Frequently asked questions
about the free platform.

With the Combeenation platform, companies or digital agencies can quickly and easily create an unlimited number of product configurators. No matter if in 2D or 3D. In addition, you have access to a 3D viewer and augmented reality.

The possibilities are very diverse: 
•   Product selection - e.g., selection of a model, product, 
•   Cosmetic changes - e.g., color, material, surface, etc.
•   Variant selection - select, show, and hide variants and options.
•   Size selection - e.g., small, medium, or large
•   System construction - e.g., furniture pieces in a row
•   Personalization - e.g., with individual text, logo, or picture on the product

Combeenation configurators are long-term maintainable and extendable. Here you can see references that have been implemented with the platform. The platform is available to you completely free of charge for the development of configurators. You can do everything we can do. 

First you need an account for the platform. Register for free. After that, you can start right away. Currently, you will receive your individual access details within 24 hours of the next business day. Register now for free.

At the moment, it is not yet possible to use the platform without any technical knowledge. We are working to change that. People with some experience in JavaScript can use the platform effectively now. However, it may occasionally be necessary to read the documentation to gain a better understanding. To make it easier to use the platform, we will provide video tutorials. We will also provide our free live demo as a template to help guide you.

No. You  need only an up-to-date browser to develop on the platform and to use the configurator. Both the Combeenation platform and the finished configurator run exclusively in the cloud. No local installation is required.

Combeenation uses Microsoft Azure Cloud technology. Here, the configurator data is stored in European data centers. Communication with the end device is always encrypted via TLS. 

This is easily done via iFrame integration. You can find more info in our documentation.

Here is an example: 

 

<iframe class="cbn-embedded-configurator" frameborder="0" data-cfgrurl="https://portal.combeenation.com/Cfgr/COMPANY/CONFIGURATOR"> </iframe>

 

 

 

The viewer allows you to display your product in 3D. This 3D model can be rotated and enlarged. However, it is not possible to make changes to the product or change the colors. At Combeenation you have the possibility to use a viewer for your products for free.

The configurator, on the other hand, allows you not only to display the product but also to configure it as you wish. Here you can change colors, choose different variants, personalize the product, and much more.

You are welcome to create a configurator if you do not have the necessary know-how and resources. Please feel free to contact us.

You will get access to the platform through registration. For the registration it is not necessary to deposit a payment method (credit card, etc.). Click here to register. For registration we ask you for the following data:

• Company name and country
• First and last name and your position in the company
• Your email address - you will be the admin for the company and can add other people.
• Your phone number (optional)

There is no trial access with us. We do not distinguish between a trial and a registration. Just register without any obligations, and off you go. 

There are no costs - not even hidden costs - for registration. Before any costs are incurred, we always make them clear and obvious.

There is no commitment when you register.

After registration, you are guaranteed to receive your platform access details within 24 hours of the next Austrian business day. However, we are working to ensure that this access is activated for you within a few minutes.

Whether you register as a company or as an implementing agency makes no difference. It is important that the email address of the account administrator is confirmed and that this person works in the company that owns the configurator. The account owner will receive the invoice in any case. Please note here that costs are incurred only once a configurator is online. Registration on the platform is completely free of charge.

Registration and use of the platform is free of charge. Building a professional configurator, using the 3D viewer or simply trying out and experimenting with the platform will not cost you anything. 

From the moment a configurator goes online ("goes live" or "is published"), monthly costs are incurred. These are divided into:

• Monthly service fee for the smooth operation of the configurator (once per company or account | not per user)
• "Costs per minute" per actually executed configurations

Not included are the initial costs of the configurator creation, these are individual and will be charged according to the offer and vary depending on whether Combeenation, the company itself or a digital agency creates the configurator. For more details see "Pricing"

For users, including agencies, who do not put a configurator online themselves but act on behalf of a third party, the use of the platform is free of charge. 

You can take your configurator offline at any time, which means that no further costs will be incurred. The "cost-per-minute" already incurred will be shown to you in the next monthly invoice. 

No, there is no minimum contract period with the Combeenation platform.

Currently it is not yet possible to use the platform without technical knowledge. We are working on making this possible in the future, but in the meantime, people with experience using JavaScript can use the platform. It can be helpful to read the documentation to gain a deeper understanding. To make the platform easier to use, we will provide additional video tutorials, and we also offer our live demo as a template.

