[Expert Talks] Enriching tools for specific 3D modeling of frames

20 March 2025 • 2 min read

With our "Expert Talks" series, we give the floor to Fittingbox's talents!

They'll share exclusive insights, the challenges they face and talk about their domain of expertise. From Augmented Reality (AR) & Diminished Reality (DR) to Machine Learning and Computer Vision, get glimpses of what's behind Fittingbox's innovations!

Today, Maxime Chambefort, Lead C++ Developer at Fittingbox, depicts how we use our expertise to push forward designer tools such as Blender, by developing add-ons for specific modeling needs of 3D frames.

About Maxime Chambefort, Lead C++ Developer at Fittingbox

Maxime joined Fittingbox 5 years ago. He has been, since then, an integral part of the Rendering Virtual Try-On Development Team. His many areas of expertise include knowledge of Blender, a tool that we use for 3D modeling of glasses.

A few months ago, Maxime put his expertise at the service of the SudioLab team, which he joined to join efforts to push forward designer tools with Blender.

Why do we use Blender?

Blender is an open source software that can be used to accomplish a multitude of 3D modeling tasks. For example, it is widely used in film production.

At Fittingbox, we use it to perfect the 3D modeling of glasses. Our primary aim is always to give end-users a "wow effect" thanks to an ultra-realistic rendering... So, it’s essential to stay as close as possible to the real aspect of the physical frames when it’s time to turn them into 3D assets.

You have to think of Blender as a funnel. On the surface, there is a huge number of ways of using it, but the more you configure the tool, the more you can make a specific and detailed use out of it.

To build the “funnel” that operates the series of actions we need, we use our knowledge of Blender’s Python API to design specific add-ons.

Learn more about the way we turn physical frames into 3D assets

How do we use add-ons to improve 3D modeling of glasses?

First things first: let’s use our imagination again to clearly understand what’s an add-on.

On one hand, we create add-ons using visual programming. You can imagine this technique as a set of bricks which, arranged in a certain way, give a specific result. If we were to change the order of the bricks, the outcome would be different... and so on, for an infinite number of possibilities.

So, a set of bricks represents an add-on.

On another hand, each add-on represents an execution path designed to make a task as easier as possible to perform.

For example, we use a specific add-on to change a decorative element of a frame - such as the temple’s colour. This will enable us to process the geometric aspect of the frame more precisely, more quickly and in a partially automated way.

What’s next?

Of course, we use and create a multitude of add-ons - and not just for 3D modeling.

The aim is precisely to acquire greater expertise in tasks that are becoming increasingly complicated, so that we can solve them more quickly and in greater detail. That's the whole point of developing what we call proprietary functionalities.