3d Mouse, Worth it?

Computron

So, I have been eyeing a 3d mouse for a while and they are just starting to write drivers for sculpting programs like zBrush and mudbox. I want to ask you guys what your experience is with 3d mice like say, 3DConnexion's Space Navigator. Worth it, or gimmicky and useless?

Also, can you use them to fly a chopper in BF3...

FigmentPigment

Hey there computron. While everyone works differently - I can say that I went through the same process, and was quite curious to see how it could add to or improve a workflow. I have never used my 3DConnexion mouse in actual work - only to play around with when I first bought it, after which it has gathered dust.

Its a cool idea. I like to use it with google earth to explore places - but if you think about where your hands are during what you normall work on (you mentioned zbrush - so one would be wacom, the other would be the keyboard for hotkeys). Sure, you can program a 3D mouse with your hotkeys and I would be curious to see how nicely that might work with Zbrush. In general though, I don't recommend it.

Computron

wow, you made an acount to deter me from purchasing it? That bad eh? just kiding... :-)

how is the driver support for zBrush? can you control your camera as you sculpt?

gilesruscoe

as far as i know, there isnt any driver support for zbrush or mudbox, only this crappy "works with anything" driver, which works with almost nothing.... i've had mine for 2 years and its been gathering dust for most of it.

SpeCter

To use it with anything you have to write the support for it yourself, it´s fun to fly around with it in 3D Space, aside from that quite useless to be honest.

seth.

my better half uses one a lot at home for arch vis/Tech drawing she has the spacepilot pro with a lot of programable buttons on it to make up for the lack of hand on keyboard ....she loves the thing, but I just cant get on with it, i lkes my keyboard hotkeys too much I guess.

chronic

I used to use one from time to time but almost never for a 3D app, I would use it to pan and zoom in photoshop. Its gathering dust now, haven't used it in at least 2 years.

hyrumark

I've been using the original Spacepilot for at least 5 years, and I honestly couldn't live without the thing for 3ds Max. The ability to pan/rotate/zoom in a single motion is such a timesaver. I almost can't stand to watch tutorial videos anymore, watching others "clumsily" panning, then rotating, then zooming, OVER AND OVER is almost maddening to watch when you're used to doing those actions in one fluid motion, it just becomes second nature.

I'm surprised they aren't more popular - it takes about a day to get used to it, then set up up the programmable buttons for your most used actions, and use the keyboard for the rest.

pasha_sevez

Computron, I've been using 3dconnexion space navigator for several years in couple with 3ds max - mostly because of its stupid and very uncomfortable navigation. After moving to Softimage/Maya the necessity to use 3d mouse has gone - maya-style navigation is very consistent and precise IMHO. BUT! Sometimes I still use it - mostly to fly through an environment - in this case 3dconnexion is simply indispensable. You can navigate in 6 degrees of freedom - it is impossible to do this EASILY using only mouse and keyboard.
Another problem you may face - you'll have to get accustomed to this rather unusual freedom of navigation For the first time you mind will be confused )))
So it almost can't simplify a job like modeling an "orbitable" objects (non-interior) - characters, game props and so on.

FigmentPigment

Hehe, sorry Computron. I had just recently registered and as I was browsing threads I saw your's and wanted to say at least something as it was something that had been on my mind recently.

Some valid points all around. I love the idea of it, its a great tool and a overall better concept. It may just be that you would have to spend a lot of time really adapting a new workflow with it and coercing the programs you use to work with it well. Certainly can be done, as evidenced by what some people above have said. All in all though, I find it more efficent to stick with some of the older ways of things. I think I may actually bring mine in to work and use it to display models to the art director and such within Maya - but its more of a novelty than a major workflow altering device for me. Judging by the comments, it seems I am not the only one.

Hope we have been able to help, rather than just confuse you further!

Talbot

Oh wow. We have a couple of these at my school. I had no idea what they were... until now. I always thought it was a volume nob for the speakers... :P

I'll have to check it out next time I'm at a computer with one.

mdeforge

I've got that one... used it three times maybe lol. I'll sell it to you! =]

DEElekgolo

It would be nicer if we could use something like the 360 game pad to control the camera FPS style.
I have yet to see this since I got mines 5 days ago.

r_fletch_r

I know lots of people who own them, and none who use them. seems like a fad to me.

Spiralface

Its a neat tool, but I personally don't like using them.

My main gripe with them is simply that its another thing you use in your hand that controls the camera but not much else. Most camera controls are tied to your mouse buttons and commonly used keys like CTRL and ALT, but these buttons also control commonly used tool options like additive and subtractive options as well as loop and ring selects.

Because you are using a separate physical tool to rotate your camera, you most likely need to devote specific macro keys to just get simple button presses like SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT mapped so you can use basic selection / tool functions that are mapped to those keys, which then eats into the amount of macro keys you have. Not to mention that you can layer commands using modifier buttons. For example, in my set up my "t" key is for my top view, but my "CTRL t" is a hotkey for my extrude tool.

None of this is really ergonomically accessible when you are using one of those tools, and for the most part, it ends up being much more of a hastle then just learning your camera controls and your left key hotkeys.

This might also come down to what kind of CG work you do as well. Since I'm a modeler that is constantly rotating my work while I work on it I don't get much use out of it as constantly removing my hand from it to go back to my keyboard ends up hurting my workflow. But my friend that does Lighting has one of these tools and loves to use it to position lights and the like.

Computron

DEElekgolo wrote: »

It would be nicer if we could use something like the 360 game pad to control the camera FPS style.
I have yet to see this since I got mines 5 days ago.

If I could have a live connection between UDK Play in Editor mode (with my 360 controller working even when the window is not in focus) and 3ds max, I would love it. think about it, place a polygon, extrude and edge and immediately test it in udk without BSP, reimporting or restarting PIE. :poly121: