3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator Review

3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator Review
By Jeff Mottle

During SIGGRAPH this year I was introduced to a new piece of navigation hardware from 3DConnexion called the SpaceNavigator. I had heard about the company before and had seen pictures of their previous products, but at the time nothing really caught my attention. Having since put my hands on the device, I can honestly tell you they have all of my attention.

So what is a SpaceNavigator you might ask? All of 3Dconnexion’s product offerings are in a word, 3D mice. They allow you to push, pull, tilt, and twist a controller cap using a six degree-of-freedom optical sensor. This allows you to navigate through 3D space, without the cumbersome constraints of standard mouse and keyboard shortcuts. While they have four flavors of 3D mice, the subject of this review will be their entry level product offering called the SpaceNavigator.

The device itself is rather unassuming, but its blue LED glow circling the controller cap alludes to something special going on under the hood. The SpaceNavigator is very well crafted considering its inexpensive price. The brushed stainless steel base is made up of a weighty piece of machined metal and gives the device a very sturdy feel. When you first look at the SpaceNavigator you might assume it has a similar weight to a mouse, but you would be wrong. My Microsoft mouse weighs around 150 grams (5 oz). The SpaceNavigator weights thee times as much and measures in at a hefty one pound. The Controller cap itself is made of a gripping matte rubber with a polished hard plastic top. Flanking either side of the device are two narrow elongated control buttons to quickly access individual application setup configurations and can also be reprogrammed to control specific application functions. When you place your hand on the device it feels like there is something substantial there made of quality materials.

With aesthetics aside, let’s touch for a moment on the applications the SpaceNavigator supports. 3Dconnexion currently support well over one hundred different applications with their custom device drivers on Windows, Max OS X, Linux and Unix. While I will not list all of the applications here, the ones of note to our industry are: 3ds Max, Adobe Acrobat 3D, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Reader, AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop, BodyPaint, Cinema 4D, DWF Viewer, form-Z, Google Earth, Maya, Poser, QuickTime VR, Rhinoceros, SketchUp, and SOFTIMAGE/XSI. For a detailed list of all of their supported applications you can visit their site here

What I found quite interesting about their drivers is the fact that every supported application I had installed, both before and after the device was installed, automatically recognized the application and just worked.

I first tried the SpaceNavigator inside is 3ds Max 9. This is unfortunately one of those experiences you have to try to completely understand, but let me first start by saying. “wow”. Although I’ve since left architectural visualization production, this device almost had me thinking I should go back. I quickly came to my senses, but needless to say I was impressed. With my right hand on the mouse and left hand on the SpaceNavigator I was able to easily move around the scene while manipulating the geometry. The largest advantage of using a 3D mouse is the ability to simultaneously navigate in multiple axis without having to switch between cumbersome sequences of keyboard shortcuts and mouse button clicks. You simply twist, pull, tilt and push the controller cap and you are literally flying through your scene like a skilled aerobatics pilot. By pressing one of the side buttons, you are able to launch a special application specific control panel which give you access to items like control sensitivity and how you want the device to interact with the environment. For example, with the click of a radio button, you can move selected objects, rather than the scene camera, or lock down axis, or remap the two size buttons to frequently used application controls.

The next test application was PhotoShop. At SIGGRAPH I was able to test the SpaceNavigator in CS3, which allows you to manipulate its new 3D content feature. I am still using CS2 in the office, but found it equally useful as I do not use any of the 3D features in PhotoShop anyway. In CS2 panning, zooming and brush size can all be controlled by simply manipulating the control cap. I found this very useful for editing images.

The last two applications I tested were Google SketchUp and Google Earth. Like 3ds max you are able to fully navigate the scene in 3D with ease, however the SketchUp driver does not have an application specific control panel like is the case with 3ds Max. You do however still have access to the device control panel, as you do with any application.

Google Earth definitely takes on a new life with this device and really makes it feel as though you are using an aircraft to fly over the maps. If Google Earth were a shipping product, they would do well to include a SpaceNavigator in the box. While writing this review I spent a good deal of time reacquainting myself with this application again thanks to the easy navigation.

The SpaceNavigator comes with a two year warranty and comes in two flavors: The personal edition, which costs $59 and the Standard Edition for $99. The two products are identical except for the licensing and the type of support you receive. The personal edition can only be used for non-commercial purposes and comes with online support only. The Standard Edition comes with a full commercial license as well as full support.

To view video of how a 3D mouse works click here

Conclusion

I definitely like this device and for the price, recommend anyone in our industry to run out and get one today. Navigating your 3D scenes will never be the same again.

I would like to see more support for the more popular VR applications like Quest3D. If these applications were supported I would ship a device with my client presentations, as it makes the experience much more enjoyable and easier for clients who may not be savvy with navigating in 3D with a mouse. Overall I think this is a fantastic product well worth the money.

For more informaton about the SpaceNavigator or for purchase information you can visit the 3Dconnexion site here.

 

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