3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator PE (Personal Edition) 3D Navigation Device USB ( 3DX-700029 )
by 3Dconnexion
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator PE (Personal Edition) 3D Navigation Device USB ( 3DX-700029 )
Customer Review: Great for Flight Planning
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a private pilot.
I have a dual monitor setup that I use with Goggle Earth and Voyager Free Flight, to get a sense of how unfamiliar terrain will look from the air. (Using Voyager Free Flight, a course line and set of boxes export to GE as a klm file.)
Keyboard navigation is clumsy for this because the most natural point of view while using arrow keys is straight down the middle, where my dual monitors are next to each other and there is a discontinuity in the scene. If I try to follow the course centered off the middle of the extended desktop, I am never able to move in the same direction I am facing and must constantly stop and re-center the viewpoint.
With the 3D navigator, I can easily move along the course line wile it is centered anywhere on the extended desktop. Moreover, I can face in any direction while maintaining that ground track. This is especially useful when trying to get an idea of the scene as you fly a pattern in an unfamiliar airport. If you have done this you know that it is usually done while looking at the runway from each direction about half the time. Simulating this is no problem with the 3D Navigator.
There is an airport I am interested in visiting regularly, that is surrounded by tall, steep hills. (Harriman and West, North Adams MA - I call it "scary man out west".) It is a huge help to be able to really explore that air space before actually flying in it.
For all practical purposes, this is the one last bit of technology that finally binds all the available elements together to unlock Google Earth as a useful and enjoyable flight planning tool.
If you are a pilot, you should go out and get this. Best fifty bucks you'll ever spend.
Customer Review: Best Peripheral of All Time!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been programming for close to 10 years (focusing on 3d graphics) and have been modeling in 3d for the past couple of years. On thing I've noticed is how inadequate the 2d mouse is for doing any kind of 3d work. I've wanted a SpaceBall/Mouse for quite some time (back since they added support for Descent) but I could never afford to spend $300 or more on a controller. I'm so glad the guys at 3dConnection have brought out the SpaceNavigator at an affordable price for the consumer market. I've finally got to see it in action myself and there is no going back. No question, the best peripheral of all time.
I honestly do not understand how I ever modeled in 3d without one of these 3d input devices. The camera just moves around silky smooth, exactly how you want it. I've struggled with the camera control in both max and maya for so long, I would have never thought there was such a simple solution. This controller is absolutely essential for any type of realtime 3d work. The SpaceNavigator is for 3d what the Wacom tablet is to 2d. It is honestly the best $60 I've ever spent on a PC peripheral. Not only does it work as advertised, but it also does increase productivity. Its not just the marketing, its the real deal.
If you are reading this and you don't yet have one, please, stop reading and proceed to click the "buy now" button. The SpaceNavigator is worth every penny and more for $59 or $99 even. This thing will pay for itself in only a week. You will not regret the purchase. Amazing product.
Customer Review: Indespensable device for 3D work.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great device!
I am a Google SketchUp user, and I have a SpacePilot from 3D Connexion at work. Getting home and working in SketchUp on my own computer has been a frustrating experience, I feel handicapped without a 3D device, so I am very happy to have a version that I can afford for my own use at home.
The SpaceNavigator was very easy to install with the supplied CD. Just pick the programs you have from the list. There are also additional drivers on the website if you should want to use it with AutoCAD or PhotoShop. I has a very small footprint on my desk yet it feels heavy and solid. I have found it worthwhile to explore the control panel and customize the way the device behaves in different applications, for example: In SketchUp I like to manipulate the scene as if I were holding it, whereas in Google Earth I like it to behave more like the controls of a flight simulator, so I have reversed many of the axis, and programmed the two buttons for my most common commands.
Speaking of Google Earth, it is way more fun to navigate around with the SpaceNavigator than a mouse, not to mention a lot less strain on the wrist!
I can't imagine not using a 3D controller after getting used to it. At work I also use it with Cinema4D, AutoCAD and Photoshop (yes, it is great at panning and zooming in 2D as well).
I would highly recommend the SpaceNavigator to anyone that does any kind of 3D or graphics work.
Customer Review: WOW!!! Simple 5 Stars
Every now and then we're blessed to have found something that is just SO RIGHT in every aspect that you just feel grateful for having found it. The Space navigator is a beautifully machined instrument and it just feels RIGHT!!! After installation you're prompted with the alternatives of trying it out on various applications one being Google Earth. I took a test spin or flight I should say starting at Puerto Vallarta and flew up the coast line and it was AMAZING. It was as though I was in a helicopter that could fly at any speed in any direction, spin, soar, hover, rotate, etc and it was like I was in the heart of some video game. However it was purchased for CAD and so I couldn't wait to put it through it's paces. I personally needed to change the behaviors to suit my needs but soon I was rotating and flying around objects to construct and edit with absolute ease. The only slight consideration of operation has nothing to do with 3Dconnexion but is whether or not the application you're using is compliant with the Space Navigator. Some products are better suited then others and it may take a bit of adjusting to get everything dialed in but they all do work. I thought it would be problematic needing say a third arm and although it's not a perfect world the benefits far outweigh the limitations and I personally find it to be one of the best products at such a reasonable price I've ever used. I look forward to years of wonderful enjoyment with this device.Customer Review: A must have, but confirm compatibility before purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a licensed architect and use this extensively for SketchUp modeling and the occasional Google Earth tour. It has literally transformed the way I model. Even if it only worked with SketchUp it would be worth the $60 or $100. It is very well made, heavy with a sticky rubber base (a big ring, not those little dots), glows blue under the cap (which you can turn off), and has survived a few poundings courtesy of my 3-year old son.
I found that it took me about two full days to get used to it and feel comfortable enough with it to make going back to keyboard and mouse navigation painful.
Don't expect this to work with all (or even many) of your applications, even if they are listed on the 3DConnexion website as "supported". AutoCAD is a good example. Supported, yes, but I actually prefer to use the mouse and keyboard for 2D view navigation. Additional application support is promised, and will hopefully arrive soon, especially on the Mac side.
I have one at work (Windows, SpaceNavigator SE) and one at home (Mac, SpaceNavigator PE), and have used them in both contexts for the better part of a year. The Mac drivers are relatively on par with the Windows drivers, at least enough that device operation is consistent.
If you want to improve your SketchUp modeling fun and efficiency I highly, highly recommend this product.