3Dconnexion 3D Mice Coming to Second Life

Today at the Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo, 3Dconnexion, a Logitech company, announced that its 3D mouse product line will be supported by the Second Life Grid®, the platform behind the popular online 3D virtual world created by Linden Lab®. 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice – including the award-winning SpaceNavigator™ – will be supported by Second Life beginning in mid-April, offering Second Life residents better control and coordination with 3D objects. While traditional mice control motion on a two-dimensional plane, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice allow effortless movement and control within a 3D environment. On the Second Life Grid platform, this means that actions such as moving, flying and designing are more intuitive. While designing, users can simultaneously pan, zoom and rotate without stopping to select commands. "Being able to move freely within and around the environment is a crucial component of the Second Life world experience,” said Joe Miller, vice president, platform and product development, Linden Lab. "3Dconnexion’s 3D mice have the capability to increase the immersion and improve the overall experience of our Residents and we’re always open to such developments.” "3Dconnexion’s 3D mice make the Second Life world experience even richer because avatars can now move in a more intuitive and fluid manner – movement no longer needs to be predicated on keyboard commands,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. "Beyond supporting a more immersive virtual experience, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice bring professional 3D design capabilities into the hands of Second Life Residents who enjoy creating their surrounding world, as well as to groups using the Second Life Grid platform as a collaborative tool for education and business training.” Advanced navigational capabilities offered by 3Dconnexion 3D mice include: Fluid avatar control: Residents can effortlessly control their avatars by gently lifting, pressing and turning the 3D mouse control cap. Easy access to camera views: With a twist of the control cap, residents can navigate the camera view and enjoy fluid and highly intuitive control while in flycam mode. Quick-switch between flycam mode and avatar motion: The pre-configured buttons on the 3D mice give residents a streamlined navigation experience with the ability to easily transfer between flycam mode and avatar motion – without stopping to select keyboard commands. In addition, the Second Life interface includes default navigation settings for 3Dconnexion 3D mice, allowing people to adjust the speed and settings according to their preferences. Control of 3D objects in build mode: While working in build mode, users can pan, zoom and rotate 3D objects to view designs from multiple angles. The 3D mice’s pre-configured buttons can be used to change the view to camera mode, providing advanced control of 3D objects and enabling a fluid design process. 3Dconnexion provides advanced and affordable 3D mice that are supported by more than 120 of today’s most popular 3D applications, including Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Extended and Acrobat® 3D, Autodesk® Inventor™, AutoCAD®, 3ds Max®, and Maya®, Blender, CATIA, Google Earth™ and SketchUp®, Microsoft® Virtual Earth™, NX™, Pro/ENGINEER®, SolidWorks®, and many other CAD, DCC, AEC, and GIS applications. For a complete list of applications supported by 3Dconnexion, visit www.3dconnexion.com/solutions/cad/all_sup_app.php. Pricing and Availability Beginning in mid-April, the Second Life Grid platform will support 3Dconnexion’s product line on Windows® 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista®, and Macintosh® OS X 10.4.6. SpaceNavigator Personal Edition (MSRP $59), SpaceNavigator Standard Edition (MSRP $99), SpaceTraveler™ (MSRP $199), SpaceExplorer (MSRP $299), and SpacePilot™ (MSRP $399) are available from major online resellers including Amazon, Apple.com, Buy.com, CDW, Dell, and PC Mall, as well as directly at www.3Dconnexion.com. About 3Dconnexion, a Logitech Company 3Dconnexion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI), is the leading provider of 3D mice for 3D design and visualization. 3Dconnexion devices support today’s most popular and powerful 3D applications by offering users a more intuitive and natural way to interact with computer-generated 3D content. 3Dconnexion’s award-winning 3D mice serve a wide variety of industries and are used by 3D designers, animators and artists worldwide. 3Dconnexion is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with European headquarters in Seefeld, Germany and offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.3Dconnexion.com. © 2008 3Dconnexion. All rights reserved. 3Dconnexion, the 3Dconnexion logo, and other 3Dconnexion marks are owned by 3Dconnexion and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.