TUSTIN, CA — Luxion (luxion.com) has released Version 9 of its KeyShot realtime ray-tracing and global illumination program for 3D rendering and animation. KeyShot 9 brings an array of advanced technology and features, such as one-click GPU-accelerated realtime ray tracing and AI denoise; scientifically accurate weave pattern design with Luxion’s RealCloth technology; an all new Fuzz geometry shader with intricate variation and fly-away fiber control; and output for interactive web-based product configurators with KeyShotWeb.
“With KeyShot 9, we revisited our vision – to unlock the visual imagination throughout the decision process across all industries,” says Claus Wann Jensen, co-founder and CEO of Luxion. “Though it may seem daunting, our faithful users drove the capabilities and our own decisions for this new version of KeyShot that matches our vision and truly brings users ways to explore their ideas like never before.”
“We are extremely proud to work with the wonderful users and amazing partners in this extraordinary release of KeyShot,” says Henrik Wann Jensen, co-founder and chief scientist at Luxion. “The new material capabilities open up the creative possibilities, while the new GPU based ray tracing and the AI denoiser further accelerate the experience. Together, they set the stage for so much more to come.”
KeyShot 9 includes features and updates in four specific areas – import and integration, workflow and setup, materials and textures, and image and output. Within these four areas, KeyShot 9 introduces features and improvements that focus on helping KeyShot users realize their ideas faster.
RealCloth adds unmatched detail with all-new weave pattern control. Users have more custom material control with the new Fuzz shader, generic (BRDF) material, contour procedural texture and curve control for material, part and camera animations.
The new 3D model library brings curated, ready-made models for users to add context to scenes quickly, while a new streamlined import allows users to start creating sooner. The new Tools menu makes Geometry, Material, and Camera tools more accessible and adds Material Import for VStitcher, Substance Painter, Vizoo, and X-Rite AxF to expand the import pipeline. With the new Web Configurator, users can turn the product configurators created with KeyShot Pro into interactive, web-enabled product option experiences for design review or customer point of sale.
Completely new for KeyShot 9 is GPU Mode for GPU-accelerated ray tracing and Denoise for smoother render results faster. All of these features are implemented with workflow in mind.
KeyShot 9 introduces the ability to harness the full GPU-accelerated ray tracing power of Nvidia RTX with OptiX. Available for both realtime rendering and local render output, KeyShot’s GPU Mode allows GPU resources to be accessed with one-click to take advantage of multi-GPU performance scaling and the dedicated ray tracing acceleration hardware in Nvidia RTX-capable GPUs. Users may toggle between GPU and CPU as needed. GPU ray tracing in KeyShot 9 supports the Nvidia Maxwell microarchitecture found in GTX 980 and above.
Denoise is a one-click Image Style option that works in both CPU and GPU mode to eliminate noise in the Real-Time View and render output. This deep learning denoiser reduces the time it takes to resolve a rendered image by interpolating and refining the image to achieve smooth results in less time.
RealCloth provides designers with a new way to create and control woven materials, providing a level of visual fidelity that goes beyond the capabilities of any scanned materials definitions. The material type provides intricate control of the weave pattern (KeyShot Pro) and the ability to easily add flyaway fibers. New RealCloth materials have been added to the Library as well.
KeyShot 9 now offers users the ability to create interactive, browser-based product configurators. A configurator is created in KeyShot using the specified models, materials, and Studios variations. The user then chooses the Web Configurator output option to generate the content files that can be zipped and shared privately or hosted online for anyone around the world to view.
KeyShot 9 introduces a new Model Library that allows 3D models with complete materials and textures to be added to a scene. All 3D models are easily accessed on KeyShot Cloud and may be searched, filtered, and added to any scene with a simple drag-and-drop.
KeyShot 9 is available immediately for download and purchase at keyshot.com and through all certified KeyShot resellers. All customers who purchased KeyShot on or after October 1st, 2019, as well as all customers who purchased KeyShot for Education or KeyShot for ZBrush, will receive the upgrade to KeyShot 9 free of charge. All KeyShot customers with active annual maintenance will automatically receive the upgrade to KeyShot 9. All other customers may upgrade to KeyShot 9 for an incremental fee.