3D Mailer Studio

What it is

3D Mailer Studio is a browser tool for previewing print mailers before they go to production. Upload artwork per panel, choose fold type (bi-fold, tri-fold, quad-fold, corner fold), rotate and position panels in 3D, and review the result with orbit controls.

Why I built it

Print mailer approvals usually involve flat PDFs that clients struggle to imagine folded. After working on voting mailer campaigns, I wanted a tool that shows how panels meet at folds — reducing revision cycles and miscommunication with print vendors.

Key features

• Multiple fold layouts: bi-fold, tri-fold, quad-fold, corner fold
• Per-panel texture upload and selection
• Transform gizmos for move, rotate, and scale
• Dimension controls per active plane
• Background color picker for presentation context
• Orbit controls for client-friendly review angles
• OBJ export for downstream use

Approach

Three.js planes with hinge logic per fold type. Sidebar UI tracks the active panel; selecting a panel swaps texture targets and dimension inputs. The tool is designer-facing, not developer-facing — labels are plain, controls are grouped by task.

What it demonstrates

• Print production tooling built in the browser
• Direct connection between creative work (EAC mailers) and utility apps
• 3D as a communication layer for non-3D stakeholders

Takeaways

The best production tools answer one question clearly: what will this look like when it is folded? Everything else is optional.