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Review

Into orbit!

From CAD User Mechanical Magazine Vol 22 No 4 - APRIL/MAY 2009

3Dconnexion launches its most powerful 3D mouse ever - the SpacePilot PRO - with an Integrated colour LCD Workflow Assistant, QuickView navigation technology and Intelligent Function Keys save time and reduce interruptions

The computer appears to be devolving most of its power away from the main processor to the graphics boards. And now, besides graphics card becoming as, or more powerful than the CPU, a considerable amount of power is also being invested in your left hand!

And, just when you think that the left handed navigation mouse has already usurped a good deal of the tools for manipulating 3D models along comes another new mouse from 3Dconnexion that adds a heap more functionality to the device.

Before we find out what has been added, it is worth considering why we need that extra functionality - and from the mouths of people that already use them. A survey in America of 3D mouse users found that 49% of them found them to be pretty useful with 50% of them noticing a significant improvement in the quality of their product designs - and 84% noticed a significant improvement, And that's from CAD specialists of whom 58% were spending 56 hours a day in front of their screens.

And the speed in which users can start to improve their performance is quite dramatic, as well, with 40% of new users becoming comfortable with the technology within 2 hours, and 23% claiming proficiency within the first day.

SPACE PILOT PRO

Statistics are pretty handy if you interpret

them correctly. Extracted from a comprehensive survey, these few exemplify the reason why 3Dconnexion 3D navigation tools are proving to be very popular with design engineers. They are easy to learn and comfortable to use for long periods, and provide advanced control over design with quicker access to design functions - and a smoother workflow.

The company's SpaceExplorer and standard SpacePilot gave users the feel of what could be achieved by adding layers of logic to 3D Connexions navigation tools. Now the SpacePilot PRO takes that intelligence to a new level. The most striking new facility is the new colour LCD Workflow Assistant. It is supported by second generation QuickView navigation technology, Intelligent Function Keys and an improved design that gives users a comfortable device with easy and intuitive access to all of its functions. It is the most powerful device that 3D Connexions have produced, and is aimed at professional designers with complex and large 3D models to handle.

LCD WORKFLOW ASSISTANT

Did I say devolving power, earlier on? Well, this device goes beyond merely giving the

user additional layers of

functions that you get from the

SpaceExplorer, and provides a supplementary screen - about the size of the latest mobile phones - that provide instant access to Microsoft's Outlook email, calendar and task lists. The general idea is that those annoying and diverting admin functions that interrupt your workflow can be sidelined away from the screen onto your 3D mouse. Or, using 3Dconnexion's open software architecture, you can customise the Workflow Assistant with your own ideas about how to make your design engineers working environment more efficient.

ADVANCED NAVIGATION

3D Connexions have improved the navigational capabilities of the SpacePilot PRO by providing 5 dual-function navigational keys, with one-touch access, allowing users to switch between views instantly - top and bottom, right and left, front and back, two isometric views and 90 degree rotation of any view, clockwise or anti-clockwise - a total of 32 different views. For primary views you press the key once. Secondary views can be brought up by pressing, and holding, the key. Additional settings give users customisable control over other features, such as pan and zoom, rotation and one-axis control. Navigation settings can be defined for

different work modes.

INTELLIGENT FUNCTION KEYS

You don't even have to tell which work mode you are in, either, as the SpacePilot PRO can automatically detect active applications, and assign appropriate key functions to it - selecting them from 10 frequently used commands within each application. Accessed through 5, similar dual-function keys, the colour LCD denotes the function key assignments and application mode, so that design engineers can see at-a-glance the different commands and design states.

SUPERIOR COMFORT

Statistics, again, show how long design engineers typically spend hunched over their workstations. Over a full working day, any imperfection in the design of a mouse becomes exaggerated and onerous. 3Dconnexion put a lot of effort into designing the shapes of their 3D mice, making them as comfortable as possible to use for long stretches - not only for their shape, but also for the material they use to give added comfort.

The SpacePilot PRO is the latest in a range that extends back many years, and comes with a new, soft-coated, wrist rest that positions the hand in relation to the

controller cap. This gives the user fingertip control with minimum effort from the arm, wrist or hand -and with all of the most frequently used commands immediately available. Micro-precision sensors provide six-degrees-of-freedom control and manipulation.

And it doesn't even matter if you are right or left-handed, as the symmetrical layout means the 3D mouse can be used as effectively in either the right, or left, hand.

SIX-DDEGREES-OOF-FFREEDOM

If you have only ever used a normal mouse, you will not appreciate the extra freedom that you get from lifting yourself off the flat plane that it works on. It is the equivalent of using your two legs to walk and then suddenly being given wings to fly like a bird! Design engineers can move in all three dimensions simultaneously, using the six-degrees-of-freedom sensor technology.

You can pan, zoom and rotate simultaneously without having to stop to select commands, merely by lifting, pressing and turning the controller cap. The motions and the sensations are so intuitive, however, that many first time users

-statistics again - become quite adept at using the mouse within a few hours! When used in conjunction with the traditional right hand mouse, the overall result is a far smoother and more productive design experience!

The Space Pilot PRO - like all 3Dconnexion 3D mice -are supported by more than 130 of today's leading and powerful 3D applications, including Autodesk InventorTM, SolidWorksTM, CATIATM, Pro/ENGINEERTM, NXTM and Solid EdgeTM.

The SpacePilot PRO is backed by a three-year warranty and is currently available at a suggested retail price of £399. The SpacePilot PRO is supported by Windows XP, Windows Vista®, Sun Solaris 8 (SPARC), Sun Solaris 10 (x86) and Linux® (Redhat Enterprise Linux WS 4, SuSE 9.3 or later). Linux and Solaris support workflow assistant function key assignments only.

The entire 3Dconnexion product line, including the Personal Series with the SpaceNavigator™ Personal Edition (MSRP £49.99 inc. VAT), SpaceNavigator Standard Edition (MSRP £89 ex. VAT), SpaceNavigator for Notebooks (MSRP £99 ex. VAT); and the Professional Series with the SpaceExplorer™ (MSRP £229 ex. VAT), and SpacePilot™ (MSRP £299 ex. VAT) are available from professional CAD resellers and major online resellers. www.3Dconnexion.com.

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