3D configurator for automotive design

Багато власників автомобілів хочуть зробити авто унікальним, додати йому індивідуальність. Іноді такі зміни, або тюнинг, носять функціональний характер, іноді – естетичний. Послуги тюнінга пропонують багато СТО, автосалони і автосервіси, і її популярність зростає. Однак кожен власник автомобіля хоче точно знати, що він отримає в результаті, і бачити результат не в каталозі, а на своєму реальному автомобілі. Чи сподобається йому новий спойлер або дизайн дисків, як буде виглядати той чи інший колір в різних варіантах оточення і освітлення?

3D modeling programs allow you to visualize any desires, but they are created for professional design. This means that they are too difficult to learn for customers and definitely not suitable for 3D visualization of various tuning options. The best thing that can be done to attract customers is to give them the opportunity to play with tuning on their own in a special program – 3D Car Configurator. The fascinating process of “designing” your own car with a high probability will attract the client’s attention to your car service.

It is a very easy to use, intuitive web application for creating various car tuning options. Its main feature is that the 3D configurator does not need to be downloaded and installed, the client can simply go to the website of your car dealership or service station and open the configurator in the browser like any other web application. All controls and settings of the 3D configurator are displayed on the front panel, they allow you to download from the available database all three-dimensional models and modifications of cars with which your car service works.

Also, the user has the ability to choose the environment for visualization – for example, a garage, a city street, countryside; and customize lighting – daylight, artificial and other options. All these options are important so that the client can understand how the tuning will look not in an abstract environment, but in the real conditions in which he uses the car.

But the main thing is, of course, the ability to visualize the desired changes in the car itself. The 3D configurator, developed by AVADA MEDIA, allows owners of car dealerships and service stations to load into the library not only all car models, but also any possible and available tuning options:

• color – as a whole and individual elements;
• various options for applied images, airbrushing;
• wheel disks;
• design and color of headlights;
• tuning the hood;

• bumpers;
• spoilers;
• exhaust pipes;
• mirrors;
• moldings;
• thresholds;
• and much more.

You provide a list of requirements for a future 3D configurator, a list of models and modifications, a set of tuning and paint options. We create, if necessary, or download from official sources 3D models, add textures and add them to the 3D configurator. After that, the user only needs to launch the web application in his browser, and he can use it as an intuitive designer of the future appearance of the car. Each detail individually and the entire car as a whole can be viewed from all sides – these are full-fledged three-dimensional models with detailed drawing and visual effects, for example, glare.

The 3D configurator gives him the opportunity not only to visualize the tuning, but also to immediately receive all the characteristics in a convenient format. The program makes a miscalculation of the cost, save the selected option and send it to tuning specialists with one click. Due to the high performance and optimization of the 3D configurator, the rendering of the models, tuning and environment selected by the user is performed as quickly as possible, your potential client does not need to wait for the download. The speed of the configurator is limited only by the speed of the client’s device.

Car tuning visualization programs are created using the WebGL cross-platform API and the Three.js library. WebGL is a full-fledged part of the browser’s document object model and runs as an HTML5 markup element. Thanks to this, a high speed of the 3D configurator is achieved and its excellent compatibility with all devices, including mobile gadgets. All leading developers implement WebGL in their browsers, so the configurator works correctly in all widely used browsers. WebGL technology allows you to use the JavaScript programming language when creating configurators.

To create 3D configurators, we use various frameworks and libraries that work with WebGL technology. First of all, it is Three.js, a cross-browser JavaScript library that is used to create and implement the display of 3D objects and animations in the user’s browser. Thus, we avoid the need to load new models from the server – all configuration takes place on the client side, reducing the time spent waiting for rendering (rendering). A similar principle is also implemented by the Babylon.js framework.

The blend4web framework allows you to achieve a fundamentally new level of 3D graphics and animation in configurators, using components used in game engines. To create or edit three-dimensional models of cars and tuning elements, we use the programs for creating 3D graphics Blender and 3DS Max. The models needed by the customer are loaded from the online catalog and finalized by the designers, after which they are unloaded to work in the software environment of one of the frameworks. All possible options for using the configurator by the client are programmed manually.

We will develop a 3D configurator for your car service or workshop according to your requirements. In the future, the configurator can be improved: loaded with new environments, car models and tuning options.