Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!dartvax!eleazar.dartmouth.edu!thomas
From: thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: My favorite thing at MacWorld: A 6-D Mouse
Message-ID: <15124@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 20 Aug 89 18:20:27 GMT
Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU
Reply-To: thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall)
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 37
Keywords:3d

I can't believe all of the comments that there was nothing interesting at
MacWorld this year!  Either nobody saw this or I am vastly overestimating its
potential.

What I am talking about is called HyperSpace.  It is a new product and had a
very small booth near the Aaps exhibit.  It is no less than a revolution in
input technology.  It is like a 6 dimensional mouse used for inputting data
from actual 3d models.  It consists of a large circuit box, a small base, and
a pen connected to the small base by a cable.  According to the programmer of
the software driving it, there are three magnets in the base that allow the
computer to know very precisely where the pen point is in 3D space and also
to know the pitch, yaw, and roll of the pen (hence 6d).

The uses of this product are infinite.  He had it working with this amazing
object oriented 3d modeling software. The ease of 3d data entry was astonishing.
This is something the world of solid modeling has been waiting for.  Once you
had used the pen to enter the data you could set it to be the camera.  Then you
just moved it around the object while pointing it at it and the object on
screen would move and rotate in real time.  You could also use it to set the
light source, etc.  Pretty impressive on an unaccelerated MacIIcx.

The name of the company is something like MiraImages.  A 10$ demo disk is
available.  The cost of the hardware alone is $3500, but it would be fairly
useless without the $5000 software.  The whole package is available for $7500.

I don't have the literature with me right now, but if anyone wants their address
they can write me.  This product could really revolutionize user environments.
It could also be programmed as a 2d pen to simulate a graphics tablet or a
mouse, or whatever.  It will be fun to see what they do with it, even though it
is expensive.

-Thomas Summerall
thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu

--------
I am in no way affiliated with the company described above, just an incredibly
impressed spectator.