A 3D configurator is hard to judge from a demo: the product shown is always the best-prepared one. The questions that matter are about your products, the 3D models you start from, who keeps them up to date and what happens once the customer has finished configuring.
These are the questions to ask every vendor before choosing, us included.
The 3D models
- Which files do you start from? Web-ready models (GLB), generic models (OBJ), design CAD files, or technical sheets and photos. Ask who does the conversion and what is left to you.
- Who creates models for new products? Every season or new line needs new models: ask about timing and process, not just for the launch.
- How are materials and colours managed? A library of fabrics, finishes and reference colours avoids redoing the work for every product. Ask how a new material is added.
What the customer sees
- Does it work well on a smartphone? Try it on a mid-range phone, not on the sales rep's laptop. Ask what is simplified on small screens.
- Which configuration rules does it support? Combinations that cannot be produced, allowed logo positions, colour limits: the configurator should stop customers from choosing what you cannot make.
After configuration
- What does your team receive? A summary for the quote, production specifications, images of the chosen version. Ask to see a real example of what reaches sales or production.
- Where can it be used? On the website, on tablets in showrooms, at dealers, at trade fairs. Ask whether it is the same tool or different versions are needed.
Integration and contract
- How does it integrate with the site? An embed on the product page or a development project. Ask whether the backend and cart are touched.
- How does pricing work? Ask what is included between licence, model creation and updates, and what is charged separately.
Config3D's answers
- Models: we start from your GLB or OBJ models, or from CAD files, which we convert. If you have no 3D models, our team creates them from technical sheets or photos.
- Materials: a library of digital fabrics, colours, textures and finishes.
- Where it is used: the same configurator runs on the website, on tablets in showrooms and at dealers, and on screens at trade fairs.
- After configuration: the sales rep or dealer receives a clear summary of the chosen version, ready for the quote.
- Integration: an embed on the product page, with no changes to the e-commerce backend.
For the technical steps see the guide from CAD to GLB for a web configurator; for products outside fashion, the one on 3D configurators for furniture and machinery. You can try the configurator live on the Config3D page, and in a 30-minute demo we show it on one of your products.
Read also: From CAD to GLB for a web configurator · 3D configurators for furniture and machinery · Team kit sizing
Frequently asked questions
Do you need 3D models of your products already?
Not necessarily. With Config3D you start from GLB, OBJ or CAD files, which we convert; if there are no models, the team creates them from technical sheets or photos.
What should you ask about what happens after configuration?
To see a real example of what reaches sales or production: a clear summary avoids transcription and revisions.
Is the configurator only for the website?
It is worth asking whether the same tool also works on tablets in showrooms, at dealers and at trade fairs. Config3D does.