Luxion today has just lauched KeyShot 2.1, the newest version of their CPU-based high-speed raytracing suite, which adds several useful UI improvements but, most importantly, support for several new file formats like Pro/E, ALIAS, and SolidEdge.

“KeyShot 2.1 is a major leap forward in terms of render quality and productivity,” says Peter Kossev, principal at Pixelmathematics, a provider of high-end product development consulting to many of the world’s top manufacturers and a beta tester of this new version. “The ability to import ALIAS files into KeyShot directly saves us hours on a big project.”

You can download a free 15-day trial from their website, or buy it at prices from $395 (basic upgrade) to $1995 (Pro Version).  Full release after the break.

Luxion Releases KeyShot 2.1

Latest release includes major improvements in usability, rendering and CAD integration for even faster creation of amazing photographic images from 3D data.

Irvine, California, October 1, 2010 – Luxion, the leading developer of advanced rendering and lighting technology and makers of KeyShot, the first realtime ray tracing and global illumination program, today announced the release of KeyShot 2.1, as a free upgrade to the groundbreaking KeyShot 2 application introduced just 4 months ago.

KeyShot 2.1 delivers many key features that makes it even easier to create photographic images from 3D CAD models. KeyShot 2.1 adds support for SolidEdge™, Autodesk ALIAS™, and further improves the support for native Pro/ENGINEER™ files.

“KeyShot 2.1 is a major leap forward in terms of render quality and productivity,” says Peter Kossev, principal at Pixelmathematics, a provider of high-end product development consulting to many of the world’s top manufacturers and a beta tester of this new version. “The ability to import ALIAS files into KeyShot directly saves us hours on a big project.”

Kossev has KeyShot fully integrated into his workflow. From early concepts to final marketing shots, Kossev has rendered an estimated 25.000 images since deploying KeyShot, formerly known as HyperShot, 3 years ago. “Our design process and business have fundamentally changed with KeyShot”, says Peter Kossev. “This type of business will be impossible without it.”

KeyShot 2.1 improvements include:
User interface and workflow enhancements

  • Full undo stack
  • Performance mode for fast model interaction
  • Further improvements to model and scene interaction

Materials

  • Translucent material for the creation for plastic and organic materials
  • Improved anisotropic material with interactive brush direction control
  • New, easy to use materials for Liquids, Paints and Gems

Rendering

  • Interactive Bloom and Vignetting accelerated using the GPU
  • Ground shadow color adjustment
  • New “realtime” render mode for final image output

Importers

  • Support for native Autodesk ALIAS™ data
  • Support for native SolidEdge™ data
  • Improved Rhinoceros™ and Pro/ENGINEER™ importer
  • Foreign language support

KeyShot 2.1 is available in English, German, and Japanese. More languages will follow soon.

“The amazing success of KeyShot has shown the critical need of a fast, affordable renderer with superior quality image output for anyone who is involved with digital data,” says Dr. Henrik Wann Jensen, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Luxion. “We are committed to delivering continuous improvements to KeyShot to our customers to allow them to create even more amazing shots faster.”

KeyShot 2 is available for Mac and PC starting at $995. KeyShot 2.1 is a free upgrade to all existing KeyShot 2 customers.

To learn more about KeyShot 2, the new release, to download a free trial or purchase a copy of the software visit www.keyshot.com.

About Luxion

Luxion specializes in technology advancing state-of-the-art in computer based lighting simulations. We have expert knowledge in areas related to daylighting (atmospheric scattering), light scattering by materials (BRDF and BSSRDF models), light transport algorithms such as photon mapping, and realtime rendering technology. We develop proprietary applications and libraries for customers in need for software capable of precisely calculating the scattering of light in complex 3D environments.