How To: Set up 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator Device for ArcGlobe, ArcScene, and ArcMap

Summary

The 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator device provides the ease of navigating in the 3D display. It can also be used to increase productivity for 2D display.Instructions provided describe how to set up 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator to work with ArcGlobe, ArcScene, and ArcMap.

Procedure

The 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator plug-in for ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 2 and later versions (9.x) allows both the Standard and Professional editions of the 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator device to be used with ArcMap, ArcMap with Dynamic Map Display, ArcScene, and ArcGlobe.

Figure 1: The 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator device

The device is a new generation 3D navigation device that is affordable and capable of controlling movement in six degrees of freedom: translation in x, y, z, and rotation in x, y, z.

System Requirements:

Windows XP SP2 or VISTA 32-bit or 64-bit operating system
ArcGIS 9.3
ArcGIS 9.3 .NET Support
SpaceNavigator device SE or PE series
3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator device driver version 3.6.11 or later

Verify that the ArcGIS 9.3 .NET Support is installed. This can be done by navigating to Windows Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > ArcGIS Desktop and click on the 'Change' button. See Figure 2 in the first 'show me' link. Verify that the .NET Support is installed on the local hard drive. If it is not installed, select the 'Entire feature will be installed on local hard drive' and click 'Next' to install it.
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Figure 2: ArcGIS Desktop Setup dialog box
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Download the SpaceNavigator SE/PE driver for Windows XP or VISTA from the 3Dconnexion Web site and install it on the computer. Verify that the driver is properly installed by using the tool that comes with the driver during the post installation process. The ArcGIS plug-in was built based on the ArcGIS 9.3 (build 1770). Download the plug-in from the ArcGIS 9.3 SpaceNavigator Plug-In.
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Note:
 For ArcGIS 9.2, download the plug-in for ArcGIS 9.2.
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Using the Device
After installing the driver for SpaceNavigation and the plug-in for ArcGIS 9.3, verify that the SpaceNavigator device is plugged into one of the USB ports. Run ArcMap, ArcScene, or ArcGlobe to add the Space Device Control toolbar to the running application so that the device is activated. Notice that the blue light around the base of the device lights up, showing that the device is activated.
Navigating with the Device
There are three modes of navigation:
- Global mode
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Figure 4: Global Navigation mode in ArcGlobe
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- Surface mode (Local mode)
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Figure 5: Surface Navigation mode in ArcGlobe
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- Free Navigation mode

The Global mode and Surface mode depend on the Globe Navigation mode command. The Free Navigation mode can be activated by clicking on the button command with the space shuttle icon located on the Space Device Control toolbar. This button is not included on the toolbar.
Below are the behaviors of each mode when applying force on the knob of the device:

Global Mode
- Forward/Backward (device +tz/-tz) = Moves the observer up or down, changing the latitude.
- Left/Right (device +tx/-tx) = Moves the observer east or west, changing the longitude.
- Up/Down (device +ty/-ty) = Moves the observer toward or away from the earth, changing the altitude.
- Rotation elements are not active.

Surface ModeThis behaves similarly to Google Earth and Virtual Earth.
- Forward/Backward (device +tz/-tz) = Moves the observer forward or backward along the (horizontal) line of sight or viewing direction. The observer and target altitudes remain constant.
- Left/Right (device +tx/-tx) = Moves the observer left or right along the line perpendicular to the (horizontal) viewing direction. The observer and target altitudes remain constant.
- Up/Down (device +ty/-ty) = Moves the observer and target toward or away from the earth, changing the altitude of both the observer and the target.
- Twisting the knob around (device +ry/-ry) = Rotates the observer, the line of sight, around the earth center-observer vector. The observer and target altitudes remain constant.
- Tilting the knob forward or backward (device +rx/-rx) = Tilts the observer line of sight up and down. This changes the target.
- Tilting the knob left or right (device +rz/-rz) = Does nothing in Beta 1.

