Augmented Reality vs 3D Configurator: What Each One Is Good For

In short: Augmented reality places a 3D model over the phone's camera view; a browser-based 3D configurator lets the buyer build the product, change it and walk through it. For large structures, the configurator is what helps the buyer decide.

Augmented reality (AR) places a 3D model on top of what your phone's camera sees, as if the object were sitting in your living room or backyard. A 3D configurator in the browser lets you build the product, change its size and options, look at it from any angle and walk through it. They answer different questions: AR answers "how does it look here?" and the configurator answers "what exactly do I want?"

Let me be upfront so there's no confusion: the Estructuras 3D configurators don't have augmented reality. They're browser configurators, and this article explains why, for a manufacturer of steel buildings, homes or horse barns, that's the thing to get right first.

What augmented reality actually is

You open a page or an app, point your phone at the floor and the product appears there, to scale. Walk around it and you see the other side. It's great for things that fit in a room: a sofa, a table, a fridge. The question it answers is whether the object fits and how it goes with what you already have.

That's why furniture and home decor stores use it so much. The buyer already knows which sofa they want. What they don't know is whether it works next to the window.

What happens when the product is a 60 × 100 ft building

Now think about a farmer who wants a 60 × 100 ft steel building. To see it at full scale with AR, they'd have to stand on the lot, point their phone and watch a 100 ft structure appear. In theory it's possible. In practice, the model doesn't sit right on uneven ground, scale is hard to judge at that distance, the screen is hard to read in full sun and, most of all, the farmer hasn't decided yet whether they want 60 or 70 ft wide, fully enclosed or half-height walls, the big door on the end or the side.

That buyer's problem isn't "how does it look on my land?" It's "which building do I need and what will it cost?" You solve that by building it, changing it and comparing, which is what a configurator does.

Prefab homes work the same way. Before thinking about how the house sits on the lot, the family has to decide how many bedrooms, whether the porch goes in front or out back, a gable roof or a flat one. That's the decision that moves the sale forward.

What a browser-based 3D configurator handles

In the three public Estructuras 3D configurators (metal buildings, homes and horse stables), the buyer can:

• Build the product with their sizes and options, and see every change instantly.
• Use preset views or rotate it freely, and hide layers to look inside.
• Walk through it at eye level in Walk-through mode.
• See it at night.
• Download an image and share a link that opens that exact configuration.

All of it works on phones and tablets with nothing to install. Walk-through mode is the closest thing to the "being there" feeling AR is after, with one advantage: it works anywhere, not just standing on the property. I go into it in walking through a 3D configurator.

Side by side, case by case

• If you sell furniture, equipment or products that go inside a room, AR adds a lot, because the buyer's question is about space.
• If you sell large made-to-order structures (metal buildings, carports, warehouses, homes, modular units, horse barns), the question is about configuration and price. The configurator comes first. AR, if you add it, is extra.
• If you sell small outdoor products (a pergola, a single carport, a backyard shed), AR can help show how it looks in the yard, as long as what's being built is already settled.
• If your buyer decides at a trade show or at your shop, AR doesn't help: they're not on their property. A configurator does, because it's used with a sales rep right there. More in selling at agricultural shows.

Some configurator platforms for online stores include AR among their features; I compare them in 3D configurator platforms vs custom development.

Can augmented reality be added as custom work?

It can be looked at as part of custom development, for a specific product and use. It isn't something that works in the Estructuras 3D configurators today, and I won't pretend it is. Before asking for it, ask yourself which buyer decision it actually helps with. If the answer is "nothing the configurator doesn't already handle," your budget is better spent elsewhere, like an automatic PDF quote or live pricing for your sales reps.

Where to start

If you sell made-to-order structures, what moves the sale is the buyer designing what they want and contacting you with it already decided. Try the configurators and draw your own conclusions: metal buildings, prefab homes and horse stables. Open them on your phone, because that's where your buyer will use them; why that matters is in mobile 3D quoting tool.

I'm Facundo Campo, a developer who builds 3D configurators and quoting tools for manufacturers, working remotely from Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. If you want to see your product in a configurator, or talk through whether AR makes sense for you, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com. I answer in English and Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Do the Estructuras 3D configurators have augmented reality?

No. They're browser-based 3D configurators with preset views, layers, Walk-through mode, night view, image download and share links. AR can be looked at as custom development.

What's better for selling a steel building: AR or a configurator?

For a steel building, the configurator, because the buyer's question is which size and options they need and what it costs. Viewing a 100 ft building at full scale through a phone out in a field isn't practical.

Is Walk-through mode the same as augmented reality?

No. Walk-through mode puts you inside the model at eye level without using the camera. It helps you understand the space from anywhere; you don't need to be on the property.

Does augmented reality need an app?

It depends on how it's built. Some options run in the phone's browser and others need an app. If you're considering it for your product, test it on the phones your buyers actually use.