Maybe Pixologic could write it. Its in the their customers interests and therefore theirs. I would try to write it myself if I had the skills.
Is it not a matter of 3D connexion sending Pixologic a list of input signals and then let Pixologic develop it from there?
Im not presuming its easy or anything but I would think its not that hard either.
3DConnexion has a freely available SDK. Any programmer-type with enough time and ability could make a homebrew driver using that SDK.
From what I understand, the real problem is that neither 3D Connexion nor Pixologic are taking an interest in this. When I spoke with 3DConnexion, they said that having Pixologic show a direct interest would go a long way.
I guess neither company wants to front the time and money to do it. I’m sure it’s not THAT big of a deal to integrate the drivers using the SDK… it’s just that us art-types don’t have the skills to do it ourselves. 
… I would be interested in this aswell.
I would also buy a spacetraveler or pilot at once if it would work with zbrush.
There is an sdk available for the spacepilots etc from 3dconnexion.
I have no idea if it is possible to write a plug in for zbrush…
You need to know how zbrush controls the panning, rotation and zooming in the app. Since zbrush is 2.5 d It’s probably different to makin a spacepilot work for any other 3d app.
I’m sure a space pilot however would work out of the box with MudBox, to me that would be a big plus to be able to use such a device with a 3d sculpting package… and to me would be a reason to buy mudbox in stead of zbrush.
If someone couls enlighten me if it’s possibe to acces zbrush to write support for such a device yourself… I might be able to convince a programmer to write that driver for us…
Cheers
Peter
Not very many people interested considering the Zbrush user base. Of course, it’s a really niche market tool.
I can think of 20 tools I’d want with Zbrush, but I realize that it’s specifically becasue I need them to do what I do. Very impractical thinking for a company to try and follow every special niche. The Space Pilot tool is a niche tool plain and simple.
Technically those that want it should be able to write a driver that makes use of the same info the mouse and Wacom tablets use through the USB port. Not very hard at all actually. These tools are already supported. So if you or the manufacturer of Space Pilot want it to be a Zbrush productivity tool, you can start coding. No, I’m not interested. Then you can start advertising and see if it was worth it.
All the best.
I totally disagree here.
Sure, if pixologic doesn’t think many users wil benefit from supportin a device such as the spacenavigator or spacetraveler or whatever 6dof device out there, they’re free not to write any support for it THEMSELVE.
I’m working in the 3d scene for 10 years now… all major packages at least have the ability for users to extend the package by writing their own stuff through an SDK.
As a software developer you cannot support every device out here or write every plug-in yourself. That’s why it’s so important to at least give users the ability to write their own stuff with an SDK. It only makes the package much stronger.
A little help from the developer to be able to fill the gaps you think are in the current software would be nice…
Peter
Well, 10 years is a long time so I guess it helps define the validity of your statement here.
Your right about many packages in the industry, but not all and definitely not right away. They are also limited in many ways, requiring very creative people to get things working in the desired manner. However you have to work with what is available.
You and others can do what is being requested here with Zbrush without the SDK. Zbrush allows plugins, scripts and Mouse/Wacom device control. All the pieces are in front of everyone. It’s not what you want, but technically it is the base of what your asking for. Of course it means some of you have to take on some responsibility and cost rather than hoping someone else will do it for you.
My suggestion/advice is for those thinking this tool is necessary, to develop the code/process to get it done. Not that an SDK from Pixologic wouldn’t be valuable, but it doesn’t appear to be a current goal. Small companies are like that, priorities. Then maybe Pixologic could just roll the resulting work for this device into the app in future updates.
Oh but that would be productive and cooperative rather than dreaming.
Interesting sideline, but I was wondering if I could get my gamepad (a dual analogue stick thing) to act like a spaceball, I could imagine it having azimuth and elevation on one stick and roll/zoom on the other. It also costs like $30 so anyone could benefit.
Then I found a program called joy2key which translated the analogue sticks to mouse movements. In this way, if I had a keyboard or intuos shortcut key that automatically pressed down on the ‘rotate’ and ‘spin’ buttons on the right hand side of the screen then it would be quite cool… and work. But having to hold a button down when spinning the analogue sticks to rotate around wasn’t ideal and I got into some difficulties trying to implement such a shortcut with the limited zcommands at my disposal.
Likewise, you could use any MIDI controllers to do the rotation using a similar approach, as one of you mentioned. Ideally you write a little prog to convert it into mouse movements or something, and hold down a keyboard shortcut to press the rotate buttons down again. But I’m just throwing ideas around.
The only thing is there needs to be some back door in zbrush that allows these mouse movements to directly dontrol rotation/spin etc without having to press down on those keys and use a common mouse pointer. Any ideas anyone? I mean it would surely be possible if the right person was to have a little think about it =)
Here’s hoping!
a couple of months ago I wouldn’t really care about supporting anything other than a wacom and a keyboard… but after years of modeling I kinda got sick of using a device called a keyboard that was designed for something else… to specify what the hell my camera should do… 
Since I was also sick of being tied behind my desk I purchased a tablet pc a couple of months ago… since owning that thing I don’t really use my normal pc anymore since for me it works much better scribbling with my pen on screen sitting on the couch or my fatboy.
But when sitting on the couch or a fatboy or other lazy chair I found that that seperate keyboard you need to navigate around is a pain in the ***.
Since most 3d apps mainly use the alt, ctrl and shift key for navigating in combination with your mouse or pen I thought it would be a nice addition if I could replace that bloody keyboard by a small device I can hold in my hand with at least a shift, ctrl and alt button.
Seeing the space navigator for the first time I though it was a nice step in the right direction (but still not the holy grail).
