The support for 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice is built into the newest service pack for modo 601 (SP1) which is currently available for download.

“modo users now have a powerful new option for navigating within the application,” said Brad Peebler, president and cofounder, Luxology. “Our 3Dconnexion 3D mouse implementation provides a very granular level of control to ensure a natural user experience.”

01 - 3Dconnexion's 3D mice are now supported in Luxology's newest modo 601.

To learn more about 3Dconnexion and their 3D mice go here.

3Dconnexion wants 3D mouse users to show non-3D mouse users just how awesome it is to use a 3D mouse for their CAD and 3D design work. They have teamed with GrabCAD website to promote a video competition. Entrants are challenged to create a demo video promoting the use of 3Dconnexion mice. The competition has just started and ends 18 April 2012. To learn more visit this page.

Nemetschek Launches Creative Minds Competition

Nemetscheck Vectoroworks, Inc., has announced the start of its Creative Minds Monthly Design Competition in the United States. The “charrette style” competition introduces a new concept every month to be answered with any kind of design response–architectural design, product design, landscape design, entertainment design and others.

The competition challenges designers to explore multiple design options for documenting and presenting a response to a design challenge. The competition is open to anyone within the US and submissions can come from an individual or a group of up to four people. Each month’s winner will receive a 150.USD Visa gift card, along with the opportunity to be showcased in Vectorworks’ traveling exhibit, which will be featured at venues such as the AIA National Convention and Design Exhibition. All winning entries will also be showcased in the online “Creative Minds” publication.

To learn more and enter this competition please visit the following website:

http://www.vectorworks.net/creativeminds/

The new intelligent navigation technology automatically determines the optimal center of rotation based on the user’s point of interest. In addition, the center of rotation can be seen through an icon to give the designers a reference point when controlling spin, tilt, and roll motion, resulting in an extremely intuitive 3D navigation experience.

“Our innovative intelligence 3D navigation feature provides unprecedented levels of control,” said Antonio Pascucci, vice president of products, 3Dconnexion. “By automatically establishing and displaying the optimal center of rotation, designers are free to focus more on the creative elements of their designs without having to think about positioning the model or navigating the scene.”

Autodesk Maya users are free to switch between different intelligent 3D navigation modes including object mode, camera mode and target camera mode to suit their project or personal preference.

To learn more about 3Dconnexion visit them online here.

“Hands down, 3Dconnexion 3D mice provide the most intuitive way to work in Blender and are a must-have tool on today’s design workstations,” said Nathan Letwory, chief technology officer, Studio Lumikuu and Blender core developer. “Using a 3D mouse in Blender means you can position your model while simultaneously sculpting or modifying with a traditional mouse or tablet. You have to try it to believe it!”

01 - Buck Bunny tells the story about how 3D mice rock in Blender.

Blender 2.59 will now support SpaceNavigator, SpaceExplorer or SpacePilot PRO. The intuitive and precise control makes users feel like they’re holding the digital model in their hand. Check out what “Big Buck Bunny” has to say about 3D mice here. (YouTube link).

“The introduction of 3D mouse support in the latest release of Blender underscores our ongoing commitment to extending the support and reach of superior 3D navigation to all 3D software users,” said Antonio Pascucci, vice president of products, 3Dconnexion.

To learn more about Blender go here. To learn more about 3Dconnexion visit them on the web.

In-house designer Dave Geist has been using Autodesk Revit Architecture to develop and create custom residential designs and construction documents.

“The ability to pan, zoom and rotate simultaneously in the middle of a command is so helpful,” says Geist, “specifically the ability to rotate the model to review without using the keyboard.”

01 - 3Dconnexion is the maker of award-winning 3D mice, like the SpaceNavigator shown here. Their 3D mice help 3D and CAD software workflows.

The 3Dconnexion SpacePilot Pro is just one of many 3D mice by 3Dconnexion, which aid dramatically in the workflows of CAD and 3D professionals across a variety of software applications. (You can read a product review of the SpaceNavigator from 2007 here.)

To learn more visit 3Dconnexion online here.

Graphics Support

We attended part of the second Facebook Facecast for Autodesk AutoCAD for Mac event. These events are interesting for their format, the way in which Autodesk responds to questions coming in directly through the Facebook wall. There is a bit of awkwardness in this type of event but we applaud Autodesk for exploring the use of Facebook this way.

