Attributes Help Image Machine

[lancermedia]

Working on a project where we sell glasses (currently using Levels Ready Theme). We want to use image machine to be able to swap the frame colors via the color swatch option. Non-prescription versions are simple setups. Just a single frame color attribute, with inventory variants to handle the swapping of images on the PROD page.

Where I'm running into issues are on the prescription side of things. For each prescription frame, we have the following attributes:
- Frame color (need this required and inventory so that image machine will swap images on PROD page)
- Lens type (need this required and each option carries a different up-charge - don't really need inventory tracking, but guessing we need to use it for image machine?)
- 5 other various info text fields (all required but these are just to gather prescription info, so no inventories)

Where I'm running into an issue is with image machine and dynamic pricing. We need to use inventory variants so image machine will swap the frame colors. We also want it so that when the customer chooses their frame type, the price on the PROD page dynamically changes.

Let me give an example: Glasses #1

- 2 frame colors (black, brown)
- 8 lens choices

If I set this up so that both of these are inventory tracked - I end up with 16 variants.

My big question right now is - do I really need to add the images to EACH of the 8 variants it created? Seems I do.

Even though the images the same for every version, I don't see a way around this. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to generate variants for the lens choices, as those don't really need to be inventory tracked and have a variant product. But it seems if I want the dynamic pricing, this is the only way.

Thoughts?

-Kevin

[Matt Zimmermann]

Hi Kevin,

Yes, each variant will need the images you wish to swap out on selection and use variants to change the pricing.

[lancermedia]

Hi Kevin,

Yes, each variant will need the images you wish to swap out on selection and use variants to change the pricing.

Thanks Matt.

-Kevin

[lancermedia]

So I found another bit of quirky behavior in how this all works.

For us, we have 2 product shots of the glasses - front and back. For non-prescription versions, since there is only the "color" attribute, I can set one of the colors to be default, so when the PROD page loads, the color "Black" for example is defaulted and people see both image shots as thumbnails.

Well, with the prescription versions, by default when they load the PROD page, they only see the 1 master product image. That's because everything is tied to the variant products. So even though frame color has nothing to do with lens type - people have to choose a lens type in order to see the color thumbnails. Maybe this is why you forced the color swatches to the bottom? Regardless, it makes for a confusing user experience. I moved the swatches to the top, and by default on those pages, clicking the different colors does nothing until they also choose a lens type.

Wish there was a way to use both image machine and dynamic pricing, especially in a case like this where the dynamic pricing is truly an option, not a different product.

And we really don't want to force a default on the lens type selection, as we would prefer the dropdown to have the label "Choose your lens type". There really isn't a default lens type.

-Kevin