animation

Rendering software is increasingly being put to use by design engineers to create downstream product collateral used to support, maintain and sell products–often before the product even exists in physical form. Rendered 3D models are also created and used early in the design process to speed the process of obtaining customer or management approval.

Rendering vendors are working hard to make it easier for users to import 3D models and have incorporated features specific to the the way engineers work. After all, the engineering workflow is quite different from those of users in the arts and entertainment markets.

Read more on rendering software in the Design World feature A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words: Why Rendering is Increasingly Important to Product Development.

KeyShot 5 for rendering and animation

Luxion has recently released the latest version of its KeyShot rendering software, touted to be the first real-time ray tracing and global illumination software. By providing faster rendering speed and capabilities, users can create images, animations and interactive visuals throughout the product development process quickly and easily.

KeyShot 5 introduces enhanced usability and pro-level features that allow engineers, designers and 3D professionals to make their workflow more efficient and take their visuals to the next level. The software’s new streamlined interface offers new features for a faster rendering and animation workflow, the ability to work with materials faster and more powerful new animation features.

New features in KeyShot rendering software enable engineers to make their workflow more efficient and take their visual assets to the next level.

What’s new?

KeyShot Cloud. Online library where users can download new resources and share their own custom assets. Opening the KeyShot Cloud enables easy drag-and-drop downloading of new resources into their local KeyShot Library, and quick search features and filters to find the perfect resources for a scene. All resources remain on a user’s computer with a copy of the resource uploaded to the KeyShot Cloud and no scene or personal info stored online. The KeyShot Cloud is accessible directly from inside KeyShot and online here.

NURBS Ray-tracing. NURBS ray-tracing delivers more accurate geometry with smoother edges. This new import feature gives users the option to import and render NURBS geometry from their favorite 3D modeling application. The advantage is crisper visuals and smaller file sizes over data imported as triangle that can display edges and gaps on close detail shots. NURBS import is currently available for all geometry formats, including Creo, CATIA, Inventor, NX, Rhino, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, STEP, IGES, Parasolid and ALIAS. Available with KeyShot Pro versions.

Instancing. Instancing allows users to duplicate parts in KeyShot and on import without increasing file size. Instancing of parts is available within KeyShot as a Pattern tool and completely automated in select KeyShot plugins. All instances can be treated separately for quick appearance studies or linked to apply materials quickly, but will all update when LiveLinking or update geometry is used.

Fade Animation. The new Fade animation allows users to quickly apply an animation that fades parts from one opacity level to another. Through KeyShot Animation users add individual transforms that add animations with a click of a button instead of managing keyframes. Just as simple, Fade animations can be applied while adjusting the opacity of parts and groups on-the-fly which allows users to see the update in real-time as animations are created. Available with the KeyShot Animation Add-on.

Sun & Sky System. KeyShot 5 introduces a new Sun & Sky system for automatic creation of physically accurate geographic lighting. Preset resolutions and locations together with day selection, time and turbidity sliders allow the creation of unlimited daylight scenarios. Custom Sun & Sky environments can be created by users as well and combined with other lighting options available in the KeyShot HDRI Editor. Available with KeyShot Pro versions.

KeyShot 5 is available now. Pricing starts at $995. The entire list of features in KeyShot 5 can be seen and downloaded in a What’s New guide that includes information on how each feature works.

Barb Schmitz

We’ve talked a lot on 3D CAD World about the various 3D modeling paradigms, history-based and direct modeling. Last week, we took a closer look at SpaceClaim’s direct modeling software, SpaceClaim Engineer 2014. Another 3D CAD software that’s known for its direct approach to modeling is Kubotek’s KeyCreator software.

Now a new release of the software, v12.5, is shipping so I thought this might be a good idea to take another look at the software, which employs what the company refers to as a “hybrid” approach to modeling.

KeyCreator is touted to to be very easy to use, and offers users optional integrated modules for CAD, CAM, finite-element analysis (FEA), CAD comparison, and photorealistic rendering–all within a hybrid CAD modeling environment. This means that users can work in 2D, wireframe, 3D and surfacing, all within the same environment.

What’s new?

New features and functionality of this new release of KeyCreator include CAD animation, Direct Dimension Editing Tree, and a wire EDM option for 2- and 2.5-axis milling.

KeyCreator is an easy to use 3D CAD software that enables users to work in 2D, wireframe, 3D, and surfacing--all within the same environment. — KeyCreator is an easy to use 3D CAD software that enables users to work in 2D, wireframe, 3D, and surfacing–all within the same environment.

Let’s look at bit deeper into these:

* CAD animation. This new tool provides another way to visualize or communicate the function and assembly of designs. Standard settings, such as motion speed, camera and timeline control, aid how a design is viewed, while more advanced features depict how designs will interact and/or react with other bodies or conditions. Capabilities, such as collision detection, help users pinpoint problems that result from the motion of designs and quickly diagnose and solve any issues with an assembly model.

* Wire EDM option. The KeyCreator Machinist NC module now offers a Wire EDM option for 2-axis NC milling. The integration of KeyCreator Direct CAD and KeyCreator Machinist takes advantage of many direct editing features and functions, while creating ultra-fast tool path generation. The benefit to users is that they can optimize machining strategies by running multiple tool path options.

* Direct dimensioning editing tree. This new capability further extends the software’s Direct Dimension editing features by allowing users to assign formulas and relationships between dimensions. With basic programming experience, users can configure and save commands to run automated design adjustments, saving time and reducing errors when operations are re-executed later.

Other enhancements to KeyCreator include, interoperability updates, refinement of modeling and visualization tools and other improvements to user-specific options to help users complete tasks to their liking and while meeting their modeling goals.

Sound too good to be true? Well, try it out yourself. A free trial of KeyCreator Direct CAD is available here.

Barb Schmitz