CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
23 July 2008
Company News
3Dconnexion Survey Reveals Significant Design Productivity and Quality Improvements With 3D Mice
A survey released today by 3Dconnexion, a Logitech company, found that CAD design engineers are more productive and efficient when using 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice. A majority of the survey’s 190 respondents said that using a 3D mouse significantly increased their productivity and design performance and made it easier to identify problems, improving the overall quality of designs.
Among the key findings of the “The Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers” is that more than 80 percent of respondents said that using a 3D mouse increased their productivity, most noting the increase within the first week of using their 3D mouse. In addition, almost half of the respondents stated that their overall productivity increased by 20 percent or more. More than 80 percent of those surveyed indicated that using a 3D mouse made it easier to identify any problems associated with a design and also believed that using a 3D mouse improved their overall product designs.
“Our 3D mice provide the ideal combination of an intuitive and comfortable design experience with increased productivity, which is essential to design engineers who spend hours on end navigating sophisticated and complex applications,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “In addition to improving the design experience, we found that our 3D mice help improve the quality of designs by aiding in the detection of design flaws. This can have a tremendous financial impact on the product development process, helping to ensure that more costly changes are minimized in the final stages of design.”
Greater Productivity and Better Designs
Supported by more than 130 of today’s leading 3D applications, 3Dconnexion 3D mice are designed to significantly increase the productivity and efficiency of today’s CAD-intensive organizations, accelerating the design process from concept to production.
“Since Bosch Rexroth Canada's migration to a 3D design environment in 2003, we have been using 3Dconnexion’s products exclusively,” said Jim Lambert, C.E.T. design manager, Bosch Rexroth Canada. “Ruggedly built, yet competitively priced, these 3D mice are a ‘must have’ in the world of 3D digital prototyping and manufacturing, where reduced time to market and streamlined workflow is essential. We have always been impressed with how much design time we have been able to save by using 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice with Autodesk Inventor. The ability to fully navigate the 3D model while keeping your mouse hand free to interface with the software has allowed us to achieve maximum output in minimum time.”
Intuitive Navigation for Fast Proficiency
3Dconnexion’s 3D mice are designed for ease-of-use and easy integration into design processes. When compared to the design productivity gains reported by survey respondents using a 3D mouse, the learning time is minimal compared to the time savings a user can expect to achieve. According to the survey results, 3D mouse users move quickly from feeling comfortable to feeling proficient: 80 percent of survey participants noted that they were comfortable using the 3D mouse within two days from the time they began using it and 70 percent felt proficient within the first week.
“To me, the ability to pan, zoom and rotate simultaneously is not just a convenience, it’s now an intrinsic part of our design process,” said Leo Greene, principal, E-Cognition Inc. and leading PTC consultant. “The efficiencies gained with 3Dconnexion 3D mice are imperative in today’s competitive environment. Removing our 3D mice would be like going back to scratching on the cave wall with a charred stick!”
Unlike mice confined to motion on a flat plane, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice enable design engineers to move in all three dimensions simultaneously, using six degrees of freedom. By gently lifting, pressing and turning the controller cap, users can easily navigate to pan, zoom and rotate without stopping to select commands. 3Dconnexion 3D mice provide a more intuitive and natural way to interact with 3D content, allowing for seamless transitions and accessibility to essential 3D functions and commands.
Ergonomic Design Improves Comfort
The controller cap on 3Dconnexion 3D mice is pressure-sensitive, requiring very little hand movement to push, pull or twist the cap to navigate 3D applications. In addition, the SpaceExplorer™ and SpacePilot™ 3D mice are each designed with soft, sculpted palm rests to allow for improved hand and wrist support. The survey found that 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice increase comfort, which is important for long design sessions, while also enabling greater efficiency. More than 70 percent of users indicated that using their 3D mouse reduced their discomfort when navigating.
“I have been using a 3Dconnexion 3D mouse with SolidWorks for more than four years now,” said David Trapp, mechanical engineer, Xradia, Inc. “The ease of using both hands greatly improves the comfort of my workstation. I can not imagine going back to only using a standard mouse again.”
About the Survey
The “3Dconnexion CAD Designer User Survey” was conducted by MarketLab, an independent market research company, and polled 190 3Dconnexion-registered professional users. Participants were asked to provide feedback on a variety of issues regarding their experience using 3Dconnexion 3D mice in leading 3D CAD applications such as CATIA, Inventor®, NX™, Pro/ENGINEER®, and SolidWorks®. The survey quantified each user’s level of design experience, the degree to which their level of comfort increased, the amount of time it took to become proficient using a 3D mouse, and how it helped them increase design productivity and quality.
Findings from the survey along with additional information regarding the use of mice in 3D CAD applications is available at http://www.3Dconnexion.com/productivity in a white paper, “The Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers,” developed by the Technology Assessment Group (TAG).
About 3Dconnexion 3D Mice
3Dconnexion provides advanced and affordable 3D mice that are supported by more than 130 of today’s leading 3D applications, including Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Extended and Acrobat® 3D, Autodesk Inventor, 3ds Max® and Maya®, CATIA, NX, Pro/ENGINEER, Second Life Grid® Platform, SolidWorks, and all of the top-tier 3D CAD applications. For a complete list of applications supported by 3Dconnexion, visit: http://www.3dconnexion.com/solutions/cad/all_sup_app.php.
SpaceNavigator™ Personal Edition (MSRP $59), SpaceNavigator Standard Edition (MSRP $99), SpaceNavigator for Notebooks (MSRP $129), SpaceExplorer (MSRP $299), and SpacePilot (MSRP $399) are available from major online resellers including Amazon, Buy.com, CDW, Dell, and PC Mall as well as directly at http://www.3Dconnexion.com.
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