Document Purpose

This document is aimed at professional 3D artists who need to create optimized assets for the Mimeeq Configurator platform. It assumes working knowledge of 3D modeling but provides specific guidance on web optimization, performance requirements, and Mimeeq's technical standards.

Model Extensions and 3D Asset Requirements

Supported File Formats

The Mimeeq App currently supports importing 3D models in the following formats:
- .glb (preferred format)
- .obj
- .stl

Below is a table showing the key features of each format:

Feature	GLB	OBJ	STL
File Optimization	✅	⚠️	❌
UV Channels	✅ Multiple (2+)	❌ Single only	❌ None
Support Imported Materials	✅ PBR included	⚠️ External MTL required	❌ No support
Animations	✅ Full support	❌ No support	❌ No support
Web Compatibility	✅ Excellent	⚠️ Limited	❌ Poor
Texture Support	✅ Full	⚠️ Basic	❌ None

Any model can be easily exported to these formats through external software or even browser-based converters.

Beyond File Extensions: Topology Matters Most

While the Mimeeq App accepts several file formats, the internal structure of your 3D model is what truly determines performance and visual quality in the configurator.

Quad Topology: Ideal for Web Configurators

Quad-based models offer significant advantages:
- Cleaner, lighter geometry that loads faster
- Better real-time performance on websites
- Smoother visual appearance
- Easier to modify and animate
- Superior texture mapping capabilities

Quad models are typically created in professional 3D modeling software:
- Blender (.blend)
- 3ds Max (.max)
- Maya (.ma, .mb)
- Cinema 4D (.c4d)

CAD Models: Challenges for Web Display

CAD models (Computer-Aided Design) are optimized for manufacturing precision rather than visual display:
Extremely detailed and resource-intensive
Slower loading times and reduced performance
Often have problematic texture mapping
Can produce unnatural-looking organic shapes
May display visible artifacts requiring significant cleanup

CAD models typically come from engineering software like:
AutoCAD (.dwg)
SolidWorks (.sldprt)
Inventor (.ipt, .iam)
CATIA (.CATPart, .CATProduct)
Fusion 360 (.f3d)

There are also few common neutral file formats used for exchanging 3D model data between different CAD systems:
STEP files (.step, .stp)
GES files (.iges, .igs)

If you have any concerns about file quality, please contact our Studio Team for verification. CAD files serve as valuable references for model preparation and streamline the workflow.

Technical Guidelines for 3D Modeling

Optimizing Mesh Complexity for Performance

Although there's no strict polygon limit to load the model, it's crucial to maintain reasonable complexity in your models. We recommend optimising your configurator scene to keep with the below variables:

Metric	Description	Recommended Limit
Total Meshes	Number of mesh objects	Keep as low as possible
Active Indices	Index count for geometry	<300,000
Active Faces	Triangle count	<400,000
Total Vertices	Vertex count	<200,000
Polygons	Polygon count	<200,000
Draw Calls	Render operations per frame	<500
Total Active Materials	Unique materials used	<50
Total Textures	Texture maps used	Based on material needs

Please note that these limits apply to each loaded configuration state. While the total available assets may be significantly larger, the system employs lazy loading and automatically cleans unused meshes and materials as users interact with the configurator.

Although modern devices, particularly laptops, can handle up to 2 million polygons and modern phones up to 1 million, there is generally no need for such heavy models. Usually, the issue lies in models not being properly optimized rather than hardware limitations.

Surpassing this threshold may lead to several issues:
Significant performance degradation: Higher polygon counts require more processing power, impacting rendering speed, especially on lower-end hardware.
Longer loading times: Heavier models increase file size and strain loading resources, reducing responsiveness.
Increased crash risk on mobile: Mobile memory is more limited, making them more prone to crashing or freezing under high load.

Best Practices

Organize geometry to minimize material switches.

For example, if you have a chair model with multiple wooden parts using the same material, combine them into a single mesh rather than having separate meshes for each leg, seat, and backrest. This reduces draw calls from 4+ down to just 1.

Use instancing for repeated elements
Batch similar meshes together
Avoid unnecessary mesh splits that create additional draw calls

Remember that each draw call requires GPU processing time, so minimizing them directly improves rendering performance and overall application responsiveness.

General Modeling Best Practices

We recommend taking a rational approach to your modeling strategy. As this is a dynamic field where capabilities continuously evolve and modern devices offer increased processing power, optimization remains an important consideration.

Prioritize detail in prominent, visible areas - only apply subdivisions where they enhance visual quality
Do not model elements that would not be visible or are irrelevant (like screw holes)
Break large models into modular components that can be loaded independently
Consider using instances in your model for the better optimization (Mimeeq app supports instances)
Consider developing a Low Poly version of the model to optimize for mobile and AR applications. Mimeeq app features a high poly-low poly matching system, enabling appropriate model display across different scenarios.
Keep your topology clean, avoid n-gons and triangulated polygons

Ambient Occlusion

Why is it worth to use Ambient Occlusion maps

Ambient Occlusion (AO) maps serve a vital role in 3D configurators by enhancing depth and realism in digital products. These specialized grayscale texture maps effectively simulate light interaction with surfaces in close proximity, thereby creating subtle shadows in crevices, corners, and areas where objects intersect. Since web browsers typically cannot process ray tracing calculations due to their computational intensity, which would significantly impact performance, AO maps function as pre-calculated shadow overlays that are applied to 3D models, creating the illusion of shadows without intensive real-time calculations. This efficient lighting simulation approach ensures optimal performance while delivering a convincing level of visual authenticity.

