Do you like playing around with colors? How about doing so faster than ever? We’re excited to bring you KeyShot 2023.3, with several updates that make working with color faster and more flexible, a new GPU Performance Mode, lighting enhancements and more help for making your day-to-day work easier and more enjoyable. Read on to see what’s new.
Color as a Standalone Asset
Until now, colors have always been wrapped up into other features in KeyShot, like a material, environment or image style. While that still holds true, we’ve evolved the concept of working with color in KeyShot – color instances are now separated from the individual features and locations they are used in. This means that when a color instance is updated or otherwise changed, all materials with that color instance will be updated, because the materials now point to the same instance.
To create a color:
- Drag and drop a color from your library to the scene.
- In the color picker, give the color a name.
Now that we have a color in the scene, with a name that we can refer to, we can use this color in other places in our scene. This can be done by:
- Dragging and dropping the same color from the library to the scene.
- Give a color the same name as an already existing named color in the scene
- Choosing an existing color from the scene colors list (this new is feature explained more below)
Multi-Colors
In addition to the re-usage of color instances, we’ve introduced the concept of a “Multi-color.” A Multi-Color is essentially a list that points to different color instances, similar to how Multi-Materials work.
The multi-color instance can also be used across the scene, the same as colors. However, the linking is a bit different.
- Locate the color picker in a given part’s material settings
- Next to a multi-color naming field, the swatch icon expands a dropdown containing existing multi-colors. You can choose a multi-color to link to, from this dropdown. Or unlink it again, if already linked.
Color Mode
If you ever just need to focus on a scene’s colors, Color Mode is for you. This mode hides most of the features in the UI and allows you to focus on your color libraries, colorways and multi-colors. Note: Before entering Color Mode, make sure to set up Multi-Colors for your scene as you are unable to add additional Multi-Colors inside of Color Mode.
Natural Color Systems & Other Color Upgrades You May Have Missed
We’re excited to bring you another color library option: Natural Color Systems. Unlike other color matching systems that rely on color mixing, NCS is entirely based on the human perception of colors.
The NCS library is yet another new color option. Previous 2023 KeyShot updates include:
- Support for Coloro, a free and scientifically accurate color library with 3500 colors
- Automatic color optimizing, meaning it’ll adjust to standard color profiles used across computers
- Color Profile Detection
- Updated RAL Colors
- Updated PANTONE Matching
Plus the New GPU Performance Mode and Updates to Aces Images and Solo Mode
GPU Performance Mode Updates
KeyShot 2023.3 includes a new Performance Mode option while in GPU Mode. This can be found in the same location as the CPU Performance Mode. In the new GPU Performance Mode, you’ll see improved Scene Load, Realtime View Performance and Render Output Performance, in some cases over 2x faster.
ACES Image Feature: The new ACES Image transform adds a film-like look to scenes, with natural colors. It also better preserves the hue of very intense colors, such as brightly lit LEDs. You can think of ACES as an image filter for your scene.
Light Solo Mode: An improvement to the existing Solo Mode function, Light Solo Mode allows you to preserve your lighting when working with regular objects and materials. Likewise, when working with Lighting, you preserve the scene objects, and can see the scene with only that light affecting it.
2023.3 Release Notes
The KeyShot Colorway Design Challenge
We want to see just how creative you can get with color! With KeyShot 2023.3, you now have more libraries to choose from, and it’s easier than ever to create multiple versions of the same scene. This means you can free up your energy to create extra imaginative visuals for the 2023 Colorway Design Challenge.
Prizes for the top three winners include a free year of KeyShot Pro, Will Gibbons Master Classes, and more. Challenge details
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