Update now for the latest features including procedural textures, toon shading, focused caustics and more.

Today, we are pleased to bring you KeyShot 4.1. We have shared a preview with a few the features included with this release and have some additional detail on those features along with some other features and enhancements you will want to know about.

KeyShot 4.1 Overview
This release of KeyShot introduces focused caustics, a simple method for adding refracted light rays, procedural textures to build on the simple, uniform application of textures, a new toon shader material type that allows for solid color contouring and shading of parts and new color management brings accurate color matching to KeyShot. 3D data import has been improved along with interface improvements that simplify both options and layout.  All new features can be seen  here.

Focused caustics
The new Focused Caustics feature allows you to accurately display the rays of light that reflect or pass through transparent or translucent surfaces. It uses a proprietary algorithm developed by Luxion co-founder and chief scientist Dr. Henrik Wann Jensen and is one of the fastest algorithms in the industry, delivering results in seconds. To turn it on, simply select a simple check box under the render scene settings. Of course, this compliments the new physical lighting feature in KeyShot that allows any object to be used as a Point, Area or IES light profile with added functionality in KeyShot 4.1 to adjust the size of the light, giving you additional control the softness of the shadow.

Procedural textures
The new Procedural texture options are available for any material when you apply a texture to an object. Six preset procedural materials allow you to immediately apply a seamless texture to any surface with the added ability to scale, adjust bump height and sync to other textures. The six presets include Granite, Leather, Marble, Noise (Texture), Noise (Fractal) and Wood with more planned for future releases.

Toon shading
The non-photorealistic (NPR) toon shader is a new material type that allows you to apply solid colors, solid shading and contours to your objects for a flat, cel shading appearance. You can apply this material from the material type selection box with options to adjust material color along with contour color, angle, width, quality and more advanced options to adjust contours and shadows. Since it is a material rather than a render mode, the toon material can be used in combination with any other material for still images, animations and KeyShotVR.

Color management
A new Color Management setting has been added to the KeyShot Preferences with this release as well. Color Management allows the matching and control of color representations across various devices. In the Color Management settings, you now have the ability to enable Color Management, selecting an ICC profile (.icc or .icm) available from various software and hardware manufacturers.

STL import
A new STL importer is now available as part of the 25+ 3D file formats supported inside KeyShot. This new importer allows .stl files to be imported directly into KeyShot.

Importer improvements
All importers have been significantly improved to better represent the geometry inside KeyShot. The order and exact structure is now maintained for all file formats. Geometry for many file formats is now properly represented.

iBook support
iBook support for KeyShotVR is now available allowing the creation of an iBooks widget with the use of iBooks Author. From the KeyShotVR render options, simply select the option to create an iBooks widget. KeyShot will automatically generate the code for you to use.

Other improvements
Improvements to the HDRI Editor have been added with new Flat and Spherical Display types as well as Display Orientation for the Spherical display. In addition the user interface has been streamlined with the ability to rename pins and to copy and paste regions from the HDRI. Additional options have been added to the Material templates dialogue that allow users to add a template for a part or materials either automatically or manually and materials used for the scene have been moved to the Project Scene tab. The user can now create an unlimited number of render layers with the ability to create custom names for each layer. The animation capabilities have been made more robust, respecting now the order in which animations have been created, with the ability to change the order interactively in the scene tree.

See what's new
A webinar presenting the new features of KeyShot will be held Thursday, June 27th at 10:00 PDT ( Register here ).

Get it Now
If you are a Luxion customer on subscription, you can download and update to KeyShot 4.1 immediately. Upgrades to KeyShot 4 start at $395 with option of adding animation capabilities for $500 and interactive KeyShotVR capabilities for $1000. Give us a holler if you have questions about updating or upgrading your license. You can contact us here or via Email Contact .