SpacePilot

[Steve Zirtzman]

Has anyone used the new SpacePilot from 3Dconnexion? I am wondering how it compares to the SpaceBall 5000.

[gcode]

I signed up for the free 30 day trial they offer on thier website, but have not heard back from them yet. Called a salesman yesterday and he told

me that they expected the first shipment from the factory next week.

Journey Ed has them for sale on thier website, but

I don't know if they are shipping or just taking orders.

I'm looking forward to trying one and will be selling my CadMan if anyone is interested.

[Steve Zirtzman]

gcode,

Please give us a full review after you are done with your testing. What do you want for the CadMan?

[mayday]

um.. is somthing missing?

 

CAD/CAM/CAE

• AutoCAD

• Autodesk Inventor

• ANSYS

• CATIA

• EdgeCAM

• I-deas

• Pro/ENGINEER

• Unigraphics

• Solid Edge

• SolidWorks

[gcode]

Space Pilot does Mastercam

 

Steve,

I paid $320 for it last summer( retail is $399)

Ebay kills the resale value of stuff like this.

Make me an offer. Keep in mind, CadMan does not do Catia, which is why I'm selling it.

When I bought it I never thought I'd be using Catia.

[Steve Zirtzman]

I see that it also does not support I-deas, Pro/ENGINEER, and Unigraphics. Our design department is in the process of selecting a new cad system, so I don't know what they will end up with.

[gcode]

quote:

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I see that it also does not support I-deas, Pro/ENGINEER, and Unigraphics.

---

Yes It works very well in Mastercam and SolidWorks

but it was a mistake to buy it. It was a $100

cheaper but in the end it will cost me much more than that.

[Steve Zirtzman]

gcode,

I don't think it was a mistake to buy it. All of these 3D motion controllers are way over priced. You can't blame a guy for wanting to save $100. The smaller footprint is nice and it has the optical measuring system. A lot of people I have talked to are buying the SpaceTraveler for it's compact design. Users claim that they don't need all of those buttons that the SpaceBall has. I may look into the 30 day trial you taked about.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

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...All of these 3D motion controllers are way over priced...

---

You got that right. I'm soooooo much a gadget guy and I'd drop for it in a second if I though it was worth it. I played with a Spaceball for a while and It just bugged me. With Bryan's right mouse click C-Hook, it just seems so much easier that way than with the space ball, not to mention if you do not "release" the Spaceball, you can HOSE your geometry. Big PITA IMHO. So it sits in my closet. Perhaps the Space Traveler will be more to my liking, but I sure am not going to drop 500-600 Bones on it to find out I hate the thing. I can even write it off as an "Busines Expense" and I just can't justify it.

 

That's my take and I'm sticking to it.

[Steve Zirtzman]

James,

I would like to know which SpaceBall model you were playing with, that now sits in your closet. I consider you a power user and would like to know exactly what bugged you about it. It's interesting how one person says that they could not work with out one, and another would not use it.

[cadcam]

I am looking at the Space Travler played with one at westec.

Just talking to the wife about getting one.. think I might do it real soon can use it with the laptop or at home.

[gcode]

James,

 

I agree with you that 3D motion controllers are way overpriced. If some bright young techie

could get SolidWorks, Mastercam and Catia to run with a good gaming joystick you'd see 3dConnexion's prices coming down real quick.

 

In spite of the price (gouge) I own 2 of them

A Spaceball which I paid the "educational price"

and a CadMan for which I paid $320. Of the 2, I like the Cadman's motion much better. I tried a SpaceMouse the other day and I like it even better.

 

Wheher a 3d controller will help a programmer or not depends on the kind of work they do.

When I'm doing lathe work I never use mine.

I rarely use it for simple 2d/3d work in the Top plane. As the number of work planes go up, my use of the Spaceball goes up. I use it constantly for 5x tilt rotary work.

 

Failing to release the spacball with a mouse click has completely destroyed a file for me in the past, I don't seem to have that trouble any more. I don't know if its something in MR0105,

the Nov 04 spaceball drivers or what. It just

doesn't happen these days.

 

Solidworks is much more fluid with a Spaceball

and from my limited Catia experience, I'd say its mandatory in Catia.

 

The bottom line however is my right hand. I do this kind of work 8-12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. I don't have any serious troubles, but I do get sore sometimes. A bad case of carpell tunnel

could seriously effect my carrer and my income.

 

Anything that can help balance the workload between my left and right hand is OK by me.

 

besides.. That Space Pilot looks like a $500

gaget easy

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

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...I would like to know which SpaceBall model you were playing with, that now sits in your closet...

---

Just a Spaceball, it has 8 buttons across the top. I think It's a 3000 or something like that. It uses a COM interface so it is old, but the newones I've put my hands on are pretty much thing just more or less buttons in different locations.

