How to create Custom Products

This article teaches you how to bring your own products into Canoa through images, URLs, and CSV files to create custom product cards that you can design and space plan with in your Canvas mood board.

Even though we have extensive Public Catalogs, sometimes your design has a unique or custom product not found in our catalog. However, you'd like that product to have the same data-enriched characteristics so you can design, space plan and add to your furniture schedule just like those products in our database. We call this workflow 'Saving as Product'. And Canvas offers three easy ways to bring in the products you want to design with.

Option 1: Save As Product icon

This Save As Product icon lives when you select any image.

1. Create a new Canvas or open an existing Canvas.

2. Find the image of the product you'd like to create a custom product card by drag and drop, uploading, or pasting the URL of the image into your Canvas.

3. Click the image and five icons will appear below it.

4. Select the Save As Product icon.

5. The Product Card window will open up on the right side of your Canvas so you can add details and data for your new product.

NOTE: If the Product side panel window does not automatically open up, then hover over the image, right-click to open up the features menu and select View Product Details.

This powerful action can also be done in bulk - you can create custom products for multiple images at once. Place all the images you want to create into products into your Canvas. Then, highlight/select those images all at once. The Save As Products icon will appear below them. Simply click the icon and they will automatically become products!

Save as products in bulk! Three images are highlighted to then create three product cards.

After you click the Save As Products icon, you will want to enrich the product data for each of these three new products. One-by-one, right-click each product and choose View Product Details (CMD + I). The Product Side-Panel will pop up on the right side of your screen. Here is where you can enrich and add all the data you need for your new custom products.

This action is also accessible within the right-click menu when you are in Canvas.

Option 2: Import a CSV file

Oftentimes we collect products in a form of a list. When that list of products is able to be exportable into a CSV file, you can then upload that same CSV file directly into Canvas. Now you can design with the furniture pieces from your CSV list in a more visually pleasing and data-enriched setting in Canvas. Here's how:

How to import a CSV file into Canvas

1. Create a new Canvas or open an existing Canvas.

2. Click the Import button in the top toolbar and select Product List (.csv).

3. Choose your CSV file that has the list of products you want to bring into Canvas. Click Open.

4. The Import Products window will pop up. Canvas will automatically match your data fields.

   • If the fields you are importing are not automatically selected and seen, you can manually match the fields by using the dropdown arrows within each field.

   • If you do not want to import a detected field, simply click the X to remove it from the import.

5. Click Next. This will launch a preview of how your data will look for each product in your file.

   • Use the arrows in the top right corner of this preview to toggle through your list of products from the CSV file to see how they will look like in Canvas.

6. Click Import and then click Proceed when you and your data is ready for Canvas.

   • A processing notification will appear in the top of your Canvas, letting you know the import is working.

7. Click Add to Canvas when your CSV file has processed completely.

8. The products will appear as gray blocks hovering with your cursor. Place the blocks wherever you would like in Canvas.

The preview to see how your data will look when imported into Canvas

Click Add to Canvas and place your products wherever you'd like

Import up to 100 products via CSV file due to limits pertaining to your Account Subscription tier. If you want to bring in more than 100 products at once, we recommend that you do so in My Catalog - Table view.

Working in Table view

Option 3: Paste a URL from a website

When you copy paste a link of your favorite product or inspirational image into Canvas, it will automatically save as a product. This is a great way to collect your favorites and add the necessary additional data into their product cards. Learn more here:

How to add Links into Canvas

Option 4: Draw Shapes

Every time you draw a shape in your Canvas, you have the option to save it as a product. You can easily and quickly draw a custom product - with one or multiple shapes - and continue to build that product by adding images and all necessary data.

• Select the Draw tool, Rectangle tool, and Circle tool in the top Canvas toolbar.

• Draw your shape for your custom product.

• Select the shape or shapes that you want to turn into a product.

• Click the Save As Product button just below the shape.

• Add in details by right-clicking and selecting View Product Details.

Use the Drawing tools to draw shapes

You can continue to edit the product's drawing anytime. Select the drawing view of your product. Double-click into the drawing itself, and the Drawing Editor window will launch. Make any needed edits to your drawing here.

Learn all about Canoa's Drawing Tools here:

How to use the Drawing Tools

The Product Card Details

Complete the information related to your product in the Product Card window. Typical information would be Manufacturer, Product Name, Size, Material and List Price.

Enrich your product data in the View Product Details side panel.

The information you input into the Product Card will appear when you select the Card view. NOTE: The Card view is the third icon you can select when toggling between the different views for you product.

Adding a Drawing

There are a couple of different options for you to add a drawing to your custom product. After you have Save As Product, simply click on Add a Drawing to open the drawing editor.

Choose Add a Drawing to launch the drawing editor.

Freehand Drawing - for basic or simple shapes:

• Click on the Add a Drawing icon to open up the drawing editor.

• Select one of the options in the Drawing toolbar to draw a basic shape like a circle or ellipse, poly-line, or rectangle.

• Adjust and recolor the line weight and drawing fill as needed.

The Drawing Editor with Drawing Toolbar

When the drawing is selected, you will have the option to adjust the line style and weight, as well as the fill color and opacity

Import Drawing - for when you have a vector line drawing available:

• Click on the Add a Drawing icon to open up the drawing editor.

• Click on the Import Drawing button at the top right of the Drawing Editor window.

• Click to upload or drag & drop in your drawing file. NOTE: 2D, vector line / simpler drawings work best.

• A notification will pop up on your screen if the upload was successful.

• Select the drawing to adjust the scale as needed.

• Adjust and recolor the line weight and drawing fill as needed (see above graphic).

How to import 2D vector data (drawings)

The Drawing Editor is on the left. The Import Drawing window is shown on the right.

Select a drawing from our drawing database - for when you want a detailed drawing that you can easily modify:

• Click on the Add a Drawing icon to open up the drawing editor.

• Click on the Import Drawing button at the top right of the Drawing Editor window.

Option 1 - General Search through Drawing Database:

• Use the global Search bar to input a general search through our drawing database. For example, you can input something as vague as "Coffee Table" to search for all drawings of a coffee table. Or, you can input something more specific like the product name or manufacturer.

• A filtered list of drawings will appear. Click on the drawing you like and that will import the drawing into the Drawing Editor.

• Select the whole drawing to adjust the scale, line weight and color and drawing fill as needed (see above graphic).‍

Option 2 - Filter through Drawing Database:

• Click on the Filter icon and the Filter Menu will pop-up in a separate window.

• Click on the expand arrow to open the filtering options and select the categories you need to refine your search.

• Click Clear to close the Filter menu.

• A filtered list of drawings will appear. Click on the drawing you like and that will import the drawing into the Drawing Editor.

• Select the whole drawing to adjust the scale, line weight and color and drawing fill as needed (see above graphic).

After adding your drawing, click on the X in the upper right-hand corner to close the Drawing Editor and return to your Canvas.

To open the Product Details of any image:

• Hover over the image and right-click to open up the Product Side Panel.

• Select View Product Details.

• The Product Side Panel window will upon up on the right side of your Canvas.

• NOTE: You can only edit the details of a product that you have created. You cannot edit products that live in the public Products database.