V1 has been dubbed 'Bigfoot' on Printables. V2 is now out, which I have called 'Mini-ish''. It's much, much smaller and has some code tweaks to require a smaller range of input motion. Same link as before: www.printables.com/model/864950-open-source-spacemouse-space-mushroom-remix

@kaydenasay1853

24 күн бұрын

Dang V2, came out right as I finished V1 almost on the dot. :) already printing them out 😎

@johncrombie2771

23 күн бұрын

Love it. ❤️ I'll wait a couple of weeks before making this in case a V3 comes out. 😃

@DeagleBingo

23 күн бұрын

@@johncrombie2771 dude... build the v2 and then use it in cad to iterate the v3! then take a pic of you working on the model of v2 while using the actual physical v2... meta. lmfao. but seriously... thats what makes open source stuff like this awesome i had actually spent some time trying to 3d scan a big chunk of play dough i made into an ergonomic wrist/palm rest for my space mouse. those files are around somewhere too... rests for the smaller 3dconnexion one as well.

@fss1704

23 күн бұрын

There is a project VjoySerialFeeder that can take anything you can possibly connect to an arduino into a joystick in windows and linux, i already implemented a lot more stuff and i'll upstream until the end of the week. For instance, support for playstation 2 controllers and key matrices, i wanaa play racing games with my gameshark pedal and the ps2 controller, the software seems good but my arduino forgot it's bootloader and i need another one. I will probably be implementing support for other controllers as well.

@hdmungeryt

22 күн бұрын

I see you turned the joystick PCB's sideways (which is what my design is using so I can reduce the height of the unit)...did you have to do any reversal of variable directions or just switch the X and Y connections? I haven't gotten to debugging yet so I don't know if more than connector swapping will be necessary...

Dude, you should call it the Space Capybara, because that is the largest computer rodent I've ever seen 🤣 Great project though, looking forward to making (hopefully a much smaller) one 😁 Thanks for all the work you, and everyone else have put into it so far.

@ericlotze7724

28 күн бұрын

THIS. What a good name lol.

@MumrikDK

28 күн бұрын

'Stellar Capybara' for extra knockoff vibes.

@D4RKFiB3R

28 күн бұрын

@@MumrikDK Nice :D

@grnbrg

28 күн бұрын

@@MumrikDK This is the correct name. :D

@vschouten

28 күн бұрын

What about the "Capynaut"?

Super neat, would like to see a smaller version.

@bennetb01

28 күн бұрын

Right, that thing is huge.

@jamesnorona1345

28 күн бұрын

Yes me too!

@atnfn

28 күн бұрын

I think it's cause the internal components in that version are rather big. You would have to go with one of the different more complex models he showed at the start. Or buying one of the 3d connexion ones, they are quite small. I've had one for around 10 years, still works.

@zorabixun

28 күн бұрын

That size is good for more precise movement, in small joystick 🕹 even a little fingers shake of 1 mm can make a huge difference

@EddoWagt

28 күн бұрын

@@atnfn It's such a shame the 3dconnexxion wireless versions still use Micro-USB

...using Hall effect sensors instead of the joysticks and some springs to hold the dome will greatly reduce the size.

@vadimsham8047

28 күн бұрын

There is already such a project for at least half a year, I even have replicated it myself. They both just frustrating rubbish compared to commercial product, unfortunately.

@missassembly

28 күн бұрын

IMHO hall effect Should be where the open source community should concentrate their efforts.

@missassembly

28 күн бұрын

Printed compliant mechanism too. I own one already......😄

@taj1994

28 күн бұрын

@@missassembly It's also where the big companies should concentrate as well. Hell, Microsoft already uses Hall effect sensors in their Xbox One (and newer) controllers. They just don't use them in their joysticks. Their triggers use them

@ColinJWiens

26 күн бұрын

​@@vadimsham8047What's the name of the project, and what were the issues?

When building my "space mouse", the biggest issue is that it can only send mouse actions, rather than communicate directly with the CAD software. The idea that mimic a SpaceMouse to use the driver is very interesting.

@mayamanign

28 күн бұрын

It's folly, it'll never be as good. This video is filler.

