Admin Tool user guide

Before you begin

Before a model can appear in your catalog, it goes through five steps. A model must be configured before it can be published.

How it works

The tool has two main areas, shown as tabs at the top of every screen:

Preparing your 3D model

Preparing a model correctly before importing it helps preserve its appearance and makes its surfaces easier to customize in Planner 5D. This guide explains how to structure meshes, assign materials, prepare textures, and optimize a model for import.

How editable areas are created

Planner 5D applies colors and textures to individual meshes — each mesh is treated as a separate material area in the model editor. Create a separate mesh for every part of the model that should be customizable independently.

For example, a chair may contain:

Assign materials

Assign one material to each mesh. If different parts require different materials, separate them into individual meshes before importing — assigning several materials to different faces of a single mesh may prevent Planner 5D from recognizing them as independently customizable areas.

Use simple materials whenever possible:

• Use a solid base color for an area that only requires color customization.
• Use an image texture for an area that requires textured materials.
• Avoid complex procedural materials and application-specific shader effects — they may not be preserved during processing.
• Remove unused and duplicate materials before exporting.

Textures, position & geometry

Prepare textures and UV maps

A mesh must have a valid UV map to use an image texture. For every textured mesh:

• Create a UV map with no unintended overlaps or severe stretching.
• Check that the texture has the correct scale, position, and orientation.
• Connect the image texture to the material's base color.
• Verify that all texture files are linked and available when the model is exported.
• Remove texture maps that are not used by the model.
• Use clear, high-quality images without unnecessarily large file sizes.

A mesh without a UV map should be prepared as a solid-color area.

Position and scale the model

Use the product's real-world dimensions and apply all transformations before exporting. For best results:

• Apply the model's scale.
• Reset its location and rotation.
• Place the bottom of the model at ground level.
• Center the model horizontally around the scene origin.
• Set the pivot point so the model rotates and scales correctly.
• Check that the model faces have the intended direction.

Correct positioning prevents the model from appearing below the floor, rotating around an unexpected point, or being imported with incorrect dimensions.

Optimize geometry

Complex models may take longer to process and can reduce project performance. Before exporting:

• Remove hidden, duplicate, internal, and unused geometry.
• Remove polygons that are completely covered by other parts.
• Use the lowest level of detail that preserves the model's visible shape.
• Simplify small details that won't be noticeable in Planner 5D.
• Check that face normals point in the correct direction.
• Avoid self-intersecting geometry, especially on transparent parts.
• Remove empty objects and unused scene elements.

Prepare transparent parts

Transparent materials may require additional preparation:

• Separate transparent parts from opaque parts.
• Avoid overlapping or self-intersecting transparent surfaces.
• Use double-sided geometry or materials for thin surfaces that must be visible from both sides.
• Split complex transparent geometry into simpler parts if surfaces are displayed in the wrong order.

Review glass, fabric cutouts, leaves, and similar elements from several viewing angles before importing.

Checklist & example

Example: preparing a sofa

A sofa that requires independently customizable upholstery, legs, and cushions can be structured as follows:

If every cushion must be customized separately, create a separate mesh for each. If all cushions should always use the same material, combine them into one mesh.

Check the model before importing

Confirm the following:

• Each independently customizable area is a separate mesh.
• Each mesh has only one material.
• Meshes that use textures have valid UV maps.
• Textures are correctly linked and displayed.
• Unused materials, textures, objects, and geometry have been removed.
• The model uses realistic dimensions.
• Scale and other transformations have been applied.
• The model is centered, placed at ground level, and oriented correctly.
• The pivot point is positioned correctly.
• The model looks correct from different angles and at different zoom levels.

3D preparation troubleshooting

Step 1: Upload models

Upload one or more 3D model files from the Product List. Uploaded files are automatically processed by the system.

Upload a new model

1. Open the Product List tab.
2. Click Add Item.
3. Select one or more 3D model files.
4. Review the selected files.
5. Click Upload. The uploaded files are automatically processed by the system.

Bulk submit

If you trust the uploaded models and do not need to review them individually:

1. Select one or more models.
2. Click Submit Models. The selected models are submitted without opening the editor.

Troubleshooting uploads

Step 2: Review and configure models

Models with the Review Required status must be reviewed before they can be published.

Open a model

1. Locate a model with the Review Required status.
2. Click Open to view the model in the editor.

Configure materials

Use the Materials tab to replace textures, change colors, and review applied materials.

Configure dimensions

Use the Size section to adjust Width, Height, and Depth.

Configure position

Use the Position section to rotate the model around the X, Y, and Z axes, and to change the pivot point used for rotation and scaling.

