What is needed to start

Configurator Flow
Before you start with anything in Expivi you should know what parts you want to be able to be
configurated. This can be the material of an object or change an entire part of your product. This
is called the configurator flow. Think about the questions you want to ask your customers and in
what order to ask them.

3D model
The first thing you will need for a configuration is a 3D model. A 3d model is a three-dimensional
representation of your product. This can be created inside of a 3d program such as Autodesk
Maya/3DS max, Blender, Cinema 4d and many more. You can also buy 3d models online from
a multitude of sites. Our software works as a game would, this also means that the 3d models
require to be built for this use. Cad software models are not directly useable however they can
sometimes be switched to the correct format or be used as an example to create a new model.

The 3d model can be imported either as an FBX, Dae or OBJ. The prefered format is FBX as
this file format will retain the scene hierarchy, smoothing and material assignments best. Within
this 3D model, all the configurable parts should be separated from each other. All the
specifications for the 3d model can be found in a separate requirements document.

 

Materials
Each colour and pattern on your 3d model will consist of a material. To create such a material
you will need either a colour code for solid colours or an image of the desired pattern. For every
part of the product that would need specific patterns, for example, a wood structure, you would
need pictures. These materials are built within expivi and you can find the complete explanation
about this in a separate document.

 

Pricing sheet
The configurator can work with the pricing options for your product. To add these prices into
expivi it is important to have a price sheet. In this price sheet, all of the combinations that are
possible should be listed with the price linked to it. This can be a list with prices linked to parts
or a list of prices that are calculated by the created combination. Expivi can work with both part
prices and with SKU’s you can find the complete explanation about this in the pricing document.