The SpaceMouse Pro is debuting at the Autodesk University conference in Las Vegas this week, a new 3D mouse for professional 3D software users. The mouse features a six-way sensor, ergonomic design, an on-screen display that provides visual feedback on function key programming, a total of 15 tactile buttons (including five QuickView keys for 3D view angles), intelligent function keys and a controller cap that “flies” around 3D models.
The developer 3Dconnexion says the mouse features a patented “six degrees of freedom” that provides intuitive 3D navigation. The QuickView keys can be set up to offer up to 12 viewing combinations, such as top, right, front and 90-degree rotation for frequently-used views. Another four keys are customizable function keys for application commands.
The mouse also offers keyboard modifiers to allow mouse-hand access to keys like Control, Shift, Option/Alt and the escape key. The on-screen display can even include a virtual number pad.
The aim behind the new mouse is to offer a more natural way of interacting with digital 3D content. Users can use the controller to pan, zoom and rotate models while using the standard mouse to select and edit. The SpaceMouse Pro will be selling at professional CAD and major online resellers for $299 and supports Windows XP and later, Mac OS X 10.4.6 and higher, Sun Solaris 8 and 10 (for SPARC and x86/x64 respecitvely) and Redhat Enterprise and SuSE Linux. It comes with a three-year warranty.
