CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

16 February 2010

Implementation Investments

3Dconnexion Powers North American Bid to Break Land Speed Record

3Dconnexion announced it has become an official sponsor of the North American Eagle™ Land Speed program. Project designers will be using the 3Dconnexion SpacePilot™ PRO 3D mouse in conjunction with Lenovo ThinkStations and ThinkPads, and Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5 and Geomagic Software to design parts and assemblies for the 56-foot long Eagle car. The goal of the North American Eagle program is to break the current world land speed record of 763 mph (1,228 kmh), set on October 15, 1997, by reaching 800 mph (1,287 kmh).

“Designing an earth-bound vehicle that can travel at supersonic speeds demands an extraordinary team of designers equipped with the ultimate tools, and the 3Dconnexion SpacePilot PRO is powering the design team to new levels of performance and productivity,” said Keith Zanghi, co-owner and director of operations, North American Eagle. “The superior 3D navigation and application control it makes possible, makes it a crucial part of our goal to set a new world land speed record.”

“The ability to perform multiple functions at once and the ease of manipulation allows me to spend more time designing," says Don Mitchell, chief designer and programmer, North American Eagle. "Frankly, I have been using 3Dconnexion products so long I would be lost without it."

3Dconnexion 3D mice deliver a level of control that is not possible with a traditional mouse and keyboard. Users engage both hands in a balanced and cooperative work style with one hand using the 3D mouse to position the model, while the other hand simultaneously uses the traditional mouse to select, create or edit. By spreading the workload across both hands, users experience productivity increases of more than 20% as well as a more comfortable working experience by reducing traditional mouse clicks by up to 50%.

“Being part of the North American Eagle’s quest to break the world land speed record is thrilling,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “SpacePilot PRO is the most advanced 3D mouse ever, and it will enable the team to design the fastest and safest land vehicle in the fastest amount of time.”

About the North American Eagle Land Speed Program

The purpose of the North American Eagle™ Land Speed Program is to test the capability of a land based vehicle to safely transition through supersonic speed. The by-products of this challenge have the potential to impact high-speed rail, ground effects of high-speed aircraft in the landing configuration as well as deceleration methods utilized by high-speed vehicles.

For additional information about the North American Eagle land speed project, please visit www.landspeed.com.

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