#keyshottips

Today, we'll walk you through two different ways to add text to an animation inside KeyShot. This approach works well when you need to keep everything contained in your scene or simply prefer to use KeyShot for a complete workflow.

Add Text to Animations in KeyShot

Simple, dynamic text transitions are an important part of product animations, effective for providing technical information, detailing the function or build process, or simply adding more animations effects around your product animations. After you learn these two methods, I'm sure you'll have your own ideas about how to use text more effectively in your animation. Let's dive in.

1. Use a Frontplate

First, the easiest way to add text is to use a Frontplate. To add a Frontplate, go to the Project, Image tab, then select the Photographic Image Style option and expand the Layers section. Select an image with your text that uses a transparent background, making sure it matches the aspect ratio of your scene, and KeyShot will simply overlay that text. While this is the quickest way to add text overlays or callouts to your video, there are some limitations. Most importantly, the text won’t move with the animation. So, if that’s what you’re going for, here's another solution.

2. Use a Plane and Opacity Map

This method allows more flexibility with your text or even to animate it within your scene. First, add a plane and position it where you’d like the text to appear. Next, select the Material tab in the Project window. We’ll add an Opacity map to this material.

What is an Opacity Map? Opacity maps allow you to use a black and white image or alpha channel transparency of your text to make those areas of the material transparent.

So, if I add an image that contains white text and a transparent background, the text is the only part that appears on this material. This makes it really easy to add text to any scene and have full control over its size and position. You can change the material, the color, even add some texture if you’d like.

If you want to add even more dimensionality to this text you can animate this plane. A simple fade animation going from 0% to 100% (to fade the text in) would look really nice but you could also use a translation or rotation animation as well for some very dynamic transitions.

Now you see how easy it is to create animated text in KeyShot. Have some ideas about how they can be used in your animations? We can't wait to see them! If you would like to learn more about all things animation, check out the Animation section in the KeyShot Manual. What Can You Create?

We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work or tag us on Instagram. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.

Adding bristles to a model may seem challenging but KeyShot Pro makes it a snap. Whether it's a pattern of fibers, variations of one style, or multiple combinations of each, KeyShot Fuzz allows you to create a wide variety of brush bristle appearances.

KeyShot Fuzz for Bristles and More

To create bristles in KeyShot, you don't have to worry about modeling any individual fiber or shape to represent the bristles. All you need is a surface - KeyShot Fuzz will take care of the rest. Though you may have seen fuzz used to create subtle cloth fibers, it is used to create everything from velcro and comfy rugs to grass and hairbrushes. Let's take a look at how it's done.

Download the Model

1. Separate Your Surface

First, separate the surface for the bristles from the rest of the model. Do this in your CAD software or by using the Split Object Surface (a KeyShot Pro tool). This needs to be a separate surface so you don't have unwanted Fuzz fibers growing off of these other surfaces.

2. Select Your Surface

Next, double-click that surface to edit the material and select Plastic from the material Type dropdown. Now, select Material Graph in the Material tab. In the node editor window, right-click and select Geometry, Fuzz.

3. Add a Density Texture

Attach the Fuzz node to the Geometry socket of the surface node. To get a controlled bristle effect, add a Density Texture. The Mesh texture in KeyShot is a great option, but for the toothbrush model, I created an image with a custom pattern. Press the C-key to isolate the node for easier sizing and positioning.

For any texture, black areas will show no fibers, gray areas will show fewer fibers, and white areas will match the density set in the Density parameter. Select Execute Geometry Node to refresh the geometry. Now, let's jump into those Fuzz properties.

4. Adjust Your Fuzz Properties

Adjust the Fuzz properties as needed for the look you need. Make sure to add a little length variation (bristles are rarely perfectly uniform) and absolutely increase the randomness just a bit (by default, fuzz fibers are perfectly straight) for a more natural-looking, fanning out effect towards the end of the bristles. When you're ready to see the change, update the geometry.

5. Take it Further

If you want to take it one step further and better control the appearance of the fuzz fibers, simply attach a material to the Surface socket of the Fuzz node. To create a gradient across the fibers, add a Color Gradient texture and attach it to the Diffuse socket of the Material node.

Now you can see how easy it is to create bristles that look like they’re from a brush, toothbrush, broom, or many other products. You can learn more about Fuzz in the KeyShot Manual.

What Can You Create?

We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.

KeyShot makes it easy to create photorealistic visuals and the user interface is at the heart of making the process simple and intuitive but did you know you can set up and customize the user interface for your personal workflow? Today, we’ll take a look at how to customize the KeyShot user interface to best suit your needs.