@robinpopkema

28 күн бұрын

​@@mayamanign nobody says it would be better then the original. But 20-30 bucks is a lot more justifiable then 300 for most hobby makers. So, not filler but maybe not for you

@HuntersOA

28 күн бұрын

@@robinpopkema I will make this for sure. I use 3 different slicers for FDM (Prusa, Qidi, Orca), Lychee and Voxeldance tango for resin, fusion 360 and rhino for modelling and blender for sculpting. A colleague of mine had lent me a spacemouse which works with all of these and all use the same settings. But without a space mouse, I have to know which software uses which dumb shortcuts. Is shift needed for zoom? Was it control? Control + right click? It drives me nuts. Especially as I tend to jump from machine to machine as my work machine is windows, my home machine is Mac and I also have a linux desktop for some tasks. (KVM switch rules) So if this achieves the simple point that I can have the same exact navigation in ALL my software without tinkering endlessly with settings, it is an extreme win in my book. If I install the 3dconnexions software and I do not have to individually set up my softwares on all the platforms and machines, I'd be so so so sooo happy. The OG spacemouse is extremely overpriced for what it is. I know it took time to develop - check the cut up video how it works. Most other already existing solutions were simply too complicated. So I am all for this! Gigantic KUDO from me. I am already collecting the parts from local distributors to be able to make it.

@ge2719

28 күн бұрын

@@mayamanign so the $20 device wont be quite as good as the $300 device? Oh noooooo what exactly cant it do?

@linyongzheng

27 күн бұрын

@@ge2719 This DIY version is missing 2 programmable side buttons. Looking at the wiring diagram, it seems like there might be capability to wire in 2-9 buttons to Arduino pins (I haven't used Arduino in a while so unsure of the difficulty of using the I2C, serial, and SPI pins for GPIO).

I bit the bullet and bought a space mouse. I love it. I use a lot of CAD sometimes 8 hours a day and see it as a worth while expense. I'm so glad 3D printing can make it more accessible to the hobby market.

@sirrodneyffing1

27 күн бұрын

Yeh.. they are SOO brilliant once you get the hang of it and the right driver set up. It's like getting another arm or something.

@louisbrill891

25 күн бұрын

I'm hoping this will lead to better software integration for space mice. Kinda sucks that they can only be used for a couple programs right now.

@AndyProkopykChapmanStick

25 күн бұрын

Space mouse let's me do things so much fricken faster it's not funny. If you're doing CAD full time there's no reason not to plop down that money. It's your tools of the trade, don't skimp! I find people don't put enough thought in their normal mouse selection either. I'm a trackball guy though I wish I could find on with even more programmable buttons. 8 isn't enough, lol.

@louisbrill891

25 күн бұрын

@@sirrodneyffing1 really its like getting 2 extra arms with another mouse for each. Mice only have 2 DOF, space mice have 6.

@sirrodneyffing1

25 күн бұрын

@@louisbrill891 The rare stacks of CAD applictions with a spaceouse driver mate. Even Freecad (still needs work), Unreal Engine and Blender's is really good now from wobbly start.

Worked running Autodesk Inventor everyday.. I cannot understate just how useful these are. With enough use, they pay for themselves by the amount of time saved when navigating around a model/assembly. Cool to see w good diy version..but there is a reason why the 3dconnection ones are so popular

I bought a used SpaceMouse Pro on ebay for $120. It was WELL worth the price!! I absolutely love this thing for 3d modeling.

@TheExileFox

28 күн бұрын

without a deadzone option, the device, whenever i take my hand off one of these devices, the viewport/camera in any cad software is sent miles away which is really frustrating. For 15 years people have been asking for this option but it only exists as a driver hack and it's pretty janky - i cannot see how it's not a scam after testing multiple devices on multiple computers and always getting the same result.

@xTreme.Power.

28 күн бұрын

@@TheExileFox I had an old Space Pilot Pro, and he started to move alone, I fixed it my editing the settings file to make a deadzone, so no more self drift or self rotation of the object. Since work like a charm I just switched to the SpaceMouse Enterprise, just because i wanted to spend some money :p

@bluegizmo1983

28 күн бұрын

Weird, mine has never moved when my hand is off of it. Maybe I just got lucky and got a good one

@michaelgleason4791

28 күн бұрын

He's in Australia, so it's many more dollars in their currency.

@arbitrary_username

28 күн бұрын

Bought my regular spacemouse used for 60USD, absolutely worth it, but nice to finally see some alternatives.

The reason the mushroom/control knob is so large is that it holds the 4 joysticks. The simplest way I think to reduce its size is to move them to the outside with their control sticks pointing inward. Yes, it would require a redesign of the 3d printed parts but should be lest bulky looking.

@xomm

28 күн бұрын

Could also use joycon-style joysticks, e.g. the hall-effect ones from gulikit to get them smaller while still using off-the-shelf hardware.

@protowalker

27 күн бұрын

Had the same thought. There's likely a way to use hall effect sensors to do this but I'm not super well versed in electronics and part of the appeal here is off the shelf parts. One of my first thoughts was PSP /3DS style thumb-slide joysticks. They're very small and only a few dollars each

@conorstewart2214

25 күн бұрын

Better would be to redesign it to not use potentiometer based joysticks and instead to use some form of hall effect sensor. You get some that can apparently work as 3D joysticks.

