Incredibly valuable ergonomically friendly timesaving tool that is fun and enjoyable to use as well!
Long time user - very satisfied! 3DCONNEXION has been around for a while now and I received my first Spacemouse as a gift, and it is the original Spacemouse. It still works great too by the way! However, this review is a well deserved 6 star review. This is my 4th Spacemouse Enterprise I've used and I am kind of addicted to it. My first was company purchased at my request and they were awesome enough to invest in the Enterprise for me. I was at that job for 5 years and not only was it an invaluable tool, but they backed it with excellent support and warranty coverage. It is very reliable and a high quality tool. The idea of having 12 + programmable buttons that can be set up to be fully customizable (or preset) 8 way radial menus is insane!! That is 96+ custom programmable commands right at your fingertips. I requested the next company I worked for get me the Enterprise Kit 2 and I loved it so much I bought myself one for my home office, because its honestly one of those things you fall in love with and when you don't have it, you just miss it! I now work at new job and I am still in my probationary period so I was a little nervous to ask them to invest so much so soon. So... I bought myself a second Enterprise Kit 2 to add to my personal collection, and make no mistake I am going to ask them to buy me one anyways and I will have one for my desktop and one for my laptop when that time comes. Full disclosure: When I was gifted my first edition, I didn't like it at first. I tried it out and it was way too sensitive for my heavy hand and for my personal taste, the 6DOF axes are inverted and it sat idle for a few months until I started seeing other people talk about them in forums. That's when I decided to give it one more chance. Pro Tip: The sensitivity and axes are fully customizable and if you find yourself struggling, tailor it to you speed and preference. After I leaned that... THE REST IS HISTORY!!! I have been an avid fan of 3DConnexion ever since. It is super easy to use once you get the hang of it and you just won't want to go back to whatever you were doing before you discovered the greatest tool in a 3D enthusiasts toolbox. I mean sure my 3D printer and scanner are very nice and fun to use, but what makes this the greatest is the fact that it works with my slicing software(s) for my 3D printers and it works with my scan software... It works with almost anything you can use, even internet programs like chrome and edge. Sure in most cases websites are 2D, but it zooms and scrolls and you can use all of the programmable buttons for whatever you can imagine like bookmarks and favorites or whatever macros you can dream up. They are program specific as well, if button 1 is 'a','b','c', and 'd' in CAD you can use the same button in another software package for a completely different set of commands and it remembers them both. I've told non 3D people in the past that this could be a worthwhile investment even for a non artistic field. Sure, now they make macro pads and other things, but they don't have a 6DOF knob and it won't work with 3D content if you were to find yourself in an application that has such content. I've used the Spacemouse for design software (multiple packages including AutoCAD, Revit, Solidworks, Inventor, 3Ds Max, BricsCAD, TurboCAD, Fusion 360 and more), rendering software (Twinmotion, VRay, Unreal Engine and more), and animation software too. I can't think of one single program where I wanted or expected it to work and it didn't. Certain programs can be a little buggy like Revit, but when I say that it is because I want to emphasize the power of a tool like this. In Revit, or the last time I used it at least, you cannot zoom through a wall, while in other software like 3Ds Max you can. Here is the jaw droppingly amazing part of this statement: I used to use Revit to model and 3Ds Max to animate / visualize and set up materials. In 3Ds Max I could zoom into the gap of a door and turn to face edges that aren't really visible in your scene and apply materials - you know, for when you want to animate that door opening. And yeah, if you are a seasoned animator, I do realize there are other ways to do this such as flexing the movement of the door and then applying your materials, but just the fact that it gives you that much control over your view in your scene is unheard of. Try that with a basic mouse, you will be panning and zooming and rotating for a few minutes... With a Spacemouse, it is like a steering wheel for your 3D environment and you can zoom straight to where ever you want to go, with ease, in a matter of seconds. I currently design products in Inventor and I can zoom into the smallest of gaps and select faces and lines that would require a lot of isolation and visibility controls to be toggled on and off frequently costing you time and effort. Real timesaver! Yes, they are a little expensive. I'm not rich! I genuinely love this thing so much I used my entire tax refund and some of my earned income to buy my first one ( I didn't get a good refund that year). I saved up and bit the bullet for the second. Now let's not forget about the CadMouse Pro Wireless that is in the kit. Super nice fit and feel in your hand, more customization options and programmable buttons!!! It is almost too much, but I'll take 'capabilities that I have and don't need' over 'capabilities I need and don't have' any day! It is one of the reasons I bought the second Enterprise Kit 2. Again, I missed the feel and the superiority of my CadMouse Pro vs my basic logitech mouse (sorry logitech, nothing personal) between my home and work offices. I feel like the connection is stronger and the fact it is wireless and rechargeable just tips the scales beyond compare. Truly exceptional company that makes insanely valuable tools!!! Read more