Issue
With the KeyShot 2024.1 release, users can no longer import Autodesk's Alias .wire files into KeyShot on the Mac OS platform. It is expected to remain this way for the foreseeable future. KeyShot 2023.3 still supports the .wire import on Mac but it has occasional bugs resulting in missing faces or sometimes entire parts.
Note that PC releases of KeyShot will continue to support Alias .wire importing and have shown improvement since KeyShot 2023.3 with the development now focusing on a single platform.
Environment Details
KeyShot Studio- Mac OS platform
- Alias .wire import capabilities.
Cause
- The root cause is that Autodesk discontinued support for Alias on the Mac OS platform beginning with version 2019.1 However, Autodesk has continued to develop Alias for the Windows platform. The KeyShot developers stand behind Autodesk's reasoning for the discontinuation and since followed suit.
Resolution
As we do not expect a return of Alias .wire import support to the Mac OS platform, the best way forward would be to experiment with exporting a different file type from Alias or use 3rd party software to convert. Industry standards such as a Parasolid or IGES are a good place to start. If this is insufficient, one may need to invest in a PC workstation on which to run KeyShot and presumably Alias as well to take advantage of newer features added since 2019.