Fantastic! I own an actual spacemouse but will build this just for fun and as a tribute to your skill and generosity! I very much enjoy all your vids. Definitely one of the top channels. All the best from Buenos Aires, Argentina

WOW! Ultra Hats Off for your hard work to pull everything together! Specially the space mouse section. That is the game changer!

I just realised you could make the knob quite a lot smaller simply by mirroring the four joysticks, so they sit on the outside of the knob instead of inside. The base would still be much the same size of course, but the knob would be more like the genuine Spacemouse type.

@MrMaxStalsky

20 күн бұрын

This is how he made the mini v2)

As usual excellent content!!! Thanks Michael!!! I'll keep an eye for the smaller version, but this is an amazing tool!! Thank you and the rest of the community for sharing!!

That’s a crazy amount of work for a video. Kudos

Heroic Effort! Thanks for sharing your work with us!

What a cool project! I’ve been interested in a space mouse too but this is the way I’m going to go. Thank you for sharing and to all who contributed!

This is a great project I would definitely take on myself for home use. I have a dedicated Space Mouse for my mechanical engineering job I use daily for 10 years now and love using it. Being able to diy one myself for home is a great option. Thanks for posting this!

@ColinJWiens

27 күн бұрын

95% of joysticks on Amaz/Aliex are stiff + have worthless "potentiometers", including the ones in the vid. That ends up making them digital devices, as shown with his CAD movement at 5:50. Even ones that claim to be OEM are nearly all fakes. The only good option is to salvage from old controllers or buy from a seller I finally found called "SOSS Gaming", but you'll need to solder them to PCB's yourself. No point making a 6DoF device if it's not analog.

Love how hours (days?) of troubleshooting get compressed into a sentence 😅. Thanks for the great work.

Definitely enjoyed this video. I started watching this channel due to the 3d printing focus, but I do enjoy the expansion into the use of arduino and merging it with 3d printing as well. Looking forward to future electronics videos as well as the smaller version of the space mouse.

As someone in the market for a space mouse, this video is great. I'm going to be ordering parts and doing the build in the next week or so. While watching the video though, it strikes me that the solution to the overall size could be as simple as reducing the size of the big joystick's actually manipulated surface area. Instead of mimicking the shape of the 3dconnexion joystick, you could make it look a lot more like the smaller joystick nubs. Bring the whole shape to a more rounded dome, then give it a stem and a wide head. That way, instead of pressing down on the front of the joystick, you can lift up on the back to get the same angle. Could probably even do it with your thumb. The shroud the whole joystick sits in can also be raised to cover all but the moveable range so your fingers can rest on it and then move the stick with about twice as many controllable angles. I'll be testing this once I've got the base build assembled, but if anyone is further along with it and wants to give it a go, I could mock up a model to reference.

Nice project! I absolutely love my Space Mouse but it was quite expensive (even the cheapest version). Now it is accessible to many more people. I hope the community will keep improving this.

Awesome project & tutorial. I’ve been looking for this type of mouse, gonna give your a go. Thanks for sharing.

Great video and project! I've long thought about building a custom mouse that fits my hand perfectly, but this is even more useful. For those of you with weird complaints about this video; this isn't a competitor to Space Mouse at all. More like a hobby project. It's not worth the time to build one yourself, more like a fun project to challenge yourself to learn and build new things. That said, this project is exactly what this channel is about. Teaching Tech.

Thank you Michael, i tried the original project in the past but abandoned it cause i encountered the same weird problems and didn't want to bang my head against the math involved in the transformation matrix. I'm very happy to see the project has been carried over and perfetioned. I'll give it another shot thanks to you. Thank you again!

Company got me a Space Mouse Pro about 15 years ago and once you start modelling with it you will never go back to mouse only.The experience is so good I got myself one for home use.

Wish you hit 300K with this complete tutorial. Thank you so much. You don't steal your channel name at all, it's actually about "teaching tech" the best way I came across on youtube. But overall your great job is an hymn to collective intelligence. You deserve a way greater audience. As helpful as instructive with a lot of useful details. Aussies are really tech savvy. Congrats! I'm going to make that spacemouse. Have a great weekend my friend.

Just buy the spacemouse, omw its so worth the money for the compatability with multiple software, it lasts a very long time, my enterprise model is 6+years old and still works perfectly. One of the best purchases i made for my hobby, before it now became my career. I cannot stress enough, if you enjoy 3d modelling it will bring joy to your life.

Thank you for the work you put into providing this for the community my guy. I don't even need one of these things and now I want to make one. Thank you again for the project.

I bought a SpaceMouse Pro, used many years ago. It is really a great tool, and I only design practical stuff for home projects. I think it is a lot of value, and the extra buttons on the pro version, I do use a lot.

