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3Dconnexion’s 3D SpaceMouse doesn’t look or behave like your average desktop mouse. The device, which is suitably space-age in design, was created to provide a comfortable and more natural way to design in CAD software. With small movements on the main controller cap, you can pan up and down or left and right, zoom, tilt, rotate, spin and roll to position your models or camera views as if you were holding them in your hand.
The technology at the core of the SpaceMouse was originally developed for Nasa to manipulate the first robotic arm in space – hence its name. Its main controller cap has six degrees of freedom and contains a sensor that can detect movement as slight as
4 micrometres (about 1/25th of the thickness of a human hair) to ensure precise control over your CAD design with the smallest push or twist.
The idea is to use the SpaceMouse in tandem with your normal mouse, which is freed up to carry out its usual tasks – moving the cursor to select and edit and design. Not only is this supposed to create a more natural way of working on screen but also to increase productivity – you don’t have to waste time dragging your design around and stopping every few seconds to click or select tabs.
The SpaceMouse Pro ranges have an ergonomic hand rest, created to reduce muscle fatigue and the risk of repetitive strain injury. They also have 15 programmable function keys to access application commands, standard views and keyboard modifiers, which become instinctive to use over time and are a handy time saver. In fact, the more natural two-handed work-style that the mouse promotes also mean that users save time by moving and clicking their normal mouse much less, reducing right- and left-hand motions by almost two-thirds, according to independent studies.
While the tandem style of working and the sensitivity of the mouse do take some getting used to, studies by the Technology Assessment Group have found that users consider themselves to be 21% more productive using a 3D mouse. Not only this, but 84% of CAD design engineers who use the SpaceMouse report an improvement in their product designs, as the more natural hand movements keep them more engaged in the work on-screen and more capable of detecting design errors.
The top-of-the-range SpacePilot Pro costs a fairly hefty £355.81. More basic versions start at £94.01.