[REVIEW] SpaceMouse Pro by 3Dconnexion

User avatar
suka
frobiac

19 Feb 2014, 12:43

This review is work in progress, but according to the recommendations already online for comments and criticism. More pictures pending...
What's that blue ring?
What's that blue ring?
glow.JPG (75.21 KiB) Viewed 3463 times

Disclaimer:
Although I do have some experience in 3D-design, construction and animation I am most likely not the best reviewer for such a specialized device, simply because I am not using tools that would probably benefit most from it often enough, and also not on a very professional and efficient level. Neither can I compare this device with other models in its class, as it is the only one I have access to and ever used until now.
Thus this review will focus more on a general description of these input devices by taking this specific model as a example and describe from a rather novice users standpoint the advantages and problems experienced during the initial phase of using it.



Introduction
The SpaceMouse Pro by 3Dconnexion is a special input device commonly used in applications that require navigation in a 3D space. It features a center puck equipped with sensors to enable movement with six degrees of freedom and 15 keys arranged around it.
SpaceMouse Pro glowing
SpaceMouse Pro glowing
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It measures 20 x 14 x 6 cm³ and weighs 660g. On the bottom, 6 rubber pads firmly hold the mouse in place on the desk.
The device is usually placed to the left of the keyboard and operated with the left hand. The thin and flexible cable measures 1.7m and connects the USB 2.0 periphereal to a computer. The blue backlight under the puck can be switched
off in software. The device retails around 350€, the center sensor alone can be obtained in various configurations (wireless, laptop) for around 120€.
Size
Size
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Installation:
In contrast to many other input devices, the SPM does not register as a generic HID-device or mouse and thus requires special drivers, and any user program needs to support the device via the Magellan SDK or its open-source replacement.

Windows 7 detects the device on connection, however a separate driver and tools package has to be installed to be able to use the device. Apart from the device driver itself, several demos and a configuration utility are installed. Afterwards, supported software can utilize the device as an additional input.

3Dconnexion provides an official driver package for linux that installs a proprietary daemon, a graphical configuration utility and two sample applications. Installation on Fedora 19 was simple following the provided documentation, apart from a few quirks and a dependancy on motif. Apart from the demos, however, I could not find any application to test the functionality that supported the device with this driver. The alternative open-source driver spacenav seems to be the better choice for linux users and enabled full support in blender out of the box. A separate configuration program "spnavcfg" can be installed to provide some options, but there are fewer of them available compared to the official tools. Since most of the configuration is available in Blender itself, this is a minor issue, and possibly many key remappings are possible via other tools like spnavkbd .



Configuration
The official drivers offer a plethora of options to configure and enables the user to store settings in profiles for individual applications. Inversion and sensitivity of all axies can be configured as well as some mappings of certain axies to directions on the sensor. The major customization, however, seems to be achievable via remapping of the 15 buttons:
Many driver specific options exist, for example to change sensitivity on the fly, toggle rotation on or off or pop-up the config menu. Furthermore, modifiers and combinations thereof can be found as well as shortcuts to some applications, media keys and copy-and-paste. Mouse buttons can be mapped as well as navigational command keys from a normal keyboard.
Of the standard keyboard keys, only navigational commands are directly selectable, but any user definable macro can be stored and mapped to a button via a separate dialog page.
Windows configuration utility
Windows configuration utility
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Linux spacenavd config
Linux spacenavd config
spacenavd.PNG (51.39 KiB) Viewed 3452 times
It should be noted that the windows driver offers additional features like an on-screen display, a virtual numpad for easier number entry via mouse and other advances features, but since these are mainly in the realm of user software I do not consider them relevant to the actual hardware review.


First looks
Not only is the SpaceMouse Pro a heavy device, it also has a massive appearance on the desk only partly countered by the slender curves of its case. But together with the rubber feet and the minimal touch required to actuate the sensor, there is no tendency whatsover for movement of the device on the desk. Furthermore, the rounded shape of the wristrest combined with a very pleasing matte material invites the hand to rest relaxed on the mouse.
Sculpted shape sideview
Sculpted shape sideview
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The button groups to the side of the sensor are easily accessable with pinky and thumb, but require a certain attention as the keys are all of different shapes, but detectable even without looking.

The use of different black plastics on the case adds a few nice lines to the design of the case, but whether the cracks will be filled with dirt after extended usage remains to be seen - fingerprints and dust are hard to overlook, even though my crappy camera skills overexaggerate the effect. Together with the blue glow of the switchable sensor "backlight", the SpaceMouse Pro has a futuristic but professional look. From what can be determined from the outside the build quality looks great, no visible irregularities or rattling parts whatsoever, but that should be expected from a device in this price range. Only the silver printed legends look a little cheap and as if they could wear under extended use.
Hand on top
Hand on top
hand_top.JPG (231.9 KiB) Viewed 3463 times
Hand sideview
Hand sideview
hand_side.JPG (359.11 KiB) Viewed 3463 times


Technical specs
The 6 degrees of freedom sensor (dubbed 6Dof by 3Dconnexion) is located in the center of the device.
It allows to pan up & down, left & right as well as zooming in & out by pushing or pulling the sensor along one of the principal axies in 3D space. In addition, rotations in all 3 directions (Spin/Tilt/Roll) can be achieved by tilting and twisting the sensor.

