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3D motion controller?

S

skittle101

New member
Hello all


Does anyone use anything other than a mouse for modelling?


eg: tablet or trackball?


I just wanted to know whether or not it is worth looking into getting one.


Many thanks in advance
 
The 3D controllers are VERY nice. I have used several variants extensively, and I think the SpaceBall is the best.

Worth every cent.
 
Thank you for your replies but there are different items on the market now and I was really after recomendations from people who have tried and tested the different type as MichailS did. From what I have seen it is worth getting something just a matter of what!
 
I like the SpaceBall best, but the SpaceMouse comes in a good second place. The only thing different between them is the shape of the grip, actually.

I own a SpaceTraveller, and while it probably has the same sensor pieces as the others and thus is fine in that regards, it does suffer from being a bit too light. So when you use it it has an annoying tendency to slowly move around unless you set the sensitivity very high and just touch it ever so lightly. I'm contemplating glueing it to some base plate or such.

I haven't used the new SpacePilot, but I suspect that it is again same as the others in the sensor department, except for the fancy button panel and display. I never used the buttons on the controllers I have used and thus find them to be quite superfluous, but that is just my personal preference.
 
I used both the spaceball and then upgraded to a spacepilot at my previouse job. When they upgrade the computer system here I will order another Spacepilot (i hate unix
smiley5.gif
)


The spacepilot, in my opinion, is much better than the spaceball... it is more comftorable to use, as well as all of the buttons especially the view keys by your thumb. I use a lot of mapkeys, and i programed some of the other buttons to the most common ones. With windows you can use the spacepilot with most applications. If you are viewing a PDF you can use it to pan, zoom, and rotate. All around I think the Spacepilot wins, it is not just for modeling.
 
the spacepilot is great if you use multiple systems as it loads different configurations depending on which software you have active. We demo'd one last year with one of our users who ws switching between UG and Wildfire all day long. He almost broke my arm when I went to send it back at the end of the demo period!
 
I own a SpacePilot and I don't know how I was able to work without it
before. Once you get it it'll take you an hour of use before it feels
like second nature, but after that you'll use it as skillfully as your
mouse. What's nice about the SpacePilot is the myriad of possibilities
that the LCD fast keys give you. You'll probably spend a whole morning
just setting these up to your preference, but after that you'll fly
when modelling. It works great with mapkeys in ProE, but I find that
the SpacePilot is even more efficient if you use Autodesk Inventor. The
software can detect what mode you are on (drawing, sketch, part,
assembly, etc) and automatically update the LCD screen to show you the
options for that mode.



The support from 3Dconnexion is also nice. If you request software
upgrades so that the spacepilot does something useful for your
particular application, chances are they'll look into it and include it
for the next driver release
 
I spend most of my time with one hand on the mouse and the other over
the numeric keypad, so I'm thinking I actually need three hands to make
use of a spacepilot. Does anyone find this to be a problem?



I have actually got a Spaceball 4000 sitting on my desk, but I never
bother to use it, is the spacepilot really that much better?
 
Does anyone find this to be a problem?
Click to expand...
Not really. I use left hand for the 3D spacething or SHIFT/CTRL/ALT or WASD depending on application, and the right hand on the mouse right next to the numeric keyboard such as that it takes a millisecond to slap on its keys when I need to neter numbers.

What bugs me though is that most keyboards are unnecessarily wide, pushing the 3D and the mouse apart so much it feels uncomfortable.

I tried getting a mini keyboard but the key quality, their position and the lack of numeric keyboard sucked.

I have looked at the Logitech DiNovo keyboards that on paper look good as they separate the numeric keypad - plus they have good keys and they are grouped properly, but I don't much fancy wireless gear as they tend to run out of batteries at inappropriate times.

I'd like to find something like this:
tb-106.jpg

but preferrably without the mousepad, and of better quality than this seemingly cheapish thing.

Keyboards are mostly crap these days. One of these days I'll design my own. Using buckling spring keys, narrowing the spacing just a fraction, relocating Caps Lock, making left SHIFT larger, moving Insert out of harms way and putting the Home/End island above the numeric keypad. =[

Edited by: MichailS
 
Hi everybody..


I'm reading with some considerable interest this post, as I work the design house who design the 3D connexion stuff and indeed many of the Logitech products, DiNovo being one of them.. All designed and modeled in ProE!
smiley36.gif



I must say that DiNovo is one of the favourites here in the office, and the seperate numpad is also a calculator among other things so that's always handy for us engineers!


View attachment 2421


I have quite a large desk though so I personally like the larger keyboard. I've been meaning to try out theG15..


View attachment 2422


it's a gaming keyboard but it has 18 extra keys on the left which I have been thinking would be great for map keys..


View attachment 2423


I must give it a go!


Regarding the space pilot.. well I find it a great bit of kit.. although I do find it a pain taking my hands off either the mouse or the space pilot
smiley5.gif
.. hmmmm... haven't quite figured out how to sort that one yet! I seen studies that suggest that mouse usage can be reduced by up to 50% with a space pilot and considering that we click on aveage 15,000 times a day not to mention the actual wrist movement ti could be worth a look!


Anyway if ye have any recomendations for improvments to keyboards, mice, controllers, please pass them on and I'll certainly talk it over with our lead designers - if there is a strong enough arguement for something and it makes sence you might see it in FY '08!


Cheers,


James
 
Yippee!!!


At long last I have managed to get my company to buy a spacepilot and so far I am quiteimpressed with it. Just trying to work out which shortcuts I want to put on it.


Thankyou for all your comments!!!!!
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Edited by: skittle101
 
james.lynch said:
Hi everybody..


I'm reading with some considerable interest this post, as I work the design house who design the 3D connexion stuff and indeed many of the Logitech products, DiNovo being one of them.. All designed and modeled in ProE!
...


Anyway if ye have any recomendations for improvments to keyboards, mice, controllers, please pass them on and I'll certainly talk it over with our lead designers - if there is a strong enough arguement for something and it makes sence you might see it in FY '08!
Click to expand...

Tell them to make us buckling spring keyboards, preferably a bit narrower and less noisy than the IBM Model M and with shorter key travel. Move the blasted Caps Lock up to the three weird keys and make a big ass Shift instead. Add a row above the Function keys with
 
I've actually used both alot and I see good uses for the mouse and the space ball. I prefer to use the mouse when I need to do fast modeling. I prefer to use the space ball when i'm showing someone a model or for presentations. The space ball is very precise but not speedy fast precise. They are both useful tools, I will continue to model with the mouse tho.
 
Hi Cian,

the 3D connexions stuff is designed not to be a mouse replacement but a partner to it. It's also a very tunable piece of kit, so you can increase speed and responsiveness as one becomes more used to the tool.
Glad you like it tho!

James
 
I agree with you there James, I have a spaceball 4000, its an old one but its a good piece of kit! I actually find it a good deal faster with the spaceball, especially when surfacing. I have buttons mapped for ctrl and shift and the like, on my mouse i have delete mapped to a button, so the only time I am taking my hands away is to enter number and use the clac. I did know the di nivo had a built in calc, might try that one.


All in all I would definitely recommend the spaceball to anyone who uses CAD a lot.


Paddy
 
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