Free Navigation Mode (Disabled in Beta 1)
- Forward/Backward (device +tz/-tz) = Moves the observer forward or backward along the line of sight or viewing direction. The observer and target altitudes change.
- Left/Right (device +tx/-tx) = Moves the observer left or right along the line perpendicular to the viewing direction. The observer and target altitudes change.
- Up/Down (device +ty/-ty) = Moves observer and target toward or away from the earth, changing the altitude of both the observer and target.
- Twisting the knob around (device +ry/-ry) = Rotates the target around the observer up direction.
- Tilting the knob forward or backward (device +rx/-rx) = Tilts the observer line of sight up and down.
- Tilting the knob left or right (device +rz/-rz) = Rolls the camera, changing the camera up direction.
Adjusting the Device Sensitivity
3Dconnexion driver provides the dialog box with various tabs to control the overall sensitivity as well as for each transformation element. This dialog box can be opened by double-clicking on the 3Dconnexion icon on the Windows System Tray.
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Figure 6: 3Dconnexion icon on the Windows System Tray
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It is suggested that the new user starts with very low sensitivity settings. Each element can also be enabled or disabled independently. the dominant element (axis) also allows for focusing the movement in one direction.
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Figure 7: 3Dconnexion Control Panel. Each motion element can be controlled separately.
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Figure 8: The SpaceNavigator Device Configuration tab. Low sensitivity can be set by moving Overall Speed slider to the left.
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Figure 9: The SpaceNavigator App Configuration tab.
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Mapping the Device Buttons to Commands and Tool in ArcMap and ArcGlobe
By default, the left button of the device is mapped to fit the extent of the data to the display. For ArcMap, the right button is mapped to button two, which is for toggling between regular and Dynamic Map Display mode. For ArcGlobe, this button is for toggling between the Global and Surface mode. The left and right button on the base of the SpaceNavigator device can also be mapped to any ArcGIS command. For example, to map the device, use the right button to activate the Look North command of the Globe command category and follow the steps below:
- In ArcGlobe open the Customize dialog box.
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Figure 10: The ArcGlobe Customize dialog
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- Click on the Keyboard button to open the Customize Keyboard dialog box.
- Under the 'Categories:' pane on the left, select 'Globe'.
- Under the 'Command:' pane on the right, select 'Look North'.
- Click in the edit box under 'Press new shortcut key:' and hit Ctrl-N. This is the keyboard combination assigned to the Look North command.
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Figure 11: The ArcGlobe Customize Keyboard dialog
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- Click the Assign button.
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Figure 12: The Customize Keyboard dialog box after assigning the shortcut key.
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- Dismiss all of the ArcGlobe Customize dialog boxes.
- Double-click on the 3Dconnexion Icon on the System Tray to open the 3Dconnexion Control Panel.
- Click on the 'Button Configuration' tab.
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Figure 13: The 3Dconnexion Control Panel Button Configuration tab.
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- Click the 'Custom Functions�' button to open its dialog box.
- Click on the 'New' button to open the User Macro Editor.
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Figure 14: The 3Dconnexion Custom Functions dialog box.
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- In the 'Macro Name:' edit box, type 'Look North' to assign the name.
- Click in the box under the 'User Macro:' label and hit Ctrl-N. This assigns a similar keyboard combination to the command.
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Figure 15: The 3Dconnexion User Macro Editor dialog.
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- Click on the 'Save' button.
- Click 'Done' to dismiss the dialog box.
- Click on the drop-down menu next the 'R' and scroll down to select the 'Look North'.
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Figure 16: Assigning the new User Functions to the device right button click action.
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- Click OK to dismiss the 3Dconnexion Control Panel.
Pushing the right button on the device executes the 'Look North' command of ArcGlobe.
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Note:
 By default in ArcGlobe, pushing the left button on the device zooms to the full extent and the right button switches between local and global navigation mode. 
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