Charging Stack Podcast: 3MERA and the Future of 3D Car Configurators

In this Charging Stack podcast interview, we talk with Schuyler Van Sickle from 3MERA – a company rethinking how people explore and customize vehicles online.

Most car configurators feel clunky and dated. 3MERA builds real-time 3D, AR-ready experiences that run directly in the browser with no apps, plugins, or heavy downloads. Under the hood, they plug into the CAD files OEMs already have and turn them into smooth, interactive visuals that work for everything from EV startups to heavy industrial equipment.

Schuyler explains how 3MERA went from a 3D/AR agency to a platform that helps OEMs unlock their “gold mine” of CAD data for marketing, sales, and service. We talk about what’s broken in today’s configurators, how CAD and metadata really look inside legacy companies, and what the future of car buying and product support could look like in a 3D, XR-first world.

Prefer reading instead of listening? Check out our full 3MERA profile for a breakdown of the product, use cases, and strategy.

This episode is for you if:

• You work in automotive, EVs, or industrial manufacturing
• You’re responsible for product marketing, configurators, or digital sales
• You want to see how CAD, 3D, AR, and AI can make products easier to sell and support

In this episode, you’ll learn:

⚡️ Why most car configurators are broken from a data and UX perspective
⚡️ How 3MERA uses existing CAD files to create fast, web-ready 3D and AR experiences
⚡️ The business case for immersive digital tools in automotive and industrial B2B
⚡️ What it’s like working with legacy OEMs vs. startups building new vehicles
⚡️ How the DeLorean demo came together and why heritage models are powerful marketing assets
⚡️ What the future of car buying and post-purchase support could look like in 3D and XR

Topics covered include

• 3MERA’s origin story: from 3D/AR agency work to a focused product built around manufacturers
• Spotting the opportunity: industrial clients already had CAD, which removed most of the friction in building high-value 3D experiences
• What 3MERA actually does for OEMs and manufacturers:
  • Converts solid-based CAD geometry into mesh-based models for the web
  • Optimizes models for different platforms and AR formats (e.g. USDZ, glTF/GLB)
  • Offloads rendering and conversion work away from engineering teams
• Why CAD and metadata are often scattered across laptops, on-prem systems, and departments
• The gap between engineering (who own the CAD) and marketing/sales (who need visuals and demos)
• 3MERA’s pitch to product and marketing teams:
  • Unlock CAD files so marketers can produce configurators, visuals, and demos
  • Build sales enablement tools that shorten sales cycles
  • Create service and aftermarket content that cuts ticket times
• The real value of better configurators:
  • Explaining new tech like batteries, charging systems, and powertrains
  • Helping products “sell themselves” with near-real interactions
  • Increasing engagement and time-on-page while strengthening brand perception
• Behind the scenes of the Back to the Future DeLorean demo
  • Why 3MERA chose it
  • How similar experiences could work for heritage models and fan communities
• Why the future of the web is 3D:
  • Younger buyers expect richer, interactive product experiences
  • XR devices, spatial computing, and better networks are making 3D practical at scale
• Post-purchase use cases: interactive parts catalogs, tutorials, service flows, and training
• How 3MERA differs from many 3D competitors by focusing on OEMs and industrial equipment, not just consumer brands
• What’s next for 3MERA:
  • AI-assisted workflows that auto-texture, render, and tag models from simple uploads
  • Easier creation of animations and service demos using text prompts
  • Preparing content that can live inside future XR headsets and digital twin environments
• Schuyler’s view on success in five years: full 3D product catalogs and tutorials built in weeks, ready for web, XR, and AI assistants
• Advice for builders: talk to customers constantly and focus on tools that remove friction for the people selling and supporting complex products

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