CraftOS – A 3D Modelling Tool for Munson Furniture Clients

Paul Munson is a craftsman from Berkeley, California, who designs and creates custom furniture professionally and as a hobby.

In 2020, he founded his own carpentry workshop in Oakland – Munson Furniture, which later was rebranded to CraftOS.

Just like many SMEs in his industry, Munson’s business often faced multiple challenges like:

• production limitations,
• low user-friendliness of blueprints,
• time-consuming negotiations with joineries,
• periodical availability of materials, etc.

To address those issues, Paul decided to launch his first fully customizable line of fine furniture which he called Radius.

However, to make production simple, CraftOS required a tailored-to-needs application that allows customers to easily place orders and create project blueprints.

That is when Milo Solutions came into play.

During the negotiations, Paul asked us to develop software with a user-friendly design that makes specifying dimensions, colours, and types of wood easy and intuitive.

Additionally, he wanted features such as 3D modeling feature, and dynamic price calculator to be implemented.

The entire software idea was to streamline CarftOS business operations and enhance client interactions. That is why we began thorough market and technical research right after the contract was signed.

It is no secret that writing software is a lot like carpentry – after all, you employ the best techniques and methods to craft a beautiful, but most importantly, usable art piece.

During the initial phase of this project, our team collaborated closely with Paul Munson to understand his specific needs and business processes.

Thanks to those consultations, we quickly established one of the major CraftOS challenges:

The over-sophistication of blueprints creation process.

Each custom project needed a detailed plan with technical insights – almost always excluding the possibility for customers to place orders on their own.

Throughout the research phase, our team also explored various technologies like Fusion360 or SketchUp to gain inspiration and find the best solution for the project.

We looked for an editor that provided robust 3D model viewing and configuration capabilities – settling in the end on the ShapeDiverJS editor implementation.

Our regular consultations ensured that our vision for this application aligned with Paul's vision and encompassed all functional requirements. This stage was pivotal in defining the parameters and features necessary for an efficient and user-friendly application.

Main CraftOS challenges:

• Difficulty in allowing customers to easily customize furniture online.
• Challenge in translating custom designs into manufacturing instructions.
• Need for a system that could serve both customers and manufacturers.

The research phase conclusions allowed us to create a clear development path for the project.

First, we had to design a user-friendly 3D configurator for real-time furniture customisation. Next, our team needed to implement a system to generate production processes and diagrams from customer designs.

We wanted to achieve a platform that serves as both a customer-facing storefront and a backend tool for manufacturers.

That is why, during the development stage, we set up the CraftOS proprietary back-end fabrication management using Python/Django. For the frontend we relied mostly on the good old CSS and JavaScript libraries.

The 3D models and configurations were handled entirely by the external ShapeDiverJS service.

At this point, it is worth noting that the CraftOS web application's design evolved in response to emerging project requirements.

Initially, we based the user interface on Paul's guidelines and brand book, ensuring a visually appealing and cohesive design.

Thanks to this backbone, we were able to focus more on proper UX/UI optimisation and implement user-centric solutions in the later stages of the project.

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One of the major challenges this project had to address was ensuring the correct display and scaling of 3D models after parameter adjustments.

That is why we conducted rigorous testing for a seamless user experience across all features.

Additionally, our team ensured seamless integration with manufacturing machines and implemented export functionality for production processes.

Multi-platform compatibility (web-based) was also included.

Since the initial deployment, we have continued to release updates, adding new functionalities to the system and enhancing CraftOS's capabilities.

It is also worth noting that our team delivered the software on schedule, meeting all customer requirements.

When it comes to leading CraftOS features, our team created:

• Dynamic price calculator – to allow customers to see price changes based on their selected parameters and materials.
• Requirements list generator – to cover the details such as necessary elements and dimensions.
• 3D model configurator – to ensure correct 3D model display and accurate scaling after parameter changes.
• Production management panel – to simplify blueprints issuing as well as collaboration with production partners or joineries.

Throughout this collaboration, we successfully addressed all key challenges in Munson Furniture's online sales and customised production, utilising mainly Python and Django.

With our solution, CraftOS clients could easily configure and order custom furniture online, with real-time price updates.

Additionally, the entire furniture production process at Paul’s SME became much more efficient – thanks to the auto-generated requirement lists feature we implemented.

To top that off, our app provided essential files and diagrams to assist in production, streamlining the entire workflow from order to completion.

In essence:

We’ve developed an original online design tool that allows interior designers and furniture buyers to customise furniture up to the slightest details.

At this point, it is worth mentioning that Paul Munson’s CraftOS software was recently acquired by a larger manufacturing company – leading to major rebranding.

Fortunately, the new owner decided to prolong our technical support contract, proving that putting your heart into a project never fails.

The CraftOS project showcases our expertise in handling custom furniture orders and production management challenges.

By providing a comprehensive tool that integrates 3D modeling, dynamic pricing, and detailed production management, we have enhanced both the client experience and the efficiency of our partner’s business operations.

This project also exemplifies how tailored software solutions can significantly impact small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by addressing specific business needs and improving overall productivity.

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