A 3D drone designer in Power Apps
Turn the model, change a part, and read the effect on the build
A canvas app in Power Apps can hold a 3D model that people turn and rebuild, with the catalogue and the estimates on the same screen. The commercial drone designer is that kind of app. The build shown here is a sample, the Northline NQ-900.
The model in the app
Drag the model to rotate it. Turn colour on and the airframe, motors, and gear read as one machine. Choose a different part and the model updates with the selection. In the sample, fitting wheeled landing gear in place of the skid set puts the wheels on the aircraft you are looking at.
A catalogue that drives the picture
The parts are grouped the way the aircraft is built: airframe, motors, ESCs, propellers, battery, flight controller, payload, and landing gear. One part is chosen for each. A compatibility filter keeps the list to parts that fit the current build, and each part shows its manufacturer, country, weight, price, and a short note on what it is for. Reset build returns the configuration to the start.
Estimates that move with the build
Four figures sit above the model. Predicted top speed is pitch speed, reduced for drag and mass. Theoretical carry weight is thrust minus the equipped weight, capped by the airframe. Wheelspan is the motor-to-motor diagonal. Cost counts motors, ESCs, and propellers per arm.
On the sample build those estimates read 32 km/h, 2.5 kg of carry weight, a 900 mm wheelspan, and $4,167. The wheeled landing gear takes the cost to $4,282. Speed, carry weight, and wheelspan stay with that airframe, and the model shows the change.
Why the model belongs in the app
The picture and the numbers are the same build. Someone specifying a survey or inspection aircraft can turn the machine, check that the parts fit, and read speed, payload, and cost before a component is ordered. The catalogue can live in Dataverse or in the parts list a team already keeps, so the 3D model is a view of that data inside the app.
The same approach is how we build other canvas apps. Device management is the register we use for our own equipment. A configurator shaped around your own catalogue is Power Platform consultancy.