Below you can see a comparison with and without AO Maps:

With AO Maps	Without AO Maps

UV Channel Management for AO Maps

At Mimeeq, we support two separate UV channels in our configurator - one dedicated to materials and another specifically for AO maps. When implementing multiple UV channels, the first channel (uv channel 0) handles the diffuse, normal, and other material textures, while the second channel (UV Channel 1) is dedicated to the ambient occlusion map.

This separation allows for:
Independent Scaling: Each UV channel can have individual scales, allowing precise control over how textures and shadowing are applied
Material Flexibility: Supports applying multiple materials to a single object without compromising ambient occlusion effects

Mimeeq baking script

Creating Ambient Occlusion maps is typically a manual and time-consuming process, especially challenging when dealing with numerous configurable items. Each product variation can require hours of work to properly "bake" these shadow maps. Mimeeq Studio has solved this problem by developing specialized scripts that automatically generate these maps based on the Blender file structure and naming conventions. This automation reduces production time while maintaining consistent quality across all product configurations.

Our specialized Blender script automatically generates the appropriate UV layouts
The .glb models are exported with both UV sets properly configured
The accompanying CSV file links the .glb model with its corresponding AO .jpg
Our app automatically processes these files, linking them correctly

To understand how to prepare your file for Mimeeq Scripts purposes, please read [this document].

Textures requirements

When preparing textures for a 3D configurator application, striking the right balance between visual quality and performance is essential. Based on industry best practices:

For optimal performance in browser-based configurators:
We recommend to use 512×512 px or 1024×1024 px or 2048×2048 px ratio textures
Preferable format is .jpg, We recommend using JPG format unless PNG is required for specific cases like engraving, it is often better to use .png if there are a large amount of transparent pixels.
Aim to keep individual texture file sizes under 1MB. The smaller, the better without the quality loss. 250kb for a material texture is usually enough.
Use appropriate compression formats to reduce file size while maintaining visual quality
Create seamless textures that tile infinitely without visible seams or breaks

Mimeeq Automatic Compression System

When uploading files to Mimeeq's media library, all textures are automatically processed as follows:

Original Files
We preserve your original file format (e.g., if you upload an 8K texture, we maintain it in that format)
While 8K textures are supported, they are not recommended for optimal performance

Automatic Compression
For each uploaded texture, we automatically generate compressed versions at the following resolutions:
4096px (4K)
2048px (2K)
1024px (1K)
512px
Our compression system uses carefully tested settings that balance file size and visual quality for the best performance.

Default Settings
All products default to 1024px (1K) texture resolution for desktop
Even if you upload a 4K texture, the system will use the 1K version unless otherwise specified

Default Texture Size Configuration

Mode	Desktop	Mobile	AR	AO Maps	Shadows
Standard	1024px	512px	512px	Original	Original
Modular	1024px	512px	512px	1024px	Original

Customizable Resolution Control
Texture resolution can be controlled at multiple levels:
Standard configurators (desktop and mobile separately)
Modular configurators (desktop and mobile separately)
By texture type (material textures, ambient occlusion, shadow textures)

These settings are optimized to provide the best balance between visual quality and performance across different devices and usage scenarios.

Additional Texture Guidelines
Recommended formats: .jpg (preferred), .png when transparency needed
Target file size: Under 1MB per texture (250kb typically sufficient)
Texture dimensions: 512×512px, 1024×1024px, or 2048×2048px ratios
Create seamless textures that tile infinitely

3D Asset Requirements Cheat Sheet

File Formats Quick Guide

Best Choice	Acceptable	Not Recommended
.glb ✅	.obj ⚠️	CAD files ❌

Key Model Specifications

Metric	Target Limit
Vertices	<200,000
Active Faces	<400,000
Draw Calls	<500
Active Materials	<50

Texture Guidelines

Optimal Resolutions:

Desktop: 1024x1024px

Mobile: 512x512px
File size: <1MB (aim for 250kb)
Format: .jpg preferred

Performance Optimization Checklist

Combine meshes with same materials
Use instancing for repeated elements
Break large models into modules
Organize geometry to minimize draw calls
Keep topology quad-based
Mark static meshes appropriately

UV Channel Setup

Channel 0: Materials, diffuse, normal maps
Channel 1: Ambient Occlusion maps

Best Practices at a Glance

Prioritize visible areas for detail
Skip modeling hidden elements
Use modular components
Create seamless textures
Implement AO maps for realism
Avoid unnecessary mesh splits

Quick Tips

Keep materials under 50 per scene
Batch similar meshes together
Use texture atlasing when possible
Minimize transparent materials
Optimize heavy CAD models before import

Updated on: 13/04/2025