Computer Graphics World

October 2008 28 n n n n Hardware to determine their unique needs. "Our customers who work on 2D and 3D content find themselves in many areas of specialization, and it is their respective specialization that defines specific computer input needs," explains Scott Rawlings, vice president of marketing at Wacom Technol- ogy, a maker of pen tablets, interactive pen displays, and digital interface solutions. "3D artists and content creators repre- sent a much more complex realm with a wide variety of segmented workflows that combine to make up highly evolved proj- ects—for instance, animated feature films," Rawlings continues. "ere are character artists, texture artists, storyboard artists, di- rectors, modelers, animators, compositors, engineers, and so forth, all playing impor- tant roles to make possible the vision of the driving creator and director. Each player has specific input needs." Technology companies are taking this information—the way people work and the tools they use—into consideration when designing modern input devices. Today's creative trends and processes influence, for example, whether a product design offers quick and easy access to shortcut keys and im- plements specialized sensors for com- mon tasks, such as pan and zoom. "Wacom's tools increasingly consider not only the tool in the hand of the end user, but also the overall workflow of the artist, 3D Mice Benefit CAD Design Engineers "The Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers," a whitepaper based on the findings of Technology Assessment Group (TAG), reveals the ben- efits CAD professionals gain from 3D input device adoption. Key findings include: n More than 84 percent of CAD engineers report a noticeable or signifi- cant improvement in their product designs and their ability to detect de- sign problems as a result of using 3D mice. n The average productivity gain reported by CAD users while using 3D mice is 21 percent. n The payback period for 3D mice is very short, typically less than one month. Corporate and academic research has shown that two key 3D mouse factors significantly improve the performance of people using intensive 3D applications: n 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) devices for quickly orienting 3D objects or views. n Devices that enable working with both hands simultaneously (for example, a 3D mouse in one hand and a traditional 2D mouse in the other hand). According to the surveyed users, a 3D mouse enabled them to much more easily rotate, inspect, and explore their designs. As a result: n 85 percent saw a "noticeable" or "significant" improvement in their prod- uct designs. n 84 percent thought they could "noticeably" or "significantly" improve their detection of errors. n CAD designers reported that they were, on average, 21 percent more productive using a 3D mouse than they were without a 3D mouse. More than 86 percent of the users reported productivity increases, ranging from under 10 percent to over 50 percent. n Nearly half (45 percent) of the users reported they were more productive within two days, and 68 percent were more productive within the first week of using a 3D mouse. (Information excerpted from "The Economic Payback of 3D Mice for CAD Design Engineers," courtesy of 3Dcon- nexion, a Logitech company.) Adesso CyberTablet Z12 is a widescreen, ultra-slim graphics tablet for drawing, sketching, picture editing, and more. 3Dconnexion, a Logitech company, offers a family of ergonomic, 3D motion controllers.

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