Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Anyone doing 3D modeling, particularly in architecture, really has to have one of these devices if their software supports it.
The SpaceNavigator supports several products that I use on a daily basis:Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Abvent Artlantis Studio, Google SketchUp and Google Earth.[Right-handed user assumed here...] It is placed to the left of the keyboard, so that you have you right hand still on your mouse. It is not a selection device, but a navigation device.
Navigating in 3D in many 3D applications is a jerky process - smooth pan, rotate, etc followed by moving your mouse to a new position (causing a pause in the action) and start moving again.
With the SpaceNavigator, movement is fluid and (if you change the preferences to high speed) - fast (and fun)!
The SpaceNavigator can be set up to work in your model in either a fly-through mode or in 'object' mode.I prefer 'object' mode.If I am looking at a building, the movement of my hand on the SpaceNavigator is identical to if I was holding a physical model of that building in my hand.If I rotate away from me, the building rotates away.Push to the left, the building pans to the left.Lift on the knob, the building rises on the screen.Etc.Extremely intuitive and slightly immersive.
In ArchiCAD or Artlantis, I can work much faster than with mouse alone... and in perspective mode,so the views are more realistic.I can instantly get to the back side of the building, looking up at the fascia to deal with a rafter issue there, for example.
I'm a heavy user of keyboard shortcuts, and do not find that it interferes at all with that, as suggested by another reviewer. The device is immediately to the left of my Cap Lock key, so it is milliseconds to get my hand back over the keyboard.
With clients, there is almost no need to generate animations (movies) since you can move accurately and fluidly in OpenGL to walk through a building in real time.But, even for animations, the SpaceNavigator lets you quickly set up camera positions.
Google Earth is pretty fun with it, too - again, completely fluid navigation, vs the move, pause, jerk kind of navigation achieved with a mouse.
Note that this review is on the SE page, but applies to the PE model as well. The license is the only thing I hate about this thing.The SE and PE models are identical, differing only in their license details.The SE is for non-commercial work, the PE for commercial (for profit).You can 'upgrade' an SE to a PE on the manufacturer web site - although it is cheaper to buy a PE here at Amazon in the first place.
Click Here to see more reviews about: 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator SE (Standard Edition) 3D Navigation Device USB ( 3DX-700028 )
Product Description:
3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator SE (Standard Edition) 3D Navigation Device USB ( 3DX-700028 )
Want to read more honest consumer review about 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator SE (Standard Edition) 3D Navigation Device USB ( 3DX-700028 ) now ?
No comments:
Post a Comment