Sean Wittmeyer

Product Designer  |  UX Researcher  |  Architect
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Spearheaded the strategy and validation of features to diversify revenue streams for Modumate. Marketplace was an opportunity to expand our content library and partner with product vendors in one feature release.



Modumate

Marketplace

Product Design • Solution Engineering • UX Research








Diversification and Content



Modumate’s Marketplace was conceived to solve two parallel needs: partner‑facing product placement inside Modumate’s modeling workflow and Modumate’s growth targets. Externally, manufacturers needed verifiable usage beyond downloads; internally, we needed to diversify revenue ahead of a potential Series A, expand the asset library with a small team, and reduce engineering time tied up by manual Unreal imports. The initiative also paired with new quantities and estimation features so product data could drive takeoffs and costs across assemblies.

I led product design end‑to‑end—research, strategy, UX/UI, validation, and partnership outreach and onboarding—starting with door and window manufacturers. I collaborated with engineering on presets, properties, export hooks, and the automated import pipeline, and partnered with content and leadership on the sales narrative, pricing, and rollout.



Goals


Create a revenue stream via branded listings, collections, and product placement to strengthen seed/Series A metrics. 
Ship an automated asset import pipeline to replace manual Unreal workflows and scale the library quickly. 
Integrate estimation and quantities with marketplace assets and building assemblies across the app. 
Ensure products are one‑click placeable, render‑ready, and carry specs and details into exported deliverables.
Prepare for  a self-serve onboarding funnel.







The Problem With AEC Marketplaces


Manufacturers invest in libraries and PDFs, but after a download they rarely know if assets are placed, shown to clients, or specified. Designers want one‑click, render‑ready products and auto‑generated deliverables without download → unzip → import friction. 

What gets shown is what gets purchased, but both sides lacked reliable signals inside the design workflow. Major design suites have the potential to solve this but haven’t delivered that loop to manufacturers.


Crafting Manufacturer ROAS


We embedded a branded Marketplace at the center of the modeling workflow, where designers browse verified assets and place products with one click. The Properties Sidebar surfaces make/model, sizes, performance and style attributes, and cost data, while partner specs, details, and links flow into drawing sets, detail catalogs, super‑schedules, and project manuals on export. The roadmap included ModelShop Templates for pre‑built buildings with partner bundles and a ShowHome 3D Viewer for embeddable, interactive showcases.


Marketplace data is accessible from popovers integrated throughout the app.
Open the Marketplace from a modeling tool (ex. wall) and see promoted content.
Expanded Marketplace provides an easier browsing experience.
Product detail provides access to brand and user sourced data as well as in-project quantities and data.



Implementation


We developed the Marketplace UI, the automated asset import pipeline, and quantities/estimation features in parallel, integrating them throughout the interface so product data stays consistent from browsing to placement, properties, and export. Partner assets were converted from FBX, RFA, or OBJ, enriched with metadata, and ingested natively—eliminating manual Unreal work and ensuring assets are render‑ready and spec‑accurate. Backend improvements enabled hands‑on partners to import their own assets with live updates to 3D models and supporting documentation.

Validation focused on user needs and market fit. We studied more than a dozen leading marketplaces for CAD details, 3D models, product data, and content libraries, along with manufacturer resource centers, to benchmark discovery, placement, and measurement patterns. We identified MVP product categories—windows and doors—based on customer conversations and our expanded industry network, then validated demand with targeted outreach. Over 100 manufacturers were approached; more than a dozen expressed interest in paid listings, including a potential partnership with a big‑box home improvement retailer. These signals shaped listings, verified presets, analytics, and deliverables integration, ensuring the Marketplace addressed both designer workflow and manufacturer ROI.



Asset detail popovers display brand content side-by-side with project data.



A Dynamic Product Library  


The Marketplace leveraged Modumate’s flexible asset and assembly structure, making it a home for complex content—from individual products to building assemblies and full models. We built a model library that could evolve into a marketplace where designers share projects and a hands‑on training space to help new users onboard quickly. 

We also set up the Marketplace as a channel for content creators and manufacturers to sell 3D assets and models via purchases and subscriptions; as a proof of concept, we published purchasable model homes to explore monetization, which led home‑plan catalog publishers to express interest in partnering.



The project included over two dozen components integrated throughout the app.




Impact


Marketplace headlined a major release that addressed both customer and investor needs. It reduced engineering demand for content creation, improved designer satisfaction, and established a new revenue stream—while creating a flywheel as manufacturers promoted their products in the Modumate library. 

It also helped transition our go‑to‑market from sales‑led onboarding to a self‑serve model, with sample projects, tutorials, and relevant content that embedded promoted products directly in the workflow rather than relying on banners.



Vendor marketplace sales deck (image linked)



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