Building a 3D Configurator That Grew Into a Multi-Year Partnership
A Three.js-powered 3D configurator built in Blender, letting Schirmmacher's customers preview branded umbrellas, parasols, tents, and deckchairs with their own logo before ordering.
Business Need
Schirmmacher manufactures and sells custom branded umbrellas, parasols, tents, and deckchairs to businesses across Europe, primarily through its own web shop. Each product line spans dozens of models, materials, and color combinations, and most orders involve printing a client's logo or photo onto the final product. Before a customer could see how their branding would actually look, in the right colors, on the right shape, they had to trust a flat product photo and take it on faith. That gap between browsing the catalog and seeing the finished product slowed decisions and generated extra rounds of back and forth before an order could be confirmed, right at the point where most customers were deciding whether to buy.
Result
Todor3D built and has continued to maintain a Three.js-based 3D configurator integrated directly into Schirmmacher's existing website, giving customers a real-time preview of their branding on umbrellas, parasols, tents, and deckchairs before they order. Across nine work batches since February 2023, our 3D developers modeled and refined the full breadth of Schirmmacher's customizable catalog while shipping configurator features like multi-color selection and frame customization. The partnership has run continuously for nearly three years, with the most recent batch of tasks just wrapped.
Selling Custom Products Customers Couldn't Preview
Schirmmacher manufactures and sells custom branded umbrellas, parasols, tents, and deckchairs to businesses across Europe, primarily through its own web shop. Each product line spans dozens of models, materials, and color combinations, and most orders involve printing a client's logo or photo onto the final product. Before a customer could see how their branding would actually look, in the right colors, on the right shape, they had to trust a flat product photo and take it on faith.
That gap between browsing the catalog and seeing the finished product slowed decisions and generated extra rounds of back and forth before an order could be confirmed, right at the point where most customers were deciding whether to buy.
A Three.js Configurator Built Model by Model
Todor3D built the 3D configurator as a TypeScript and Webpack-based web application, with Three.js handling real-time rendering directly in the browser. Our 3D developers modeled each product, umbrellas, parasols, tents, and deckchairs, in Blender, then exported them to web-ready formats so customers could rotate, zoom, and recolor a true-to-scale version of the actual product.
To make branding visible, we built a Fabric.js-based 2D canvas layer on top of the 3D viewer, letting customers place a logo or photo directly onto the model and see it wrap correctly onto the product's shape. HDR environment maps gave metal frames and fabric canopies realistic reflections, and pdf.js powered exportable design proofs customers could review before confirming an order.
Key items:
- Three.js 3D viewer integrated into Schirmmacher's existing website
- Blender-modeled umbrella, parasol, tent, and deckchair catalog
- Fabric.js logo/photo placement on the live 3D model
- HDR lighting for realistic material rendering
- PDF proof generation for order confirmation
Nine Batches of New Models and Configurator Features
What started as a single configurator build turned into a continuous, multi-year collaboration. Since February 2023, Todor3D has shipped nine work batches, each adding new umbrella, parasol, tent, and deckchair models to the catalog and refining the ones already live. A rotating team of 3D developers covered the work across the engagement's nearly three years, coordinating with Schirmmacher directly over Telegram.
Beyond new models, the partnership kept extending what the configurator itself could do: selectable two-color umbrellas, a rainbow color option, frame and valance customization, and repeated rounds of lighting and material refinement to keep every product looking accurate as the catalog grew. The team also migrated the configurator to a new server and connected it to GitHub, professionalizing the workflow behind a tool customers had been relying on for years.
Key items:
- Nine sequential work batches expanding the product catalog
- Two-color and rainbow umbrella selection added post-launch
- Frame, valance, and material customization options
- Server migration and GitHub-based version control
A Configurator That Covers Schirmmacher's Full Catalog
Today, Schirmmacher customers can configure their own branded umbrella, parasol, tent, or deckchair directly on the website, place their logo or photo accurately on the real product shape, and get a realistic preview before committing to an order. The configurator now covers the breadth of Schirmmacher's customizable catalog across all four product categories.
The most recent batch of work wrapped in late 2025, closing out a partnership that ran smoothly for nearly three years without disrupting the client's live website.
30
New 3D models (past year)
-70%
Bug tickets reported
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