KeyShot crashes on Launch without an error (Intel GPU)

Troubleshooting steps for a possible cause when KeyShot crashes on Launch without an error message or launching.

Issue

If KeyShot crashes on launch so that it looks like nothing is happening when it is executed, this could be due to a driver issue that is caused by the Intel GPU driver that is often the integrated GPU.

To confirm, please navigate to the Applications in the Event Viewer.

  1. Press Windows Key + R.

  2. Type eventvwr and press Enter.

  3. Go to Windows logs > Application.

On the right side, you can click on Find or click CTRL+F and enter keyshot.
Look through the search results if there is an Application Crashing Event.

If the faulting module name is igd12um64xeh.dll, the crash is caused by the Intel GPU driver

Environment Details

  • KeyShot 
    • Any versions on Windows
  • Intel GPU

Cause

  • This is a general Intel GPU driver issue with integrated or dedicated graphics on intel processors that affects several applications, not just for KeyShot Studio. Many applications experience similar crashes on start-up with the exact same symptoms.

Resolution

If you have a dedicated Nvidia (or AMD) GPU, you can set your dedicated card as the primary card and set KeyShot to high performance in the Graphics Settings.

Set preferred GPU setting on Windows:

  1. Press the Windows + I shortcut to open the Settings app and click on Display.

  2. Under display settings, scroll down and click Graphics.

  3. Click on the "Browse" or "Add desktop app" button and select the following depending on how KeyShot was installed


    Installed just for Me

    %localappdata%\KeyShot Studio\bin\keyshot.exe


    Installed for everyone using this computer

    C:\Program Files\KeyShot Studio\bin\keyshot.exe


    Please use the appropriate version. KeyShot 2023 would have a folder name KeyShot12\bin\keyshot.exe. KeyShot 2024 and every version after that will be just KeyShot Studio.

  4. Click on the Options button and select "High Performance" from the Graphics specifications drop-down menu.

  5. Click on the Save button to apply the changes.

  6. Restart KeyShot


However if the Intel GPU is your only card, it is a bit more complicated.

If changing to high performance and making another GPU the primary card is not an option (e.g. if the Intel GPU is the only GPU in the system) the recommended course of action is to get another driver, be it from Intel or from the OEM.

 

The first thing you could try before trying to change the drivers is to disable the GPU effects in KeyShot.

Please follow the instructions below:

Turn off “Graphics Effects” under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. Then, click Save Changes.

  • If you are unable to access the Preferences menu, then you may also turn off this setting inside the XMLfile:

  1. Open Windows Explorer and browse to your Documents folder.

    Find the KeyShot folder and open it.

  2. Locate the KS#Settings.xml file.

  3. Right-click KS#Settings.xml and select Open with > Notepad

    Go to Edit > Find.

  4. Type the following in the search bar: “enable_gpu” or “enableGPU”, depending on your version, and click Next.

  5. In your document “enable_gpu” (or enableGPU) is highlighted.

  6. In the same line, you will see the word “true”.

  7. Erase “true” and substitute with “false” (Note: everything else on that line should remain as is.)

  8. Save your changes and close the file.

  9. Open KeyShot.

If that did not help, please try the Intel driver or the OEM driver, depending on what you currently have installed.

 

If you have the OEM driver, you should try the driver from Intel, and vice versa.

Please use the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to uninstall your old driver.
Restart your computer.
Download and install the different driver, for example from a download centre of your OEM vendor.
Regressing to an older version might also help.

 

Here is the page that explains how to install the intel driver: How to Install an Intel Graphics Driver in Windows 10 & Windows 11

For the OEM driver, this will depend on your OEM. Usually the processor comes with a physical manual that includes instructions on how to install the OEM driver.

Here is an official Intel article for a recommended driver when experiencing a similar crash for their “Corel Draw” app: Corel Draw 2021* Crashes When Launching with Error...

 

Additionally here is a customer support case on the Intel website recommending to perform a clean installation using the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) and installing the generic Intel graphics driver 5445: Sometimes Crash on D3D12CreateDevice