January 11, 2007

3Dconnexion Debuts Mac Software for SpaceNavigator 3D Navigation Device

San Francisco - 3Dconnexion, a Logitech company, has announced immediate availability of its beta software for use with its SpaceNavigator device with Mac OS X.
The SpaceNavigator, a three-dimensional navigation device, offers 3D designers and enthusiasts 3D navigational control.
 
3Dconnexion plans to offer the final version of the software by the end of March 2007. The software will ship with the SpaceNavigator device, enabling it to work with select 3D applications on the Mac, including Google SketchUp.
 
“We are excited about putting our popular SpaceNavigator device in the hands of the Mac community,” says Rory Dooley, president of 3Dconnexion. “Combined with the renowned graphics power of the Macintosh, the SpaceNavigator device provides a breakthrough experience for 3D users.”
 
“The legendary power and stability of Mac OS X, combined with innovative features like OpenGL support, make Mac OS X an outstanding 3D graphics platform,” says Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We're thrilled to see 3Dconnexion's SpaceNavigator device harness the features of Mac OS X and the power of our Intel-based Macs to help design professionals create new 3D worlds.”
 
A companion to the mouse, and held in the alternate hand, the SpaceNavigator device reduces the number of times people need to switch tools to manipulate 3D imagery, increasing productivity. In addition, people can use the device to pan, zoom, and rotate 3D objects.
 
3D designers, students, educators, and enthusiasts who have a SpaceNavigator device can participate in the public beta program by downloading the Universal Binary-Compliant driver for Macintosh, 3DxMacWare, at www.3Dconnexion.com. Participants must be running Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later and must have an available 10MB of disk space and USB 1.1 or 2.0.
 
Initially, the 3DxMacWare public beta will support Google SketchUp 6.0, Autodesk Maya 7 and above (with MelScripts available from 3Dconnexion), and auto•des•sys form.Z 6.1 (must have 3DxMacWare plus the downloadable plug-in from the form.Z Web site). Additional Mac-based 3D applications will be added as the beta program progresses.
 
By the end of March 2007, 3Dconnexion’s SpaceNavigator device will ship with the 3DxMacWare.
 
The SpaceNavigator PE (personal edition) has a suggested retail price of $59. The personal edition license supports non-commercial use of the device and offers online technical support only. The SpaceNavigator SE (standard edition) has a suggested retail price of $99. The standard edition license comes with an unrestricted user’s license and two years of full support (Web, email, and phone). Upgrades from SpaceNavigator PE to SpaceNavigator SE licenses are $40 and are available online at www.3Dconnexion.com.