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Astroid 6000 2

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I just got an Astroid yesterday to test out and review (I write a review blog for SW partner products). I've been using a SpacePilot for about a year now, so it'll be interesting to see how the Astroid compares. It'll be a few days before my first post, but the address for my blog is (<-- cheap plug to generate traffic)

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP1.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2MB RAM, nVidia 2500M
 
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Greetings to all,
I used to be a SW user, but as changing jobs can do, I am now a SE user. In anycase, I, along with other did a detailed comparison between the Astroid 6000 and the Spaceball 5000. Here is a quick summary:
1. A = $150 S = $335 (you can find the lower price if you look)
2. S = works in SE and MSOffice and Adobe products. A= only in SW / SE.
3. Button layout is nicer and easier to use with S, A button are smaller and harder to push.
4. Yes, the A is cheaper and is definitely noted in the "slop" in the ball itself, had to keep it under tension to reduce jumpy motion.
5. Wrist fatigue is greater with A due to wrist rest setup.
6. Drivers for A are complete erratic, each new release has a new bug and very frustrating, especially if you are a user that creates parts, assemblies and drawings. S drivers seem to be good to go out of the box.
Personally, if you ahve a choice, spend the extra money and get a higher quality product that is known to work.
 
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Here's the first part of my review on the astroid 6000 from my blog. Bvanhiel, I've posted a picture of the astroid on my blog as well:

Ok, let's get into it. My initial impression was that the ball was rather cheap looking. While it felt robust enough, I got the impression that if I squeezed too hard it might break.

I didn't care for the fact that it didn't come with an installation CD. You have to go to spatial freedom's website to download the drivers as well as a second program for the SolidWorks add-in portion. I'm not sure why they did it this way, but it would be mighty inconvenient if you were without an internet connection when you wanted to install your astroid. I know, I know, most everybody has one, I'm just saying...

Anyway, I got everything loaded and hooked up and opened up SolidWorks. The little instruction sheet that comes with the controller says:

"The next time you open a SolidWorks file there will be a new Astroid drop down menu..."

Uh-uh, not in SW2007 anyway. You have to go in an check the add-in to activate it. (I know that I'm being nit-picky here, but I know that the people from spatial freedom are going to be reading this and I just want them to be aware of some possible improvements.)

Now I'm ready to start using this puppy! I opened up a file and started to mess around with the astroid. The ball works pretty much how I figured it would. The part on my screen flew all over the place in accordance with the movement of the ball. I'm still not sure what benefit the scoll hat provides though...

My present thinking is that this controller is good for the money. I didn't notice any sloppiness in the ball, something that I'd heard was common. While parts of it might look cheap (sorry, John), it works in the manner one would expect. I'm going to use it into next week and post a final review Thursday or Friday.



Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP1.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2MB RAM, nVidia 2500M
 
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My final review on the astroid from my :

Ok, I know you've all been waiting for this. Forgive me if it runs a little long, I want to make sure I cover everything...

I've been using the Astroid for just over a week and I do like it. Will it replace my SpacePilot? Not at work (I am going to use it at home though), but not every person, or company, is willing, or able, to spend $500 on peripheral hardware (I'd say, too, that the Astroid is meant to compete with the SpaceBall, not the SpacePilot).This is where the Astroid will make its mark. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Astroid is only US$149. The Astroid does exactly what a designer would want a spatial controller to do. It manipulates the part or assembly on your screen so that you can get it orientated as you need. In drawings, it zooms and pans. The function buttons allow for quick access to the tools you most often use.

When you begin using the astroid, you'll notice a cursor-like graphic where your origin is normally located. Spatial Freedom calls this a motion handle. The benefit of the motion handle is that you can move it anywhere on your screen. It is around this that your part or assembly will rotate. This is especially helpful when working with large assemblies. I can't tell you how many times I've zoomed in on a part, bumped my controller and lost my place in the assembly with my SpacePilot. There is also a feature to "fence" the motion handle. By enabling this feature, it will keep the motion handle within the bounds of the SolidWorks screen. This, too, is nice in case you have your sensitivity settings off. It keeps the part/assembly from flying off of your screen. I know I can't be the only one that this has happened to...

While I wasn't too keen on not having a cd to install the software from, the installation was easy. The Astroid is also hot-pluggable; you don't need to shut down SolidWorks to plug/unplug it. The one other thing that bothered me was if I didn't have my hand completely on the Astroid, it would slide on my desk while I was using the ball. Granted, it may be due to the fact that my desk isn't the cleanest one, but I'm inclined to think it's because the astroid is so lightweight.

Since getting the Astroid, I've had the pleasure of speaking with John Hilton a number of times. He, and his team, are aware of the shortcoming (e.g. the feel/look of the ball and its lightness) and are diligently working on them. He also told me about the Astroid's camera control which, unfortunately, isn't available with SolidWorks. It allows you to fly into, and design inside of, your models. You can see a demonstration by going to Spatial Freedom's website. He explained how there was something in the SolidWorks code that prevented it, but Spatial Freedom is trying to get SolidWorks to change that. He also explained that the scroll hat, which doesn't do much now, will have increased functionality in the future.

My ultimate opinion? I think that the astroid is a good buy that will become an even better buy as time goes on. I think that the positives outweigh my perceived negatives. While I haven't used a SpaceBall, I believe that the Astroid is a vialble competitor and should be included in any researching you do for such products. I get the impression that John and his team are working hard to make the astroid a top-notch product. In his words, "We’re endeavoring to deliver a peripheral product that is as reliable as a keyboard or mouse."

There will be a spatial freedom booth at SolidWorks World 2007, so you'll be able to try one out then. If you have any questions, let me know!



Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP1.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M
 
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Which do like better, Spacepilot or Astroid? What advantages does the Spacepilot have and is the cost difference justified?

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2006 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2

 
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I definitely like my SpacePilot better. The main reason, aside from the fact that my boss paid for it, is it's feature laden whereas the Astroid is a lower end controller more in line with the SpaceBall. With its backlit LCD screen and the ability to program the buttons to be program specific or, in the case of SW, screen specific, it provides more versatility. Is it worth $499? I think so. I know that it has already paid for itself in the year or so that I've had it. I actually wrote a review on it a couple of months ago. If you've never had a spatial controller, the astroid will improve your work performance once you've gotten used to using it, not that there is much of a learning curve.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP1.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M
 
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I have a spaceball 5000 at work and have used them for years. The 3d motion is worth its weight in gold. I have its buttons programmed as well but just don't use them much. Not sure why but I end using the keyboard shortcuts instead. Just curious if the spacepilot makes you more likely to use its buttons, otherwise it doesn't seem worth it.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2006 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2

 
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Yeah, I usually forget what I programmed the buttons on the spaceball for.....though I'd hate having to look at the lcd screen to find out as well....unless its easily visible. Another thing is is I often hit the wrong button on the spaceball.

For me this kind of goes back to my eary Autocad on dos days when you used to have a tablet. Most of the drawing commands were on the tablet. I found I was faster if I used keyboard shortcuts since I had to lean and look over at the tablet to use it. Just took a second or two more time. With the keyboard I got to be way faster than everyone else using the tablet.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2006 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2

 
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Jason,
The screen on the SpacePilot is angled for easy viewing, so that shouldn't be an issue. The other nice thing is the additional pre-programmed buttons that match the keyboard. There's a picture of the SpacePilot on my blog. You can see a picture of it there.
I was able to get one to try out before buying it. You might want to check with your VAR or 3Dconnexion and see if that offer is still around.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP1.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M
 
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