Blender

KeyShot Studio for Blender Plugin

Version 1.3 (Released 4th December 2024)

Note

Blender plugins with a version older than 1.3 are considered legacy and need to be uninstalled for the new plugin to work. Learn how to Uninstall Legacy Plugins

Specifications

The KeyShot Studio for Blender plugin requirements are as follows:

KeyShot 11.1 and newer

Blender 4.2 and newer

Windows 10 and newer

MacOS 14 or later

Supported Features

The KeyShot Studio for Blender plugin supports these features:

Support for mesh, curves, surfaces and text

Import View Layers as Model sets

Parts retain Principal BSDF materials and layers

Objects retain material names

LiveLinking™

Optionally update only selected parts

Export to .bip

Support for rigid and deformable animations (requires KeyShot Studio Professional)

Note

Animation and NURBS data import requires KeyShot Studio Professional.

Installation

Installing the plugin can be done in one of two ways.

Windows

Download the .zip file
Drag and drop the .zip file into Blender.

After downloading the .zip file open Blender.
Go to Edit > Preferences and click the  Add-ons button in the left-hand menu.
Open the drop-down in the upper right and select Install from Disk.
Browse to your Downloads Folder.
Click on the KeyShotStudioBlenderAddon.zip and then click Install Add-on.
A KeyShot Studio tab has now been added to the Blender Menu.

MacOS

Download the .zip file
Drag and drop the .zip file into Blender.

After downloading and saving the .zip file open Blender.
Go to Edit >  Preferences and click the  Add-ons button in the left-hand menu.
Open the drop-down in the upper right and select Install from Disk.
Browse to your Downloads Folder.
Click on the KeyShotStudioBlenderAddon.zip and then click Install Add-on.
A KeyShot Studio tab has now been added to the Blender Menu.

KeyShot Studio Plugin Menu

Once installed, a KeyShot Studio  menu will appear in the header. The KeyShot Studio button performs three functions: Send, Update, and Export.

Send

Click the Send button to launch KeyShot Studio. The 3D data will be transferred from Blender to KeyShot Studio.

Update

Click the Update button while an existing KeyShot Studio scene is open to update any changes on your model.

Export

Click the Export button to export your geometry as a .bip file that you can share with other KeyShot Studio users. KeyShot Studio will not launch.

How To Use The Plugin

Open your scene or model in Blender.
Go to KeyShot Studio and click Send to KeyShot Studio to launch KeyShot Studio. The 3D data will be transferred from Blender to KeyShot Studio.
To update any changes made in Blender, click Update KeyShot Studio while your KeyShot Studio scene is open. All materials, textures, labels, animations, transformations, cameras, and lighting will be maintained in the scene.

Note

Previously imported animations will remain in the scene if a scene is updated. For best results, delete the old animation in KeyShot Studio prior to sending updates to KeyShot Studio.

Uninstall

Inside Blender go to Edit > Preferences.
Click on Get Extensions in the left-hand menu.
Open the drop-down to the right of the KeyShot Studio Plugin item and select Uninstall.
Close Blender and delete the KeyShot Studio folder with the Blender plugin inside.

Uninstall Legacy Plugins

Inside Blender go to Edit > Preferences.
Click on Add-ons in the left-hand menu.
Expand the KeyShot Studio Plugin item and select Uninstall.
Close Blender and delete the KeyShot Studio folder with the Blender plugin inside.