SolidWorks 2009 supports 3Dconnexion 3D mice

Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion, says: "The new software enhancements inherent in SolidWorks 2009 directly parallel the benefits of working with 3Dconnexion's 3D mice. SolidWorks 2009 offers new levels of productivity and design quality with faster speeds and enhancements that allow users to focus less on the application and more on their designs. These enhancements, coupled with the proven productivity and design performance benefits of our 3D mice, are poised to have a tremendous impact on the product development process, allowing today's CAD-intensive organisations to develop higher-quality products faster and more efficiently."

Nick Iwaskow, Manager of Alliances at Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp, comments: "3Dconnexion did a great job of looking within SolidWorks 2009 to see where a 3D mouse will help the software work more effectively for the user. More than ever, our customers are looking for the productivity gain that 3Dconnexion 3D mice provide."

Intuitive and comfortable

3Dconnexion's 3D mice are claimed to be intuitive and comfortable to use, offering increased productivity - all of which is important to design engineers who spend hours navigating sophisticated and complex applications. Unlike traditional mice that are confined to motion on a flat plane, 3Dconnexion 3D mice enable design engineers to move in all three dimensions simultaneously, using six degrees of freedom. By gently lifting, pressing and turning the controller cap, SolidWorks users can pan, zoom and rotate without stopping to select commands.

3Dconnexion 3D mice integrate seamlessly into the SolidWorks design workflow, offering advanced navigation and design benefits that support new features in SolidWorks 2009, including:

• Large assemblies - in very large and complex assemblies, SolidWorks users can manipulate a sub-assembly independently using 3Dconnexion 3D mice to pan, zoom and rotate 3D objects. Six degrees of freedom allow design engineers to view and manipulate large designs better, making it easier to detect design flaws
• SpeedPak technology - 3Dconnexion 3D mice enable users to intuitively navigate the simplified version of a complex assembly by seamlessly zooming in to view or manipulate a specific area of the design, then zooming out to view the assembly as a whole for significant design performance enhancement
• Simulation sensors - if a design flaw is detected with the simulation sensors, 3Dconnexion 3D mice can be used to navigate quickly and easily to the specific design location and allow design engineers to view the design from multiple angles, helping to correctly identify the error and make the modification

In addition to enhancing the design experience, 3Dconnexion's 3D mice help improve the quality of designs by assisting in the detection of design flaws. 3Dconnexion's SpaceNavigator, SpaceNavigator for Notebooks, SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot are described as 'virtual extensions of design engineers' working in SolidWorks 2009, making otherwise complex movements simple. For expanded control benefits, the SpaceExplorer and SpacePilot 3D mice also feature programmable buttons that allow users to execute frequently used commands with one-click access for key functions and keyboard modifiers. In the latest version of the software, the result is more time spent on the design and less time navigating the application.

3Dconnexion's 3D mice are supported by more than 130 of today's 3D applications. For a complete list of applications supported by 3Dconnexion, see: www.3dconnexion.com/solutions/cad/all_sup_app.php

In addition, go to www.3dconnexion.com/solidworks_demo for a video demonstration of 3Dconnexion 3D mice in SolidWorks software.

SolidWorks 2009 supports 3Dconnexion's 3D mice on Windows 2000, XP and Vista. SpaceNavigator Personal Edition (MSRP 39 inc VAT), SpaceNavigator Standard Edition (MSRP 69 ex VAT), SpaceNavigator for Notebooks (MSRP 90 ex VAT), SpaceExplorer (MSRP 199 ex VAT) and SpacePilot (MSRP 275 ex VAT) are available from professional CAD resellers including Cadtek, Solid Solutions, TMS, NT CADCAM as well as major online resellers. For a full list of resellers visit www.3dconnexion.com.