I’ve seen someone say that either you hate 3DConnexion 3D mice or you love ’em. Now that I’ve been using the SpacePilot PRO for a little while, I can honestly say I don’t see that. Personally, I like my device, but I could live without it. Since I only have one, I kinda do have to live without it at home anyway. With a capable mouse, one can maneuver a model in SolidWorks just fine.
The advantage of the 3D mouse is that you can maneuver the model and continue to work on the model at the same time. So, the 3D mouse does help me work faster. I like things that allow me to work faster.
It did take me more than a week to get use to how it functions and to find the settings that work best in my environment. Finding the right sensitivity is paramount to using the SpacePilot PRO.
Adjusting the sensitivity is accomplished in two ways. When adjusting it, make sure the affected application is open (i.e., SolidWorks). Overall sensitivity is controlled by a togglish button. On one side is a minus symbol. On the other is a plus symbol. Pressing either will yield results that are immediately appreciable when moving the control knob. If one wishes to change relative sensitivity of specific controls there is a program included called 3Dconnexion Control Panel. This has several tabs that get in to the functionality of the SpacePilot PRO. Relative speed control is on the Advanced Settings tab. Pan right/left, Pan up/down, zoom, tilt, spin and roll can all be set to their own specific relative sensitivity (which 3DConnexion calls “Speed”). I like mine set up like this.
Once I set sensitivity to a comfortable level, this device has proven itself to be a useful tool that has made my work easier.
