From: John Stone (johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu)
Date: Sat Jan 08 2000 - 21:23:23 CST

Hi,
  I'm personally a very big fan of the SpaceOrb and Spaceball
products. I wrote some Unix code ("LibOrb") to allow one to use the
SpaceOrb (which was originally meant to be a PC-only product), and
some people already use a version of my code with RasMol. I haven't
added SpaceOrb code into VMD yet, as I've been hoping that VRPN would
support it, in which case VMD would automatically use it.
The SpaceOrb only costs about $40 to $80, but the Spaceball series
of controllers cost more like $500 beyond.

The difference between the controllers is that the SpaceOrb is designed
to be abused more, is PC-centric, and is targetted at the gaming market.
The SpaceOrb is great bang-for-the-buck wise, but of course its more of a
compromise than the higher priced Spaceballs are.
The Spaceball controllers are Unix-and-NT-centric, and are oriented for
the professional market. The Spaceballs come with more sophisticated
software, including custom plug-ins for most of your high-end CAD/CAM
software on Unix/NT. (the Spaceball is designed so that you can use it
one-handed if you sit it on a desk, whereas the SpaceOrb is built like a
typical game controller, requiring two hands to use it. The Spaceball
leaves one hand free for keyboard or mouse work...)

I've written software in the past (real-time OpenGL rendering stuff) that
used both the SpaceOrb and the Spaceball controllers as its main input device.
They are far better controllers than anything else I've ever used for doing
desktop VR fly-throughs and similar applications. They take some getting
used to at first, but I've really enjoyed using them for various projects.

I've been intending on integrating my SpaceOrb/Spaceball code into VMD for
a while, but I haven't had the time yet. (too many other VMD improvements
that are more important currently...) VMD has a different way of doing
controllers than the way my software was originally written so it would
take some work. If you're interested in my SpaceOrb/Spaceball code, send
me a note, or take a look at my personal web pages.

I hope these comments have helped to answer your question.

  John Stone
  johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu

On Sat, Jan 08, 2000 at 06:42:01PM -0800, Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> Does anybody have any experiences (positive/negative) to report in
> regards to the following 6DOF controllers?
>
> http://www.spacetec.com/product/productlist.cfm?CategoryID=4&FamilyID=44

-- 
Theoretical Biophysics Group   Email: johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu
Beckman Institute              http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/
University of Illinois         Phone:  (217) 244-3349
405 N. Mathews  Ave              FAX:  (217) 244-6078 
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