Glossary

3D and AR for e-commerce, in plain words

35 terms you will meet when putting products on a page in 3D: what each one means, why it matters to a shop, and where it leads. No jargon explained with more jargon.

• 360 product spin

  A ring of photographs stitched so the product appears to rotate; it looks like 3D but contains no geometry.

• 3D as a service

  3D models, viewer, AR and hosting supplied for a monthly fee per product rather than a fee per model.

• 3D asset pipeline

  The sequence from product data to a live web model: build, check, optimise, export, host, deliver.

• 3D model accuracy

  How closely a model matches the real product in dimensions, colour and materials, and how close it needs to be.

• 3D model from CAD

  Turning an engineering file into a web model: exact geometry, then simplification and materials.

• 3D model optimisation

  Preparing a model for the web: fewer polygons, smaller textures, compressed geometry, without visible loss.

• 3D product configurator

  A product page tool that lets a shopper build a product from its options in 3D and see the price of the combination.

• 3D product viewer

  A web component that shows a 3D model on a product page, letting the shopper turn, zoom and inspect it.

• 3D rendering

  Producing images or clips from a 3D model, in place of or alongside photography.

• AR Quick Look

  The AR viewer built into iPhone and iPad that opens a USDZ model from a web page.

• Augmented reality

  Showing a digital object in the real world through a camera, at real size and in the right place.

• CDN hosting for 3D

  Serving model files from a content delivery network so they load fast everywhere and never touch the shop's server.

• Configurator for Shopify

  A 3D configurator added to a Shopify product page through a script and an element in the theme.

• CPQ

  Configure, price, quote: sales software for complex products, distinct from a shopper-facing 3D configurator.

• Dimensions overlay

  Measurement lines drawn on a 3D model in the viewer, showing real product dimensions.

• Draco compression

  A compression method for 3D geometry that makes GLB files much smaller to download.

• GLB

  The binary form of glTF, the standard 3D file for the web and for Android AR.

• glTF

  An open standard 3D format designed for delivery over the web; GLB is its single-file form.

• Hotspots

  Markers on a 3D model that open a short note about that part of the product.

• Level of detail

  Serving a lighter version of a model when it is small on screen or far away, and the full one when it matters.

• Modular configurator

  A configurator for products assembled from repeating units, such as sectional sofas, shelving and kitchens.

• PBR materials

  Physically based materials describe how a surface reacts to light, so it looks right in any lighting.

• Personalisation vs customisation

  Choosing among a maker's options is customisation; adding something unique is personalisation. 3D suits one better.

• Photogrammetry

  Building a 3D model from many overlapping photographs of the real object.

• Polygon count

  The number of triangles in a model; the main thing that decides how fast it loads and draws.

• Product configurator

  Any tool that lets a buyer assemble a product from its options; in e-commerce, usually a visual one on the product page.

• Real scale

  A model displayed at its true physical size, which is what makes AR useful for anything bought on fit.

• Real-time 3D

  Drawing a 3D model live on the shopper's device, many times a second, so it can be turned and configured.

• Scene Viewer

  Google's AR viewer on Android that opens a GLB model from a web page.

• SKU explosion

  The rapid growth in variants when a product has several independent options, and the reason configurators exist.

• Texture baking

  Pre-computing lighting or detail into a texture so a web model looks rich while staying light.

• USDZ

  Apple's 3D file format, required for AR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad.

• View in room

  The AR feature on a product page that places the product on the shopper's floor at real size.

• Virtual try-on

  AR that places a product on the shopper's body rather than in the room, most successfully for eyewear.

• WebAR

  Augmented reality that runs from a web page in the phone's browser, with nothing to install.