Okay, some notes from the event. A few things that were mentioned and discussed (and some of these questions came from us) had to do with whether or not there were preferred graphics cards for running AutoCAD for Mac as quickly as possible. Here is what they said. More power is always better and Autodesk doesn’t have a brand preference per se. However, at the moment the company prefers the ATI graphics cards. They did not elaborate why but we thought this was an interesting tidbit.

From our experience with visiting the ATI/AMD graphics offices here in New England, we can assume that their own internal testing is showing better performance and/or stability with those cards at the moment.

Another note. Intel Integrated Graphics on MacBooks do not work for running AutoCAD for Mac. Generally anything within the last 2-3 years is good to go in terms of hardware support for the app.

01 - The new AutoCAD for Mac features the well-regarded mental ray rendering engine. Stunning renderings, like the one in this image, can be easily created from within AutoCAD for Mac. However, the program does not produce animations just yet.

Lion OS X

When we came into the discussion there was talk about Lion, the next version of Mac OS X. The company is working to support that upgraded OS. Someone asked about Lion’s new Full-Screen mode and if there will be support. Autodesk responded by saying that they have that now in Clean Screen mode. That is not clear if they mean to say they will tap those new API’s in Lion directly or handle it the way they do now.

3D Mice Support

We asked if AutoCAD for Mac–being very much a solid performing 3D modeling app now–supports 3D mice from 3Dconnexion. The answer? No yet.

Rendering Capability

We also asked about rendering, as did others, and the bottom line on rendering is that the mental ray rendering engine is fully incorporated into AutoCAD for Mac and is very powerful and produces stunning renders. We actually would like to spend more time learning about this because we believe AutoCAD for Mac is the only Mac application where you can utilize mental ray’s engine. If we are wrong about this do tell us.

Lastly, Autodesk did answer our question about animation support. AutoCAD for Mac does not yet support the creation of flyby animations, despite the high performance rendering engine integration. So that completes our notes on

The new 3DxWare 10 driver platform now allows 3D mice like the SpaceNavigator to be used with any application, from Microsoft Office to Apple iTunes. Imagine adjusting the volume of your music in iTunes by twisting the cap on your SpaceNavigator!

In Beta Still

The new 3DxWare 10 drivers for Mac and Windows are still in beta and available to those with 3Dconnexion 3D mice. So what can you do now with this latest driver? Here’s a summary:

• Documents and Web Browsers — Gently tilt the 3D mouse cap up to scroll the view up or down, or twist the cap to zoom in and out
• Games — the 3D mice can emulate a joystick input device on games like The Sims, Wings of Prey and more
• Media Players — Controlling the volume, track selection and other possibilities exist within apps like Apple’s super popular iTunes app
• 3D Collaboration — 3DxWare 10 also provides a new feature for professional users by allowing multiple 3D mice to be used on one workstation. This allows easier viewing of 3D models in group design reviews and client presentations

Update and Details

3Dconnexion’s 3DxLabs listed a new driver update for 3DxWare yesterday for Windows. The latest release of the beta for Mac is on 7 April 2011. You can grab the beta driver here now.

01 - 3Dconnexion's SpaceNavigator 3D input device (mouse). Thanks to new 3DxWare drivers 3Dconnexion's 3D mice now work in all applications.

3DxWare is compatible with the complete line of 3D mice from 3Dconnexion, from the SpacePilot PRO to the SpaceNavigator for Notebooks. Learn more here.

3Dconnextion mice offer SketchUp 8 and Pro 8 users the following features:

• Superior Navigation — simultaneously pan, zoom, and rotate your model as if holding it in your hand
• Superior Modeling — 3D mice also offer a superior control of modeling when working with the new Solid Tools modeling operations for creating, editing and validating multiple shapes
• Precise Control — patented six-degrees of freedom (6DoF) sensor is capable of detecting inut as small as four micrometers for smooth and natural control of the sketch or 3D model
• Improved Efficiency — programmable buttons provide quick access to commonly used software features
• Intelligent 3D Navigation — Sets the center of the rotation to a point on the model that is nearest to the display screen center, which is helpful at higher zoom levels, or SketchUp users can pick a new center of rotation point for an individual modeling task

Compatibility

The entire 3Dconnexion product line is compatible with SketchUp 8 series products, including the Professional Series with the SpacePilot PRO (399.USD) and SpaceExplorer (299.USD) and the Standard Series with the SpaceNavigator (99.USD) and SpaceNavigator for Notebooks (129.USD).

