SPATIAL Freedom has released the Astroid 6000 spatial controller.
Spatial controllers provide natural control of 3D images and objects by sensing a light fingertip push and twist applied to a sprung ball sensor. The 3D image or object moves and spins as though gently pushed around by the fingers.
Typically used in the left hand, the control improves user interface. It frees CAD engineers from the need to think about how to move their design and allows them to focus on other design tasks.
The Astroid also introduces a new feature called a scroll hat. It acts like a wheel on a computer mouse but adds left/right scrolling. Gently pushing the hat in any 2D direction scrolls the image accordingly. Pushing harder produces faster scrolling. The scroll hat is useful in any application, including office applications, where smooth scrolling is supported.
The Astroid currently supports Catia, Pro/E, Solid Edge, and Unigraphics NX. Support for other 3D CAD programs will follow.