I was kinda of dissapointed that an application like z brush where some that lots of people use to “sculpt” doesnt not support it (yet).
I think it will be kind of nice to be using something like this spacenavigator to move around your object and use your right hand to sculpt.
Cheers
Peter
I have found a tool GlovePie for script the 3dconnexion device … if someone are able to make a zscript to assing all axis rotation (+zoom) to a keyboard key, we can script (with GlovePie) a script to integrate perfectly to zbrush a 3dconnexion device
Hello,
I use a Spacepilot and think it is a fantastic timesaving device.
It was difficult and alien to use at first but with a little practice soon became very intuitive to use. Moving in 3d space is now down to ‘unconcious’ muscle memory. This leaves me to concentrate and use my right hand purely for sculpting.
I would reccommend any 3d artist to try this device.
However I don’t think it will be possible to use it within the current version of Zbrush.
The Spacepilot and its related devices work by taking control of the translate cooordinates of the 3d perspective camera. You actually translate/move the camera you are looking out of, around the 3d space of the scene you are working in. ( hence the name spacepilot )
Zbrush , in its current version has a fixed camera, in front of which you move, rotate and scale your model/tool.
It may be possible to use it in Zbrush 2.5, . . .If it has a 3d perspective camera.
Although i’m not sure if it will have one.
Aurick could probably tell us 
But he probably won’t
Yep, here also someone who’s waiting for 6DOF support. I feel pretty disabled when working in ZBrush. Z is a newbee so it’s just a matter of time. But the sooner the better.
I’m a hobbiest and I have a space pilot and a wacom tablet. I’d like to make an argument that some technologies are worth their price even to non professionals. The creative environment that these tools enable is indespensable.
As far a Zbrush support goes, I think that it might work. The space pilot can work with a 2d app such as photoshop as easy as a 3d app. The controls just need to be tied to the same code that allow the buttons to work.
And as a side note, I really don’t use Zbrush as much as I used to before I bought my space pilot. If mudbox gets support working first, I’ll probably be using that. It’s a business decision that Pixologic will need to make. There are a lot of up and coming 3d sculpting apps that could capture the market by adding support for 3d devices.
I love people threatening to use another app if they don’t get the tool support of choice. You will use the best app you can afford to do the job at hand in the set time. Not if it supports a tool or not. If you are a hobbyist, rather than a professional using the app for livelyhood, why should a comany bother. Seriously, we all have wants, but all I see hear is a small minority wanting something because they bought a device and now expect every other app they like to implement that functionality.
So I want Microscribe 3D support, realtime model deformation from my ‘monkey’ and the ability to use the laser scan data used in the ‘Matrix’ movies so I don’t need to redo textures. And I want this in all the apps I use in any pipeline, ok, tomorrow please!
Actually it’s not really a personal threat. Technology changes. It’s a threat that any software company faces. I’m making a statement about the business environment.
I also stated that I think implementing such a device in Zbush would be possible, despite its 2.5d nature. I saw that 3d connexion released a $60 version of their product called the space navigator, perhaps it will interest more people and the technology will become more commonplace. I think that people will find such a device just as useful as a drawing tablet.
And from looking at the list of supported apps on 3dconnexion’s site, I don’t see why a product like Zbrush wouldn’t receive attention. I mean, Google Sketchup has support.
I’m a 3D game engine programmer.
(1) It’s like every application you are using, including the website browser, IT’S UP TO THE SOFTWARE WHICH HARDWARE PERIPHERAL TO USE.
Ok, now, from the 3dconnexion’s point of view, they didn’t do anything wrong. They provided SDK of their lovely product for free and that SDK is specifically designed for software companies like Pixologic or Autodesk to utilize the device in their software.
Now it’s like, say, you bought a gamepad yesterday (a good one, of course) and found out the soccer game you have only support keyboard. Who should u complain to?
(2) From a technical point of view, it’s completely feasible to implement a 6DOF driver for Zbrush, well, by Pixologic.
SpacePilot or SpaceExplorer or whatever 6DOF there is, in essence, just input devices, just like the mouse on your table.
Yes, Zbrush is a new, popular special “2.5d” software. Yes, it has a fixed camera. But it doesn’t matter.
If you can rotate objects with mouse or wacom in Zbrush, why can’t I do the same thing with another input device, or specifically, SpacePilot? Both mouse & 6DOF are just input devices, all they send to the computer is just electrical signals, or in software development terms, input parameters. Theoretically, It doesn’t make any sense if one can control a software with a device but can’t do the same thing with another.
(3) The only thing I don’t understand is, as such a so widely known modeling software, though made by a small company, why haven’t they made it 6DOF-supported even now?! From the technical side, it’s really not so difficult to implement it. As a programmer, if you gave me the core API code of Zbrush, I can even rotate objects with a PS2 game pad. All they have to do is download the SDK from the 3Dconnexion website & see how to integrate 6DOF support into Zbrush. It’s really not that difficult.
Has anybody asked Pixologic & got any response from them yet?
Yes, but I think they have been a little busy with other things recently
I’m sure they"ll have 6DOF support in Zbrush 3, . . ( Pixolator could probably code it during his lunch break)
I use my SpacePilot in 3DS Max in conjunction with my Wacom tablet - if only I could do the same in ZBrush! The flow the spacepilot gives modelling is unmatched - it’s just so natural - you don’t have to think about moving the model, it just happens. The sooner drivers are developed for ZBrush the better - 3D Connexion’s navigators connect you to the app as nothing else can.
Great! Let’s see some of the work…
You have a monkey?
Coolest toy ever. I had a poster of the Monkey II hanging on my wall for the longest time to keep me motivated and save money for it. Never did reach that goal. And I’m pretty sure the developer went under since then.