3D web configurator for yacht, sailboats and speedboats

From the engine to electronics, from upholstery to navigation tools, throughout the boat painting. A pleasure boat, for it’s own nature, offers an extremely vast degree of customization possibilities. So it’s necessary to provide a dedicated tool that is simple, but characterized with a high graphic quality, that allows the user to configure his own ideal boat. An online 3D web configurator for yacht, sailingboats and motorboats is the perfect tool for this task.

Thanks to the most recent 3D web technologies (WebGL), it’s possible to show the user a tridimensional model of the boat, that is completely configurable. From the materials to the most peculiar components. This technologies allows us to have a 360 degree view both of the outside and the indoors, allowing also to compose, setp by step, our own ideal boat.

Currently there are many different configurator types online for the nautical field. Let’s analyze them, pointing out pros and cons for every one.

Malibù Boats’s 3D web configurator for yacht, sailboats and motorboats shows all the possibilities of a real time online 3D configurator. So that means that a faithful reconstruction of the 3D boat is displayed, put inside a tridimensional environment. Every change or additional feature is shown in real time and the 3D configuration displayed always perfectly reflect the current testual order recap.

• PROS: 360 degree view of the boat that we are customizing. The image displayed is very high quality and, unlike static renders, it’s possible to see one’s yacht, sailboat or motorboat in its natural environment. In fact in Malibù Boats’s configurator the boat that we customize is placed directly in the sea. So it is possible to notice the waves reflections on the hull while the sun’s position changes during the day. Thanks to the changes happening in real time, user can immediately observe the changes that he’s doing and so the customization feeling is quite notable. Moreover every new color, material or accessory does not require a new dedicated photo or render. Only few code changes are needed and that’s it.
• CONS: in order to guarantee an adequate graphical result, the initial loading time is a little higher compared to the previous solutions. But, once the tridimensional environment is loaded, the configurator’s fluidity is really impressive, so much that the feeling is to have actually in front of you your future boat.

Quicksilver’s configurator is an example of a web configurator that utilize a textual list of various accessories with attached photos. This service allows us to customize our boat through the selection of the desiderd features. An explanatory photo is attached to each item, so the user can easily understand what he is choosing.

• PROS: usability is clistar clear and the user is assisted step by step. Loading time is close to zero;
• CONS: the feeling of making your own customization is completely absent. Users can’t see in real time any changes related to the features they choose, they can only see an additional item in the order recap. Besides, storing and maintaning all the required photos for the related configurable components it’s quite costly, and time expensive. For every new additional feature a related new professional photo must be taken.

Cantieri Capelli’s configurator is an excellent exemple of a 3D web configurator for yacht, sailboats and motorboats that utilizes offline renders. This means that, for each component, material or color a dedicated render (an high definition static image of a 3D object) has been taken. So when a new feature is chosen, a new renderer is shown to the user.

• PROS: image quality is extremely high. Good loading time;
• CONS: for each component, material or color added to the boat a dedicated render must be taken. This remarkably increses costs and required time for the configurator develpment. In fact many working hours and dedicated technical knowledges are needed in order to realize a single render. So to lessen this issue, usually only the essential renders are made, but then this will not allow the 360 degree view. If high definition renders are realized, then loading times for each component chosen by the user may be quite expensive.

Let’s recap, the pros offered by a 3D web configurator for yacht, sailboats and motorboats are innumerable, resulting far more extensible and modifiable over time. But opting for a 3D in real time is not quite enough. In order to be really usable and accessible, a configurator should be tailored on the related specific product, because every boat has it’s own rules and specific configuration logics.

Besides, a shrewd design studio is needed in order to guarantee the stylistic continuity with the services already in use. Linking a 3D configurator to your e-commerce website does not need any alteration of the latter. Service fruition is guaranteed on every desktop platform (Windows and macOS) and on any existing browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge…)

On the mobile side (Android, iOS), the development of a dedicated app is strongly suggested. That app will faithfully reflects the desktop configurator’s features and will guarantee a notable usage fluidity.

Airlapp is a company that deals with the development of online 3D configurators, it’s formed by a team of professionals who have been operating in the sector for many years, capable of offering a range of cross-competences suitable to guarantee the highest quality standards for each solution created.

Airlapp is a software house based on this following strengths:

• Kanban workflow: the customer company is always supported and involved in every project phase: during ideation phase, planning, development and lauch https://airlapp.com/about-us/;
• Customized product: we develop dedicated logics for the online 3D configuratore, tailored on every single product type. It’s also possibile to link the configurator to the customer’s website, company management system, or e-commerce;
• Flexibility: for each project a vast flexibility degree is expected;
• New technologies: the online 3D configurator developed by Airlapp can be integrated with the most recent technologies out on the market, like augmented reality https://airlapp.com/app-development-technologies/;
• Professionalism: a working team characterized by consolidated cross-competences;
• Product warranty: the online 3D configurator is contractually guaranteed.

If you are looking for a company that deals with online 3D configurators development, than contact Airlapp and discover how to develop your project!