3D Konfigurator Roboterarm

3D configurator: configure products visually

Almost everyone has used a 3D configurator at some point. Nevertheless, good 3D product configurators are still rare in the capital goods industry. Find out here why you are a big step ahead of your competitors with our customer-centric 3D product configuration.

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What is a 3D configurator?

A 3D configurator is software that allows users to create and configure virtual 3D models of a product. Often, a 3D configurator is used in product development or e-commerce to allow users to design products according to their wishes. The 3D visualisation of the products arouses emotions. This gives users a direct connection to your products.

How does a 3D configurator work?

A 3D configurator is based on the 3D model of a product. This model displays all the properties of the selected product variant in a 360° view on the user’s screen.

The user can configure the product individually according to his or her wishes in real time. The special feature here is that he can make changes directly in the 3D representation by drag & drop and select from the available options. According to the selected product properties, such as colour, size, material, surface, the 3D model adapts in real time. In the process, the user is supported by corresponding dialogues when selecting the possible options.

In addition, the set of rules stored in the model ensures that product assembly is error-free and that the end product can be manufactured.

Advantages of 3D configuration for your company

There are a number of benefits that 3D configurators bring to manufacturing companies, which we have summarised for you.

But first, a video from our client Hager Group.

End-to-End Customer Journey mit einer skalierbaren Konfigurationsplattform - Hager Group und encoway

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"Visual 3D configuration offers far more than simplification for customers"

Michael Weisgerber
IT Team Manager, Hager Group

Hager Group saves up to 30% of the time in work preparation with an integrated 3D configurator.

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Increased competitiveness

A 3D product configurator can improve the competitiveness of companies in a number of ways. One of the main benefits is the ability to quickly and accurately offer customers customised products that meet their specific requirements.

Visualisations build trust and support the buying decision, because the more convincing and realistic you present your products, the more you will sell. This allows companies to differentiate themselves from the competition and increase customer loyalty.

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Improved customer loyalty

By integrating 3D configurators into your business processes, you give your customers the opportunity to design products entirely according to their individual needs. In this way, the interactive configuration creates a positive product experience for your customers. Abstract technical contexts become tangible and understandable in real time.

Export interfaces give your customers the flexibility to reuse data from configured products. This can contribute to you being preferred over other suppliers due to better interfaces.

Increasing the conversion rate

Often customers are not sure whether the product they want to buy meets their expectations. In addition, purchases in the capital goods sector are often associated with high costs and risks.

With the help of visual configuration, they can view the product three-dimensionally before buying. This gives your customers an exact idea of the final product. This helps to dispel doubts and increase the likelihood of purchase. To improve the conversion rate from interested parties to actual buyers, 3D online configurators are particularly useful.

Streamlining production

3D configurators streamline production by accelerating the development process and saving resources. The three-dimensional representation of the product revolutionises prototyping by enabling direct customer feedback in the development process. Finally, you can create and test products first with the 3D product configurator. This eliminates the need to produce prototypes.

The improvement of product development has a simultaneous effect on the quality of your products.

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Increase product quality

The main aspect of improving product quality is the reduction of defects. Through the visual representation, the ideas of your customers, your production and your sales are congruent. The configurator allows changes within the framework of the rules in real time.

By visualising the product, you enable direct feedback to the customer. For example, your customer sees the final product on a salesperson’s tablet and can thus give his feedback. Change requests can then be incorporated directly by adjusting the configuration. This allows you to respond to customer feedback more quickly than before.

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Live Demo encoway 3D Configurator

Let our 3D configurator inspire you. We would be happy to show you live what you can expect from our encoway CPQ software.

3 steps to your product visualisation

In order to make the simple construction of your product visualisation a success, we provide you with our encoway CPQ Studio, a modelling tool that supports you in a sustainable construction. This is how you can set up your product visualisation in 3 steps.

3 steps to your product visualisation

These features are offered by the 3D configurator from encoway

Of course, all 3D configurators can do 3D configuration. But in order for the configurator to really fit the needs and goals of your company, you should pay attention to the details. To give you an insight into our 3D configurator, learn more about the features here:

Simple interactive operation

The encoway 3D Configurator is intuitive to use thanks to its self-explanatory user interface. The configurator makes abstract, technical data tangible. The user recognises the relationship between individual components. Size relationships and their influence on the available space are visible through the rotatable and zoomable product view. Here, the user sees the effects of his product composition in real time.

The example of the electric motor shows how complex products can be configured quickly and easily.

