- The price list that does not arrive or that arrives as an unstructured PDF. Until it is in the template, the price cannot be tested.
- The 3D files that have to be rebuilt: a photo and a scanned drawing per part, instead of a clean file.
- The rules nobody has written down: “the foreman knows that”. Getting them into a table takes meetings.
- Changing the scope halfway: adding a family or a new output when the flow is already assembled.
- Waiting for the website to be ready: the configurator is embedded with one line of code; there is no need to rebuild the website.
GUIDE · LEAD TIMES · PHASES · WHAT STRETCHES IT · HOW TO SHORTEN IT
— GUIDE FOR MANUFACTURERS · 2026
How long it takes
How long it takes
to build a 3D configurator
and what it depends on.
Between 3 and 16 weeks. A visual configurator of one product family is at the low end; a technical one with cutting lists, distributors and a connection to the shop or the management software, at the high end. What stretches a lead time most is not programming: it is waiting for files and price lists. What happens in each phase, what delays it and what you can have ready so that the date in the proposal is the real date.
— THE LEAD TIME
Between 3 and 16 weeks,
Between 3 and 16 weeks,
depending on what has to come out.
The level of the configurator sets the lead time more than the size of the catalogue.
| Level | What comes out | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Visual configurator of one family | The product in 3D with its finishes and options, PDF with image, link and QR code | At the low end of the 3–16 weeks |
| With rules and price | Sizes with limits and warnings, indicative price with your price list, order sheet, requests panel | In the middle |
| Integrated technical | Cutting list and cut list, distributor area, connection to the online shop or the management software | At the high end |
Two products at the same level can have different lead times because of the modelling: starting from clean 3D files speeds things up; rebuilding every part and every variant from a photo or a scanned drawing adds hours. Products generated from their dimensions (pallets, kitchen and wardrobe modules, shelving) do not need every reference modelled. The three levels, with prices, in the price of a 3D configurator.
— THE PHASES
What happens
What happens
in each phase.
Five phases. The first two depend on you as much as on us.
- 01
Scope and proposal
A video call with your catalogue, a sample of the 3D or the drawings and the price list. From that comes the proposal: level, what is in and what is not, parts and finishes to model, lead time with a date, payment and maintenance. Without the sample, the modelling item is an estimate and so is the date.
- 02
Files and price list
You send us the catalogue with references, the photos of the finishes, the 3D files or the drawings and the price list in your template. It is the phase that stretches most in practice, and the only one we cannot start without you. Exactly what is needed, in what a manufacturer needs for a 3D configurator.
- 03
Modelling, finishes and flow
The product is modelled or adapted, finishes and fabrics are loaded, and the flow is assembled: steps, options, warnings and what comes out at the end. A first version for you to see on your test site and on the phone.
- 04
Rules, price and documents, tested with real orders
Limits, combinations and price list; PDF, order sheet and, in the technical ones, the cutting list. It is checked with your orders already manufactured: until the configurator produces the same sheet for each one, it is not published. See how a technical configurator is validated.
- 05
Go-live and training
It is embedded in your website and your network's with one line of code, the sales team is trained and requests start arriving in the panel and by email. From there on, maintenance: you change the price list and the rules yourselves from the panel.
— WHAT STRETCHES IT
What stretches a lead time
What stretches a lead time
and what shortens it.
Almost everything that delays a configurator is known on day one.
- Starting with the family that sells most, with its real options, and expanding later. See how to build a 3D configurator.
- One person who decides on your side: reviews, answers and approves each phase.
- Three orders already manufactured from day one to validate rules and documents.
- Starting from a base that already calculates, warns and produces documents: the one you see in the 48 open demos. It changes the lead time and the price.
— A TYPICAL SCHEDULE
A typical schedule
A typical schedule
for a configurator with rules and price.
Example of a configurator for one product family with sizes, finishes, indicative price and order sheet.
Proposal signed and files
Video call, sample of the 3D and the price list, proposal with a date. You send us catalogue, finishes, files and the price list in the template.
3D, finishes and flow
Modelling or adaptation of the product, finishes loaded, flow assembled. First version on your test site and on the phone.
Rules, price and documents
Limits and warnings, price list, PDF and order sheet, tested with your orders. Corrections and go-live on your website, with training for the team.
With cutting lists, a distributor area or a connection to the shop or the management software, the schedule stretches towards 16 weeks, mainly because of the tests with real orders and how long the other system takes to give access. Development starts from €6,500 for a visual configurator of one product family; most manufacturer projects fall between €14,500 and €35,000, depending on catalogue, rules and integrations, plus maintenance from €190/month.
— FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What we get asked
What we get asked
about lead times.
There are more short answers in frequently asked questions about 3D configurators and who we are in 3D configurator company.
How long does it take to build a 3D configurator?
Between 3 and 16 weeks depending on the scope: a visual configurator of one family is at the low end; a technical one with cutting lists, distributors and a connection to the shop or the management software, at the high end. The proposal carries a date, not a range.
What delays a configurator most?
Waiting for files and price lists. The price list that is not in the template, the 3D files that have to be rebuilt from photos or scanned drawings and the rules nobody has written down. Programming is not usually what takes longest.
Can we start without having the 3D files?
Yes, with photos and drawings, but the modelling takes longer and is priced separately, at €30 to €120 per part or finish (or more). If the product is generated from its dimensions, like pallets or kitchen and wardrobe modules, there is no need to model every reference.
Can a first version be published and expanded later?
Yes, and it is what we recommend: start with the family that sells most with its real options, publish it and add families, languages or outputs later. Each expansion is priced and scheduled with its own date.
What do we have to do during the project?
Send the catalogue, the finishes, the files and the price list at the start; review each version and answer questions about rules; and provide two or three orders already manufactured to validate documents. One person who decides on your side saves weeks.
How much does it cost and how is it paid?
Development starts from €6,500 for a visual configurator of one product family; most manufacturer projects fall between €14,500 and €35,000, depending on catalogue, rules and integrations, plus maintenance from €190/month. Payment, in stages, is set out in the proposal. Details in the price of a 3D configurator.
— OPEN DEMO
Try it now
Try it now
or see it with
your range.
The 48 open demos are the base every project starts from: they calculate, warn and produce documents from day one. Try them with no sign-up and with sample products and prices at configurador.grup3d.es/demo.
Want a date? Tell us the family you would start with and what you have today (catalogue, price list, 3D files or drawings), and in a 20-minute video call we will tell you the level, the lead time and what it would take to meet it. No commitment.
Would you rather talk it through? Call us on 662 061 421 or write to grup3d@grup3d.es.
— KEEP READING
3D configurators
3D configurators
to keep reading.
How to build a 3D configurator
How to build a 3D configurator: four decisions beforehand, what is needed (range, rules, price list, files), the four steps, five mistakes, lead times and price.
Read →What a manufacturer needs for a 3D configurator
What a manufacturer gathers to build a 3D configurator: catalogue with references, sizes and rules, price list, photos of finishes, 3D or drawings, and real orders.
Read →All 48 configurators
The index with one card per configurator, filtered by sector, with their open demos.
Read →3D configurator company
For manufacturers and for those who sell without a factory: what we do, how, and at what price.
Read →106 questions with a short answer
Price, code, cutting lists, online shop, mobile, AI and every sector.
Read →The price of a 3D configurator
The three levels, what each one includes and what is priced separately.
Read →