First Look — Autodesk Configurator 360

Sometimes the hardest part of completing a design is finding third-party components that you’re going to need to get an assembly built. The same can also be said for vendors who want to create an easy-to-use catalog of products that have numerous configurations.

To help bridge the gap between customers and vendors, Autodesk has introduced Configurator 360, a platform for developing, finding and showcasing highly configurable product catalogs.

How Configurator 360 Works

Autodesk’s Configurator 360 is the world’s first cloud-based product configuration app that allows companies to showcase and deploy a catalog of configurable products. Because of its easy-to-use interface and multifaceted capabilities, Configurator 360 can be used by engineers to host new products, by marketers to advertise and sell new products and by customers to view, configure and purchase items.

To begin creating a Configurator 360 catalog, engineers can upload Inventor models to the application. Once imported, a model’s parameters and rules, defined in the parts iLogic, are isolated so that a configuration can be made. Using simple drop down menus, engineers can iterate through each menu to create a configuration and then save it as a unique part within the Configurator 360 catalog.

As parts begin to accumulate, Configurator 360 allows engineers to group their products into larger units, making it easier for both internal and external clients to view products quickly.

With a catalog configured, both marketers and customers can access every variation in a product library and choose which one best fits their need. What’s more, catalogs can be emailed to any customer and viewed on either a workstation or iPad.

Once a customer has selected the appropriate components for their assembly, the customer can request product quotes with a few clicks.

With Autodesk Configurator 360, companies and their clients have a new way to interact with one another. In fact, after searching through a product catalog, clients could likely ask vendors for part models to virtually test them in assemblies and validate component decisions before making purchases. If Configurator 360 made that option possible, companies might benefit by locking in a customer for the lifetime of a design, and clients could benefit by not having to return items that just don’t suit their design’s intent.

Pricing and Availability

Configurator 360 is available for both Macs and PCs and can run on Internet Explorer 11 or later, Firefox, Chrome, Opera 22 or later and Safari 5.1 or later. In addition to its machine options, Configurator 360’s mobile app can be used on iPads.

Autodesk Configurator 360 is available for a free, fully functional 30-day trial. After the trial period ends, Configurator 360 can be purchased on a monthly ($120), quarterly ($355), or annual ($945) subscription basis.