[Ken] Design Family

A Design Family is the core organizational unit in R.Design’s catalog system. It represents a collection of related 3D models, materials, and design elements that share common attributes like brand, designer, or style theme.

What is a Design Family?

Think of a Design Family as a “product line” in the catalog. It contains:

• 3D Models - Furniture, objects, architectural elements
• Materials - Fabrics, paints, finishes, textures
• Design Variations - Different versions of the same base design
• Metadata - Brand, designer, collection, and categorization information

Real-World Examples

Core Components

Design Versions

Each Design Family contains one or more Design Versions:

• Active versions - Currently available for use
• Inactive versions - Archived or deprecated versions
• Different configurations of the same design concept
• Version history and updates

👉 Learn more: Design Version

Design Version Meshes

The actual 3D models associated with each version, serves as a junction between design families and individual 3D mesh assets, handling catalog management, search functionality, and user customization features in R.Design.

Design Version Elements

Individual materials and components, serves as a junction between design families and individual material assets, handling catalog management, search functionality, and user customization features in R.Design.

Attributes & Metadata

Design Families contain extensive metadata that powers catalog organization, search, filtering, and integration with external systems.

Core Identification

Basic identifiers for the Design Family:

Example:

• id: a4fOQ000000g8yrYAA
• name: "MALAGA Rug Collection"
• name_jp: "マラガ ラグ コレクション"

Product & Brand Information

Organizational and brand attribution:

Purpose:

• Enables filtering by brand (e.g., “Herman Miller”, “Vitra”)
• Groups items into collections (e.g., “Spring 2024 Collection”)
• Links to DLC packages for asset delivery
• Supports SEO-friendly URLs for web catalog

Visibility & Status Flags

Control where and how the Design Family appears:

Common Scenarios:

Public Release:

• visibility_limited: false
• released_on_production: true
• debug: false

Beta Testing:

• visibility_limited: true
• released_on_production: false
• debug: true

Classification & Attributes

Taxonomic and stylistic metadata:

Usage in Filtering:

Users can filter by:

• Room Type: Find items suitable for specific rooms
• Style: Discover items matching aesthetic preferences
• Themes: Browse by design themes
• Designer/Artist: Find works by specific creators

Example Values:

• room_type: "Living Room, Dining Room, Office"
• style: "Scandinavian, Mid-Century Modern, Minimalist"
• themes: "Natural Materials, Sustainable Design, Hygge"

Pricing & Display Ordering

Control pricing structure and catalog positioning:

Pricing Matrix Example:

For configurable items with multiple options (size × finish):

• row_label_csv_pricing: "Small,Medium,Large"
• column_label_csv_pricing: "Oak,Walnut,Maple"

Display Order:

• Lower featured_order values appear first in featured sections
• category_sort_order controls position within category browsing

Manufacturing & Material Specs

Physical product information:

Purpose:

• Product information for e-commerce
• Compliance with labeling requirements
• User decision-making (e.g., preference for local manufacturing)
• Material compatibility and care instructions

Example:

• country_of_manufacture: "Denmark"
• spec_material: "100% New Zealand Wool, Cotton Backing"
• base_material_type: "Natural Fiber"

Display & Rendering Properties

Visual rendering behavior:

Use Cases:

Artwork & Prints:

• horizontal_art_only: true → Only show horizontal orientation option
• apply_canvas_texture: true → Add canvas texture for gallery-wrapped prints

Regular Items:

• Both typically false for non-artwork items

Studio Status & Workflow

Content creation and approval workflow:

Workflow States:

Timestamps

Audit trail for creation and updates:

Uses:

• “New Arrivals” filtering (by created_at)
• “Recently Updated” sections (by updated_at)
• Audit logging and version history
• Cache invalidation triggers

Usage in R.Design

Custom Catalogs

Users can create personalized collections of Design Families:

Features:

• Add favorite Design Families to personal collections
• Organize by project, client, or theme
• Share curated catalogs with team members
• Quick access to frequently used items

Use Cases:

• Project-specific item collections
• Client presentation catalogs
• Reusable design palettes
• Team-shared resource libraries

Room Design

When working with rooms:

1. Browse Design Families in the catalog
2. Select a version and configuration
3. Place items in your room
4. Customize materials using available elements
5. Save room with Design Family references

Item Sets

Design Families can be grouped into Item Sets:

• Pre-configured groups of coordinated items
• Quick room styling (e.g., “Living Room Set”)
• Maintains relationships between items
• Saves time on repeated layouts

Material Customization

Design Families with multiple material options:

1. View available material elements
2. Preview different finishes in real-time
3. Apply to individual surfaces or entire items
4. Save custom material configurations
5. Reuse saved configurations across projects

Store & E-commerce Integration

Design Families can link to purchasable products:

For Users

• Browse catalog with pricing information
• Add to cart directly from the application
• Purchase real-world products
• Track orders through integrated system

For Brands

• Showcase products in 3D environment
• Enable virtual try-before-you-buy
• Link to e-commerce platforms
• Track customer interest and engagement

External System Integration

Design Families integrate with enterprise systems:

Salesforce Integration

• Product catalog synchronization
• Lead tracking from design interactions
• Quote generation with selected items

E-commerce Platforms

• Product inventory sync
• Real-time pricing updates
• Order fulfillment integration

Asset Management Systems

• 3D asset version control
• Automated asset delivery
• Performance optimization

Search & Filtering

The catalog supports complex filtering of Design Families:

Filter Options

Search Capabilities

• Text search across names and descriptions
• Tag-based discovery
• Related items suggestions
• Recently used quick access
• Favorites and saved searches

Technical Details

Asset Management

Manifest Generation

• Automatic asset manifest creation for 3D applications
• Optimized asset packaging based on user’s plan
• Progressive loading for large assets

Caching & Performance

• Local caching of frequently used assets
• Background updates when new versions available
• Bandwidth optimization for downloads

Asset Delivery

• CDN-based delivery for fast access globally
• Adaptive quality based on connection speed
• Resume support for interrupted downloads

Data Structure

Design Families maintain complex relationships:

Design Family
├── Metadata (name, brand, designer, etc.)
├── Categories & Tags
├── Design Versions []
│   ├── Design Version Meshes []
│   │   └── 3D Model Files
│   └── Design Version Elements []
│       └── Materials & Textures
├── Visibility Settings
├── Status Information
└── Integration Data

Best Practices

For Users

Organizing Design Families

• Use My Catalog to create project-specific collections
• Save material configurations you use often

Performance Tips

• Higher-quality assets require more VRAM
• Use lower-poly versions for complex scenes
• Cache assets locally for offline work

For Content Creators

Creating Design Families

• Group related items logically
• Provide multiple material options
• Include proper metadata and tags
• Test in various lighting conditions
• Optimize 3D geometry for performance

Related Pages

Core Resources

• Design Version - Version management details
• Category - Complete category reference

User Features

• My Catalog - Personal catalog management
• Load a Room - Using catalog in rooms
• Materials - Applying materials

For Developers

• Architecture Overview - Technical architecture
• Permission System - Member permission specs