3D configurator – how to create a product fit for individual needs?

Online shopping is fraught with potential risk – you can find that a product which looked fantastic in photos or even videos, does not live up to your expectations. Without hesitation, we here at Oakywood decided to treat this problem as a challenge. Taking advantage of the newest technologies, we have created a 3D configuration tool and an AR visualization generator.

Personalization instead of mass production

Popularized at the beginning of the 20th century, mass production seems to be now giving way to customization – at least in some areas. Of course, producing goods on a mass scale significantly lowers costs and makes everyday necessities affordable for most. However, the universal availability of cheap merchandise has led to the problem of overconsumption and, in consequence, to environmental degradation. The growing competition on the market makes it difficult for new companies to break through so their only way of distinguishing themselves is by lowering prices. How long can a company compete using its prices and keep afloat, though?

Society’s increasing awareness of the climate emergency and the unethical practices used to produce goods on a mass scale (especially regarding working conditions and pay), means that more and more people think not only about the low price but also the quality of their purchases. Having unlimited access to virtually everything, we start craving something more than everything – we want products curated especially for us and not some indeterminate group of consumers. This is where customization comes in.

Deliberate purchases

Personalization means that your product is exactly what you need and meets your expectations to a T. The value of such objects lies not only in their quality and durability but also in a deeper sense of ownership; the product feels more yours because you contributed to it being made. Regardless of whether its purpose is self-expression or achieving peak comfort and functionality – personalized items are much harder to get rid of and replace. The deliberate decision behind your purchase can help you stop chasing the ever-changing trends. Both your wallet and the environment will benefit hugely from your choice.

From a brand’s point of view, customization plays a vital role in the design process as it gives us more information about our customers’ actual needs, thus allowing us to come up with even better solutions.

Oakywood’s configurator tool – customization in 3D

The configurator is one of the key updates we have implemented as part of our rebranding. Together with Precismo, a company specializing in the innovative texture transfer technology, we have created a tool to customize items –  for starters, the Classic Desk, Standing Desk, the Desk Shelf, and the Felt&Cork Desk Mat – to fit your individual needs. You can choose the color palette (in any arrangement) and the material, but also modify the measurements with the accuracy to 1 cm and specify the shape of the edges.

Thanks to the texture transfer technology, we have managed to significantly remedy the problem which has plagued online shopping since its beginnings – the difference between the item’s photograph and its actual appearance. This modern technology scans products and produces the most realistic effect, not only when it comes to their shape, proportions, or colors, but also the materials – which retain their real-life properties. For example, while choosing an oak tabletop for your home office desk, you don’t see a simple photograph of wood, you see the real oak wood with its characteristic weight, texture, and grain pattern.

Visualization

In order to help you make a sensible choice, we have introduced a way to let you generate visualizations in AR. Augmented reality is a technology which brings the virtual and real worlds together: it places a digital object in a real space. This is a very useful tool in interior design as it makes it easy to quickly make sure the chosen product looks good in your room or office before taking the plunge.

To ‘place’ a digital desk, desk shelf, desk mat, or any Oakywood product in your home office, click View in AR – a 3D view of the product will open in a new tab. Right-click and choose an option to generate a QR code and scan it with your smartphone. Aim your camera at your chosen spot and place the product.

Both the configurator and the AR generator are tools which, on one side, help us create products that answer our customers’ changing needs, and on the other – they allow our clients to effectively organize and reinvent their workspaces. By buying accessories you know will work in your space, you save yourself time, stress, and money, but also take care of the planet – you don’t generate unnecessary waste. As you can see, new technologies and sustainable development are a match made in heaven.