Computer Graphics World

October 2008 31 Hardware n n n n average, over 20 percent—provided by 3Dconnexion's 3D mice," says Rawlings. e SpaceNavigator and SpaceNaviga- tor for Notebooks also incorporate a cap design intended to increase comfort, be more natural and immersive, and enable left- and right-hand use. Look, No Hands "Because our professional customers' work- flow is very different than the general com- puter user, they tend to be much more at risk for repetitive stress injury," says Rawl- ings. "Digital content creators are typically working with their input device all day long without any break, with their non-domi- nant hand on the keyboard and their domi- nant hand on their input device, whereas the typical computer user is often moving between both hands being on the keyboard to one hand being on the mouse." Having a pen input solution enables us- ers to vary their input method and tool, alternating between a mouse and pen, for example. Some customers claim that Wa- com products have saved or extended their creative careers, as well as enabled longer working hours, Rawlings maintains. "Some DCC professionals prefer using tablets, others prefer a mouse—I think it's a matter of personal preference," says Kra- koff. Most, however, elect to use both. Perhaps nothing speeds a workflow and increases productivity faster than working with an advanced input de- vice in each hand si- multaneously. "I currently use a Wa- com Intuos 6x8 tablet, a Logitech MX Revolution mouse, and a 3Dconnexion SpacePilot 3D controller," says Bradley W. Lewis, senior artist for Midway Studios in Austin, Texas. He oper- ates as a lead-level artist responsible for UI, special effects, advanced material creation within the Unreal 3 Engine, and hard-sur- face modeling on weapons and vehicles. roughout his career, Lewis has tried several different input devices, rang- ing from add-on game controllers with programmable buttons for use with 3D applications and Adobe Photoshop, to various state-of-the-art mice. "I chose the SpacePilot because I wanted an edge over other artists in my industry," he explains, "and the SpacePilot is immensely useful in my work. In [Autodesk's] 3ds Max, I can cut my work time on any particular model to a third of what it would be otherwise. It completely removes any barrier I have between me and my work, and is a fluid, streamlined way to interact with my mesh, mapping, and so forth." Measurable Benefits "Whether it's finalizing an advanced anima- tion effect or adding complex layers to a vir- tual character, digital content creators, CAD engineers, and other professionals with similar workflows are typically using com- plex applications hours upon hours each day," says Lomotan. "As a result, they are always looking for creative tools that help them streamline their design process while increasing the quality of their designs." Intuos customers report that they save 50 to 100 percent on the time it takes to do a job after they have become proficient with pen tablet workflows, which can typically take anywhere from one day to one week of dedicated use, depending on the end user, Rawlings says. "Our Cin- tiq customers typically tell us that they save 100 percent or more time and that they have a much easier time becoming profi- cient with pen input workflows," which he believes is because working directly on an image is natural and intuitive. It is a similar story with 3D mice. A whitepaper, titled "e Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers," highlights a recent survey that revealed CAD engineers are dramatically more pro- DCC professionals are accomplishing more, armed with an advanced input solution, such as the SpaceNavigator motion control- ler from 3Dconnexion, in each hand. Input Device Vendors 3Dconnexion www.3dconnexion.com ACECAD www.acecad.com Adesso www.adesso.com Aiptek www.aiptek.com Contour Design www.contourdesign.com Immersion http://immersion.info InterSense www.isense.com Logitech www.logitech.com Razer www.razerzone.com www.razerpro.com Saitek www.saitekusa.com Sandio www.sandiotech.com Solidtek USA www.solidtekusa.com Wacom www.wacom.com

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