Building a Configurator

[mayflower232]

I know this is a very odd question and so I don't expect much response wise, but does anyone have the slightest idea how much it would cost to have an online configurator built for a highly customisable product. A bit like those used by the car companies. Essentially I would like people to be able to 'build' the said product via a online configurator and then that order gets sent on to us to produce.

Thanks

 

[bdw]

It would be quite complex but there are many ready made scripts available online. See if you can find a designer who can do this for you.

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[mayflower232]

Yeah, will have to get in contact with some agencies. It will be pretty visual, like that of the ones used for cars.

 

[alphanumeric]

It really depends on the amount of options you need, as well as the how your current data is stored... If at all.

Can you post an example?

 

[astutiumRob]

anyone have the slightest idea how much it would cost to have an online configurator built for a highly customisable product

All depends on ...
How many options
How interactive the selections
How complex the inter-dependancies
How "graphical" the results need to be
How high the quality of the result needs to be

- i.e. how deeps are your pockets

 

[FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper]

All depends on ...
How many options
How interactive the selections
How complex the inter-dependancies
How "graphical" the results need to be
How high the quality of the result needs to be

- i.e. how deeps are your pockets

^^^ This, the concept is simple enough though.

 

[mayflower232]

Is it quite a specified field or could most half decent web developers put one together?

The items are extremely customisable so we are talking about quite a few options, maybe like 30. I would also like to use real graphics meaning that we would have to photograph all the single elements that make up the product in their different colours and shapes, and then make it so the configurator displays them together to form the finished product.

Would 5k get me an all singing and dancing or am I looking at more/less.

 

[FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper]

I'd expect it to be a fraction of that, depends if you need a designer to do the graphics and storyboard it first.

I just looked at the Vauxhall one and that is basic, the Ford one just gave me a page error.

 

[mayflower232]

Give these a play about:

http://www.bentleyconfigurator.com/

http://www.bugatti.com/en/veyron-16.4/configurator.html

http://configure.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/ghost_new.html

 

[FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper]

Give these a play about:

http://www.bentleyconfigurator.com/

http://www.bugatti.com/en/veyron-16.4/configurator.html

http://configure.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/ghost_new.html

They are all done in Flash and do look very slick. I don't do Flash programming but can't see there being anyway near £5k work in them.

Probably best to get a designer to do the graphics and storyboard first then give it to a programmer to code.

 

[mayflower232]

Would flash be able to interact with an e-commerce interface? As each variable adds a different cost to the end price?

Thanks for the information so far by the way!

 

[FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper]

Yes, Flash can work with server side languages such as PHP which is most common for ecommerce

 

[alphanumeric]

You can do this without the need for flash, all your really doing is layering a range of pngs.

A good developer should be able to do this without issue.