Meine-Stegplatten Konfigurator
Would you like to roof your terrace, pergola or veranda? Müller Kunststoffe GmbH from Hambergen has been your specialist dealer for multi-skin and corrugated sheets since 2009. Through their online shop Meine-Stegplatten.de, they sell both standard and special multi-skin and corrugated sheet solutions. Thanks to the 3D configurator developed by redPlant, both complete terrace roofs and simple roof coverings made of multi-skin or corrugated sheets can now be individually configured and ordered directly.
Well covered
The Meine-Stegplatten 3D configurator focuses on the planning and customisation of roof coverings made of multi-skin and corrugated sheets. If you already have a terrace roof or similar structure, you can plan a new roof covering to fit it perfectly. However, if you do not yet have a substructure, the configurator also offers you the option of planning a complete terrace roof from scratch.
Sustainable or a perfect fit?
If an exact overall dimension of the roof covering is required, there can be a lot of waste as each individual sheet has to be cut to size. As sustainability is very important to Kunststoffe Müller, they want to avoid waste as much as possible. For this reason, the 3D configurator favours the specification of the number of panels so that uncut sheets can be used. Of course, if you want to plan your roofing to fit exactly, you can always specify your desired total width to the nearest cm.
Always with you
Thanks to the Responsive Web Design of the 3D configurator, you can plan your individual configuration on the go on your smartphone, comfortably on your terrace with your tablet or on a large monitor in the office. The User Interface and the 3D visualization actively adapt to the different screen sizes and technologies, always remaining easy to use.
The centerpiece
As the name suggests, Meine-Stegplatten.de is all about multi-skin sheets. These are more cost-effective than glass and are perfect for patio roofs thanks to their positive properties in terms of light transmission, thermal insulation and resistance to ball impact and hail. A lot has also happened recently in terms of appearance. Various multi-skin sheets are offered in the configurator, visualized true to the original.
Multi-skin sheets Properties
Material
From acrylic glass with a real glass effect to robust polycarbonate
Thicknesses
16 mm thickness for pure roofing and 25 mm for thermally insulated constructions
Colors
Plain in transparent and white or in other colors
Internal structures
Hollow chambers with different internal structures for different loads
Everything remains stable
Multi-skin sheets consist of so-called hollow chambers. If a roof covering is made to fit precisely, the individual sheets may have to be cut to size. This can result in open edge chambers. In this case, chamber profiles are automatically planned into the open edge chambers in order to continue to guarantee the stability of the roof covering. Cross supports are also installed to ensure the necessary stability even with very deep patio roofs.
Corrugated sheets are also great
In addition to multi-skin sheets, the 3D Konfigurator also offers you numerous corrugated sheets for designing your roof covering. These are also available in various shapes, colors and surface finishes. While roof coverings made of multi-skin sheets are simply attached to the rafters using profiles, the interaction between corrugated sheets and the substructure is a little more complex, as the corrugation must be used for fastening.
Corrugated sheet properties
Material
The spectrum ranges from PVC, acrylic glass and polycarbonate to polyester
Colors
Plain in transparent and white or in other colors
Shape
Sine wave or trapezoidal shape, each with different wavelengths and amplitudes
Structure
The Honeycomb, Smooth and Rippled textures each provide unique light diffusion
Sine, trapeze and wavelength
In contrast to multi-skin sheets, which can simply be joined together using a profile, corrugated sheets must be joined together in an overlapping manner. However, not every corrugated sheet has the same properties. In order to be able to reproduce the characteristics of the corrugated sheets and their installation in detail, they were reconstructed exactly in terms of shape, wave length, amplitude and material thickness and planned using the data on cover width and overlap in order to be able to calculate the required number or sheet width. For fixing the corrugated sheets, the position of the crests had to be known at all times in order to position spacers or spherical caps correctly.
Everything considered
Choose your favorite from the diverse range of multi-skin and corrugated sheets. Whether you are looking for a special look, weather resistance or optimum UV protection, you will find what meets your requirements and budget here. You can determine how wide your roof covering should be by either specifying the desired number of sheets and the 3D configurator will calculate the resulting total width, or you can specify the exact total width and the 3D configurator will ensure that the individual sheets are shortened accordingly.
Solid foundation
Should your roof covering be free-standing or mounted on the house wall? No matter what you choose, the 3D configurator offers you the right options. If you choose wall mounting, for example, you can also adjust the color of the wall connection profile, which protects the transition from the house to the substructure from water penetration and guarantees a clean house connection. You can also determine the height of your roof by specifying the post height.
On solid feet
You have the option of anchoring your substructure to the ground with dowels or setting it in concrete. There are also three fastenings available for different requirements to ensure that your multi-skin sheets are held securely in place. You can also match the colors of the corresponding clamping covers, which conceal unsightly screw connections. If you choose a corrugated sheet instead, you have to decide between spacers and spherical caps. The 3D Konfigurator calculates the quantity and positioning for you.
In dry cloths
Rain gutters and downpipes are essential for the controlled drainage of rainwater. When planning your roof, the 3D Konfigurator automatically calculates how many downpipes your structure currently needs. It is entirely up to you whether you want to add additional downpipes. But don't worry, nothing can go wrong! The 3D configurator never lets you fall short of the minimum number of downpipes required. You can also specify the color of the gutter and downpipes at any time.
With everything that goes with it
Every millimetre counts, not only when installing your patio roof, but also during the individual planning in the 3D configurator. In addition to the roof covering and the substructure, all other components are calculated and positioned precisely. This includes, for example, fastenings, covers and profiles, which are shortened and positioned to the correct length. The invisible installation accessories are also accurately calculated and added to the parts list.
