3D product configuration
Anna Meyer
7. April 2026
Configure, price, quote – every CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) system can do that. But in an increasingly digital, connected, and customer-centric B2B environment, isolated functionality is no longer enough.
Today’s B2B customers expect a buying experience similar to B2C: fast, intuitive, and accessible at all times – even when configuring highly complex products.
Modern quote configurators make this possible through deep process integration: enabling seamless sales automation from product configuration and quotation to order processing and beyond.
A CPQ solution (Configure, Price, Quote) is a software system that enables businesses to configure complex products without errors, calculate accurate pricing, and automatically generate quotations.
Modern CPQ platforms integrate product logic, pricing strategies, and customer data to accelerate and standardize the entire sales process, while embedding seamlessly into ERP, CRM, and e-commerce systems.
In times of labor shortages, rising product complexity, and cost pressure, companies need scalable solutions that simplify operations and ensure consistent processes.
CPQ is often seen only as a sales tool – yet it can do much more than configure products or generate quotes. It forms the backbone of a fully automated sales process.
A CPQ system is not just a piece of sales software – it’s the strategic platform for managing the quote-to-cash process to turn quotes into closed deals.
What a modern CPQ system must deliver:
For a CPQ system to succeed, seamless integration across all systems is essential. ERP, CRM, PLM, and PIM must be tightly connected to enable automated data flows – eliminating media breaks and ensuring streamlined processes.
The integration of CPQ into existing system landscapes is crucial – but it doesn’t end with ERP and CRM. If you want to make B2B sales digital and future-proof today, you have to take customer buying behavior into account. The keyword is omnichannel sales. Omnichannel in B2B means: customers expect consistent information, prices and product logic – regardless of whether they configure online, speak to sales or purchase via platforms.
When data flows, so does understanding – through visuals that drive purchase decisions.
A complex product configuration reaches its full potential only when the outcome is not only technically correct but also visually intuitive and usable for downstream departments.
CAD (Computer Aided Design): CAD is a software-supported method for creating technical drawings and precise 3D models of individual components or assemblies. The focus here is on dimensions, geometries and manufacturing details that are required for production or assembly.
BIM (Building Information Modeling): BIM is a 3D-based method for the digital planning and documentation of technical systems and components. In addition to geometry, BIM models contain structured additional information such as materials, functions or installation locations – essential for architects, planners and building owners throughout the entire project life cycle.
What previously had to be created manually or laboriously coordinated can now be provided automatically directly from the configurator. Thanks to rule-based logic and a clean data structure, this content is created automatically – based on the configuration, without additional effort and without redundant data maintenance. This means that not only customers, but also internal departments such as design, project planning or work preparation benefit from standardized, valid and directly usable data.
Relevant data outputs include:
The result: fewer queries, shorter throughput times and significantly greater process reliability. Visualization and generated data outputs guarantee security, especially for products with many variants or products that require technical explanation – for customers in self-service as well as for sales teams in direct customer dialogue.
A quotation configurator can be used to quickly create individual, error-free quotations for complex products. If visualization components are also integrated into the configuration process, users can already see during configuration whether the product meets their requirements.
A seamless CPQ solution can be connected to ERP, CRM, PIM, CAD and PLM systems. Product, price and customer data are available from a central data source. This reduces errors, saves time and costs and preserves the company’s knowledge of variants.
The core promise of a CPQ solution is precisely this: mastering complex configurations, calculating prices automatically and individually for each customer and creating technically valid quotations. It is important that the system is knowledge-based so that only technically buildable products are created.
Important prerequisites are data quality and consistency, process customization, user acceptance and scalability. A successful introduction requires stakeholder involvement, clear objectives, correct data maintenance and change management.
With a CPQ solution, the sales department creates quotations. In the same way, customers can configure products in self-service or together with their sales contact as part of a guided consultation. The stored object dependencies ensure that only technically feasible variants are configured.
Discover how a clear CPQ strategy can significantly increase your margins. Let’s find your biggest potential together – book your CPQ Strategy Call now!
CIBELE CASTRO
Managing Partner
HOLGER REIMSBACH
Head of Projects & Operations
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