Before Expivi was founded, we were a software company that specialized in building custom 3D configurators for other companies. As we saw that more companies needed a 3D configurator solution, we decided to build a standardized 3D eCommerce platform to cater to our growing customer base.
With a 3D product configurator, you can create virtual 3D models of your products, enabling you to create visually rich interactive 3D models of your products to be added to your online store. Combining the 3D product configurator with Augmented Reality (AR) allows customers to personalize your products to more easily visualize how a product will look in their home.
The best part of providing a SaaS platform is that everyone can create their own 3D and AR configurator all by themselves. These are the steps you need to take to build your very own DIY 3D product configurator. Stay tuned.
What you need for building your DIY 3D product configurator
Creating your 3D product configurator is less complicated than you might think. There are only 3 things you would need: 3D models of your products, an Expivi account, and a website/webshop to sell your products. After uploading the 3D models to the Expivi platform, you can then integrate the configurator into your website or webshop, allowing customers to see your products from every angle and with the smallest details.
How to get 3D models for your product configurator
To build your 3D configurator, you need 3D models of your product that can be uploaded to the Expivi platform. Some big companies have a special team to create these 3D models, but for most companies, there are other ways to obtain 3D models.
Build your own 3D models
If you have 3D modeling skills, you could create your own 3D models in a 3D graphics program like Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, or Blender (free). This will require knowledge of the program. Before beginning to use the Expivi platform, it’s recommended that you at least have a basic comprehension of 3D modeling. However, this isn’t a requirement for using the software.
Buy your own 3D models
If you’re not selling your own manufactured products, then it’s very likely that 3D models of the products already exist. Ask your distributor or the manufacturer if they could provide this. If not, there are 3D model marketplaces where you can buy a 3D model of the product. TurboSquid and CGTrader are marketplaces where talented 3D artists sell 3D models in any category you can think of.
The advantage of buying models is that this will save you a lot of time in 3D modeling, and you can count on it that the quality of the models is top-notch. Always remember to verify the license model of these models when ordering. Different vendors have different license models.
Outsource your 3D modeling work
If there are no 3D models of your products readily available, a good alternative is to outsource this work to freelance 3D artists. To find highly skilled freelancers, you can visit websites like Upwork and Fiverr. There are also 3D agencies (like Pixready) that are specialized in 3D visualization.
Here at Expivi, we have a dedicated team of 3D artists that helps our customers with creating 3D models of their products. The advantage of this extra service is that you can count on highly optimized 3D products that not only look great on the Expivi platform but work smoothly as well. This way we provide our customers with a complete solution for their 3D configuration.
Getting an Expivi account
In order to use Expivi, you need to sign-up for an account or you can contact our sales team that will help you to get started as soon as possible. Once you have your Expivi account, you can upload your 3D models and start building your 3D product configurator.
How to set up your 3D models for your product configurator
After you have obtained the 3D models of your products, it’s time to upload them to the Expivi platform and set up business rules, pricing, and the available options for each product.
We have created a lot of tutorial videos to teach you how to do this yourself. On our YouTube channel, you’ll find all tutorial videos for setting up your 3D models on the Expivi platform and how to optimize your models so that they look as photo-realistic as possible.
In short, the steps that need to be taken to set up your own 3D product configurator are:
- Set up the hierarchy structure for your product in your 3D modeling software
- Uploading your 3D model to your Expivi account
- Setup materials in the material groups (if applicable)
- Setup pricing (of the product and its available options) and business rules
- Configure the 3D scene so that your products look as photo-realistic as possible to the viewer
How to add a 3D product configurator to your webshop
Once you’ve finished setting up your 3D configurator on the Expivi platform, you can start selling your products right from the platform. If you prefer to use your own website or eCommerce platform, then there are several ways to integrate the 3D and AR configurator.
Using integration plugins
To make it as easy as possible to integrate your Expivi 3D and AR product configurator on your website or webshop, we’ve developed native plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and Lightspeed (There is an API available, and plugins for other platforms will be released soon!).
For information about our plugins, you can read more in our extensive knowledge base.
In short, these are the steps that need to be taken to integrate the 3D configurator on your favorite eCommerce platform:
- Installing the special app or plugin on your eCommerce platform you’re using
- Create a product on your webshop
- Linking the 3D product you’ve set up on Expivi, with the new product you’ve created (or use an existing one). Once linked, the standard image gallery and the “Add to cart” section will be replaced automatically with the 3D configurator.
- Add additional custom code to theme files (where applicable)
- Optional custom styling to match the configurator with the brand identity of your business
Using the API embed
If you’re not using the 3D and AR product configurator to sell your products, but only for showcasing your products, then it’s not necessary to use an integration plugin. By using the API embed code method described in detail on our knowledge base, you can place the 3D configurator on any page you want. The only thing you need to do is generate an API key and fill in the specific ID of the product.
Custom integration
If you are not using an eCommerce platform for which an Expivi plugin is readily available, it’s still possible to integrate the Expivi 3D product configurator with your eCommerce platform by custom programming. We refer to our knowledge base where you’ll find articles on how to use our API to integrate the configurator on your product pages and hook it up to the eCommerce system you’re using.
Conclusion
Building your DIY 3D product configurator is not as complicated as you might think. In this Do-It-Yourself Guide, we’ve given you a brief overview of the steps that need to be taken in order to build your own 3D and Augmented Reality configurator and have it integrated with your eCommerce platform.
If you need assistance in any stage of your project, just drop us a line on this page or signup for our live Q&A webinar which takes place every Tuesday and Thursday to answer your questions.
Was this article on how to build your DIY 3D product configurator useful? Then read all about the benefits of product customization.