Centering the geometry so it rotates in place

[Blumer]

Hello all,
I have a scene I'm working on that was created in SolidWorks, and we like to be able to use the position controls in the Scene tree to rotate the geometry show multiple sides of our products.
Some of the files I receive from our engineering department work great, and when we rotate an item it stays in place and we can render multiple views easily. Sometimes we get an engineering file that does not rotate in place, and this slows down our work flow.
Is there a way to set the pivot point so that when I select the geometry in the scene tree it will rotate in place?
See screen shots attached.

[DriesV]

This happens when in the SOLIDWORKS model the origin is not located in the center of the object.
It is not possible to move that origin/pivot inside KeyShot when using the coordinates in the Position tab.

Alternatively, you can use the Move Tool to rotate the model. This will put the pivot in the geometrical center of the object(s) you are moving.
The Move Tool also allows to select a custom pivot object. The pivot will be positioned in the object's center.

Another option is to simply move the camera and perhaps create a different camera for each view you want.

I hope that helps.

Dries

[Blumer]

Thanks Dries,
I suspected as much, and was hoping that wasn't the case. I appreciate your response!

[Speedster]

This often happens when a team of designers crank away but are not aware of the requirements in KeyShot.  I always design with KS in mind.

The easy workaround is to create a new assembly in SW, and then import the master assembly into it.  Then "float" it, and remate by planes so that the imported model is centered and oriented to the new origin.

Bill G

[Blumer]

Speedster,

You mentioned the "easy" work around. I'm assuming the "hard" workaround still needs to happen in SolidWorks?

[mattjgerard]

I run in to this as well with some CAD files, I tend to import them into C4D and it has a built in Center Axis function with a load of parameters that can be adjusted. Or I can just drop it into a Null (group) and manually center it.

Can you do that in KS? I haven't tested it, if you drop it into a group, then center the group and manually move the object to the center, then rotate the parent group. Might not be exact, but you could get darn close, and would save you having to go into  a different program.

[Blumer]

An interesting idea!
I just tried, and could not get it to work though. I appreciate the idea!