Working with Materials in KeyShot
One of the best things about KeyShot is its ability to create and render realistic materials. When paired with beautiful lighting, product visualisations take on a whole new level of believability. When it comes to materials, KeyShot isn’t quite as advanced as some other rendering packages, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still able to create some killer materials.
01. Use the Materials panel
The Materials panel is where you can find a full library of various materials from plastics to metals and glass to stone. Applying these to parts of your model is as simple as dragging and dropping them either into the viewport or into the Scene panel object hierarchy.
(Image: © Paul Hatton)
02. Copy and Paste Materials
One of my favourite features is the Copy and Paste Material options. This lets you take one material from a component and paste it onto another. This is a big time saver and as easy as right-clicking on a component in the viewport and selecting Copy Material before selecting another, right-clicking, and selecting Paste Material.
(Image: © Paul Hatton)
03. Material Properties
If the range of materials aren’t customised enough for your needs, you can head to the Material properties panel to make finer adjustments. Select a material by either double-clicking it in the viewport or the list of thumbnails. Changing its Properties type using the dropdown adjusts the base properties of the material, but you can also adjust the Diffuse, Specular and Roughness properties. All adjustments are replicated in real time in the viewport, so you can play around with the options and see how each impacts the end result.
(Image: © Paul Hatton)
04. Textures and Labels
The Textures tab in the Properties panel brings up a world of functionality. You can add any texture map across Diffuse, Specular, Bump and Opacity channels. These can also be mapped with any mapping type or even adjusted in the Size and Mapping rollout. If your model has already been UV-mapped, that will be transferred through. You can also apply decals in the Labels tab.
(Image: © Paul Hatton)
Conclusion
KeyShot offers a wide range of materials and tools to help you create realistic and believable product visualisations. By using the Materials panel, Copy and Paste Materials, Material Properties, and Textures and Labels, you can create stunning materials that will take your product visualisations to the next level.
FAQs
Q: What is the best way to apply materials to multiple components in KeyShot?
A: The best way to apply materials to multiple components in KeyShot is to join components together into the same mesh, group components by material, or use the Link Materials functionality.
Q: How do I adjust the properties of a material in KeyShot?
A: You can adjust the properties of a material in KeyShot by selecting the material and using the Material properties panel. You can also adjust the Diffuse, Specular and Roughness properties.
Q: Can I add textures to a material in KeyShot?
A: Yes, you can add textures to a material in KeyShot by using the Textures tab in the Properties panel. You can add any texture map across Diffuse, Specular, Bump and Opacity channels.
