Here are the highlights of some of the most interesting new features and enhancements we rolled out this past season.
Configurator Design Improvements
| Feature | Benefit |
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Information in fields can be displayed as either the actual data (for example, a number in a number field), or as easy-to-understand graphic representations the data (for example, a number represented as a slider, or as the icons/images in a select list). Previously, when showing data in a field as letters or numbers, the characters within that field were styled consistently across the entire configurator through a theme. Now, more flexibility is available for individual fields. Both the text and background color of any specific field can be different from the general theme. These adjustments are made through Snap rules, based on whatever logic you need. For example, if a field element's value approaches tolerance limits for your product, inform your customer by setting the element's textColorOverride or backgroundColorOverride property to yellow or red. |
You can present text or number data with stronger visual cues, making the data easier for customers to understand. Data entry is also enhanced with clear, immediate feedback. |
| Feature | Benefit |
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To gather longer descriptions or notes from your customers, your configurator can use the multi-line text box control. This control can be resized by your customer during data entry to display as much or as little of the contents they want to see. Previously, multi-line text boxes always appeared with a default size of 1 line. Even though they could be resized, this feature was not always apparent. Now, you can use Snap logic to adjust the number of rows in a multi-line text box. |
As a designer, you now have greater control over the user interface. More information is visible to your customer without any action on their part. |
3D Scene Improvements
| Feature | Benefit |
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The same 3D scene you've created for modern web browsers can now appear in Apple's cutting-edge augmented reality viewer, the Apple Vision Pro. Previously, the 3D scene you build once can appear on many devices, as long as they have a modern web browser. If that device and browser supports Augmented Reality, then your product can appear in AR on that device as well. Now, your product can also appear in one of the most immersive AR devices built to date: the Apple Vision Pro. No special licensing or additional technology is required. |
For complex product assemblies such as piping manifolds, biotech flowpaths, engines, and the like, your customers now have more opportunities to understand the product visually. An exploded view of the product can surround the customer in space, |
| Features | Benefit |
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In this release, we've continued enhancing sketch paths with more options for handling sharp angles in path sweeps. |
3D scenes now have more accurate representations of mouldings, balusters, handrails, ducts, and other dynamic parts of your product that extend through space along a path. |
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Sketch meshes help you create complex shapes in your scene through a simple sketch and extrude technique. Sketch paths can be defined by you, or created and modifed on the fly by your customer. For example, the edge of a deck can be defined by your customer, and the configurator will sweep a hand rail along that edge. Previously, if a sketch path had a sharp angle, you did not have control over how that angle was presented, and some configurations resulted in visually jarring results. Now, sketch path angles can be mitered automatically, when they exceed a value you specify.
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| Feature | Benefit |
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In this release, scene designers have more options for including text in the visual representation of your product. Previously, you've been able to include dynamic text in your 3D scene as a sort of "sticker" -- the text appears within a 2D material that is painted onto a 3D surface. Now, a new Text Mesh is available. The characters generated within this mesh are no longer flat 2D shapes, but fully 3D objects. Dynamic text in this mesh appears by default along a straight line, but the characters can also appear along a curve with a radius you specify. The text mesh also honors mesh features, like the geometry join feature, which allows you to emboss the text into other surfaces.
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Scene designers can answer the needs of more use cases. Products that are custom embossed, molded, or cast can now appear more accurately in the 3D scene, with the actual customer-requested text. This helps minimize product returns. |
| Feature | Benefit |
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Your 3D scene can appear in any device that has a modern web browser: desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. If your customer uses a device that supports augmented reality, your product can also appear in the context of your customer's surroundings, making the size and options of your product even easier to understand. Your customer could launch the augmented reality mode by clicking an icon in the corner of the scene. Previously, this AR icon was always visible. Now, you have the ability to hide or reveal the AR icon, based on logic you define. |
Scene designers can choose if and when to offer Augmented Reality in their 3D scene, helping smooth the transition to AR for customers. |