How a 3D sofa configurator works: fabrics, modules, sizes

A sofa configurator does one of two jobs, and most shops need only one of them. It either shows one sofa in the fabrics it is sold in, or it lets the shopper build a sofa from parts. The sofa below does the first. The modular sofa on our demo page does the second.

One sofa, many covers

Our library holds this sofa in 55 fabrics. Each one is a separate 3D file of 12 to 17 megabytes, with the same shape in every file and a different cover.

Five of them are on this page, and they share one file of just under 5 megabytes. The shape is stored once. Each fabric is stored as a material variant, using the glTF extension made for this, so the fabric changes without a new download. Before merging we checked that the five files really hold the same shape, part by part. For a fabric change, the shape has to be identical across the files.

The fabric shell was also lighter than it looked. It had 185,000 triangles, and at 83,000 it looks the same from any angle the viewer allows. The whole sofa is now 111,000 triangles.

The picture tiles under the sofa are close renders of each fabric on the seat cushion. A coloured dot says little about a weave, and the tiles show the texture as well as the colour.

A sofa built from modules

A modular sofa needs a different build. The sofa on our demo page is made from four parts: a small corner, a middle seat, a long corner and a footrest, each its own file of 1.2 to 3 megabytes. The shopper picks a two-seat, a three-seat, a corner or a U-shape, then adds seats. Each part docks onto the one before it at fixed points, so the seams line up in every layout.

The fabrics live inside each module file as variants, the same way as on the single sofa. A new fabric is added once to each part and works in every layout.

This build costs more because the rules come with it: which parts fit together, where a seat may go, what the finished sofa measures. A range sold in modules is quoted on its own for that reason. Our glossary entry on the modular configurator explains the term.

Sizes are separate products

A two-seat and a three-seat from the same range look like options of one sofa, but in 3D they are two models. This range alone sits in our library as a one-seat, a two-seat, a three-seat, a lounge sofa for each side and an ottoman, all separate files.

Switching between them means loading a new model, with a pause and a jump in size. We show such sizes as products of their own, each with its own viewer and measurements. When a range is built from sections, the modular build above handles size without a separate model for every length.

What the shop supplies

• The sofa as 3D files, or photos and measurements for us to build from.
• The fabric list with names and codes, as the shop sells them.
• For a modular range, the parts and the rules for putting them together.
• Prices per fabric group or per part, if the configurator shows a price.

What it costs

A sofa in its fabrics is a configurator for colours and materials. That is on our Value plan, from 20 dollars per model per month, for at least 100 models over 24 months, with the 3D model, hosting, updates and implementation included. Modular ranges are quoted on their own. The plans are on the prices page.

The configurator demos show what else we have built, from a dining chair with a live price to a car. If you have a sofa in mind, send it to us. We answer within a working day with what it takes, and a product with colour and material options we configure free.

Questions

What is a 3D sofa configurator?

A 3D model of a sofa on the product page that the shopper can turn, zoom and change. Most show the fabrics a sofa is sold in; modular ones also let the shopper build the sofa from parts. See 3D product configurator for the general term.

Does every fabric need its own 3D model?

No. One model holds the shape, and each fabric is a material on it. The sofa on this page shows five fabrics from one file of just under 5 megabytes.

Can a configurator show a two-seat and a three-seat of the same sofa?

Yes, but each size is its own model. Unless the sofa is built from modules, we show each size as its own product with its own measurements.

How long does it take to build?

About two weeks for a sofa with colour and material options. A modular range takes longer and is quoted on its own.

Can the shopper see the sofa in their room?

On a phone, the "View in your room" button places it at true size through the phone's own AR, with no app. This one opens in the linen fabric.

Sources

• The file counts, sizes and triangle numbers are from our own build of the sofa shown above and of the modular sofa on the demo page.
• The plan prices are from our prices page on 7 October 2026.