Luxion and Autodesk will announce today a plugin that permits Fusion 360 users to have the best all-around rendering environment integrated into their modeling workflow. I am really excited about this opportunity and hope it gives Fusion 360 users more ways to develop and visualize their designs.
This plugin will bring Fusion 360 users 2 important things:
- Ability to further extend the capabilities of Fusion 360 without degrading the flexibility of the product
- Bring those users what is regarded by many as one of the best 3d rendering engines, and hands down the easiest user interface
Rendering in Fusion 360
Fusion 360 customers will now be able to download a free plug-in that bridges the gap between Fusion 360 and KeyShot in a simple and powerful integration. Both applications remain separate, but maintain a link through Luxion’s LiveLinking technology, allowing you to both work and keep your Fusion 360 geometry updated within the KeyShot environment. I was discussing the new development with Richard Blatcher, Senior Global Industry Marketing Manager for Manufacturing at Autodesk, where I learned that this plugin addresses the largest user request for Fusion 360.
Autodesk:
“Autodesk is pursuing open strategies for their cloud products…We are very clear about offering choices to users, and not forcing things upon them”. …Richard Blatcher, Senior Global Industry Marketing Manager for Manufacturing at Autodesk.
Luxion:
“The Fusion 360 user base spans a wide variety of industries where visuals are part of the entire design process. The integration of KeyShot with Fusion 360 provides designers and engineers even more flexibility as a solution that delivers amazing images of their designs within a matter of minutes.” …Josh Mings, Luxion’s Marketing Guru
KeyShot 4
KeyShot is renowned for excellent lighting and being the easiest-to-use photo-realistic rendering platform available. For more information on the capabilities of KeyShot 4, check out Gus Petrikas’ review:
http://designandmotion.net/featured/luxion-keyshot-4-review/
KeyShot Plugin
The KeyShot plugin brings Fusion 360 users a simple, integrated method of connecting their model to KeyShot while retaining a link to Fusion 360. After the plugin is installed, there are three ways to transfer geometry from Fusion 360 to KeyShot:
- Export to KeyShot
- Update Model Data with Manual Selection
- Update with KeyShot
Maintains Assembly Structure
KeyShot associates a link between its data and that of the Fusion 360 model by the model filenames. Changes to the model data are synchronized in KeyShot when the data is opened again. If a part is added or removed, KeyShot updates accordingly, without disturbing the setup on other pre-existing components. Furthermore, in the event that a part does not exist in KeyShot, it simply adds the new component to the scene.
LiveLinking
The plugin also allows real-time synchronization between the Fusion 360 and KeyShot, so that when the model is updated in Fusion 360, the changes are immediately visualized in KeyShot
YouTube Video
Requirements
KeyShot is 100% CPU-based, and scales with the number of cores and threads available to it.
No specific graphics card is required.
Some general requirements include:
- Minimum 2GB of RAM
- Minimum 1GB hard disk space
- 3 button mouse
- Monitor resolution of 1024 X 768 or greater
PC Users:
- INTEL Pentium 4 processor or AMD or better
- Windows XP, Service Pack 3 / Vista / Windows 7 32/64 bit / Windows 8 32/64 bit
- OpenGL 2.x or higher
Mac users will need:
- INTEL-based Mac, Core2Duo processor or higher
- Mac OS X 10.6 or later (including 10.8 Mountain Lion)
- 3 button mouse, including Magic Mouse plus MagicPrefs
How, When, and Where do I get it?
The plugin is free, compatible with an installed license of KeyShot 4 and the latest version of Autodesk Fusion 360. The plugin can be downloaded on October 9th from keyshot.com/fusion360,
- Fusion 360 KeyShot Plugin: FREE
- Full license of KeyShot 4 Std: $995 USD
- Full license of KeyShot 4 Pro: $1995 USD
- Student License to KeyShot: $95 USD
KeyShot can also be purchased from Autodesk Exchange Apps.
You will also need Fusion 360 installed of course. A free 90 trial is available via fusion360.autodesk.com. Pricing for public availability is being announced by Autodesk in the near future.
A Thought
I have been a fan of KeyShot since it was first introduced to me by Jamie Klopp. I have never heard a complaint about the software from anyone.
The plugin is free, and KeyShot’s licensing is perpetual, so once you buy KeyShot 4, it’s yours to use indefinitely. What remains unclear at this point is how future updates to Fusion 360 will affect the integrated use of much older versions of KeyShot.