To learn more visit: www.3Dconnexion.com

When working in the true 3D modeling environment in Vectorworks 2011, 3Dconnection 3D mice provide a level of design interaction that is unattainable with a traditional mouse and keyboard. 3D mice further enable professionals to draft any shape, on any plane, and in any view in an intuitive manner that augments the simplified and unified design experience offered in Vectorworks 2011.

The entire 3Dconnexion product line is compatible, including the SpacePilot Pro (399.USD), SpaceExplorer (299.USD) and the standard series with the SpaceNavigator (99.USD) and SpaceNavigator for notbooks (129.USD).

To learn more about these 3D mice visit them online here.

Now users can utilize 3Dconnexion input devices to control both 2D and 3D aspects of Photshop CS4. New to Photoshop CS4 Extended, designers no longer have to explicitly switch to a 3D environment when editing, but can set a 3D layer as active to enable 3D mode. In addition, 3Dconnexion 3D mice automatically detect whether a layer is 2D or 3D and provide the appropriate navigation style for that environment.

3Dconnexion’s 3D mice allow users to move in all three directions (x,y,z coordinates) simultaneously, using six-degrees of freedom sensor technology. The new compatibility with 3D mice and CS4 include both Windows and Mac platform editions of the Adobe software and include the following models:

• SpaceNavigator Personal Edition
• SpaceNavigator Standard Edition
• SpaceNavigator for Notebooks
• SpaceExplorer and…
• SpacePilot

“Collaborating with Bentley Systems significantly expands 3Dconnexion support for solutions in the AEC community,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “Our 3D mice deliver dramatic productivity gains to V8i users by streamlining workflow and increasing design performance. In long-term infrastructure projects that can take years to complete, our 3D mice can accelerate the design, visualization and review process, ultimately decreasing time to market.”

The new Mice are now not confined to motion on one flat plane, but a three dimensional world, that probably echos the fluid motion of navigation in the Sims 2 game. Using six degrees of freedom and space, 3Dconnexions’ 3D mice make the modeling process more dynamic and effortless.

“3Dconnexion 3D mice complement the V8i portfolio, which is aimed to bring significant workflow enhancements for intuitive design modeling, streamlined interaction and project design performance,” said Joe Croser, global marketing director, Bentley Systems, Incorporated.

3Dconnexion provides advanced and affordable 3D mice that are supported by more than 130 of today’s leading and powerful 3D applications, including Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Extended and Acrobat® 3D, CATIA, Google Earth™ and SketchUp®, Microsoft® Virtual Earth™, NX™, Pro/ENGINEER®, Second Life Grid® Platform, SolidWorks®, and all of the top-tier 3D CAD applications.

For a complete list of applications supported by 3Dconnexion,
visit: www.3dconnexion.com/solutions/cad/all_sup_app.php.

3Dconnexion’s products, like its award-winning SpaceNavigator, allow users greater ease in navigating in and around SketchUp 7’s modeling environment. The product also works with Google’s 3D environments in Google Earth. By pulling, pushing and rotating pressure on the cap section of a 3Dconnexion device one can combine simultaneous pan, zoom and rotate functions into one smooth movement. 

To learn more about the SpaceNavigator and other 3Dconnexion mice, visit their website here.

3D mice enable architects and building design and engineering professionals to better visualize their virtual building as the 3D mice are more intuitive to operate than a series of equivalent 3D navigation command tools. 

ArchiCAD 12 offers specific options for controlling  the mode of 3D navigation, allowing users to select either camera mode or object mode for effortless control. 

3Dconnexion’s 3D mice are supported with ArchiCAD 12 under both Windows (Windows hotfix build 2325 on Windows XP and 32 and 64-bit Windows Vista) and Macintosh OS X 10.4.6 and higher. 

