How to get 3D models of your products: scan, convert or commission

First: which products need a model at all

Not every experience needs a 3D model, and checking this first can save most of the work.

• Need a model: the 3D viewer, AR in the room, camera try-on for shoes, glasses and hats, and the 3D configurator.
• Need only a product photo: photo try-on for watches, bracelets, rings and earrings, and product customization on a flat product image.

Jewelry is the clearest case. A stone rebuilt in 3D loses its fire and a metal loses its tone, so Custivo places your own product photograph on the shopper's hand or wrist instead of modelling the piece.

Route 1: Use the files you already have

Ask your supplier or manufacturer before anything else. Furniture, appliance and electronics makers often hold 3D or CAD files for every product, made for production or for their own catalogues.

A GLB or USDZ file can go straight onto a product page. CAD formats such as STEP need converting to a mesh first, and their hidden internal parts removed, which our guide on GLB and USDZ explains. A file made for manufacturing is usually far heavier than a web page needs, so expect to optimize it.

Route 2: Scan the product with a phone

A phone can capture a product in three ways: walking slowly around it with the camera recording, taking a set of photos from every side, or, on an iPhone Pro, a LiDAR scan. The Custivo app guides each one and uploads the result to your account on its own.

Scanning works best on products that are:

• Matte rather than shiny. Mirror finishes and gloss confuse the reconstruction.
• Opaque. Glass and clear plastic are close to impossible to scan.
• Rigid and textured. Shoes, bags, furniture and ceramics scan well; thin wires and fine mesh do not.

Scan in even, diffuse light with no hard shadows, and keep the product still while you move around it. Each plan includes a number of scans, listed on the pricing page.

Route 3: Build a model from photos or a video

If you cannot scan in person, photos or a video of the product can be rebuilt into a model in the cloud. The rules are the same as for a scan: many overlapping angles, even light, and a product that is not transparent or mirror-like. The more of the surface the photos cover, the fewer holes the model has.

Route 4: Have the product modelled

For glossy, transparent or highly detailed products, modelling by hand is the reliable route. Custivo Studio builds models to order: you send the product photos and dimensions, receive a quote per product, and the finished model arrives in your account ready for the scene.

Modelling is also the right route for a product that does not exist yet, or one that must be shown in every colour and material before it is photographed.

Which route for which product

• Furniture, appliances, electronics: ask the manufacturer for files first, then scan or commission what is missing.
• Shoes, bags, hats: scanning usually works; commission the glossy or patent materials.
• Glasses: thin frames and clear lenses do not scan well, so commission them or use supplier files.
• Rugs and flat products: often need no scan at all, since a flat model with the product image as its texture shows it at true size in AR.

Checklist for the model you get back

1. It is a GLB (or USDZ) file.
2. One measured dimension matches the product sheet, so AR shows it at its real size.
3. It sits on its base, not floating or sunk.
4. Colours and materials match the product photo under neutral light.
5. It opens quickly on a phone. A few megabytes is the target; a heavy file can be optimized in the scene editor without redrawing the product.