3D Views

Prepare the GLB before upload

Model quality determines runtime quality. Correct unnecessary fragmentation, scale, orientation, and material naming before treating the file as a product.

• Use a consistent real-world scale and a centered origin.
• Apply Blender transforms before export.
• Keep meshes separate only when they need distinct material, variation, selection, or drawing-area behavior.
• Use readable mesh and material names.
• Remove hidden geometry, unused materials, oversized textures, and unnecessary animation.
• Export normals and UVs correctly.

Upload and create the 3D view

Where to go: Product builder > Views > Create 3D view

After the view is created, wait for the Babylon bundle and model to finish loading before adding objects or invoking 3D tools.

• Select the GLB from the media library or upload it.
• Wait until the scene is visible and the view reports ready.
• Confirm camera drag directions feel natural.
• Check that the entire product fits the initial frame.
• Save before configuring detailed behavior.

Map meshes to product elements

Mesh mapping connects geometry to the shared product model.

• Group meshes that represent the same logical product part.
• Map independently configurable meshes to separate elements.
• Attach material and color variations to the correct element.
• Select the mesh in the scene and verify the Variations module opens the matching element.
• Switch repeatedly between two elements to ensure selection does not jump back to a previous root.

Configure materials and variations

Where to go: Materials, Elements, and Variations modules

A visual material change should modify only the intended mesh set and remain synchronized with related 2D or 3D views.

• Use stable variation IDs across views.
• Keep display labels independent from machine IDs.
• Test color, texture, visibility, and material-property changes.
• Confirm switching a Handle variation does not select or recolor Body.
• Return to the variation root and verify the camera returns to the product center.

Save root and focused camera states

Where to go: Camera module

The root camera frames the entire scene. Focused cameras make a selected product part easier to inspect.

• Frame the complete product and save the root camera.
• For a single product, prefer rotating around the existing target rather than moving the product in space.
• For scenes containing several products, move the camera target only enough to frame the selected element.
• Save configured focused views when automatic framing is not satisfactory.
• Return to the root and confirm the camera recenters predictably.

Create 3D drawing areas and markers

A 3D area may be a whole mesh or a drawn region on its surface. A marker is an insertion target that can later be replaced by customer content.

• Select the intended mesh before creating a mesh drawing area.
• Use a drawn surface region when only part of the mesh is printable.
• Attach added layers to one selected area when several areas exist.
• Center markers on the clicked surface point.
• Align inserted and dragged content to the local surface tangent and normal.

Validate surface placement and occlusion

Artwork should be reconstructed from the permitted surface, not projected as a camera-facing rectangle.

• Drag from front, side, rear, and oblique camera angles.
• Test near and far zoom levels.
• Cross mesh boundaries and verify the layer stays clipped to the assigned area.
• Rotate the camera after placement and confirm artwork is not visible on unrelated meshes or through the opposite side.
• Compare the live drag preview with the committed result after pointer release.
• Test text and asymmetric images to detect horizontal or vertical mirroring.

Optimize performance

• Reduce unnecessary meshes and material slots.
• Compress textures to appropriate dimensions.
• Avoid rebuilding expensive surface patches more often than the drag workflow requires.
• Test a realistic number of customer layers.
• Monitor memory during repeated view changes and long sessions.
• Use the GLB optimizer only when licensed and include the generated add-on chunk in the deployment.