3D apartment configurator buyers pick the flooring, finishes and furniture

A configurator is worth building when choices are part of the sale: finish packages, an upgraded kitchen, a furnished option. Without one, the sales team explains each combination from samples and brochure pages. A configurator shows the chosen combination directly, and the buyer can try the others without asking.

It is less useful when every flat is sold in one fixed finish. Then there is nothing to configure, and an interactive walkthrough without options, a film or a 360° tour does the job with less work. These are the signs that a configurator fits:

• Finish packages or upgrades are sold at booking
• The same flat has more than one layout or furniture option
• The sales gallery has a touchscreen or a large display
• There is no show flat yet, or it shows a single specification

You decide the list. A common set is the floor, the wall finish, the kitchen cabinets and counter, the bathroom tiles and the furniture style, with a switch between day and evening light. Options can be changed one at a time, or grouped into the packages you sell, so that one choice changes the whole flat.

We advise keeping the list short. Every option has to be modelled, lit and tested with every other option it can be combined with. Three clear packages are easier for a buyer to compare than a long menu.

These terms are used loosely. An interactive floor plan is usually a plan on a website where the buyer clicks a room to see a picture of it. An interactive walkthrough lets the buyer walk through the flat in 3D. A real estate configurator is a walkthrough in which the main activity is choosing options. Ours includes the floor plan as a dollhouse view, so the buyer can see the whole flat and enter any room from it.

Accurate material references matter more here than on any other kind of project. The buyer is comparing one finish with another, so the difference between them has to be shown truthfully.

• Floor plans and interior layouts of each flat type
• The specification sheet for each finish package
• Samples, product codes or photographs of each material
• Furniture selections for each style
• The name you use for each option in sales
• Where it will run: touchscreen, VR headset or browser

A configurator is quoted per project. The base is the flat itself: its area, the number of rooms and the level of detail. On top of that, the price rises with the number of options and the number of flat types. Options multiply the work, since each one is built and tested in combination with the others.

The number of devices also counts. A touchscreen version is the simplest. VR and browser streaming each add setup and testing, and streaming has a running cost. To keep a first version small, start with one flat type and the options that most affect the sale, and add more later. The interactive walkthrough cost guide explains the units.