1-Visitor

Question

space ball?

Forum|Forum|18 years ago
May 15, 2008
14 replies
4469 views

Can someone explain what a space ball does for me using proe? If is really all that and a bag of chips, how do I input numbers etc?

K

kkja

1-Visitor

It gives you a "one stop shop" for model manipulation. Pan, Zoom, Spin
all with the movement of a ball.

With that said,

I'm not that big a fan of space balls because I like to have my left
hand free to enter mapkeys.

There are 12 of us here and we all had space balls at one time, but now
only one is still using it...and he is weird anyway.

Now if you are talking about the movie (spaceballs)...then it is all
that. 🙂

Jeff <><

P

ptc-84595

1-Visitor

With the same hand you've always used, it's not like its glued to the
darn thing.

The best analogy I have heard is "set a blank piece of paper on a desk,
now start to draw a box or circle on it without using your other hand to
hold the paper".........

Thats what the spaceball is for.

Terry Thomas wrote:
> Can someone explain what a space ball does for me using proe? If is
> really all that and a bag of chips, how do I input numbers etc?
>
> ----------

P

ptc-2032585

1-Visitor

I use a Spacemouse, which is identical in concept and differs only by having a puck-like shape instead of a shpere.

The spaceball is more confortable, but I can put my spacemouse in my laptop bag more easily.

I have 10 keys, which, combined with a modifier, allow me to set 20 mapkeys to the spacemouse so I don't move my hand away.

That said, I still enter them on my keyboard in many cases.

I hate working without it now.

To each his own, and I enter numbers with my "mouse" hand anyway, so the spacemouse has zero-influence in that.

P

ptc-10292

1-Visitor

Thats all a question of handling.

The real advantage is, that you can pan/zoom/spin even if the mouse wouldn't
allow.

HIH Uwe

Engineering Office Uwe Driehaus
Im Brachfeld 6
D-53819 Neunkirchen-Seelscheid
Germany
fon : +49 / 2247 / 74 55 90
fax : +49 / 2247 / 74 55 91

_____

W

whschmid

1-Visitor

I have found it very useful for manipulating the model while selecting with the mouse. For example, you're trying to select edges to round and they're on all sides of the part. So twist the part around with the non-mouse hand using the Spaceball and select using the mouse as you rotate, pan and zoom.

And yes, as some else said, there are times when your mouse movement of the part is blocked, like when you enter the print dialog box, but the Spaceball will still pan and zoom your drawing.

Bill

In Reply to:

Can someone explain what a space ball does for me using proe? If is really all that and a bag of chips, how do I input numbers etc?

P

ptc-593619

1-Visitor

I use the space traveler from 3Dconnexion and would be lost without it.
The biggest plus for me is the non need to keep the left index finger
permanently in the region of the shift/control keys. Manipulation of the
model is easy but there is a learning curve which is only appreciated
when a non space person uses it and sends the model off into the ether.
Try letting your Supervisor or Manager move it about and they'll have a
whole new idea of your worth! FWIW I used to use the larger balls that
were bigger than the palm of your hand but the traveler is light and
fingertip controllable. I am unaware if this is further indication of
emasculation!

Richard A. Black

Senior Engineer

Eaton Corporation

16900 Aberdeen Road

Laurinburg, NC. 28353

J

jlivengo

10-Marble

I have used on for years and think it is great. It cuts down on mouse travel. I can be moving the mouse pointer to where I want to select as I rotate the model. Most of my display mapkeys programmed to the buttons, as well as CTRL and SHIFT. This wayI can select how I need to if my left hand is positioned on the keyboard or space ball.

It does take some getting used to, give it time if you get one.

Now if only I could find some programmable foot pedal I could increase my efficiency even more!!!

Jason

B

Blue-FootedBoob

1-Visitor

Here's the official propaganda:

Paper".

Beyond Pro/E, our user base drives many packages where they interact
with 2D drawings and 3D models. What's nice about the SpacePilot is that
it can be configured so that pan/spin/zoom/etc. operations are always the
same regardless of what software is being used (since all software
functions differently for those aspects).

One caveat is that there's no motion controller support in ProductView
(but there is for PDF files with embedded 3D content, in Teamcenter
Visualization Mockup, etc.). Another is that there used to be drivers
which would allow office applications to be controlled (e.g. pan
left/right in an Excel spreadsheet, zoom in/out on a PowerPoint slide,
scroll the file content list up/down in an OS browser, etc.) but that
was discontinued by the OEM.

Regards,

Dark Helmet
General Dynamics Land Systems

"Terry Thomas" <->
05/15/2008 06:12 PM
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"Terry Thomas" <->

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[proecad] - space ball?

Can someone explain what a space ball does for me using proe? If is really
all that and a bag of chips, how do I input numbers etc?

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J

jimjank721

1-Visitor

Scott,
Good analogy, very accurate. After using one for over a year now, I hate to say that it doesn't get used all that often. It is extremely useful when zoomed in, doing fine orientation tasks, and general viewing of the model.

The issue, as brought up by Jeff's response, is not having a third hand. If you have extensive mapkeys, using the spaceball becomes an exercise in shifting your hand back and forth between the keyboard and the spaceball.

I, for one, can execute most mapkeys with one hand, not looking at the keyboard. Having to switch from the spaceball to the keyboard, necessitates looking down at the keyboard to position my hand. I can't quite get that "Pro/E home row" orientation without peeking. I lose a seemingly small amount of productivity. Multiply that by the number of mapkeys used in a day, and you have a significant loss of time.

If you are one of "those" who don't use mapkeys, then a spaceball may well be very beneficial. Personally, my hand is always on the mouse unless typing a note. Why not use it for the majority of orientation and manipulation, and use the other hand for mapkeys?

Only the individual users can really determine if a spaceball will help their productivity - or hurt it.

And Jeff, I have "Spaceballs" on DVD. I agree with your statement.

Regards,
Jim Jan

Scott Myers29 wrote:With the same hand you've always used, it's not like its glued to the
darn thing.

The best analogy I have heard is "set a blank piece of paper on a desk,
now start to draw a box or circle on it without using your other hand to
hold the paper".........

Thats what the spaceball is for.

Terry Thomas wrote:
Can someone explain what a space ball does for me using proe? If is
really all that and a bag of chips, how do I input numbers etc?

P

ptc-158344

1-Visitor

I have a Space Navigator ($50) and Space Pilot ($250) for sell. Both
are brand new.

Regards,

Will Swank
(717) 355-1146

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