Ahigh-end,browserbased3Dcarconfiguratorforsmart,placingthevehicleattheabsolutecenteroftheuserjourney.
Client
smart
Industry
Automotive
Services
Technical ConsultingUX DesignVisual DesignSoftware DevelopmentDevOpsProducing
The goal was clear: build the most intuitive, visually compelling, and performant car configurator on the web.
The brand needed a digital product experience for its global audience that did justice to the vehicle itself.
Users around the world were enabled to fully customise and purchase a car entirely online. The configurator seamlessly integrates e-commerce and financing into Daimler’s existing infrastructure, whilst delivering a first-class experience across all devices.
With smart transitioning to a direct-to-consumer sales model, customers would make their purchase decision without seeing the car. This set an exceptionally high bar for visual realism. Therefore, the vehicle is placed in an urban environment, providing a ultrarealistic feel for color and material.
The configurator wasn't just a product tool, it was the actual showroom.
A virtual camera rig replaces pure orbit views and creates cinematic drives that dramatically connect hotspots and detail views. Cinematic transitions make differences between equipment options directly perceivable and enhance the perception of individuality.
The development followed the phases Discover, Prototype, Build, and Launch.
In short increments and with ongoing usability tests, interface patterns such as card-swipe and step-by-step navigation were validated early, resulting in steadily increasing productivity and usability.
Technically, the project is based on an optimized 3D pipeline, lightmaps, and decals to minimize texture sizes, as well as a structuring middleware to link the backends. This keeps detail depth and performance balanced, even on mobile devices.
The technical foundation creates scalability and performance.
In the final showreel, motion design, lighting scenarios, and camera drives come together in a 360° presentation that showcases paints, rims, and interiors in realistic environments and makes the vehicle experience emotionally tangible.
The focus creates measurable benefits for product and market.
The close collaboration of design, visual engineering, and product management, as well as the modular architecture, enabled rapid iteration, international applicability of the visualizers, and tangible benefits for users when configuring and comparing.