15 buttons are available around the center puck:
- 4 large buttons commonly associated with traditional mouse keys or shortcuts make up the top section
- 5 buttons to the left are preset with the modifier keys Esc, Shift, Ctrl & Alt. A Menu key functions as a shortcut to the devices settings, either in driver or user software.
- 6 buttons to the right return the view to fixed positions in some tools, or provide copy&paste functionality by default.

A ring underneath the sensor can be toggled to glow in an diffuse blue color by means of what looks like 6 leds beneath a plastic ring, but even in dark conditions it is unobtrusive and non-blinding.

As I only borrowed the device for this review I'm not able to provide any accounts or pictures of what the inside looks like, sorry!

Usage:
As an example application for the broad field of 3D-space I chose the well-known design and animation tool Blender, in part because I feel sufficiently proficient with it to compare the new usage opportunities to existing interfaces, and also because it is freely available for multiple OS.
When appropriate drivers are loaded, the SpaceMouse Pro is detected on start and a sensible default config loaded. In its configuration page, many "NDOF" (for N-degrees of freedom) options become open for configuration. Depending on the view the mouse is currently in, either pan or rotate mode is selected. The left hand button group retains their designated modifier roles, and the Menu key even pops up a convenient in-app menu for configuration of the axies properties. The right hand group is by default usable for quickly alternating between different views or centering on the current position, functions otherwise found on the numblock. Together with the customization options it feels like the right place to quickly access frequently needed options during modeling and animation.

All keys are silent with a dominant actuation point. They require a little force to operate which is convenient, so your fingers don't accidentally push them down while resting. Some buttons seem to scratch on their enclosure when pressed near their edge, but it is only really noticeable when actually looking for this effect, not during normal use.

The main usage, however, will be the puck in the center to control movement in 3D space. It requires only minimal force to detect movement and still enables the user to smoothly change between different speeds. Lateral movement is limited to about 2mm in each direction, as is the tilting of the upper plane of the puck. Similarly, the vertical axis and rotation around it operates in even finer limits and is very sensitive with default settings. The cylinder sidewall is shaped in such a way that many hand positions allow to operate it with ease, although as with the movement itself it probably takes a while to get used to it and might feel uncomfortable or cramped in the beginning.

Within the limits explained in the opening paragraph, I quickly became used to the new degrees of freedom available through the 3D mouse and must say I am thoroughly impressed by the accuracy and ease of actuation this device provided. I have not yet become proficient enough with it to reap the true benefits of it, let alone manage an ingrained workflow via mouse and keyboard with both hands on mice all of the sudden. But I can now much better understand and value the amount of control such a device gives in skilled hands.
Desktop space
Desktop space
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Final remarks:
After a few days of usage I still find the device alien at times and have to consciously focus myself while using it to achieve a certain degree of accuray. This is, however, by no means an issue with the device itself, but rather attributed to the fact that the additional complex movements now available to my weak hand need a lot more training on my part to become natural and automatic. Still, the immediate benefits are obvious, even if just using the sensor slowly. The additional modifier keys support work within CAD nicely and the configuration options seem to enable many other use cases easily.

The sculpted shape and soft surface is very comfortable to rest your hand on, and the main buttons easy to reach and already intuitively preset with common functions.

Could I see myself using a 3D mouse more often after this test? Yes - the benefits for supported tools are obvious, and custom drivers could offer even more possibilities (mouse replacement comes to mind).

Would I buy a SpaceMouse Pro myself? Probably not. Its price - while perfectly fine for any professional user and the amount of features and solid design you get - is prohibitive for my personal casual usage. The sensor itself can be had for a third of the price and could provide an easier entry into the field of professional 3D devices, but while not critical to the navigation itself the extra keys do offer tempting possibilites that will probably be sorely missed after the initial phase of experimentation.

All in all, this test has been a true challenge as I really underestimated the amount of training needed to obtain an acceptable degree of eye-hand-coordination necessary for accurate and fast usage and forget about previously learned patterns for movement in 3D space with just a regular mouse and keys. I found it very interesting to explore the many options and definitely see huge potential in its sensor technology I would love to see available for further DIY experiments.



Useful links:
Spacemice wiki - Collection of links to various tools, drivers and hints.
Last edited by suka on 19 Feb 2014, 14:56, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Bramster
Cooler Master Employee

19 Feb 2014, 13:59

Wow look at that thing :D! Nice review tho and thanks for participating :) :) !!!

User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Feb 2014, 23:43

I especially like how your keyboard is dominated by the SpaceMouse, quite the opposite experience to most of us! Hmm… custom pointing device ideas begin to come to mind… uh oh.

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