3D Mouse: SpaceNavigator

[Mk.32]

Hello all,
As one of the main CAD-ers for our team, I was wonder if anyone has used one of the 3d mouses before. And if anyone has an input, it is a bit expensive at $100...
Though it looks like it could be pretty helpful.

[Madison]

I don't like them, but I've worked with lots of people that live for them.

For what it's worth, I still model faster than anyone I've worked with that used a 3D mouse, so it may be worth it for some, but it's definitely not necessary.

[msimon785]

I own one. I find that when in the process of CADing, they are more of an annoyance than an aid. Without extensive practice, I find it very difficult to achieve a level of precision.
However, if I want to show my assemblies off in a presentation style, there is no smoother way to do so.
They require a huge learning curve. You will need to play around with the settings until you figure out what is most intuitive for you. If you are willing to undergo the curve, then they are probably worth the purchase.
Also, the SpaceNavigator only costs $79.99 for those affiliated with an educational institution.

[artdutra04]

I have the SpaceExplorer at my job, and I really find it useful/efficient when working with assemblies. I didn't find the learning curve that bad to master, as there is a built-in "tutorial" app with the driver software that you can use to learn which degree of freedom on the mouse (X, Y, Z, pitch, yaw, roll) corresponds to which DOF in the CAD software.

[Cory]

I bought the basic space navigator years ago, after hearing friends rave about it.

I used it for about 3 days, decided it was worthless, and boxed it up again.

I found myself constantly having to take my hand off of it to hit keyboard shortcuts, so any time I was saving was totally wasted by that.

I could see how the space pilot pro would be useful, since it has enough buttons to setup shortcuts for every commonly used tool and you wouldn't have to move your hand all the time.

[Mk.32]

Thanks for all the input guys.
A few questions, for CAD work can the 3d Mouse fully replace a regular mouse?
And what does the "learning curve" entail?

[IanW]

No, it won't replace an actual mouse. In fact, it is used in conjunction with a traditional mouse.
Personally, I had the chance to take a 10 week test drive with one, and ended up liking it enough to purchase one myself. However, I would say that it depends on what software package you use. I prefer to navigate in Autodesk Inventor with a 3D mouse, as I think their orbiting is terrible. In SolidWorks on the other hand, it is much easier to precisely orbit (position the view at the desired angle) using only the middle mouse button.
Ultimately, I would suggest trying to find an opportunity to run one through a one week test drive. As I'm sure you can tell, preference really varies from person to person.

[msimon785]

Originally Posted by Mk.32

Thanks for all the input guys.
A few questions, for CAD work can the 3d Mouse fully replace a regular mouse?
And what does the "learning curve" entail?

It is not meant to. The idea is that while your right hand controls a regular mouse for direct object manipulation, the left hand is occupied by the SpaceNavigator, which allows you to fluidly navigate through 3d space. Of course, having only two hands, this prohibits use of the keyboard unless a hand is moved to do so.

Also, 100th post!

[TroyCDH]

Our company bought 8 of the nice space explorers. I think only two of us are still using them. No e-mails about taking the extras please

I use my 3D mouse daily but only for specific tasks. About 5% of the time I am doing CAD, I use the extra mouse.

For CAD at Robotics I would find a better use for the money. That extra $150towards a better graphic card, larger monitor or more RAM would help the CAD computer more than the 3D mouse.

[JD Mather]

Virtually every professional I know uses one of these devices.

When I first got mine I had trouble with it but tried to give it an honest evaluation over several days. I was about to put it back in the box and sell on eBay when I decided to give it one last try.

I went into the Control Panel and switched the action of the up/down pan and zoom. Within minutes I was flying like a pro. This should be the default setting.

We have 50 of the devices at our school. A good number of the students end up purchasing their own or convince the company they go to work for to purchase the devices.

Students can get for about half price at http://www.journeyed.com

It is simply not possible for someone not using one of these devices to keep up with me in speed. Especially in operations like routing wiring for a mechanism.

I use with Inventor, SolidWorks, Pro/E (doesn't work all that well with AutoCAD). I also use with Google Earth - takes a bit of work in the Control Panel to get it set up well to work with Google Earth. Whenever I go somewhere new - I already know my way around - all the landmarks and turns as I have allready "flown" the route with my Space Navigator (Actually I own most of the models, but the simple Navigator is the one I use the most as it is relatively portable. I never even bothered to learn the buttons on the more advanced models.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by JD Mather

It is simply not possible for someone not using one of these devices to keep up with me in speed. Especially in operations like routing wiring for a mechanism.

I never even bothered to learn the buttons on the more advanced models.

JD,

Could you elaborate on why you feel it's impossible for anyone to keep up with you?

Other than rotating in a plane around a point I don't see any advantage over a traditional free rotate with middle mouse button and pan while holding ctrl/shift/whatever (or vise versa, depending on program). Especially when combined with your statement about never using the buttons.

Based on my experience with the space navigator I don't see how you could feel more efficient when you constantly have to remove your hand from the 3D mouse to enter keyboard shortcuts/commands.

[s_forbes]

It's not the context of this thread, but this controller looks like something that would be great for precisely controlling a robot that has multiple degrees of freedom. We tried to set up the most intuitive control system possible for our 5-dof underwater robot using a gamepad type controller and it was just short of a nightmare to drive smoothly. This kind of input would have made it much easier to control. It looks ideal for swerve/omni FRC drivetrains as well, since it's not as cumbersome as a 3-axis joystick.

As an interface for CADing, I don't think I would get much out of it. The ability to click/move a mouse with one hand and use shortcuts with the other already makes work very efficient, and as Cory mentioned you can already do the same navigation movements using mouse wheel/shortcut keys. Still wouldn't mind trying it out though!