to high. Of course you can edit and create your settings by changing parameters inside the rendering window.

 

 

Conclusion

KeyShot is a very good software which brings to the user exactly that what the makers promise. It’s simple but allows the user to change almost everything and also it’s very fast. The only cons which i found inside KeyShot are that it not includes any video tutorial which could help the user to get familiar with the software a lot faster. Also it would be nice to have some render-output filters available such as; color balance, brightness and contrast and similar. To demonstrate the performance of the software we did a test about which you can read bellow.

 

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KeyShot 3.0 vs MentalRay

The company promises very fast render capabilities of KeyShot using unique Technologies of simulating the light properties. We made a test where we compared KeyShot 3.0 and 3DsMax 2012 MentalRay. We were comparing the speed and overall quality of the result using the Tire Rim model which we were creating in the tutorial (Modeling a Tire rim in 3DsMax).

The testing PC had following specifications:

• CPU – i7 2600K 3,5 GHz
• RAM - 16 GB
• GPU – GTX560 TI 2GB DDR5

 

We decided to use this model for the test because he is very easy to set-up and featuring only one material which cover the whole model. In the case of the “Rim” its chrome material which is also a material in the library of KeyShot. The set-up of the scene for rendering is very easy and the model was only on a plane on which was applied a “neutral” material which wasn’t taking or generating reflections. We used in both programs the same HDR maps and the default settings of the renderer.

Scene set-up:

Conclusion

Both outputs from 3DsMax and KeyShot 3.0 are good, however comparing them closely you will see the difference of handling reflections in 3DsMax and KeyShot. The reflection in KeyShot are more natural creating an photorealistic result where the reflections are too joined to the HDR map used for reflecting the surface. Of course this is just the case of experience in both Software’s and by tuning the settings you could have at the end the same result from 3DsMax and KeyShot, however in different render time. The render capabilities of KeyShot are amazing and comparing the speed to MentalRay you can achieve more than 50% difference in time.

KeyShot is good software worth the money. It’s fast, easy to use and have a large material library to make your experience and work with it even more pleasant. Both renderers compared here are good and it would be hard to choose from them which one is better, but definitely KeyShot is faster.

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