 

quote:

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...I consider you a power user and would like to know exactly what bugged you about it...

---

Answer is below...

 

quote:

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...Failing to release the spacball with a mouse click has completely destroyed a file for me in the past...

---

Acutally I destroyed a few, luckily I had backups and did not loose too much. The third file was it. I unplugged it, boxed it up and there it sits in my closet.

 

quote:

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...It's interesting how one person says that they could not work with out one, and another would not use it...

---

Yeah, this is a quirky business. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I mean I'm not ruling out going back to it/one at some point in the future but I just want to make sure it would be worth the serious investment. I'm just at a point where justifying the $500-$600 is real hard. REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEl Hard. For me and the way I do things.

[Steve Zirtzman]

Thanks for your comments James,

I have only played with a few at trade shows. While searching the internet for reviews on the 4000 and 5000 models I ran across one reviewer that said, "the improved sensors in the 5000 make the difference between working with both models like night and day.

Anyone want to comment on this.

[gcode]

My original Spaceball was a 4000. It got a little

wobbly after a year and a half of use. I believe it was because I didn't know how to use it properly and pushed and pulled too hard.

 

The warranty was expired and I called 3dConnexion

to enquire on the cost of repairs. They sent me

a new 5000 instead and paid shipping both ways.

They didn't even ask for a CC number to ensure I sent the old one back.

 

The 5000 is much better than the 4000, but I

think the CadMan and SpaceMouse are much better than the 5000.

I was going to replace my CadMan with a SpaceMouse when I discovered the Space Pilot. The only downside to the Spacemouse is there is no educational discount available.

[Mike Whitten CAD/CAM Contractors]

All,

 

I am also interested to see how the SpacePilot works on gcode's 30day test.

 

BTW, has everyone seen the SpacePilot video

 

Mike

[Dan Kintzel]

Recieved my new SpacePilot today on the 30 day trial!

 

Sweeeeeeet!

 

It looks like it will take me quite a bit of time to set up all the button macros to work totally with Mastercam though.

 

Anyone out there that can help with the correct macros? I believe everything is the same setup as with the SpaceBall controllers.

[dhughes]

My company is buying me a Space Pilot. I've been wanting one for years and I can't wait.

[Dan Kintzel]

Don't waste your time or money on the SpacePilot.

 

The thing isn't worth a hill of beans in my opinion. We packed it up and shipped it back after two days of worthless trial and ERROR.

 

I called 3d Connexion and there reply is this:

"We have no formal plans to fully integrate SpacePilot with Mastercam products."

 

Thus, you cannot use the device to do many of the much needed features you would think you would be able to control with the device.

 

You cannot even use the different standard view settings!

 

Tried it in Autodesk products as well and same goes for them too. You can rotate your model or 2d part with the control, but it is "Only for perspective viewing" I was told. You cannot work in any of the views that you manipulate into with the spacepilot. It does not align the UCS with the views that it creates.

 

All this thing does is give you a false 3d orbit control for viewing plesure only.

 

In short: Huge piece of EXPENSIVE CRAP!

[Chris Rizzo]

quote:

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You cannot even use the different standard view settings

---

So I'm not the idiot I thought was for not being able to program g-views buttons.

[Dan Kintzel]

Nope, not at all.

 

Imagine! They have Mastercam listed as one of the products it supports. HUGE false advertising ploy beyond any company I have ever seen.

 

Call them, they will openly admit that the device will not properly function in Mastercam.

 

If I would have bought this thing blindly without a trial period, I would feel like the biggest idiot on the planet about now.

[Metal Flake (clocked in)]

gcode,

 

Here's what to do to get the Sapceball to hose your file everytime:

 

1) Spaceball around to any view angle. (do not left click mouse button as usual).

 

2) Right click to get your drop down menu.

 

3)Left click on Top, Front, Side, or Isometric view.

 

4) Save your file and, BAM!

 

 

....It always happened when my clicking was getting ahead of my thinking. Now that I know...well, I'm much better now.

 

HTH

Dan

[gcode]

quote:

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It always happened when my clicking was getting ahead of my thinking

---

I think you've nailed it here.

Right clicking and selecting a view when the

spaceball is active used to really blow my files up.

 

It doesn't seem to happen to me anymore.

Don't know if it's cause I'm thiking faster or clicking slower ???

[cadcam]

Well we just became Vars for them and I played with the Spacepilot with MC and the Space Travler.

I have a space Travler coming this week.

 

Both work well with MC, But Work real nice with MC-X better from my view.

 

I have one of the old ones like james and it works ok.

The new one are 10 time smother and better.

[cadcam]

Gcode which one did you just purcahse from Rick?