Questions to Ask a 3D Configurator Developer Before You Hire

In short: Before hiring someone to build your 3D configurator or quoting tool, ask what they have running that you can try, how they'll turn your product rules into the system, who manages prices, who owns what gets built and what happens after launch.

Before you hire someone to build your configurator, ask them specific questions: what they have running that you can try, how they'll learn your product's rules, who changes the prices, whether it works on a phone, who owns what gets built and what happens after launch. The answers will tell you more than any sales deck. This is the list I'd use if I were on the manufacturer's side of the table.

1. What do you have running that I can try today?

Not a video or a screenshot: something you can open on your phone and use. A configurator only makes sense once you use it. Check whether it loads fast, whether you get it without an explanation, whether the model responds properly when you change a size, whether you can share what you built.

In my case, the answer is the three public Estructuras 3D configurators, metal buildings, prefab homes and horse stables, plus the EQUIBOX quoting tool, which is live. The public configurators don't show prices; that gets added in each custom build.

2. Who actually does the work?

Ask whether the person you're talking to is the one who'll build it, or whether there's a team, or whether they subcontract. None of those is bad in itself, but it changes who you talk to when something breaks and how much gets lost between what you asked for and what gets built.

3. How will you learn my product's rules?

This is the big one. A steel building configurator that doesn't know the number of frames depends on the length and the spacing is a drawing, not a quoting tool. Ask how they'll gather your rules: what they'll need from you (catalog, drawings, sample quotes, the spreadsheet you price with), how many meetings, who on your team has to be there.

If the answer is "send me some photos and I'll build it," be careful. The rules live in the heads of the owner and whoever does the quoting, and someone has to get them out. I explain it in turning building rules into software.

4. Is each variant modeled by hand, or generated?

If every combination of sizes and options has to be modeled by hand, the configurator will either have few options or be expensive to maintain. What you want is a model generated from the rules, so a 60 × 100 ft building and a 62 × 105 ft one both come out on their own. That's called parametric rendering.

5. Who changes the prices, and how?

If your prices move often, you need to update them yourself without calling the developer. Ask what the price table looks like, who can edit it and whether prices are visible to buyers or only to your reps. More in updating prices with inflation.

6. Does it work on a phone? With no signal?

Your buyers will open it on their phones, and your reps might use it at a trade show or out in the country. Ask to try it on your own phone. If you sell at farm shows, ask whether it can work offline. The quoting tool I built for EQUIBOX, a horse stall manufacturer in Berazategui, Buenos Aires, stores quotes on the device and syncs them when the signal comes back, because it's used at agricultural shows. It's in the EQUIBOX case study.

7. Who owns what gets built?

Ask who owns the code, who owns the data (inquiries, customers, prices) and what happens if you stop working with that person tomorrow. There's no single right answer, but it needs to be clear and in writing before you start. I go into it in who owns your 3D configurator.

8. How will I see progress?

A good process lets you try the configurator while it's being built, not just at the end. Ask how often you'll see something, in what form and how your change requests get handled. I deliver in stages, each one as a link you can test in your browser, and we talk over video, WhatsApp or email. I'm in Argentina (UTC−3), so with the US our working days overlap almost completely, and with Europe it's my morning and your afternoon. More in how I work with manufacturers.

9. What happens after launch?

A configurator isn't finished the day it goes live. You'll want to add a product, change an option, fix something buyers don't get. Ask how those changes are handled, who makes them and how they're billed. More in maintaining a 3D configurator.

10. How do you price the project, and what's not included?

Ask what drives the cost and what's left out: copy, photos, loading prices, connecting to your website, PDF quotes, a CRM. A clear quote says what's in and what isn't. In how much a 3D quoting tool costs I explain the factors; in my case, it's quoted per project.

Things to watch for

Beyond the answers, pay attention to how they answer:

• If they ask about your product and how you sell before talking tech, that's a good sign.
• If they promise specific sales results, be wary. Nobody can know how much you'll sell.
• If they won't let you try anything that's running, ask for something to try before going further.
• If they use words you don't understand and don't explain them, the project will feel the same way.

I'm Facundo Campo, a developer based in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, who builds 3D configurators and quoting tools for manufacturers. I work remotely, in English and Spanish. If you want to ask me these questions, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com; I'm happy to answer them. If you're comparing options, who builds 3D configurators in Latin America may help too.

Frequently asked questions

What's the most important question?

How they'll learn your product's rules and turn them into the system. A configurator that doesn't follow them can look great and quote wrong.

Do I need to know about software to ask these?

No. They're business questions. If an answer doesn't make sense, ask them to explain it with an example from your own product.

Should I ask for a trial before hiring?

It's worth trying something that's already running, like a public configurator or a live project, to see how it behaves on your phone.

What should I have ready for the first meeting?

Your catalog, a few sample quotes and the way you price things today, even if it's a spreadsheet. That way the conversation starts with real information.