3D balcony configurator
The family-owned company van Bergen, now in its third generation, has seen continuous development and offers a wide range of services in the field of metal construction since its founding in 1946. Today, the company also operates as a modern system builder in the area of prefabricated and attached balconies. To further advance its progress, van Bergen has commissioned redPlant Realtime Studios to develop a 3D configurator that enables digital planning of balcony systems in an equally efficient and straightforward manner.
Always on the path to optimization
Products from van Bergen are distinguished by their versatile adaptability, high quality, and innovative design. Over its eighty-year history, the family-owned business has gradually expanded its portfolio, evolving from its beginnings as a steel constructor to include welding work, structural calculations, and the development of system construction methods, continuously growing its range of services. This expansion is closely tied to the company’s commitment to providing comprehensive and personalized customer support from start to finish. With the 3D configurator we developed, van Bergen extends this support to 24/7 availability.
More user-friendly than ever
For the van Bergen 3D configurator, we simplified the configuration logic to just a few customer decisions. As a result, a streamlined user interface was created, allowing for free, non-linear configuration, while still enabling linear navigation thanks to our guide. If you accidentally click the wrong option, no worries—your last actions can easily be undone using the "Undo" button.
Always there
Ease of use and high availability are always the focus when using a configurator. Thanks to the responsive design of the 3D configurator, planning your balcony system is possible anytime and from anywhere—whether on a tablet, smartphone, or desktop. The 3D configurator dynamically adjusts both the user interface and the 3D scene to fit any screen size and device class. This way, you can carry your individual configuration with you, wherever you go.
Made to measure and individual
Your individual balcony system can be planned in various sizes. For both depth and width, there are grid dimensions based on the size of the floor panels, including the joints. It’s also possible to specify custom dimensions, although cutting individual panels makes this optionsomewhat more costly. However, this allows for seamless adjustment of the system to architectural conditions where the standard grid dimensions might reach their limits.
Reach new heights in single or double
Single or double balcony systems can be configured for buildings up to five stories high. Additionally, for the top level, there is an optional roofing feature. This can be customized to your liking with a fully closed roof, a glass roof, or a slatted roof panel.
Extension or projecting balcony?
Freestanding balconies are completely detached from the building both energetically and structurally due to their independent construction with four supports, making them particularly suitable for multi-story installations. In contrast, the attached balcony has only two front supports and is secured to the house wall with two brackets per floor. This makes it especially suitable when wall-side supports cannot be installed or can only be installed with great effort due to obstacles such as basement entrances.
The complete color spectrum
Regarding the color design of your balcony system, the 3D configurator offers you a preselection of the three most popular colors. If you don't find what you're looking for here, the entire range of RAL colors is also available to you. Additionally, you can choose the flooring and the underside of your balcony. The latter refers to the bottom part of the balcony, which is otherwise typically white by default.
A harmonious overall picture
The central element of your balcony planning is the railing. You have four different designs to choose from, each of which can be equipped with clear or frosted glass, except for the bar railing. The 3D configurator automatically calculates the field distribution and the number of glass panels, bars, and mounting elements based on the dimensions of your balcony.
Rod
All glass
Aluminium glass
Rod glass
See and be seen
To protect your privacy, you can plan a privacy screen on the sides of your system, and even between the balconies in the case of a double balcony. This screen automatically matches the appearance of your selected railing, but for privacy reasons, the frosted glass variant is always chosen. The bar railing is an exception, as it is combined with the privacy screen of the full glass railing.
Everything about the facades
The configuration of your individual balcony system takes place in a stylized house scene. The facade dynamically expands with windows and doors as needed to represent, for example, a multi-story system. Additionally, you can change the color and texture of the facade to harmonize the interaction between your local conditions and your individual balcony. The visual quality of the configurator is dynamically adjusted to your device.
Out of love for details
To ensure that the 3D configurator seamlessly integrates with the website and everything appears perfectly cohesive, we have adapted the website's design. Decorative elements such as plants and furniture follow the same illustrative style, creating a unified look. Similarly to the positioning of windows and doors, these elements are automatically arranged based on the available space. In contrast to the stylized design of the surroundings, the balcony system itself is presented in a realistic style and as detailed as possible.
Save and request
You can save your individual configuration at any time. The 3D configurator generates a unique link that allows you to easily revisit your balcony planning. This link will also be provided to you via email when you request your balcony system directly through the configurator. If you have planning-related documents, such as floor plans or images of the building facade, you can attach these to your request in the form of image files.
The most important on one sheet
When you submit a request, the 3D configurator automatically generates a datasheet with all the important information about your individual configuration in PDF format. This includes the configuration ID and the corresponding link, a general product description, the selected configuration options, and the total price of your balcony system.
Parts list and price calculation
To help you keep track of the total cost of your planned balcony system, the 3D configurator always displays the price of your current configuration prominently. Throughout the entire configuration process, not only are your changes immediately visualized on the 3D model, but a parts list of all currently used components is also continuously generated. Based on this parts list and an integrated pricing system, the total cost of the system is updated in real-time with every change.
Internal mode
In the internal mode, van Bergen employees have access to the generation of datasheets and the management of the pricing system. Here, the base and variable prices of the individual components can be determined, which serve as the basis for calculating the total price. To ensure that the prices do not fall into the wrong hands, the internal mode is protected by multi-factor authentication.
3D radial button
A small but eye-catching feature of the van Bergen 3D configurator is the button for changing the facade. This is a user interface element that is dynamically positioned in the 3D scene. The button always faces the user's line of sight and is rendered in the foreground at all times. As a visual highlight, the button is animated so that, upon clicking its center, the sub-options arrange themselves in a circular pattern at a regulated distance.
Fade-out
Another visually appealing feature is the fade-out effect of the facade. To create a smooth transition from the wall to the background, we used two planes positioned closely together. While the first plane displays the facade with its respective texture, the second plane has a gradient that fades from transparency into the background color. This way, the two planes blend into one another, creating a merging effect.
Optical illusion
To achieve the reflections in the windows, we had to get creative. The reason for this is that when using the so-called Screen Space Reflection, the current perspective is utilized as the reflection for doors and windows. However, depending on the selected configuration of the system, perspective, and zoom factor, there were often insufficient contents in this view to create a realistic reflection. As a solution, we made the glass panes gradually more transparent from top to bottom and mirrored the entire scene onto the other side of the facade.
Easily expandable
In its current form, the van Bergen 3D configurator already represents a sophisticated and user-friendly application for planning your balcony systems. Nonetheless, continuous development and improvement of both offerings and technology have been unwavering constants throughout van Bergen's long company history. For this reason, the 3D configurator is designed to be easily and efficiently expandable to accommodate future visions at any time.
Feature
WebGL
The 3D configurator was implemented in WebGL and 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 accessed again at any time.
Validation
If it is configurable, it is producible. The configurator only allows valid configurations.
Real-time prices
Prices and all other dynamic parameters are calculated in real-time.
Graphic upload
Upload function for your own graphics and files during the inquiry process.
PDF generation
Automatic generation of data sheets including numerous details.
Internal mode
In internal mode, prices can be managed and data sheets can be downloaded.
Tools
redCore
The core element of our 3D applications is redCore, our 3D render engine, which is specifically designed to meet the needs of the web and configuration.
State Engine
The heart of every 3D configurator is our State Engine. It ensures that a valid state of the product is delivered at all times.
Construction Engine
Our Construction Engine implements the 3D reconstruction of the product based on and within the specifications of the State Engine, placing all components.
Performance monitoring
Our performance monitoring monitors the graphics load and dynamically adjusts the quality of the 3D configurator to the current performance of the device.