Development of a 2D ceiling configurator

Ceilings play an important role in interior design – they can be used to add warmth and coziness to a huge hall, visually increase the size of the room or fill the space with a special style. But to achieve such an effect, the correct selection of configurations, such as color, material texture and geometric shapes, is extremely important.

For this task, companies mostly rely on the outdated methods of showcasing the catalog and discussing the design in words.

As a result, due to misunderstanding, the client may be disappointed with the result, and the reputation of the company itself suffers.

A more modern and efficient way to select ceiling configurations are specialized programs – 2D configurators. In this article, we will talk about how they work, what benefits they give to a business, and how the development process goes.

The 2D configurator is a web-based tool where users can customize the design of the ceiling and change any of its components: color, lighting options, shapes and materials. All changes made are visualized in real time, so clients can get an accurate idea of how the ceiling will look in real life.

For the most realistic visualization, configurators often use vector drawings with textures based on photographs that can be superimposed on each other.

The main advantages of configurators for business:

• Increasing sales. Using the configurator, customers can experiment with different designs and create a ceiling that fully suits their preferences and wishes. As a result, they simply will not have any arguments left to look for other options from competitors.

• Reducing production costs. The 2D configurator provides the construction company with the exact dimensions and characteristics of all ceiling elements. This allows you to optimize production and reduce the cost of purchasing materials.
• Increasing customer satisfaction. Thanks to the 2D configurator, customers always get the expected result, which will positively affect the company’s reputation.
• Advantage over competitors. When designing a ceiling, it is much more interesting for clients to use an interactive configurator than to look through catalogs of the same type. Therefore, the introduction of such a tool can become a significant competitive advantage for the company.

Another important feature of 2D configurators is that they can work as a completely independent web application, but if necessary, they can be easily integrated into a website, CRM or ERP system, which makes their use as comfortable as possible.

The development of a 2D ceiling configurator consists of six main steps. Let us consider in more detail what work is performed on each of them.

Stage 1. Gathering information

The first step in developing a configurator is a requirements analysis. At this stage, the team needs to determine exactly which ceiling components will be available for customization, and what variations of changes should be provided to users. It is also important to determine which textures the client already has in stock and which will need to be developed.

Stage 2. Design

At the design stage, a prototype is created – a visual model of the product, which is necessary to represent the concept, design and functionality of the configurator.

As a rule, it consists of three components:

• Warframes are low-detailed UI mockups.
• Flowcharts that visualize the logic of the functionality.
• Functional description table.

To present the prototype to the client, our team also records demo videos. This approach allows the customer to understand exactly how the configurator will look and work after the release.

Stage 3. Development of 2D models and textures

The next step is to create a 2D ceiling model and textures that will be used by the users to model the interior design. 2D models are created with all customizable parameters and possible applications in mind.

Stage 4. Programming

The 2D configurator works on the client side — that is, in the browser itself, so frontend developers are involved in the technical side of its implementation.

The following technologies are used for this:

• Canvas is an HTML5 element for working with bitmap graphics using scripts.
• JavaScript programming language.
• Reactive Vue/React frameworks that are capable of handling user requests on the client side.

If it is necessary to connect the configurator with a server for storing and processing data, back-end developers can also connect to the project. They organize the server architecture, write functional code, and integrate the product with external services, such as a website or a company’s CRM system.

Stage 5. Testing

After the technical development is completed, QA specialists are connected to the project. They test the correctness of the configurator in different browsers and on different devices, and also control the fixing of bugs if they are found.

Stage 6. Technical support and development

When testing is completed, the configurator is released and becomes available to users. However, the technical work does not end there. In order for the tool to continue to work correctly and always meet the needs of customers, we offer to connect it to our qualified technical support.

The 2D configurator is a modern tool that will allow your customers to select and customize the ceiling design on their own in a convenient web interface. It contributes to increasing sales and improving the quality of services provided, which will ensure the sustainable development of your company in the long term.

AVADA MEDIA has extensive experience in the development of 2D and 3D configurators for various business areas. To implement such projects, we have already formed teams of specialists who will study the needs and priorities of your company, and then design and implement the optimal technical solution.