3D Assets

Managing 3d assets inside the platform

Introduction

Simplio3D provides an efficient way to manage 3d assets inside the platform, allowing users to upload, assign status and save them in categories. This is very useful when you build many product configurators and want to easily manage each 3d asset to which product goes.

3D Asset Manager

Upload 3D files

The platform supports 3 formats: GLB, glTF and OBJ. These are the most widely used 3D data formats for the web, suitable for web applications, virtual reality and augmented reality applications. Users can upload one or a group of files at a time.

Uploading and having the 3D asset ready is important before creating the product configurator in Products. If you are new to 3D modeling or don't know how to source your 3D files, please see the Preparing 3D models section.

After you select the 3D file from the local source and click the Upload button, the platform will create an asset for you with the status "Pending" and take the file name as the asset name by default. You can further edit the newly uploaded 3d asset by changing the name, assigning a category, changing the orientation and status.

Edit 3D Model - Asset

Parts

Once uploaded, the platform shows you what parts the 3D file is made of. This is a critical step where users can verify that the 3D model has the right parts that will later define its customization degree. For example, if we have a tea cup with 2 parts: cup and saucer, then the platform will allow the structure of the configurator to choose separately the options for cup and saucer. We will have the color red for the cup and green for the plate.

NOTE: For more complex configurators, users will most likely need to upload and update the 3D files multiple times until they get the right parts to fit the configurator's requirements. This will be a back and forth job until you will have the right 3D file. We recommend that you document your configurator well before building it in the platform.

Orientation

Once you load a 3D file, by default the platform takes the initial position (x,y,z) taken from the original CAD source, which should usually be the correct one. For various reasons, this can be changed, for example during export, and you can correct this from the platform. For example, you might load a 3d table upside down with the legs up, so you may need to flip along the axis until it looks right.

Categories

We strongly recommend using categories when organizing your 3D assets in the platform. Especially when you have many, a good practice is to have for each product configurator or 3d viewer at least one category where you keep all your assigned 3d assets. You can also create separate categories for drafts, for unused ones, it's up to you how you organize them, but don't avoid using them.