3D-Konfigurator Beispiel Elektromotor

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Error-free configuration with the possibility of prioritising decisions

With the help of intelligent prioritisation of decisions in the course of configuration, the 3D Product Configurator makes the impossible possible. But what does that actually mean? The 3D configurator supports the user in prioritising his decisions. If the user makes a selection that is not possible due to his last configuration decisions, the 3D configurator gives a hint as to which change to the previous configuration decisions will make this selection possible.

Through this intelligent configuration by means of Guided Selling, you lead your customer via an error-free configuration to the end product that he can buy. Neither the customer nor the sales department need to have any technical expertise. At the same time, you succeed in configuring the right product without errors.

"The time required for quoting has been reduced by 70% on average. Added to this are the savings from no longer having to make enquiries with the design department."

Manfred Aulmann
Head of Design, Schulte Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG

Photorealistic 3D representation

encoway’s 3D configurator provides a realistic 3D visualisation of the configured item to give your customers an accurate idea of the final product. To create this realistic impression, the 3D representation photo-realistically simulates material properties such as colours, roughness, translucency and textures. The product can be virtually experienced through backgrounds, environments and different lighting conditions.

In addition, the product can be placed at the point of use through augmented reality.

Watch the video to see how you can edit materials and surfaces for display in the 3D configurator in real time with the help of our material editor.

Materialeditor mit Echtzeitvorschau Ihrer 3D Modelle

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Anchor points using the example of a conveyor system

Anchor points are the points at which elements can be connected to each other. Anchor points ensure the correct alignment of individual components. Here, we support the user in easily creating and editing anchor points through an integrated editor.

The anchor point editor provides different types of anchor points to choose from, making it easier to configure the machine later. They indicate where tThey specify where the user can place another 3D element in the progress of the configuration. The editor allows precise moving and rotating of anchor points. Here, example objects facilitate the immediate control of the adjustments.

The advantages are:

  • Easy to use without programming knowledge
  • Immediate control with the help of example objects
  • No additional work in the CAD programme necessary

You can experience how the anchor points work in the following demo video. In our example you can see the anchor editor in use for an industrial conveyor system.

Ankereditor für die vereinfachte 3D-Modellierung mit encoway CPQ

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Augmented Reality places the product virtually at the place of use

Augmented Reality technology gives the user the possibility to place a virtual product at a location in reality via the screen or 3D glasses. This allows you to recognise necessary adjustments to interfaces such as connections to other devices or dimensions within the premises.

Fast loading time on mobile devices

The visual product configurator is compatible with all devices to enable access for all users at all times. Here, especially with a limited mobile data connection, smooth functionality plays a major role for the optimal user experience. Read more about the impact of load time on conversion rates in the article from HubSpot.

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Import and export formats for further use of your data

The encoway 3D Configurator allows you to seamlessly integrate your existing CAD data from construction and planning processes. This allows you to present your products interactively and in high quality. In order to smoothly integrate the result of a configuration into your further processes, such as ERP, PLM or PIM systems, various export formats are supported. This ensures that your 3D models can be efficiently reused in upstream and downstream processes, whether in CAD applications or construction industry applications.

The encoway 3D configurator supports the following export formats, among others:

STEP-Export

A configuration usually consists of individual components for which separate CAD data are often available. The STEP export makes it possible to compile this individual CAD data of the configured components exactly as they are mapped in the current configuration state. This complete compilation can then be exported as an overall STEP file. In this way, you can already provide the valid composition of your product in the configurator in a format that is suitable for planning and design.

DFX

Machine control data required for the manufacturing process can be transmitted in DXF format (Drawing Interchange File Format). Here, the 2D surface to be produced is identified from the 3D configuration and all necessary geometric control data is exported as a DXF file. This file can be loaded directly onto a laser cutter machine to produce the workpieces required for manufacturing.

This process eliminates the manual isolation of 2D surfaces and the conversion of configuration results into machine control data for production. The process chain is thus digitalised from configuration to production, resulting in shorter production times and reduced error rates, especially in batch size 1 scenarios.

IFC/BIM

In the construction planning & supply industry, the BIM format (Building Information Modelling) has become established in order to standardise the planning process. In der Bauplanungs- & Zulieferindustrie hat sich das BIM-Format (Building-Information-Modelling) etabliert, um den Planungsprozess zu vereinheitlichen. It contains both descriptive meta data and the geometries of your products – gladly also in different levels of accuracy (so-called LODs – Levels of Detail). Companies from the construction supply industry can use this format to provide information for planning processes quickly and without errors.

The encoway 3D configurator also offers you the possibility to reuse your data flexibly and efficiently in various processes. This speeds up work, reduces errors and optimises your production processes.

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Live Demo encoway 3D Configurator

Let our 3D configurator inspire you. We would be happy to show you live what you can expect from our encoway CPQ software.

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