Using KeyShot and Flash to Create an Interactive Website Presentation

It’s true. KeyShot users create incredible 3D renderings and animations. You’ve probably seen a lot of product design images on website and wouldn’t even know that they were once drab, colorless 3D geometry. A few minutes in KeyShot and that drab geometry is turned into a photorealistic image. It’s exactly what Ryan Fenik of LayerZero did when he created the images for the product presentation on their website. He purchased KeyShot and in less than a week created the renderings and animations that would illustrate the functionality of their power systems. We caught up with Ryan to break down the process for you on how he did it.

KeyShot and Flash

LayerZero Power Systems uses Solid Edge to model their Remote Power Panels, Distribution Units and Static Transfer Switches. A Static Transfer Switch is an device that transfers electrical power between two sources, typically from a primary source to a standby source. LayerZero Power Systems static transfer switches do it in less than an electrical quarter-cycle. Here, Ryan covers the steps he went through to create an interactive product experience using Keyshot, After Effects and Flash.

Here is how I created the visuals for the Series 70 eSTS:  4000A Static Power Switch:

1. Imported our Solid Edge files into Keyshot, animated each of the doors opening, applied paint textures and labels.
2. Exported the animation frame-by-frame with a green background, no ground shadows or reflections (450 frames took about 18 hours to render.)
3. Import the images as a sequence into Adobe After Effects.
4. In After Effects, select Effect/Keying/Keylight 1.2.  Select the eyedrop of “Screen color” to the green color in the frame. This removes the background.
5. Export the animation from After Effects as an RGB + Alpha FLV to your desired output size.
6. Import the FLV file into Flash as an embedded movie clip.
7. Created buttons for each of the interactive sections, and linked to the appropriate section in the movie clip.

Notes:

• The preloader was also animated and rendered in Keyshot.

A big thanks to Ryan for this great overview on how they’re using KeyShot and how they’re presenting the product online.

Shot of the rendering with green background.

Shot of the final high quality rendering.