Most helpful client reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
This is a occupation specific tool
By M. St Louis
1st make sure you read all other reviews. They all have pertinent information. I’m a mechanical product developer for the aerospace industry. Using Solidworks for 3D modeling and Mastercam for programming CNC machining centers, I find the Space Navigator priceless. I do own the Space Pilot, and the Space Traveller and the Space Navigator. All are worthy of their intended capability. So if you need to design/model intriquete constituents where you need to explore inside cavities to assert fundamental interaction of mating parts, this is the tool that does make it having little impact and quicker than any other tool in the CAD industry. If you want to play with one for anything other severe CAD modeling, buy the most inexpensive one and get it out of your system. There’s no need for this device unless you’re necessitating 3D solid model control. As far as the differing prices, I’m evenly satisfied with my $59 Navigator as I am with my $499 Space Pilot. If you need this tool and don’t need the customizable features, spend the $50+.
18 of 18 humans found the following review helpful.
Revolutionary, Must-Have 3D Device for Architecture and More
By Karl
Anyone doing 3D modeling, peculiarly in architecture, genuinely has to have one of these gimmicks if their software supports it.
The SpaceNavigator supports various merchandise that I use on a every day 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 some 3D apps is a jerky procedure – smooth pan, rotate, etc followed by moving your mouse to a new position (causing a pause in the action) and begin moving again.
With the SpaceNavigator, motion is liquid and (if you change the predilections to high speed) – fast (and fun)!
The SpaceNavigator may 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 motion of my hand on the SpaceNavigator is identical to if I was keeping 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 somewhat immersive.
In ArchiCAD or Artlantis, I may work much more immediate than with mouse alone… and in perspective mode, so the views are more realistic. I may without any delay 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 without delay 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 may move accurately and fluidly in OpenGL to walk through a building in real time. But, even for animations, the SpaceNavigator lets you speedily set up camera positions.
Google Earth is finelooking fun with it, too – again, wholly liquid 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 in regards to 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 mercantile (for profit). You may ‘upgrade’ an SE to a PE on the manufacturer web website – even though it is for less to buy a PE here at Amazon in the firstborn place.
5 of 5 humans found the following review helpful.
Not a mouse alternate — a 3d navigation tool
By Shava Nerad
This is an astounding product — we use it to invent camera effects in 3D spaces for live shows and recordings in the virtual world environs of Second Life.
One you undertake it, you will never be capable to do frame capture work with just the normal mouse. But it’s not a substitute for your mouse — I use my mouse on the right, and the SpaceNavigator on my left (admittedly now and then with both hands just for a bit of extra control and concentration).
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