Preparing CAD and assets for the web

To prepare CAD and assets for the web, I set clear rules for formats, budgets, and textures. Use this checklist to ship files that render fast, configure cleanly, and price correctly.

CAD and geometry

• Export a clean mesh to glTF 2.0 .glb and include the STEP only as a reference. glTF is a standard format for web 3D and I do not put the STEP on the web.
• Use meters for units and Y up, right handed. It prevents wrong scale and flipped parts.
• Set origin at floor center and pivots on moving parts. It makes rotation and placement natural.
• Triangulate, weld vertices, and delete hidden faces. It reduces size and avoids shading bugs.
• Keep the base assembly under 150,000 triangles and each add on part under 15,000. These caps keep the experience smooth on common devices.
• Limit materials to 20 or fewer for the assembly. Fewer materials reduce the number of batches the graphics chip renders.
• Name parts with stable, human readable IDs that match your BOM. That makes options and pricing rules reliable.

Textures and delivery

• Use PBR textures with base color, normal, roughness, and metalness. PBR means physically based rendering for consistent lighting.
• Make texture sizes power of two like 1024 or 2048. That helps performance and improves downsizing on screen.
• Save PNG for line art and text and JPG for photos. This keeps edges clean and files small.
• Bake small fillets, grooves, and logos into normal maps. You keep detail without heavy geometry.
• Combine small parts into one texture atlas. An atlas is one combined texture for many parts and it cuts material switches.
• Provide a CSV mapping part names to SKU, option code, and price driver. CSV is a plain spreadsheet file. SKU means stock keeping unit and BOM means bill of materials.
• Deliver one .glb with textures embedded plus the CSV and a short readme. If you need mobile AR, also include USDZ.

I build real time configurators and 3D quoting with Custom Development > Applications and Engineering Retainers. To scope your project this week, use my Website quote configurator to pick features, integrations, and tiers, see a live instant quote without a sales call, and save and share it.