Full focus on the product
A simple garden scene including patio, detached house and green vegetation skilfully sets the scene for your configured patio roof. Both the wall-mounted and free-standing versions are positioned correctly in the 3D scene and all changes are visualised in realtime. To ensure that the configurator always runs smoothly and without problems, the Performance Widget from redPlant is also used, which determines the quality in which the product and the 3D scene are displayed. By switching the performance widget from dynamic to manual mode, you can also control the quality yourself.
Piece by piece
You configure your individual product in a relaxed manner, the 3D Configurator does the rest. Every time a change is made to the roof, the required components, including the installation accessories, are calculated precisely and the parts list is updated: From the wall connection profile to the smallest screw required to assemble the planned roofing, everything is automatically added to the parts list. This results in a complete delivery and assembly list and you end up with a complete all-round carefree package with all the components for your configuration.
Secured
Your individual configuration is very important to us. That's why the 3D configurator offers you various options for saving your individual product using a unique ID. In addition to the obvious option of saving the configuration, the configuration is also saved automatically when the request is made and when the product is transferred to the Meine-Stegplatten.de shopping cart. By entering the ID, each saved configuration can be reopened and edited afterwards.
Off to the shopping cart...
Thanks to the connection to the store system, the individual configuration including the specially structured parts list can be transferred directly to Meine-Stegplatten.de for further processing. A new item is created in the store system and automatically placed in the online store's shopping cart. This is clearly marked as a configured product so that you can open it again directly in the 3D configurator via a unique link.
... and save money at the same time
The online store Meine-Stegplatten.de offers various discount levels depending on the value of the shopping basket. The 3D configurator also retrieves these discount levels via the connection to the store system and offsets them against the total price of your configuration. The first stage of free shipping is quickly reached. If you are considering whether you can afford more, the range to the next discount level is clearly visualized.
The heart of the configurator ...
Our state engine guarantees that a valid state of the product is always delivered at all times. To do this, it knows all configuration options and restrictions and their dependencies. Every adjustment to the product first runs through the state engine and you are only ever shown the options that are currently available, which enables frustration-free configuration. Even the initially displayed product is checked by it before it is presented in the 3D configurator.
... brings the 3D to life
Our Construction Engine implements the 3D reconstruction of the product based on and within the specifications of the State Engine and places all components in their correct positions. To do this, it knows the individual components of the product and all the ways in which they can be connected to each other. In this way, the Construction Engine in combination with the State Engine ensures that the virtual product always corresponds to the real product.
Pretty close to reality...
In addition to creating the 3D models, high-quality textures of the materials were also prepared. Real material samples from Kunststoffe Müller were available for this purpose. We also used PBR shaders to add the finishing touches to the surfaces, taking into account the current lighting conditions. Special shaders were developed for both the multi-skin and corrugated sheets, which can precisely reproduce material properties such as transparency, translucency and refraction.
... and always performant
In order to guarantee good performance of the 3D configurator at all times, even when putting together large patio roofs, we use GPU Instancing in our 3D configurators. This means that a 3D model that is used several times in the scene is only loaded once and then copies of this 3D model are used in the scene. This is particularly useful for components that are repeated frequently, such as rafters or the individual panels of the roof covering.
Refracted and yet whole
In physics, refraction refers to the refraction of light when it collides with a surface and the resulting change in the direction of propagation of the light waves. Some multi-skin sheets are not only transparent, meaning that you can see through them, but also refract light in a special way. This becomes very clear with corrugated sheets with a honeycomb pattern: due to their structure, the light is refracted in many different directions at the same time, creating a fragmented but interesting view of the environment when looking through them.
Colorful Iridescence from the Depths
Mother-of-pearl is not only found in the inner shell of mollusks or in jewelry and handicrafts, but also in the corrugated and flat sheets from Meine-Stegplatten.de. The fine layered structure of mother-of-pearl simultaneously absorbs and reflects a portion of visible light. This creates the effect that makes mother-of-pearl shimmer in vibrant colors in the light. To replicate this, we developed a [Glossary Item id="11"], which simulates these physical properties using the Fresnel effect, which describes how the angle of incoming light is crucial in determining how much light is refracted and how much is reflected.
Always keeping an eye on performance
Due to the increasing use of performance-heavy programs, we have to ensure that our 3D configurators run smoothly on every device. Our performance widget analyzes the performance of the device used and adapts the quality of the display accordingly. As the focus is on the product, no changes are made that would distort its appearance. Instead, decorative accessories are gradually reduced until a smooth display with at least 60 FPS is guaranteed. The performance widget runs in dynamic mode by default, in which it completely takes over the optimization for you.
An important connection
The store system's API not only enables the individual configuration to be transferred to the Meine-Stegplatten.de shopping cart, but also provides us with important information about the products. For example, the title, image and unit price of the products are transmitted, as well as information on which multi-skin and corrugated sheets are currently released for the 3D configurator. In addition to this obvious data, the 3D configurator also receives data for the reconstruction of the 3D design. Furthermore, scales and discount levels are also transferred.
Easily expandable
New corrugated and multi-skin sheets? Remove or extend restrictions? Integrate new products or change prices? No problem! Thanks to the initially defined workflows, this is easily possible and the configurator is always up to date.
Features
WebGL
The 3D configurator was realised in WebGLand is available in common browsers.
Responsive Design
The 3D configurator is available on smartphones, tablets and desktops.
Individual ID
Each configuration is assigned an ID and can be called up again at any time.
Validation
If it can be configured, it can be produced. The configurator only allows valid configurations.
Millions of possibilities
The entire range of Meine multi-skin sheets, including the configuration logic, has been integrated into the 3D configurator.
Real time prices
Prices and all other dynamic parameters are calculated in real time.
Performance
To save drawcalls, frequently repeating components are instantiated.
SHOPWARE
The interface to the Shopware shop system allows you to purchase your customised configuration directly.