How a 3D Quoting Tool Is Built, Stage by Stage, for the Manufacturer

In short: Building a custom 3D quoting tool moves through four stages: gathering the catalog and rules, a first interactive 3D model for the manufacturer to review, adding the pricing logic and integrations, and launch with the manufacturer managing its own prices.

A custom 3D quoting tool is built in four stages: first the catalog and rules are gathered, then an interactive 3D model is delivered for the manufacturer to review, then pricing and integrations are added, and finally it goes live. At each stage the manufacturer sends something, approves something and gets something concrete to try. Here I describe it from that side, which is the one that matters to whoever commissions the project.

Before starting: a conversation and a scope

Everything starts with a conversation about how the manufacturer sells today. Who quotes, how long it takes, where inquiries come in, where mistakes happen. That defines what goes into the first version and what's left for later.

• What the manufacturer sends: whatever it has. Catalog, project photos, a spreadsheet, some old quotes.
• What it receives: a written scope and a quote for the development, which is priced per project.

If you want to come prepared to that conversation, the list is in what a manufacturer needs to have ready.

Stage 1: catalog and rules

This is the least glamorous stage and the most important. It's about turning what the manufacturer knows into a precise description of the product: which parts it's made of, which dimensions are chosen and within what range, what options exist, and which combinations can't be built.

Take a steel fabricator that sells metal buildings. Questions like these come up at this stage:

• Does the customer choose the frame spacing, or does the manufacturer set it based on the length?
• Up to what span do you offer solid-web frames, and from what span do you switch to truss frames?
• Does the sliding door come in fixed sizes, or does it adapt to the bay?
• Which sheeting colors do you actually work with, as opposed to the ones in the supplier's catalog?

• What the manufacturer sends: answers. Sometimes by email, often as a WhatsApp voice message from the shop floor, which works too.
• What it approves: the list of parameters, options and rules, written in the language of the trade ("width (span)," "cross bracing," "sheeting trims"), not in a programmer's.
• What it receives: a document that is often the first time the manufacturer's know-how has been written down in one place. That same document is later useful for training a new sales rep. I talk about this in turning the owner's know-how into rules.

Stage 2: the first interactive model

This is where the 3D shows up. With the rules defined, I program the product's parts on the Estructuras 3D engine. Since the engine already handles lighting, camera, interface, views and layers, the work focuses on what's specific to each product: how its parts are generated from the dimensions.

The manufacturer gets a link. They open it on a computer or phone and see their product: they change the span from 18 to 24 m (about 59 to 79 ft) and watch the frames rearrange, add the sliding door, hide the roof with the layers to see the structure.

• What it approves: that the product looks the way they build it. This is the moment to say "the purlin doesn't go like that," "the block base wall is taller," "that sheeting color is too light." Each correction is made in the rule, not in a drawing, so it applies to every variant at once. I explain it in parametric rendering.
• What it receives: something that can already be used. Nothing stops you from showing it in meetings before it has prices: a customer who sees their building rotating on screen already talks differently.

This stage usually has the most back-and-forth, and that's how it should be. It's cheaper to fix things here than once the system is live.

Stage 3: pricing and integrations

With the product validated, the calculation is built on top. The pricing logic is programmed from the way the manufacturer quotes, and the values that change —steel, sheeting, wood, labor, freight— go into a price table the manufacturer manages.

• What the manufacturer sends: the calculation spreadsheet and three to five real quotes with their configurations.
• What it approves: that the quoting tool produces the same numbers as those quotes. If it doesn't, we find out why: sometimes it's a system error and sometimes it's a criterion that was never clear.
• What it receives: access to the price table to change prices without asking anyone. More on this in quoting with prices that change every month.

The integrations defined in the scope also come in at this stage. In the EQUIBOX system, for example, they were the PDF quote with the render views and accessory photos, per-kilometer shipping, payment plans and coupons, the CRM with statuses and collections, admin and sales rep roles, reports and an email alert for every quote. Each manufacturer chooses its own.

Stage 4: launch

The quoting tool goes live at its own address —it can be a subdomain of the manufacturer's website, like cotizador.equiboxarg.com— and is connected to the website and the channels where inquiries come in.

• What the manufacturer sends: access to the domain, the list of sales reps with their roles, and the WhatsApp number where requests will arrive.
• What it approves: one last full test, ideally done by a sales rep rather than the owner: build a product, quote it, generate the PDF and send it.
• What it receives: the system in production, user accounts set up, and an explanation of what it can change on its own (prices, active options, sales reps) and what requires development.

After launch

The quoting tool isn't finished the day it goes live. New products come along, a rule nobody anticipated, a request from the sales reps. The upside of a parametric engine is that those changes are made on the same foundation: adding a product means describing its parts and rules, not starting over.

I, Facundo Campo, handle the whole process myself, from gathering requirements to putting it into production, so the manufacturer always talks to the same person. In how I work with manufacturers I describe the more personal side of the method. If you're considering a project like this, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com, or see the details of custom 3D quoting software development.

Frequently asked questions

How involved is the manufacturer in the development?

Very involved at the start, when gathering rules and prices, and then in occasional reviews of each milestone. You don't need to assign someone full time, but you do need someone who answers and decides.

Can I see the quoting tool before it's finished?

Yes. From the second stage on, the manufacturer has a link with its product in interactive 3D, and can try it on a phone and show it to anyone.

What happens if a rule changes after launch?

The rule is changed and it applies to every configuration at once, because the 3D is generated from that rule. Prices, on the other hand, are changed by the manufacturer directly in its price table.

Does the manufacturer's website need to be built already?

No. The quoting tool can go live at its own address and be linked from anywhere: the website, Instagram, a WhatsApp message.