Customizing KeyShot's User Interface

KeyShot's user interface (UI) is designed for ease-of-use with full customizability tailored to your specific needs. In KeyShot, you'll find Workspaces at the front of the KeyShot Ribbon, just above the Real-time View. The dropdown provides various user interface layout presets and an option to save your own. Let's customize our KeyShot UI.

Customizing the Ribbon and Toolbar

With the Start-up workspace selected, let's start with customizing the Ribbon.

Right-click on the Ribbon to see a menu that allows you to toggle different tools on and off depending on what configuration suits your needs best. This menu also allows you to hide or display the text that appears below each icon.

Right-click the Toolbar (along the bottom of KeyShot) to choose between three icon sizes and toggle the text on and off. In the same way, Right-click the Library and Project window tabs you did with the Ribbon at the top.

Docking and Undocking

KeyShot's interface also allows for docking and undocking of panels and windows and allows you to move those panels and windows into any location you prefer. Panels can be stacked on top of each other as well as beside one another, and they can also be undocked and left to float freely anywhere on your screen or on another monitor. This makes optimizing workspaces and tools incredibly easy for any project no matter how big or small.

Switching Workspaces

Again, if you’d like to easily toggle between different UI layouts, navigate to the Workspaces dropdown and select between the eight preset options in the list. When you first install KeyShot, you will see the Startup workspace. For the standard KeyShot layout, select the Default workspace.

Workspaces also allow you to add custom workspaces, make changes, and manage existing workspaces. At the bottom of the list you see the option to switch between Light Theme and Dark Theme. The Light Theme is the default but is quickly change to your preference and is saved along with your workspace.

Switching between the workspace presets you can see several different layouts offered as presets. Any of these configurations are able to be adjusted to better suit your personal needs or built entirely from scratch.

Adding Workspaces

If you’ve created a workspace that you’re particularly partial to, go to the Workspaces dropdown, select Add..., and name your new workspace. Once added, access it any time from the Workspaces dropdown like any other preset.

If, on the other hand you wanted to delete a workspace, select Manage... from the dropdown, select the desired workspace and select Delete Workspaces (the trash icon). In this window you can also import existing workspaces, export current workspaces, and revert workspaces to their default settings.

A KeyShot layout can be highly specific to the creative workflow or design process, so be sure to take some time to explore the different options available for toolbars, workspaces, and window layout, to set up a layout to make your experience as efficient and hassle free as possible. If you'd like to learn more about the user interface, check out the KeyShot Manual.

What Can You Create?

We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.

With KeyShot, you're able to create a range of light effects and apply it to a scene or to a model itself. Today, we'll show you how to create glowing, backlit buttons in KeyShot with three easy techniques using physical lights, emissive materials, or emissive labels to softly illuminate a surface.

Three Techniques for Glowing Buttons

Glowing buttons are seen across various products whether they're completely backlit, use a translucent material to illuminate the entire button, or a mix of material to illuminate a small area of the button. These techniques are applicable to each and with them, you'll find more ways to light your products and scenes. Let's break it down.

The scene with glowing buttons shown in the video is set up for you to explore and available for download on the KeyShot Scenes page.

Download the KeyShot Scene

Prepare Your Model

For the first two techniques, you’ll need to do some prep work in your CAD software. Split the surfaces you would like to illuminate and make sure the bottom of the geometry is open in order to create a back splash of light. (You'll see how this works soon.) For the best effect in KeyShot, make sure to enable Global Illumination (in the Lighting tab) and Bloom effect (in the Image tab).

Technique #1 - Use a Physical Light

For the first technique, we’ll be using a physical light, which is why it has the potential to be the most realistic. First, change the material of the part you want the light to shine through. Use something like a transparent or cloudy plastic material, and tweak the settings to your liking.

Next, go to Edit, Add Geometry, and add a Cube. This will be the light source. Move it just under the surface of your button and then go to the Material tab and switch the Material Type to a Point Light. (An Area Light or Emissive material works too, depending on your scene.) Change the color to your liking and adjust the Power to change the brightness and the Radius to give it a softer shadow. This is a great option because you’ll see light coming through this surface, as well as spilling out around the edge.

Technique #2 - Apply an Emissive Material

For the second technique, you still need to separate the surface in your CAD software that you want to illuminate in KeyShot but you won’t need to add a physical light source. Instead, just change the Material Type of the surface to Emissive. Adjust the color and intensity to your liking, maybe add a texture, and that’s about it! This is a really quick and effective option.

