There’s a secret, or rather, slightly hidden feature in KeyShot that allows you to animate the switch from one Studio to another. Imagine having two complementary scenes and instead of creating two different animations, you simply add another Studio and switch to it with little more than a click. What does this mean? Well, your entire animation can come to life all within KeyShot, and all within a single KeyShot scene.
KeyShot Studio Switch Event
A Studio collects the active Camera, Environment, Image Style, Model Set, and Multi-material. With this, you can have multiple Studios per Scene. With multiple Studios, you can then use the Studio Switch Event to easily switch between any Studio you like. No opening and closing different scenes and no compiling clips outside of KeyShot. Let’s have a look.
In the video and image below, you can see a Studio Switch Event appears in the Animation Timeline as a purple dot that you can drag to any point on the Animation Timeline to indicate when a studio switches. As you scrub through the animation, whenever you hit a purple dot, you will see the active studio change, as well as the associated Camera, Environment, or anything else linked to the Studio.
The animation in our example is made up of one rotation animation, applied to the headphone model, with multiple Studio Switch Events that switch between Studios. This setup is an easy, effective method to create dynamic product animations quickly.
Adding A Studio Switch Event
Adding a Studio Switch Event requires a scene with at least two Studios. If you need a little help with that, watch our KeyShot tutorial on Studios. With your Studios window open (Window, Studios… or U-key) and your Studios created, activate the Studio you would like to switch from, right-click, select Add Studio Switch Event, and select the studio you want to switch to.
When to Use Studio Switch Events
Ok, so where does this animation feature become really useful? Well, you may want to switch between different camera angles but along with an environment better suited for each camera angle. So, at the very least, a Studio Switch Event is useful for changing camera and environment simultaneously.
Another example is when you want to present different colorways within the animation. A Studio Switch Event is perfect for this. Double-click a part and select Multi-Material in the Material Properties to add more materials. Then, add a new Studio for each Multi-material color. Then, a switch from one Studio to the next, to the next, until you cycle through each color variation. Here’s an example of the completed animation with a Camera/Environment switch followed by a switch between colorways.
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Switch Between Any Studio Set Up
Studio Switch Events allow you to switch between any Studio set up, even Studios with different Model Sets, where you may have a second Model Set with the model in a different position or an exploded view of the model. Simply create the Studio, select the Model Set, then add the Studio Switch Event and KeyShot will automatically switch that Model Set for you.
The Studio Switch Event is an extremely useful animation feature that allows you to build out really complex animations, render them, and skip lengthy post-process compiling and editing for animations generated as separate clips.
So, if you’re ready to take your animations to the next level and want to stay inside KeyShot for it all, then explore Studios and add in some Studio Switch Events. You can learn more about Studios, KeyShot Animation, and the Studio Switch Event in the KeyShot Manual.
What Can You Create?
We would love to see what you create with this tip. Visit the KeyShot Amazing Shots forum to see what others are creating and share your own work. And if you have a suggestion for another tip share it in the comments below.