Set the thumbnail preview

The thumbnail preview is the image displayed for a model in the Product List and Library. Before publishing, you can adjust the model's orientation so the thumbnail shows the most representative view of the product.

1. Open the Product List tab and locate the model you want to update.
2. Click Open to launch the model editor.
3. Select the Rotate tab.
4. Rotate the model until it faces the desired direction. Use the blue (Z) axis as a reference for the front of the model, rotating around the X, Y, and Z axes until the product is shown from the angle you want.
5. Check the Front View Preview in the lower-right corner of the preview area. It stays visible on the Rotate tab and updates automatically as you rotate.
6. Click Submit to save the changes.

Apply position changes to the catalog

After saving, the new orientation and thumbnail appear in the Product List but are not yet available in the catalog.

Review model analytics

The Analytics section displays metrics you can use to evaluate model quality and complexity:

Add product information

Optionally add: SKU, product name, product URL, image URL, price, and additional information.

Submit the model

When the review is complete, click Submit. The model continues to the final processing stage.

Update product information using CSV

If you have product information stored in a spreadsheet, you can update multiple models at once using a CSV file. The import updates metadata for existing models in the Product List — it does not upload new 3D models.

Prepare the CSV file

The CSV file must contain the following columns in the specified order.

Example

Assign products to categories

You can assign a product directly to one or more catalog categories using the Category ID column. To find a category ID:

1. Open the Library.
2. Locate the required category.
3. Use Copy ID from the category menu.
4. Paste the ID into column H.

A single product can be assigned to multiple categories — enter category IDs separated by commas, for example 123123, 456789, 987654. The product will be added to all specified categories during import.

Notes

• The CSV import updates metadata for existing models. The 3D model files are not modified.
• Models are matched using the SKU Number from column A.
• If the Product Link (column C) contains product images and dimensions, you can leave columns F (Picture), G (Availability), and H (Category ID) empty.

Upload a CSV file

1. Open the Product List tab.
2. Click Upload CSV.
3. Select the CSV file from your computer.
4. Confirm the import. The system matches records in the CSV to existing models and updates their metadata.

Export a CSV file

You can export the metadata of all products in your catalog to a CSV file.

1. Open the Product List tab.
2. Click Export CSV.

The exported file contains the current product metadata — SKU, product name, URLs, price, availability, and category assignments. Use it to review your catalog data, make bulk updates in a spreadsheet, or re-import the updated file with Upload CSV.

Step 3: Organize your catalog

Open the Library tab to organize models into categories.

Create categories

1. Click + Add.
2. Enter a category name.
3. Click Save.

Categories can also contain subcategories.

Manage categories

Add an icon to a category

You can assign icons to a catalog category. Click the Icons menu near a category, then select an icon from the list or upload your own. To remove a custom icon, open the icon list, hover over the icon, and click Delete (×).

Category structure

The catalog uses a three-level category structure.

Example

Interior            (Level 1)
└── Furniture       (Level 2)
    ├── Sofas       (Level 3) ✓ Products can be assigned here
    ├── Chairs      (Level 3) ✓ Products can be assigned here
    └── Tables      (Level 3) ✓ Products can be assigned here

Exterior            (Level 1)
└── Outdoor Furniture (Level 2)
    ├── Benches     (Level 3) ✓ Products can be assigned here
    └── Patio Sets  (Level 3) ✓ Products can be assigned here

Step 4: Assign models to categories

The Library workspace contains two configurable lists. Each list can display a catalog category, the Product List, or another category — making it easy to move models between categories.

Add models to a category

1. Select the destination category.
2. Select one or more models.
3. Drag the models from one list to another — or use the Move button.
4. Verify that the models appear in the destination category.

A model can belong to multiple categories.

Remove models from a category

1. Select one or more models in the category.
2. Drag them to another category or back to the Product List.

Set up model and category settings

You can define what settings should be available for a model or category of models in the editor. Available settings are:

Update settings for multiple items

1. Open a category.
2. Select one or more items.
3. Change the required settings.
4. Apply the changes. The updated settings are applied to all selected items.

This is useful when you need to enable or disable the same functionality for many products at once.

Search and sort

Each list includes a search field, sorting controls, and a model count.

Step 5: Publish your catalog

Changes made in the Library are not applied immediately. To make your catalog updates available:

1. Review your category structure.
2. Review model assignments and any model updates, including rotation changes.
3. Click Publish.

Publishing applies all pending catalog changes, including updated model information, thumbnails, and default orientations.

After publishing, the updated catalog becomes available for use in Planner 5D.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Common issues and how to resolve them. If a problem persists after following these steps, contact support.