Photo credits: Design Bois (69), a specialist in high-end interior design, as well as the design and fabrication of custom woodworking solutions, Stéphane Couchet©
Imagine a sales representative who arrives at a customer’s location, opens his laptop, and configures—right there in front of the customer—the exact product that meets their needs, complete with a real-time 3D visualization and a price that updates with every change.
This is what TopSolid’Web Configurator offers—the new web-based solution launched in February 2026 by TOPSOLID. A first in the CAD/CAM ecosystem: a configurator fully integrated with the TopSolid database, with no duplication or re-entry required, and accessible from any browser.
Julien Poirot, product manager at TOPSOLID, discusses the project’s origins, its practical applications, and what fundamentally sets it apart from other web-based configurators on the market.
A “message in a bottle” that found its audience
It all begins at the 2024 Batimat trade show. TOPSOLID discreetly presents a video there showing a web configurator prototype. There isn’t a version to test yet—just a demo to gauge market interest.
The response was immediate. “There was a certain amount of enthusiasm. It reaffirmed our decision,” says Julien Poirot. Contacts are pouring in, needs are becoming clearer, and development is picking up speed.
After a year in the Early Access phase, TopSolid’Web Configurator will officially launch in February 2026 as a stable release: reliable, data-guaranteed, and ready for production use. The product will now be part of TOPSOLID’s annual update cycle.
And it is this same Batimat trade show, next October, that will host its official presentation to the general public.
The Decisive Advantage: A Unified Database
There are plenty of web-based configurators out there. But almost all of them follow the same pattern: a database dedicated to the configurator on one side, and the design office’s database on the other. The result: two systems to maintain, high integration costs, and the risk of discrepancies between what the sales team presents and what the engineering department designs.
Julien Poirot sums up the problem: “Maintenance costs, design costs—everything—are doubling. Whereas in TopSolid, the database is unified. We create things once, and then we can use them across both of our solutions.”
TopSolid’Web Configurator draws directly on existing TopSolid files. Configurable products are designed in TopSolid 7, without the need for redesign or duplicate data entry. Updates from the design department are automatically reflected in the configurator. And since the configuration process directly leverages the power of TopSolid, there is no limit to the possible variants, options, or combinations.
Two uses, one tool
TopSolid’Web Configurator addresses two distinct but complementary needs. The first is sales-oriented, and the second is focused on customer autonomy.
A salesperson armed with a visual sales pitch
During a client meeting, the sales representative opens the configurator on their computer, selects the product options (dimensions, materials, accessories, etc.), and the client instantly sees the 3D model update, with the price recalculated in real time.
Once the configuration has been approved by the client, the 3D files are sent directly to the process engineering teams—unambiguously, without the need for re-entry, and without the risk of misinterpretation.
A self-contained client based on standard configurations
For companies whose teams spend a lot of time on repetitive, low-value-added quotes, TopSolid’Web Configurator makes it possible to redirect part of this workflow directly to customers.
“And if the customer wants to go into more detail about a specific design, you offer to put them in touch with a sales representative—but with a solid foundation to build on,” summarizes Julien Poirot.
This model frees up sales time for more complex projects, without compromising the quality of customer service. Teams focus on areas where their expertise truly makes a difference.
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The CQS: Formalizing Cost Estimates, Capitalizing on Expertise
TopSolid’Web Configurator includes a pricing engine and CQS (Cloud Quote Services)). It automatically calculates the price of each configuration by applying the pricing rules defined by the company: quantities, options, assembly costs, surcharges, etc.
The issue goes beyond a simple price calculation. “This provides a structure and discipline. “And it allows the company to capitalize on its expertise,” explains Julien Poirot. “Because today, when you have a sales representative who has all the expertise and experience with products and pricing, if they decide to leave, everything is lost. With the configurator, we can establish company policies. This allows for a passing on this expertise. »
The implementation of the CQS also provides an opportunity to formalize rules which were sometimes based on rough estimates. How do you calculate the cost of installing a railing, a staircase, or a complex structure? Discussions around the table result in clear, well-documented, and reproducible rules, regardless of who is preparing the estimate.
Already in production: Echelles Néressy
Thomas Latéulère, industrial designer at Echelles Néressy, a manufacturer specializing in industrial access equipment—including ladders, walkways, and guardrails—has been using it in production for seven months. This deployment in a demanding sector illustrates the solution reached maturity as soon as it was launched.
This type of configurable product—structures whose dimensions, safety options, and installation requirements vary from one job site to another—is precisely where TopSolid’Web Configurator delivers the most value: numerous combinations, specific industry rules, and a need for a compelling visual presentation to clients.
Hosted on your own servers, featuring your brand’s colors
TopSolid’Web Configurator is self-hosted on the customer’s servers. No mandatory use of the cloud, no data transfer through a third party: the company remains has full ownership and control over its configurator and data. Please note: The CQS pricing engine operates through a dedicated cloud service; only the data necessary for price calculations is transmitted through it.
The solution is fully customizable: logo, brand guidelines, catalog, visuals. It is also multilingual, making it a tool well-suited for manufacturers that sell internationally. The goal is clear: for the configurator to be seen as the customer’s tool, not as a TopSolid product.
Three deployment architectures are available, depending on the traffic volume and the need for isolation from the engineering department: centralized, remote, or isolated.
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TopSolid’Web Configurator is available for all TopSolid business sectors: metal fabrication, woodworking, design, and tooling. Any manufacturer working with products that have options and variants can benefit from it, regardless of which TopSolid module they use.
Would you like to see TopSolid’Web Configurator in action? Contact our team for a personalized demonstration.
