SOLIDWORKS

 

KeyShot Studio SOLIDWORKS Add-in

Version 1.8 (Released May 6th 2025)

These installation notes are specific to the latest version of the KeyShot Studio SOLIDWORKS add-in unless otherwise mentioned. For questions about other versions, please contact KeyShot Support.

KeyShot Studio SOLIDWORKS Add-in

 

 

 

Specifications

The KeyShot Studio SOLIDWORKS add-in requirements are as follows:

  • SOLIDWORKS 2012 or newer

  • Windows 10 and later

Plugins for previous versions of KeyShot Studio are available here.

 

Installation

  1. After downloading, double-click the installer (.exe) file. Follow the prompts and click Finish.

  2. Open SOLIDWORKS.

  3. Go to Tools > Add-ins > Other Add-ins.

  4. Enable Active Add-ins for KeyShot Studio.

  5. Enable Start-up for KeyShot Studio.

  6. Click OK.

 

KeyShot Studio Add-in Menu

Once installed, a KeyShot Studio menu will appear on top of the SOLIDWORKS CommandManager when a part or assembly is opened. (If the KeyShot Studio toolbar does not appear, right-click in the toolbar area and select KeyShot Studio or go to Tools > Customize… > Toolbars and check KeyShot Studio.)

Send to KeyShot Studio

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

Update KeyShot Studio

Click the Update KeyShot Studio button to import/update to an open KeyShot Studio Scene. This will import your 3D data or update any changes on your model.

Export to KeyShot Studio file

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

KeyShot Studio Export Settings

Click the KeyShot Studio Export Settings button to change the export settings for sending and exporting models.

  • Separate materials: This option will isolate linked materials to each part by prefixing the part name to each material name.

  • Interpolate exported animations: By default, animation frames are interpolated in KeyShot Studio. On some models (fast rotations at low frame rates, for instance) this can lead to choppy results.

  • Automatically resolve components: For best results and consistency, all components should be fully resolved before sending or exporting. This option makes sure that any Lightweight Components will automatically become fully resolved.

  • Include NURBS: When enabled, NURBS data will be sent along with the model to KeyShot Studio. This will allow you to re-tessellate inside of KeyShot Studio and display your model with perfectly smooth rounds. Keep in mind that this will add to transfer time.

 

Supported Features

The KeyShot Studio SOLIDWORKS add-in supports these features:

  • Maintain assembly structure

  • Maintain part level appearance assignments to face, feature, body and part

  • Option to Separate Materials by part (all part materials will be unlinked when checked)

  • LiveLinking™ (update model inside KeyShot Studio)

  • Export KeyShot Studio .bip without KeyShot Studio installed

  • Patterned components import as instances

  • NURBS import (requires KeyShot Studio Professional)

  • Motion Study import (requires KeyShot Studio Professional)

  • Decals

 

How To Use The Plugin

  1. Open your assembly/part in SOLIDWORKS.

  2. Click Send to KeyShot Studio to launch KeyShot Studio. The 3D data will be transferred from SOLIDWORKS to KeyShot Studio.

  3. To Update any changes made in SOLIDWORKS, click Update KeyShot Studio while your KeyShot Studio scene is still open. All materials, textures, labels, animations, transformations, cameras, and lighting in the scene will be maintained.

  4. Locking, re-ordering or renaming a model in KeyShot Studio will block that model from being updated. Notice that when renaming a part/model, it will be re-imported, when you update, so you end up with 2 versions.

  5. To add a part or assembly to an open KeyShot Studio scene, click Update KeyShot Studio, even if the scene does not already contain the source model.

  6. To include animations from SOLIDWORKS, activate a Motion Study tab in the assembly and then click Send to KeyShot Studio. The plugin will automatically ask whether you want to export the model with animations. Activate the Model tab to export normally.

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

Note

Always use the same SOLIDWORKS mode with which you started. If your initial data transfer was done while in assembly mode, then all of your data updates should be performed while in assembly mode. Similarly, if your initial data transfer was done while in part mode, then all of your updates should be performed while in part mode.

 

Tip

To increase surface smoothness inside SOLIDWORKS, go to Tools > Options > Document Properties and increase Image Quality. You can then use the Send to KeyShot Studio button to update assembly/part.

 

Working With Materials

  • Part level appearances in SOLIDWORKS define material breakup in KeyShot Studio.

  • If you have the same appearances applied to multiple parts but want to edit them independently as unlinked materials in KeyShot Studio use the Separate materials KeyShot Studio Export Setting to isolate linked materials to each part.

  • In order to correctly maintain material assignments in KeyShot Studio when LiveLinking™/Updating Geometry, it is important that you do not use the Unlink Materials command in KeyShot Studio. However, using the Link Materials command is fine.

  • When projecting a label or texture onto a pattern of objects with linked materials such as a packaging display, use Center On Part texture mapping mode in KeyShot Studio.

 

Working With Configurations

In order to add multiple SOLIDWORKS Configurations to a single KeyShot Studio Professional scene you can use the following method:

  1. With SOLIDWORKS configuration “A” active, use the plugin Send to KeyShot Studio command to launch KeyShot Studio and import model to the Default Model Set.

  2. Add a new Model Set, where you include the content from the Default Model Set. This will be your configuration “A”.

  3. Make the Default Model Set active, and hide the new Model Set.

  4. With SOLIDWORKS Configuration “B” active, use the plugin “Update KeyShot Studio” command to update the model in the Default Model Set with the active Configuration.

  5. Add a new Model Set, where you include the content from the Default Model Set. This will be your configuration “B”.

  6. Make the Default Model Set active, and hide the new Model Set.

  7. Repeat steps 4-6 for each additional Configuration.

 

Working with Decals

If the plugin setting in SOLIDWORKS is set to Output Decals any decals on the model will be transferred to KeyShot Studio. For the best result we recommend using these settings for a decal:

  1. The Mapping should be set to Label.

  2. The Selected Geometry should be on a face or multiple faces rather than a component, feature og body.

 

Note

If the mapping is not set to label, the decal might be placed wrong on transfer.

 

Troubleshooting

If you cannot find the KeyShot Studio plugin under Add-ins, you can install the plugin manually, as follows:

  1. Browse to the location C:\Program Files\KeyShot Studio\Plugins\SOLIDWORKS in Windows Explorer and verify that KeyShotStudio.dll exists.

  2. Holding shift, with nothing selected, right-click an empty space inside Windows Explorer.

  3. Select Open command window here.

  4. In the command window, enter regsvr32.exe KeyShotStudio.dll.

 

Uninstall

In Control Panel > Programs and Features look for the KeyShot Studio SOLIDWORKS Plugin 1.7.0. Right-click and select Uninstall.