With the help of a demonstration project created for these purposes, a savvy web or JavaScript developer should be able to get up to speed quickly. Our experience shows that it is possible to create simple configurators within about two weeks.

We recommend defining all configuration options in an Excel file. A filter used at runtime ensures that only valid configuration options are displayed.

• Option 1: You can create a configurator yourself.
• Option 2: You can have a configurator created by a digital agency.
• Option 3: You can have a configurator built by Combeenation.

Contact us to get a list of agencies that are able to build a configurator for you.

Yes, it is also possible to create a 2D configurator.

You will get access to all documentation and to our forum, where our experts will answer your questions. In the support section below, you will find additional information on this topic.

Yes, you can create an unlimited number of configurators on the platform.

The chances of success for a configurator depend on several factors. It must be ensured that enough visitors access the website and the configurator. The usability (UI/UX) also plays a decisive role here. Often the configurator is set up perfectly, but customers are lost at the checkout, in the shopping cart, due to delivery conditions, terms and conditions, return conditions or because the desired payment system is not offered.

We currently offer complete integrations for some store systems. In most cases, you only need to install the corresponding plugin from the shop store and integrate the configurator into your online store. You can find detailed technical instructions in our documentation.

For individual solutions, we provide a flexible checkout type, which transfers the data to the integrated website. From there, the data can be received and processed. If you need help with this, we are at your disposal.

You have the option of uploading data directly via the upload dialog. If the data is dynamic and changes frequently, we also offer an automated data import.

This is done via a publicly accessible REST endpoint interface, which should be protected via authentication (e.g., API token). The time for the update can be freely chosen.

Currently we recommend CSV, XLS, XLSX.

The Combeenation platform's design editor allows you to design your page areas in an easy and appealing way. This is done through a graphical user interface that provides a selection of controls that allow you to customize the look of your page according to your preferences. But you can also add familiar design components such as accordions or tab panels very easily and then customize them visually. You can choose colors, fonts, and all other features of the individual controls either directly or visually through individual CSS styles.

Yes. Components allow you to control which values are output or used for calculations. This applies not only to languages and currencies; you can also change colors or fonts, for example.

Changing what already exists is easier than starting with a blank sheet. We follow this strategy not only with our configurators but also on the Combeenation platform. That's why we provide you with a template that contains best-practice examples of navigation and usable controls, but also important configurator features such as checkout and internationalization. You can start with this template and then not only adapt it visually but also change and extend it.

The Combeenation platform's design editor offers an extensive selection of page areas and controls that you can use to build your desired configurator design. You can design the look of these elements entirely according to your ideas and adapt them directly to your CI in two ways: You can choose properties such as colors, fonts, spacing, or margins directly or use your own individual CSS styles. You can find more information about the styling of the selectable components in the Combeenation platform documentation under Control DOM & CSS classes.
 

The easiest way is to use our 3D service, which will create 3D models for you. But there are also many different providers  for the creation of 3D models. Please note that web-ready 3D models are required for use on the website, not high-end models that are often used in architecture or for advertising. Here you will find guide prices to give you an approximate feel for what a 3D visualization may cost.

Very important: the 3D models must be suitable for the web: on the one hand, small, low-poly meshes optimized for WebGL so they load quickly over the internet, on the other hand, with details that are important for your product.

CAD files are a very good basis for creating 3D models. However, CAD files do not have textures (surfaces, materials and colors), which must first be created.

The documentation, video tutorials and support via the forum are free of charge for all users. Depending on the account, we offer different services:

• Free: Support via the forum
• Basic: Support via the forum
• Professional: Written support with 12 tickets per year.
• Enterprise: These accounts receive a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with ticket system and additional telephone or web meeting support.

Depending on your account and support level, you will get technical support for the platform. See previous question.

Yes, here you can get to the forum.

Yes, the platform is under constant development. You can view the version history. Features requested by the community will be considered according to a rating system.

Starting in June 2023, we will publish regular overviews of planned features for the next three to six months.

Feedback is welcome via the forum or directly to feedback@combeenation.com. We welcome all feedback. Please note that we do not answer questions on this mail address.