The Ultimate Guide to Product Rendering and CPQ

CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is software that simplifies and automates the complex process of generating accurate, customized quotes for configurable products.

The best CPQ solutions incorporate product rendering to enhance operations and customer experience, providing visually engaging, realistic representations of products tailored to individual customer requirements. 

When CPQ and product rendering combine, they not only streamline the sales process and reduce errors but also create a more immersive and personalized experience for customers. 

This “Ultimate Guide to Product Rendering and CPQ” explores all the benefits and more.

What Is Product Rendering?

Product rendering is a digital process used to create realistic depictions of products with the help of 3D modeling and rendering software. 

The product rendering technique enables designers, marketers, sales reps, and customers to see visual representations of products before they’re manufactured. 

With product rendering technology, companies can showcase products in lifelike detail and stand out from the competition in competitive, undifferentiated markets.

The Power of Product Rendering For Different Teams

Product rendering benefits different teams and individuals in different ways:

Designers: Designers can design better, more innovative products and launch them faster. They can optimize designs at the early conception stage, making tweaks before products enter production and changes become exponentially more expensive.

Marketers: Marketers can use high-quality, realistic renderings cross-channel in memorable and unique ways. They can start marketing products before they’re produced, creating pre-launch buzz.

Sales: Sales reps can use product rendering to enhance customer understanding and confidence, provide immersive demonstrations, and, with the help of CPQ, offer a greater degree of customization without increasing confusion.

Customers: Customers gain a clearer understanding of products, enhancing decision-making and increasing the likelihood of being happy with the finished product. An increased number of configuration options boosts satisfaction.

The Three Key Types of Product Rendering

There are multiple types of product rendering, each of which provides varying degrees of value at each stage in the engineer-to-order process. 

At the product concept stage, designers need as much visual information as possible to eliminate any kinks in the design. The more detailed the rendering, the more accurate and efficient the design and engineering process. This leads to higher-quality products that are launched faster, generate greater customer satisfaction, and are less likely to be returned.

Next comes the 3D rendering phase, where designers create photorealistic renderings for customers. Designers focus less on technical aspects and more on visual details like colors, shadows, and lighting, breathing life into the design. This is where they can bring in more immersive elements like augmented reality (see below).

Product rendering techniques can be divided into three main subsets:

• Photorealistic 3D Rendering

Photorealistic rendering is a 3D modeling technique used to create realistic, lifelike images. Photorealistic renderings are widely used in advertising, marketing, and highly aesthetic industries like architecture and interior design. The aim is to showcase products, create engagement, and drive sales.

• Interactive Rendering

Interactive rendering is a more immersive technique. Users can step beyond the static realm and manipulate 3D models in real-time. They can zoom and rotate to explore products in a more lifelike experience that increases engagement and promotes confident, informed buying decisions.

• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Rendering

AR and VR techniques are the pinnacles of immersive product rendering, driving unforeseen levels of engagement and differentiation. AR involves overlaying 3D models onto the real world as captured through a handheld device like a smartphone. It lets users view and interact with virtual products “in situ.” VR transports users to a fully simulated environment experienced through a VR headset. 

How Integrating CPQ Products and Product Rendering Technology Amplifies Business Impact

CPQ software helps manufacturers configure, price, and quote complex configurable products. Typically, sales reps enter customer information into a configurator, and the CPQ system configures a product and generates a quote. This automates and streamlines some of the slowest and most error-prone sales activities, saving time and money and boosting customer satisfaction.

Industry-leading CPQ vendors put product rendering at the heart of their solutions, enabling customers and sales reps to visualize configurable products before manufacturing. Visualization reduces miscommunication and errors and increases clarity and engagement. 

The Rise of the Complex Product Configurator

Today's cutting-edge CPQ systems, such as Epicor CPQ, offer advantages that extend beyond the realm of sales. 

Instead of relying on text, these innovative CPQ solutions empower manufacturers to create their own 3D visual product configurators. This approach shifts the focus from merely addressing customer needs and preferences to providing an interactive, real-time experience where both sales representatives and customers can engage with products and witness their configurations materialize on-screen.

Product renderings of configurable products subsequently flow downstream to the engineering department and the shop floor, fostering seamless collaboration among all teams. By unifying the entire organization, CPQ systems facilitate a smooth, end-to-end workflow that ensures efficient communication and coordination across departments, ultimately getting better products to customers faster.

Why It’s All Thanks to CPQ Product Rules

CPQ product rules serve as the foundation for visual product configuration, encoding the engineering expertise and constraints necessary for the system to understand component compatibility and the optimal designs for each customer. 

CPQ product rules prevent configuration errors and guarantee that every configuration is fine-tuned to maximize customer satisfaction, engineering efficiency, production effectiveness, and financial viability.

When effectively implemented, CPQ product rules make the configuration process error-free while incorporating product rendering significantly elevates the user experience. Customers can autonomously take advantage of visual product configurators, providing a streamlined, interactive way to learn about and personalize products.

Manufacturers can embed their visual product configurators–featuring dynamic 3D renderings–directly into their websites. This allows customers worldwide to explore, configure, and place orders from any location while visually engaging with the product. Integrating CPQ and product rendering ultimately facilitates a more accessible and immersive buying experience.

3 Key Takeaways

1. Product rendering creates realistic, immersive visual representations of products that benefit various teams and individuals involved in the design, marketing, and sales processes.
2. Integrating CPQ software with product rendering streamlines the sales cycle, reducing errors, and boosting customer satisfaction. It also helps manufacturers improve cross-functional collaboration and engineering efficiency.
3. CPQ product rules serve as the foundation for visual product configuration, ensuring error-free, optimizing products every time. Combining product rules with product rendering creates an interactive way for customers to learn about and personalize products–wherever the customer’s situated.