Sketchup and SpaceNavigator

[landrand]

As most of you already know, sketchup is a free 3D modeling application from Google.  I've been using sketchup for the last month or so with my TF designs and I am extremely impressed with its capabilities.  If you want to be able to easily navigate around in your 3D models, zoom, pan, rotate, etc, a company called 3DConnexion makes a mouse like device called the SpaceNavigator.  You use your mouse in your right hand and the spacenavigator in your left. This product  makes working with sketchup much more effecient and is relatively inexpensive.  You can get them online for less than $60 and I feel they are well worth the money.  Here's a link to the companies website.

http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/3a1d.php

It takes about 30 minutes to get used to it, but once you do, you can really fly around when designing your TF's using sketchup.