Maya

 

KeyShot Studio for Maya Plugin

Version: 1.3.13 (Released January 22nd 2025)

These installation notes are specific to the latest version of the KeyShot Studio for Maya plugin unless otherwise mentioned. For questions about other versions, please contact KeyShot Support.

 

 

 

 

Specifications

The KeyShot Studio for Maya plugin requirements are as follows:

• KeyShot Studio (Try | Buy)

• Maya 2022 or newer

• Windows 10 and later

• MacOS 12 or later

Plugins for previous versions of KeyShot Studio are available here.

 

Supported Features

The KeyShot Studio for Maya plugin supports these features:

• Parts retain materials and layers

• Objects retain material names

• Support for hair (curves)

• LiveLinking™ (update model inside KeyShot Studio)

• Support for part and camera animations (requires KeyShot Studio Professional)

• Export of rigged and deformable animations (requires KeyShot Studio Professional)

 

Installation

1. After downloading, double-click the .exe (PC) or .pkg (Mac) installation file. Follow the prompts and click Finish/Close.

2. Open or Re-launch Maya. A KeyShot Studio tab will appear on the Maya shelf.

3. Go to Main Menu > Windows > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager. Scroll to the end to find KeyShot.mll and select AutoLoad so that the plugin will load whenever you start Maya.

 

KeyShot Studio Plugin Menu

Once installed, a KeyShot Studio plugin menu will appear within Maya’s shelf. The KeyShot Studio plugin menu provides four main options: Send Scene, Send Changes, Export, and Settings.

Send Scene

Click Send Scene to transfer your 3D model and basic animations from Maya to KeyShot Studio.

Send Changes

Click Send Changes while your KeyShot Studio scene is open to update changes made in Maya.

Export

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

Settings

Settings provides additional export options for animation, curves (hair) and NURBS. It also contains a new setting that allows the user to collapse the hierarchy when transferring data to KeyShot Studio. Once checked, groups and layers with only a single object will be collapsed.

 

How To Use The Plugin

1. Open your scene or model in Maya.

2. Go to the KeyShot Studio tab on the Maya shelf. The plugin will launch KeyShot Studio and transfer the 3D model from Maya to KeyShot Studio.

3. To update any changes made in Maya, click Send Changes while KeyShot Studio is open. All KeyShot Studio materials, textures, labels, basic animations, transformations, cameras, and lighting in the scene will be preserved.

4. To export your Maya scene as a .bip file, click Export. You can open this .bip file inside KeyShot Studio.

 

Uninstall

Windows

Run unistall.exe in the C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\KeyShotPlugin folder.

Mac

Run the script uninstall.sh with admin privileges in the MacintoshHD > Users > Shared > Autodesk > ApplicationAddins > KeyShotPlugin > Contents > Scripts.