Technique #3 - Add an Emissive Label

For the third technique, we’re going to create that glow by applying an Emissive label to the material. This is a nice option since you don’t need to split any surfaces in your CAD software. I’ll double-click the part to activate the Material, switch to the Labels tab, then drag-and-drop my image. Adjust the label as needed then change the Label Type to Emissive. To increase the brightness, switch to the Label Properties tab and adjust the Intensity slider. With Bloom enabled, this gives a great effect with hardly any setup.

Those are the basics of three very helpful techniques to create glowing buttons and illuminating surfaces for a wide variety of KeyShot scenes. Let us know your favorite! And, if you'd like to learn more about KeyShot Lighting, check out the Lighting section in the KeyShot Manual.

What Can You Create?

We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.

Motion blur is that streak-like effect that occurs when shooting a still image or animation of a moving object. The results are incredibly dynamic, so here, we'll show you how to use KeyShot Pro to add motion blur to your still images.

Using Motion Blur in KeyShot

Motion blur can be used a cross a range of application and often where you might least expect it. Objects that move like wheels, fans, pistons, or falling objects will have motion blur when a still is captured. However, motion can also be used to show other products in motion that wouldn't normally move but draw the attention with some subtle motion. Here, we'll apply it to the propeller of a toy airplane.

The Toy Airplane model shown in the video is available for download on KeyShot Cloud.

Download the Model on KeyShot Cloud

Where is Motion Blur in KeyShot?

You can find the Motion Blur setting in the Animation Timeline (select Window, Animation on the menu or hit the A-key). You might be familiar with adding motion blur to animations, but you can also use it in still images. The process is pretty much the same. That's right, you’ll need to create an animation first. If you've never created an animation, don't worry, you'll have the hang of it by the end of this quick tip.

1. Apply a Rotation Animation

For the toy airplane propeller, we'll apply a simple rotation animation. Select the Animation Wizard button on the Animation Timeline or right-click the part in the Scene Tree and select Add Animation, Rotation.

2. Enable Motion Blur

Once you have the animation created, click the Motion Blur icon to enable it. Drag the playback handle back a few frames and you should see a bit of motion blur on your part.

3. Adjust Motion Blur

Now, if you want to see more motion blur, you need to go into the rotation animation properties and increase the degree of rotation. When you select the rotation animation, you'll see the Properties appear to the far right of the Timeline. Expand the Rotation section and adjust the Degrees to a higher setting, like 180. With a higher setting (more rotation) you will see more motion blur since the part has more rotation in the same amount of time.

4. Render Your Image

From here, you can render this as usual, just note that you might need a higher sample count in order to see smooth blending between these frames and this could increase your render time.

If you're interested in learning more about Animation and Motion Blur in KeyShot visit the Animation Effects section of the KeyShot manual.

What Can You Create?

Frontplates are images with transparency that are placed in front of your renderings. This is great for enhancing a scene, adding a watermark or, with a favorite workflow technique we'll show below, aligning your model within a graphic layout to ensure its placement before rendering a high-res version.

KeyShot Frontplates for Graphics Prep

If you've ever wondered how to add an image on top of the KeyShot Real-time View, Frontplates is the answer. Like Backplates, Frontplates are static images that are used in a variety of ways and may be included with your final render.

The Chip Clip model shown in the video is available for download on KeyShot Cloud. Download the Model on KeyShot Cloud

1. Import Your Graphics Template

When you have a graphic template or layout and need to make sure your model fits within a specific area when rendered, first import the template into your KeyShot Resource folder as a transparent .png file. When the image is applied as a Frontplate, your scene will be visible behind any area that is transparent.

2. Apply the Frontplate

To apply the Frontplate to the scene, go to the Project, Image tab and select the Photographic option for Image Styles. Expand the Layers option, then drag-and-drop your image into the Use Frontplate input. Be aware that images used as Frontplates will stretch to fit the current aspect ratio within KeyShot that may be adjusted at the top of the Image tab under Resolution.

3. Adjust Your Camera View

Now, adjust the camera view to fit the model in the area it needs to be located to ensure the final output will work perfectly with your layout.

4. Render Your Scene

You can render your scene with the Frontplate active if you like, or uncheck Use Frontplate if you prefer to work in a different program to finalize your graphics.

Of course, there are many uses for Frontplates - you can add a watermark or some elements to enhance your scene and give context, but overall this simple workflow hack for your graphic layouts and templates is definitely our favorite.

If you're interested in learning more about the Image settings and Frontplates in KeyShot visit the Photographic Image Styles, Layers section in the KeyShot manual.

What Can You Create?

We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.

Today, we'll show you how to quickly create a perfectly centered, symmetric view using absolute camera values. This is useful for a variety of needs, particularly when working with symmetry or when you need to achieve a perfectly centered front, back, or top view.

