Product configurator embedded in a web page from a DC

thecravatman

I would dearly like any news or your thoughts upon the likelihood or otherwise of being able to create a product configurator embedded in a web page from a dynamic component made in SketchUp.

Notable examples are DriveWorks pro with Solidworks and 360 configurator with inventor but too expensive for us unfortunately unless we could find a bureau service.

http://www.configuremyproduct.com/ take a look at the shelter, great.

http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-configurator-360/features

TIG

Do you mean a webdialog opened within SketchUp - relating to a specific DC - which then allows you to configure the DC ?
The DC attribute dialog already does this... BUT you could envisage a custom web-dialog that gave you a visual display of changes before you commit/Apply ?
What is it you want to DC and configure ?
More info would help us advise you better...
There is scant chance of doing it all 'outside of SketchUp' without custom coding in the extreme?

thecravatman

For example a pergola for a garden, we have a DC that changes the length, the width, the height, the end shape of the rails etc. While we can do this in SketchUp our goal would be to be able to do this inside a browser so that a customer could self configure the exact size and shape they want and have a price instantly, along the lines of the two examples, Driveworks canopy is a great example.
I guess I am asking for the "scant chance of doing it all 'outside of SketchUp' without custom coding in the extreme" option.
Do others have an interest in this?

Krisidious

There are 3D web apps... Perhaps one will do what you ask in a web browser. I'm afraid your only other option is to export graphics of each variation of your product and then have your webpages change dynamically depending on user input. A lot of work... I think what you're looking for is a way to hook a 3D program up to a webserver and have multiple instances working simultaneously. SketchUp can't do that. At least not that I'm aware of.

this company might have something to fit your needs.
http://www.3dvia.com/products/

Krisidious

Or this?

http://code.google.com/p/hypercosm/

thecravatman

Thanks Krisidious
I shall take a look and keep you posted.

TIG

I would make ALL of the permutations of the pergola SKP [layered/DC etc] and export each of them as a 3d PDF - there are several relatively inexpensive add-ons for SketchUp to do this, e.g. http://www.simlab-soft.com/3d-plugins/3D-PDF-from-sketchup-main.aspx?gclid=CN7WmfWl7roCFSbkwgodBhQAZA or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-gWlMbGBGY or http://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/rps-3d-pdf.
There are also ways of exporting multiple images as a 'pano' etc but I think the 3d PDF is the way forward...

You can't [easily/legally] access a SKP via a web-page in a browser...

Now... on your server side, some clever HTML/js guy can have the user of your new interactive web-page choose various options and thereby change which 3d PDF is displayed etc.
So with each change of spec + update the 3d PDF that is now displayed reflects those chosen options.
3d PDFs are 'navigable' on most browsers and offer a 'frozen SKP-like' experience with orbit, pan, zoom etc...

thecravatman

Thanks Tig.
I shall look into this further.

thecravatman

Hypercosm is now freeware and hasn't been updated since 2011, they are looking for partners but I think tech has moved on.
3DVia looks more promising and I am waiting for a reply from them.

SteveAtMahoods

Hi

Did you have any joy with this?

We are looking for the same thing at the moment. There is a service out there, which is an entirely different configurating platform. Albeit specifically designed for this purpose, however. I have every structure the company i work for designed in sketchup.

See link; https://www.hallconfigurator.com/en/

It is essentially an online product configurator in which the customer designs their own structure and sends it along with their enquiry.

Hopefully there is a sketchup plugin that enables this because it will save a lot of headaches and money paying Configure 1st for this feature. But at the moment, it looks like the only option.

Thanks.

thecravatman

All the solutions that we have come across redraw the SU model in another program. I really thought that with the on-line version they would have come up with something sooner. I can't believe this was 7 years ago. It must be complicated with a major stumbling block otherwise one of the DC guys would be on it like a shot, a big market in my eyes. Good luck with your models.