SpaceNavigator Personal Edition retails for 59.USD, while other product such as SpaceNavigator for Notebooks starts at 129.USD. SpaceExplorer, a more sophisticated product than the product we have reviewed, is priced at 299.USD. To learn more visit them at: www.3Dconnexion.com

“3Dconnexion did a great job of looking within SolidWorks 2009 to see where a 3D mouse will help the software work more effectively for the user,” said Nick Iwaskow, Manager of Alliances at Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp. “More than ever, our customers are looking for the productivity gain that 3Dconnexion 3D mice provide.”

3Dconnexion 3D mice work to combine multiple, 3D navigation functionalities into a single controller, freeing up one hand to navigate in 3D while the mouse hand can select and implement functions normal to a program. With 3D mice the user can freely fly through environments or around objects in an intuitive manner. 

The SpaceNavigator Personal Edition retails at 59.USD. To learn more visit them at: www.3Dconnexion.com

Details of Version 6

In addition to the underlying ACIS modeling kernel update, which improves blending, chamfering, shelling, Booleans and direct-face modeling editing, ViaCAD 2D/3D V6 also has 200x faster hidden line rendering (on both Mac and Windows) and 6x faster dynamic repaints. This significant boost in visualization with the updating modeling kernel by Spatial Corporation brings further robustness to an already affordable, general and mechanical modeling-capable native Mac 3D CAD application.

Punch

Architecture Focus

Interestingly, Punch Software has decided to also focus ViaCAD 2D/3D on the architectural market as well, providing numerous new 2D tools for architectural drafting. Such new tools feature associated and auto dimensions, automatic healing between neighboring walls, wall, window and door object types, support for custom wall styles where the user can affect the thickness, lines and fill patterns and more.

Lastly, 3Dconnexion’s SpaceNavigator is now fully supported, which will aid 3D navigation when working on both Intel and PowerPC based Macs.

ViaCAD 2D/3D for Mac and Windows retails for 99.00.USD and is available at most Apple Retail Stores, Staples, Amazon and other leading large-box retailers. Punch Software is the fastest growing retail publisher of CAD software in the United States and a leading provider of 2D and 3D design software solutions. To learn more visit them at:

http://www.punchcad.com/

MarketLab Results

Key findings from the study are:

• More than 80% noted 3D mice improved their productivity
• 80% were comfortable using the 3D mouse within two days
• 70% were proficient with the 3D mouse within the first week
• More than 70% indicated the 3D mouse reduced discomfort while navigating their 3D CAD environment

Findings from the survey along with additional information regarding the use of the mice in 3D CAD applications is available at:www.3Dconnexion.com/productivity in a white paper titled:

“The Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers.

Supported by more than 130 of today’s leading 3D applications, 3Dconnexion 3D mice are designed to significantly increase the productivity and efficiency of today’s CAD-intensive organizations, dramatically accelerating the design process from concept to production.

To learn more visit: www.3dconnexion.com

Related Articles

Product Review: 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator

3Dconnexion’s award-winning 3D mice, including the fantastic SpaceNavigator (see Architosh product review, SpaceNavigator, 16 Feb 2007), work to control 3D navigation with 3D CAD, modeling, rendering and animation programs.

“Our support of 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice was an easy choice — VectorWorks provides an extremely easy and flexible 3D design environment and 3Dconnexion’s family of 3D mice delivers the most natural interface to navigate that 3D world,” said Sean Flaherty, CEO of Nemetschek North America. “With 3Dconnexion’s product line, our users can naturally and quickly navigate the virtual world they are designing.”

“Intuitive and natural 3D navigation leads to better perception of 3D content and ultimately to better designs,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “The support of our 3D mice in VectorWorks 2008 helps us deliver on our commitment to provide the very best 3D navigation to the architects, designers and project managers in the AEC market.”

3Dconnexion’s SpaceNavigator™, SpaceNavigator for Notebooks, SpaceExplorer™ and SpacePilot™ feature customizable buttons, giving users the ability to program frequently used commands using custom function macros. SpaceNavigator also offers default pre-configured programmable buttons assigned with key VectorWorks functions.

3Dconnexion’s 3D mice work with a broad range of leading CAD and 3D programs including: formZ, SketchUp, Maya, Adobe Photoshop, UGS NX, VectorWorks 2008 and more.

To learn more: www.3dconnexion.com

More information about 3Dconnexion’s SpaceNavigator(tm) is available atwww.3Dconnexion.com.