Understanding Why KeyShot May Show CPU Usage Over 100% on Mac
Issue
While using KeyShot for Mac you may notice your CPU usage spikes to over 100%. This behavior raises concerns about system performance and whether it's abnormal or potentially harmful.
Environment
- KeyShot Studio (Any version)
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macOS (Apple Silicon)
Cause
On macOS, CPU usage in Activity Monitor is calculated per CPU core. That means:
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100% = one core fully utilized
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A system with 8 cores can show up to 800% total
So KeyShot showing 202% simply means it is using just over two CPU cores. This is completely normal, especially during:
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Real-time rendering
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Working with complex scenes
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Background calculations like lighting or material previews
Resolution
No action is needed — this is expected behavior.
If you want to reduce CPU usage:
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Enable Performance Mode in KeyShot to reduce resource load while modeling.
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Simplify your scene (fewer materials, lower geometry detail, or turn off real-time shadows).
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Pause real-time rendering when not actively needed.
KeyShot is designed to utilize multiple CPU cores efficiently, so higher usage during intensive tasks is both normal and beneficial for performance.