Bentos is a new app that lets you design and share your own Apple Store displays

If you’ve ever found yourself wanting to experiment with Apple Store designs and create your own, Bentos is a new iPhone and iPad app that offers just that. Created by Michael Steeber, Bentos lets you “quickly visualize virtually any Apple Store Avenue bay.”

Steeber explained the motivation behind creating Bentos in his excellent Tabletops newsletter on Monday:

Bentos is a new iPhone and iPad app that helps you quickly visualize virtually any Apple Store Avenue bay. You can effortlessly design, test, and share endless displays in minutes, all in 3D.

Bentos is a design tool. It’s an empty canvas for your imagination. It’s for work. It’s a toy. It’s whatever you want it to be. I built Bentos because I wanted it to exist, and now I want to share it with you.

To get started, Bentos offers two different sizes for Apple Store displays. The process is entirely customizable, allowing you to choose different background styles, add your own images, and more. The app also includes templates and a built-in asset library to help you get started.

From there, you’ll add “fixtures and products” to the display:

To help you get started, the app comes preloaded with bay templates to customize. I’ve also built an online Asset Library where you can download sample backdrops, Graphic Panels, and additional fixtures and products.

Bentos can recreate many of the displays found in Apple Stores today, but you can also make something truly unique by adjusting the position, rotation, stock, and style of items in your bay. If you’re experienced with 3D modeling software like Blender, you can import custom fixtures and products to experiment with totally new designs.

Once you crafted your custom Apple Store Avenue bay display, you can preview it in augmented reality and share it to the world. You can share it as an AR file, still image snapshots, and even as a video tour. You can also collaborate with other users by sharing a fully editable copy for your design.

Bentos is Steeber’s latest Apple Store-focused app for iPhone and iPad. It comes following his earlier release of Facades, which he describes as a “field guide to your favorite retail stores.”

Bentos is available on the App Store as a completely free download with no in-app purchases. I encourage you to sign up for Steeber’s Tabletops newsletter as a way to support his projects. Tabletops is a weekly newsletter all about Apple Retail stores.