Any tips, ideas or best practices for organizeing a modular model which keeps getting new parts?
For example, I have a wall clock that lookes like some iconic watches. I reuse the case and some parts and make new dials, hands and crown for each watch.
Now the model have 4 different watches and I keep them in seperate print profiles. But that doesnt feel scaleable?
Im leaning towards making a new model upload for the next pack of 3/4 watches. Should I reference back to the first model which then contains the common parts, or totally start from fresh in this new one?
In summary, how to structure. Use printprofiles feels like there is a limit at 5 due to visibility on the page.
Since you started this way, you might as well keep it that way. This is more consistent. You can display them all in the description and add the pressure profiles / number the views whose numbers correspond to the pressure profiles.
The other way is to upload each individual watch as an individual model. That would also be consistent for the user experience.
Option 1:
List all watches in a description.
Number print profiles and views and assign them accordingly.
Advantages of this option:
Consistency: If you have already started to manage all clocks in one model, it may make sense to stick with this method in order to avoid inconsistencies.
Clarity: A centralised description can provide a good overview, especially if the number of watches is manageable.
Option 2:
Upload each watch as an individual model.
Advantages of this option:
Consistency: This method can also be consistent, especially when different watch models are involved.
Flexibility: Individual models can be managed, adapted and organised more easily.
Which, in my experience, is not good:
I had a clothing hanger and added a new model to it by using the print profiles for it. I did this because the shape of the hanger hadn’t changed. I wanted to give the users an improvement.
The old hanger does not have the improvements and is a different size. That doesn’t look particularly good now. Because I have combined a worse model with new, better model in one place. It would have been better to create a new model for the improved clothing hanger, which was also uploaded in different sizes as print profiles.
I also make clock faces with a reusable case. What I do is make a post for just the clock case, since it typically only needs to be printed once. Then each face (or group of similar faces) gets its own post with a link back to the clock case. This makes it easier IMO, since I don’t have to continually upload the case profile and assembly instructions. I then organize groups of similar face styles into a collection and reference the collection in my links. (Your clocks look really nice, btw).
If they are distinct, the fact the have a common core is irrelevant.
You have multiple products, thus multiple model uploads. Not different profiles.
You will lose the discoverability as will users who try seeking them out.
Car companies now use common platforms shared among multiple ranges, they are not all the same car, they are distinct because of what is built on that base, the car isn’t the base.
Most drinks coasters (very basic example), a round coaster is usually 2mm thick and 100mm in diameter. Are all coasters the same because of this shared base, nope. It is the design that makes each of them unique.
I have just launched a model into a category I haven’t explored yet. I will be uploading add-on packs for the model that share a common geometry. Any interested users will be able to use the original without an add-on, each add-on will work without the original, but, they all work together. I will expand the range over a period of weeks. This are many models. The fact they are compatible with each other doesn’t make this one model.