3D product configurator

A 3D product configurator is a viewer with rules attached. The shopper chooses fabric, colour, modules or size, the model updates on the spot, and the price and lead time follow the choices. It is for products with more combinations than a photo shoot covers. A modular sofa sold in four layouts, twelve fabrics and three leg finishes has 144 combinations before the seat count is chosen, and a configurator shows every one.

It differs from a plain viewer in what it knows. A viewer shows one product. A configurator knows which modules connect, which fabrics exist for which frame, and what each combination costs, so it can stop a customer choosing something that cannot be made.

Building one needs a model split into its configurable parts, materials that read correctly in every light, and the rules and prices from the shop's product data. Once built, the same model serves the web page and the AR view.

Four kinds of configurator

Colour and material. One model, several covers. Each fabric or finish is stored as a material variant in the same file, so switching costs no download. The sofa in our sofa configurator article holds five fabrics in one file of just under 5 megabytes. This is the most common kind and the cheapest to build.

Parts on and off. A rack, a basket or a lock shown or hidden on the same model. The city bike in our bike article works this way.

Modular. The product is built from parts that dock onto each other at fixed points. The sofa demo is made from four parts, each its own file of 1.2 to 3 megabytes, and the shopper builds a two-seat, a corner or a U-shape from them. The modular configurator entry explains the term.

Parametric. The shopper sets dimensions and the model is generated to them. The shed demo builds a garden shed to the width and depth chosen, and the price and delivery weeks follow.

Switching between separate models of different sizes is not configuration. A two-seat and a three-seat are two products, and each gets its own viewer.

All four kinds can be tried among the 3D product configurator examples on our playground.

Where the price comes from

The configurator holds a rule for each option: this fabric is in price group two, this module adds a fixed amount, this width adds four weeks to delivery. The total updates as the shopper chooses and stays on screen. For a made-to-order product the configurator hands the finished combination to the shop's order system, or to a sales team's CPQ tool, as a list of chosen options or as a link that opens the same configuration. Our stone table article shows a configurator with a live price.

What the shop supplies

The product as 3D files, or photos and measurements to build from. The option list as the shop sells it, with names and codes. For a modular range, the parts and the rules for which fit together. Prices per option or per group, if the configurator shows a price. Our article on what a furniture configurator has to do goes through the rules side, which is where most projects need the most care.

On the shop platform

The configurator goes on the product page as one snippet, so it works on Shopify, Shopware, Magento, WooCommerce and custom shops. The platform's own variant limits still apply to the order: Shopify allows three options per product, which fits fabric plus frame and does not fit a modular sofa, so the configurator passes those orders differently. The entries on a configurator for Shopify and a configurator for Shopware cover each platform. How it sits on a shop's product page, with a free first product, is on our ecommerce product configurator page.

What it costs

A configurator for colours and materials is on our Value plan, from 20 dollars per model per month, for at least 100 models over 24 months, with the model, hosting, updates and implementation included. Modular and parametric configurators are quoted on their own, because the rules come with them. The plans are on the prices page. We configure one product with colour and material options free; the page for our 3D product configurator for online shops has the form.

Questions

What is a 3D product configurator?

A 3D model on the product page that the shopper can change: fabric, colour, parts, modules or size. The model updates as they choose, and the price can follow the choices.

How is a 3D configurator different from a 3D viewer?

A viewer shows one product as it is. A configurator holds the product's options and the rules between them, so the shopper can build a combination and see what it costs.

Does every colour need its own 3D model?

No. One model holds the shape and each colour or fabric is a material on it, stored in the same file. Switching between them downloads nothing new.

How long does it take to build?

In our builds, about two weeks for a product with colour and material options, once the files or photos are in. A modular or parametric configurator takes longer and is quoted on its own.

How much does a 3D product configurator cost?

Colour and material configurators are on our Value plan, from 20 dollars per model per month, for at least 100 models over 24 months. One product with colour and material options is configured free.