In order to work properly, it is important to have the right tools. KeyShot allows you to apply materials, set up the lighting, and obtain hyperrealistic images in a matter of minutes. Traditional rendering applications often have, too many settings, each giving the user a different level of control over the appearance of the project. Although a large number of settings allows for more flexibility, understanding how each of them works can be a time-consuming process.
In this section, we have laid out several points that we consider helpful when using KeyShot for your projects compared to other rendering applications.
The following are some basic points related to working with KeyShot:
Workflow—import your 3D data, apply and fine-tune your textures and materials, set up your lighting, find your preferred camera view, and then render.
KeyShot is fully integrated, just like any other rendering application, but it's been designed to be user friendly. You will find that most menu tabs and preferences are intuitive and easy to understand. It offers different arrays of mapping options, such as cylindrical, box shaped, spherical, or using UV coordinates, depending on your preference.
It uses the high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) method to produce realistic lighting conditions.
It provides physically accurate materials based on real-world properties. Each material found in KeyShot's library has been set up to produce a specific type of look when applied. This allows you to save time fine-tuning your materials for that specific look.
It offers basic animation tools that allow you to set up professional presentations.
The following are a few basic points related to traditional rendering tools:
They require some experience in rendering techniques, and they often have a steep learning curve.
The user interfaces are cluttered with options and preferences and can be intimidating for first-time users.
They are more flexible in terms of controlling the look of each individual feature of your project. The settings are broken down and laid out separately, allowing you to control everything from the number of lights and shadows per scene to the look of a material. A consequence of this, however, is that, there are more opportunities for errors and users are often overwhelmed by the amount of settings and controls.
Materials and lighting are not always physically accurate. Reproducing a particular type of material or lighting setup is often time-consuming.
They provide more robust animation tools and often include a rigging system, which allows for more complex animations.
KeyShot is a powerful rendering tool that is used in a variety of fields within the CG industry. However, it is important to remember that KeyShot has a limited set of animation tools, and I recommend using a different application such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Softimage if your project requires complex character animations or special effects.