ViewerBoardsGuide6 min read
How to Get 3D Models of Your Products (Even Without a 3D File)
Every 3D viewer, AR button and virtual showroom starts with a 3D model. Where to find one, how to make one, and what to ask the manufacturer.
The first question after “I want my products in 3D” is always the same: where do the 3D models come from? Most stores do not have them and think that ends the matter. It rarely does.
1. Ask the manufacturer
Many furniture and design manufacturers already have 3D files of their products, made for production, for catalogues or for architects. Ask for them. CAD files (STEP, IGES) and the formats used by renderers and architects (FBX, OBJ, GLB) can all be used: Luxa Viewer opens GLB, GLTF, FBX and OBJ, and CAD files in STEP or IGES.
A production file is often heavy, and detailed inside where nobody will ever look. It usually needs lighter geometry and real materials before it goes online, which is normal and quick work for a 3D artist.
2. Have them modelled
A 3D artist can model a product from photos, measurements and a few close-ups of the materials. It gives the best quality, with finishes that look like the real ones, and it is how a whole catalogue is usually done. On the Custom plan, Luxa models the catalogue for the store and publishes it.
3. Make one from a photo with AI
For a single product, a first version can come from a photo. In Luxa Boards a product photo becomes a textured 3D model in a few minutes, and more views of the same product help it get the shape right. It is ideal for drafts, simple shapes and trying an idea, less so for a piece where every detail matters.
4. Scan it
Phone apps that scan objects with photos or LiDAR can turn a real piece into a 3D model. They work well for objects with texture and a clear shape, struggle with shiny, transparent or very thin parts, and the model usually needs cleaning before it goes on a product page.
What a model needs for the web and AR
- Real-world size, so AR shows it at the size it will arrive.
- Light geometry, so it opens quickly on a phone.
- Materials that respond to light (PBR), so wood looks like wood.
- Separate parts where the finish changes, such as the fabric and the legs.
Questions
- Which 3D file format is best for a website?
- GLB. It is compact, holds geometry and materials in one file, and is the standard for 3D on the web and for AR on Android. iPhones use USDZ, which Luxa creates from the GLB.
- Can I use CAD files from production?
- Yes. Luxa opens STEP and IGES files. They often need lighter geometry and materials before going online.
- Can AI make a 3D model from a photo?
- Yes, for a first version. Luxa Boards turns a product photo into a textured 3D model; for products where every detail matters, a 3D artist still gives the best result.
- How much does it cost to model a whole catalogue?
- It depends on how many products there are and how complex they are. Luxa quotes it on the Custom plan, after seeing the catalogue.
Your products in 3D and AR.
For a whole catalogue we model it and publish it for you. To try it alone, the free plan includes AR.
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