Blair Hollshwandner
Edited by Leslie Gordon
The SpacePilot lets users
position, rotate, pan, and
zoom models with one
hand, while using a regular
mouse with the other hand
to edit models. This allows
quick design changes,
which helps get products to
market faster.
The SpacePilot also
saves time by providing a
better way to work in diverse visual
environments. We use it with
SolidWorks, and when we move
between sketching, modeling, and
assembly modes, the navigation
device detects the mode, updates
its function buttons with the
available SolidWorks commands,
and then displays them on the
4 1in. LCD screen.
For example when users
open a part file, function
buttons might show
SolidWorks commands
such as Extruded Boss/
Base, Extruded Cut, or Revolved Boss/Base. When the
user switches to an assembly
file, the display would show commands
such as Mates, Insert
Component, or Edit Component.The same applies to drawing
files. They might show such commands
as Model View, Section
View, or Smart Dimension.
The 1.875-lb device also includes
default function buttons,
such as CTRL, SHIFT, ALT and ESC
for all programs. Users can also
customize what the SpacePilot
calls speed keys to correspond
with keyboard commands. The
SpacePilot sports an optical sensor
with six degrees of freedom
as well as Top, Right, Left, Front,
and Iso “quick-view” commands
— each executed at the touch of a
button — that smooth workflows
and even help make our jobs
more fun.
In 2002, we introduced an oxygen-
conserving regulator that
took two-and-a-half years to develop.
In 2005, we introduced its
replacement, a smaller and faster
version. It only took a year to develop
from scratch, thanks in part
to the 3D controllers.
We also used the SpacePilot
during a recent design for a portable
liquid-oxygen system. The
navigator helped us complete
several major redesigns in just
a few months. This was our first
time developing equipment that
used liquid oxygen. The design
was highly innovative. When engineers
asked me to make major
changes, I often had them done in
about an hour, compared to the
2 hr it took before we started using
the 3D controllers. Easy 3D
navigation helped me achieve
what would have once seemed an
impossibly quick turnaround.
A USB interface makes connecting
the SpacePilot easy. And
its sculpted, soft-coat, ergonomic
palmrest provides comfortable
“cruising.” Simply push, pull,
twist, and tilt the controller cap
to move models. For example, to
pan a model up or down, pull the
cap up or down. Roll the model in
the direction you want by rolling
the cap in the same direction. Users
can adjust the speed at which
models move.
In addition to CAD, the device
works with Google Earth,
DWF Viewer, and eDrawings. The
SpacePilot comes from 3Dconnexion
in Silicon Valley, Calif.,
3Dconnexion.com.
Blair Hollshwandner is a
mechanical designer at Precision
Medical Inc., 300 Held Dr.,
Northampton, PA 18067, (800)
272-7285, precisionmedical.com.