Perfect Center View in KeyShot

A perfectly centered and symmetric view of an object brings up a lot of thoughts. It's used to evoke emotion, draw attention to the product’s minimal aesthetic, highlight the symmetry of elements, or direct or eyes with perspective. It may also help for the practical purposes of material selection, lighting, or layout. Whatever the need though, it's easy to achieve in KeyShot.

In our video example, we have a Backplate image applied with a the image aspect ration locked but the same approach is used if using a color or environment as the background.

1. Center Your Model

If you didn’t choose to center geometry upon import or you’ve since moved your model, just select the top hierarchy level within the Scene Tree and choose Center from the Position tab. The Move Tool and the other Translation and Rotation options here will change the position of the model itself. The next step will adjust the camera orientation only.

2. Center the Camera

Now go to the Camera tab. If using Spherical positioning, set your Azimuth to the respective angle you wish to view for a front, side, or top view. (This will depend on what orientation your model was imported.) Adjust the Distance and Inclination value to frame the object for your needs.

If you want, you could select Grid, Quarters to eye-ball setting the camera on center. However, to have your model perfectly centered in the camera view, select the Absolute position option and hit the Z-key to display the X-Y-Z Coordinate Legend to find the axis to center. Then, enter a value of 0 for the X, Y, or Z Position. Now, you have a perfectly centered view of your model.

Note: If at any time your model pops out of the camera view, simply use Alt + Ctrl + Shift + RMB to center the view. (You can go to Edit, Preferences, Hotkeys to change Center and Fit to something like Double Click as well.)

Using  this approach makes it simple to center the view of your model whenever you need it. If you're interested in learning more about the settings and other lighting capabilities in KeyShot visit the Camera Position and Orientation section in the KeyShot manual.

What Can You Create?

Reflections add a sense of depth and realism to your product shots and they are extremely easy to add in KeyShot. Here, we'll look at tow techniques showing you how to control light reflections using geometry and an emissive material or through the HDRI Editor in KeyShot Pro.

Adding Reflections in KeyShot

Model Sets is a feature available to . It’s a tool that allows you to save independent Scene Tree variations in a single bip file. So, if you need to create variations of a product, or you’d like to better organize multiple components, experiment with different compositions, or create assembly sequences, you can do so using Model Sets. You'll find Model Sets on the Scene Tree tab, in a sidebar activated by clicking the double arrows next to the search bar. Let's walk through how to set them up.

This mobile phone model used in the video is available for download on KeyShot Cloud. For your reference, the material on this display is a solid glass and is ideal for a beautiful, reflective surface.

Download the Model on KeyShot Cloud  

2. Using the HDRI Editor

Or first technique makes use of capabilities in KeyShot Pro. The HDRI Editor, which is found in the Environment tab of the Project panel allows you to set up and control individual lights (pins) for a variety of reflection options.

To start, it's recommended to switch the background of this startup environment to Color and select a dark gray. In the Real-time View, you will see the light is now gone, so we’ll bring that back by adding in some Pins.

Select Add Pin, switch it to Rectangular, and then click the Half checkbox. As you move the pin you'll see the lighting and the reflection update in real time. Angle the pin and reposition it to the top right corner of your model. Now, with most reflections, there's a slight falloff, which can be adjusted with the Falloff slider. Anytime you update the HDRI Editor settings, refresh the HDRI by clicking the icon in the upper right of the Real-time View to view your changes in full resolution.

Those are the basics on reflections using the HDRI Editor, which is a really great option in many cases, but let’s move on to the second technique, using actual geometry to create reflections.

1. Using Geometry and an Emissive Material

Our second technique will use a simple plane with an emissive material applied to it. First add a plane either from the Model tab or from Edit, Add Geometry, Plane. Double click the surface of the plane and set its Material Type to Emissive, then change the Color to white. It’s important to also uncheck Visible to Camera. Open the Geometry View (O-key) and adjust the position of this plane to have a slight reflection in the surface.

You can adjust the intensity of this emissive plane and of course change the color, but the true benefit of using geometry for reflections is that it’s easy to control separately from the HDRI. For example, you may have a situation where you want to add reflections but additional pins within the HDRI have an undesired affect on the overall lighting of your scene. That’s when you could use geometry instead. It’s also a great option that provides consistent reflections that are easy to manipulate across different camera angles or part positions.

As you can see, reflections are extremely easy to add and control in KeyShot using simple geometry or the HDRI Editor in KeyShot Pro. To learn more about Emissives or the HDRI Editor visit the KeyShot manual.

What Can You Create?

We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.