Check it Out: 3Dconnexion’s SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot PRO

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

I guess it was 25 years ago when a Luddite friend and mine got into a beer-soaked argument about word processors of all things. A high school English teacher, he was convinced that some kid was using the word processor to think up sensible sentences, sentences the kid struggled to get out with pen and ink. Convinced the computer and its tools were the devil’s spawn, my friend promised never to touch one. I convinced him to try it. Now, he fires off e-mails all the time and writes for a living with his. What he had not tried turned out to be game changer for him once he did, just as it had been for that student of his.

Changing your game by trying something that you have not is what today’s Check It Out is about. It’s time that you tried out a 3D mouse. Even if you know these devices, now is the time to check out the new generation of 3Dconnexion’s SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot PRO. Why? Because 3Dconnexion is offering DE readers a 14-day, send it back, and you’re done with them deal to give their 3D mice a try.

You can’t beat that. And what you will also not be able to beat is the productivity gains you’ll get. 3Dconnexion says 20 percent. Your mileage may vary, but the point is once you get used to doing more in less time, you can’t go back. You won’t want to. Things have changed for the better.

One way you’ll get spoiled by the SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot PRO is that you can program keys to match keystrokes in your applications. Speaking of which, more than 100 3D applications support  3Dconnexion 3D mice (don’t worry; there’s a search mechanism.) So, you get out-of-box productivity.

Still, it might just be the immersive element that gets you. Your design becomes responsive in your hands. The SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot PRO enable you to, say, simultaneously pan and zoom a model without thinking about the operation. It’s like mechanical memory.

I think that the best way to describe navigation with a 3D mouse is to draw the analogy to eating with a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. It’s natural. You can still do your job without it, but it’s so much easier and much more efficient to have the right tools for the job. With a deal that let’s you try the SpaceExplorer or SpacePilot PRO without worrying about the dough, it’s time to give it a try. Hit the link and get started changing your game.

Thanks, Pal.—Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood
Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

Check out 3Dconnexion’s SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot PRO.