Who is using a Spacemouse?

[Annihilator]

first of all:

Hi, i'm back.


since i started my apprentice job two years ago, and got in contact with a "3dconnexion Spacemouse", i always wondered how i was able to work with an 3D-application without it. (answer: rotate camera is bound to a mousebutton in some apps)

now i'm asking: who of you is also working with one?

and the reason for asking: i want to buy me some new equipment and wondered if i could use the spacemouse for games like "X3 Reunion" to steer my spaceships.

the price for the cheapest now is ~60€, which is just a fraction of what it used to be (200+). The one i have at work is pretty old and i cant even connect it to my machine (serial connector)
, nor can i take one home for some obvious reason.

so anyone here has some experiences with such a device?

[B.J.]

I've been using 3DConnexion products for about 10 years now (all just different versions of Spaceballs - yes that's the real name). I've just used them with Unigraphics or CATIA, or some version of low-end viewer, and I would never go without one now. I don't know about using them with games, although I can imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to set it up as another controller.

[NanoGator]

Ermm.. I use a relative of the Spaceball at work, but never tried it for gaming. Great for looking at sets, tho.

[rojren]

About 12 years ago I had something called a Spaceorb 360 from Spacetec (now 3dconnexion). It was pretty neat, but it was in the Win95 days, and as I remember the drivers were a bit buggy, and games that were supposed to support it didn't really completely support it.

I remember spending around $40.00 for it then, and I just some on eBay going for $100 to $200 dollars. 'Should have kept it.

[Captain J. Wesley]

Looks interesting, though I doubt I'll ever get one.

[NanoGator]

Originally Posted by Captain J. Wesley

Looks interesting, though I doubt I'll ever get one.

I doubt most would need one. However, if you ever needed to do a 'Quake' like run-through of a scene, it's your best bet. (Mainly because none of the main apps use Quake Keys. *Grumble*)

[Huejass]

What the junk?

I was expecting more to do with space. Maybe a mouse shaped like an spacE-SHIP (the "spac" is silent).

[NanoGator]

Heh. Actually it's a joystick-like device only it has more inputs on it. Basically you can turn AND move at the same time. Great for doing psuedo-camera moves while checking out something.

[-MerlyN-]

We have one at the cad-lab at university. An older model, which is integrated into a logitec keyboard. I think for anyone, who's into 3D design, its a must have toy. Not an essential need, but certainly handy and increases workflow speed. Havent tried it on games, though (our Admin at the lab would kill me, if I installed games on those machines ). But since they dropped the price to 60€ for the standard edition (which is enough IMO) I might get one, soon

Thanks for bringing the company back to my mind

[B.J.]

Personally, I find it essential for doing 3D modeling at work. I get things done much faster, and the movement is almost second-nature. The only drawback is I have to sit on my left hand at home to keep from reaching for the non-existent Spaceball!