Choosing Colors and Materials in 3D: Metal, Siding and Floors
By Facundo Campo, 3D quoting tool developer
In short: Choosing colors and materials in 3D, on the product the buyer just configured, cuts down on regrets and back-and-forth, because the buyer decides with the whole combination in view instead of a loose swatch or a printed color chart.
Choosing colors and materials in 3D means seeing the metal sheeting, siding or flooring on the building, home or barn the buyer just designed, instead of on a two-inch swatch or a printed color chart. It's the difference between imagining how a green roof looks with a gray frame and actually seeing it. For a build-to-order manufacturer, that difference shows up as fewer last-minute changes and fewer customers saying "that's not what I pictured."
The trouble with color charts
Most manufacturers sell finishes the same way: a color chart, a few photos of past jobs, and the question "what color do you want?" The buyer picks a little square and hopes for the best.
The problem is that a color doesn't look the same on a square as it does on an 80 × 200 ft building. It doesn't look the same on its own as it does next to another color either: a gray frame changes depending on the sheeting beside it, exposed brick reads differently with white trim than with black, a wood floor plays off the wall siding. Buyers pick parts one at a time and only see the combination once it's built.
That's where regrets come from. Before fabrication, each regret is another round of messages. After fabrication, it's a problem.
What you can choose in each configurator
In the metal building, you pick the frame color, sheeting finishes and their colors, the walls (open, half-height, enclosed, block and sheeting, or brick and sheeting), exposed brick with pilasters, and the floor: concrete, wood or rubber. Try it in the metal building configurator.
In the home, the options are a house's options: flat concrete roof, single-slope or gable metal roof; stucco and accent color; ceramic tile, porcelain or wood floors; brick, stone or wood siding inside and out; and a solid wall, wire fence or metal railings around the lot. It's in the prefab home configurator.
In the horse barn, wood walls or barred walls, door style (standard or V-door, hinged or sliding), and the floor under the wraparound canopy: concrete, wood or rubber. Try it in the horse stable configurator.
Why deciding by sight cuts the back-and-forth
The logic is pretty simple:
- You see the combination, not the part. The buyer picks sheeting, frame and walls together and sees the whole result. Don't like it? Change one thing and look again.
- You see it in context. The building in a field, the home on a lot with a sidewalk and street, the barn with horses. A color that looked loud on the chart may look great out in the country, or the other way around.
- You see it by day and by night. Night view changes how light and dark colors come across a lot (more in night mode in a 3D configurator).
- The family decides together. Since the configuration can be shared by link, a spouse or business partner opens it on their own phone and weighs in on the same thing, not on a description. More in sharing a configuration by link.
Your sales rep gets something very concrete out of this: when the inquiry comes in, the finish is already decided, and it's the one the buyer saw. No sending photos of jobs in other colors, no waiting for the customer to "talk it over at home."
What production gets out of it
A finish chosen in 3D is a piece of data, not a phrase in a text message. "Blue sheeting, gray frame, half-height block walls" reaches the rep and the shop floor exactly the same way. The color doesn't get lost between the customer's message, the rep's notes and the work order. I go into that in from quote to production.
Your colors, not a generic catalog
In a custom build, the colors and materials on screen are the ones you actually sell: your sheeting colors, your siding, your floor types, with your names for them. If a color isn't available on a certain panel profile, the tool doesn't offer it. And if a finish changes the price, the price is calculated from that same choice (shown to the public or to reps only, your call).
An honest caveat: what's on screen is a representation. No screen shows a color exactly like sheeting in the sun, and every phone displays color a bit differently. To choose between two very similar shades, a physical sample still helps. What 3D solves is the rest: the combination, the proportions and the context.
I'm Facundo Campo, and I build 3D configurators and quoting tools for manufacturers, working remotely from Buenos Aires, Argentina. If you want your buyers choosing your colors and materials on your product, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com. I answer in English and Spanish. There's more in custom 3D quoting software.
Frequently asked questions
Are the on-screen colors exact?
Not entirely. They're a faithful representation for deciding on a combination, but every screen shows color a little differently. For two very similar shades, back it up with a physical sample.
Can my own colors and materials be loaded?
Yes. In a custom build, your colors, sheeting, siding and floors get loaded with the names you use, along with the rules for what goes with what.
Does changing a material change the price?
In a quoting tool with pricing, yes: the price comes from the same configuration, so if stone siding costs more than stucco, it shows. The public configurators on this site don't show prices.
Can buyers pick colors on a phone?
Yes. All three configurators work on phones and tablets, and colors and materials change with a tap.
