If you’re racing some of the fastest, most aerodynamic motorcycles in the world, you want a machine that’s comfortable, easy to operate, and gets you to the finish line first. The same holds true for the engineers and designers behind the finished product.
The motorsports engineering team that creates the award-winning motorcycles at Portland, Ore.-based MotoCzysz often faces tight deadlines, meaning long hours and high expectations from management, both of which can be mentally and physically demanding. To help boost productivity and relieve discomfort, the team needs a tool that’s ergonomic, easy to work with, and helps them go from concept to product quickly.
Nick Schoeps, lead motorsports engineer at MotoCzysz, first used a 3Dconnexion 3D mouse at the University of Michigan while working with a solar car team. There, he grew accustomed to the benefits of a 3D mouse, which became an essential part of extensive CAD design, especially during busy seasons.
Throughout the years, MotoCzysz experienced a steady influx of design projects that included complex elements and tight deadlines. The 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Pro played a significant role here. Schoeps says that by combining the 3D mouse and SolidWorks, he reduces design time by about 20 percent to 30 percent.
Alternatives to the 3D mouse approach include using traditional input devices on their own, the most popular of which is coupling a standard or trackball mouse with a keyboard. This is typically the option for users who began working on CAD using a standard mouse only, and thus are familiar with that work style. However, 3D mouse users, after getting familiar with using the devices along with their standard mouse, see boosts in productivity and performance, resulting in a faster, more comfortable design process.
Other benefits of the mouse include:
An ergonomic design that relieves wrist fatigue and reduces the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, discomfort that many using a standard mouse only encounter during long design periods;
Six degrees of freedom technology that lets users pan, zoom, and rotate simultaneously, for smooth and natural control of 3D content;
Shortcut keys to reduce mouse-to-keyboard hand movements;
Intuitive 3D mouse functionality.
John Moseley is the director of global marketing for 3Dconnexion, the creator of 3D mice for design and visualization professionals.
It's always great to read about independent motorcycle manufacturers in the US. But, this article seems more like an ad.
The statement "However, 3D mouse users, after getting familiar with using the devices along with their standard mouse, see boosts in productivity and performance, resulting in a faster, more comfortable design process." really needs some proof behind it. That's much too anecdotal.
Concerning the use of 3D input devices, I've tried this type of mouse before and ended up liking them. At first it was uncomfortable, but as I spent more time with them, I found it allowed more functionality than a regular mouse.
I've been using my wetware to do this with my direct brain interface for 55 yrs now!! Sad how so many must use software to do the same at great cost in time and money. They would be far better off just doing a full size mockup and once right, make molds off it.
I also doubt their aero has done any good as I do aero EV MC's for a living and looking at MotoCzysz pics on their website, I wouldn't use as an example of how good a 3D software was doing that.
I've been using my wetware to do this with my direct brain interface for 55 yrs now!! Sad how so many must use software to do the same at great cost in time and money. They would be far better off just doing a full size mockup and once right, make molds off it.
I also doubt their aero has done any good as I do aero EV MC's for a living and looking at MotoCzysz pics on their website, I wouldn't use as an example of how good a 3D software was doing that.
Hi Nadine, thanks for your comment and sorry to hear the article seems more like an ad. I'm from 3Dconnexion (manufacturer of the 3D mice mentioned in the article).
We get excited when companies like MotoCzysz use our products and we like to bring the story to people involved in the design / manufacturing world.
I understand your comments about the productivity and performance statements in the blog post so if you are interested in seeing some proof behind the claims, please take a look at the Economic Payback of 3D mice whitepaper here.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday break and wish you a successful and most of all happy 2013.
Hi TJ, John Moseley from 3Dconnexion here (writer of the blog post). I appreciate your candid feedback and will take it on board for any future posts. I guess it's too easy to get excited about ones own product line! I'll try to find a better balance in the future ;-)
Hi John, I design measurement systems and my development process is pretty balanced between hardware, software, sampling, analysis, and automation. I do not design components at a CAD station, but I find your 3D Mouse intriguing, especially from the perspective of the human-machine interface. As Marketing Director, I appreciate that you shared your product from a business-analysis perspective. In the future, I would love to learn more from your design engineers on how they approached the design of your product, what sort of mock-ups / feedback they obtained from potential users, and how your team handles the innovation process of improving your products. How customers use your products is extremely valuable information, but I would be eager to learn more about your design process upstream from the finished product back to the drawing board. =]
Thanks William, we produced an article like that a few years ago. I expect it needs to be dusted off a little so we'll do that and maybe have the chance to post it here in the future. Failing that, it's the kind of content we'd bring to our own blog.
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