Awesome instructions, it helps GREATLY when problems are left in the videos... I ALWAYS seem to get frustrated by little bugs I come across while following instructions- troubleshooting tips are always valuable!!!

Bought mine for 60 usd, really happy with it. Awesome job on the DIY version!

Dope. Lots of love from the PNW

I love your projects! Great job!

Well, damn....there went my weekend, lol! Thanks Mike! Great collaboration and development!

Yay, I was on a 2 year journey too to make pretty much the same. I tried joysticks, I tried IMU's, I settled on halleffect sensors and some magnet. Mine is a bit more 'delux' with a 2.8" touch screen, round display in the center of the dial, encoder in the dial for scrolling. The software was the far most time consuming! I ended up designing a web wizard to configure all the touch buttons and other functions.

@SarahKchannel

28 күн бұрын

I based mine on an ESP32, since it needs to house a webserver, beside Bluetooth, MQTT and drive the 2 displays. Oh and then I made the giant version with 3 touch screens....

Absolutely amazing! Thanks a lot, Michael! - Gone printing.

Even at that size, I would be tempted to give it a try. I switched to using a trackball a few years ago, and I've seen pictures of space mice but never have tried using one.

Wicked! Can't wait to build one, thanks for sharing.

This is a kind of pretty dense tutorial you'd better watch more than once. At least what I'm doing ;) A GREAT GREAT JOB indeed. Combining several technical sources (and debugging or improving some of them) is all but easy. Michael made it happen in a brilliant and MASSIVE WORK😉Thanks a lot Michael!

Great project! I looked into making a DIY space mouse before but with all the existing projets there was always something that seemed "too hard" or "too difficult" for me to emulate. Your project absolutely nailed it though, and now it seems so much more achievable. Massive thanks for documenting all your progress and putting a guide together, I'll definitely be making one of these! :D

This is amazing! I know what my next project is going to be!!

Big props for making it work. After seeing how much you had to put into getting it to work I don't regret buying a used SpaceExplorer on eBay. Only issue I've had is I'm stuck on an old version of the software since 3DConnexion no longer supports the older models. It's a really cool input device but I keep forgetting it's there and just manipulating things the way I'm used to with my mouse.

This is amazing, another level of engineering.

If I hadn't bought my space mouse I'd be ordering the parts right now. Still might build one if I get caught up on my current projects. Also, did the survey, hope it helps Michael. Thanks for the great video!

Bless you, Michael! I tried and failed with the Orbion. The keyboard and mouse simulation did not play well with my setup either and was a show-stopper. The 3DConnexion firmware emulation alone has renewed my interest in making one of these.

This is great! My new job has a 3Dconnexion and I really like using it but didn't want to spend the cash for my own. I looked into the 3D printed solutions but none seemed that great to me, especially since I didn't want it just using mouse / keyboard inputs, so knowing there's a way to emulate the 3dconnexion driver is really useful! Edit: I also have 4 leftover tiny joysticks from repairing my Valve Index controller that I think I could shrink the design down by using, I feel a project coming on!

Heck yeah … finally a way to find out if it’s going to be. Useful addition, fantastic work.

This looked very interesting - thank you for sharing

I saw the one you started your work off of on hackaday, and with the semester ending, I was actually about to start working on making one. So this video is perfectly timed for me!

Love the diy version. I bought a 3D mouse after using one at work. I highly recommend it for anyone doing CAD / Blender even works in most slicers. I'm surprised they are not more popular with cheper alternatives.

Great content! Added to my build list!

Me thinking this is a small thing...bro thats huuuugee! I appreciate all the work you have done!

Very impressive and very helpful! Another option for a cheaper 3D mouse is to look for some of the old, pre-USB units which are quite cheap on eBay. I'm not sure what hardware and software you need to adapt one for modern PCs, though. Another similar device which is even harder to get nowadays is an eight-dial dial box of the kind which used to be available for SGI and Sun workstations. Building one of those would be a relatively straightforward project but it might be just as useful to have. For the sim hardcore, one big challenge would be a faithful-looking, working replica of the Apollo Translation Control, a 3D controller designed to be used with the 3D-joystick Apollo Rotation Control.

I love the comically large size! I also have been down this road. I suspect there is a pretty comprehensive patent on this since there aren't even Chinese knock-offs on Aliexpress.

@sygad1

27 күн бұрын

that is a very interesting point, which now has me searching......today's new rabbit hole

@gcolombelli

26 күн бұрын

There are a few versions out there, at least one of them is bound to be based off old patents from some earlier model. Not sure if the eddy current one or another one not mentioned in this video, that uses semi transparent ramps and LED / phototransistor pairs. There's also another really cool one that looks a bit difficult to make and uses load cells and a rig that looks like a motion platform. This one in the video looks by far the easier one to make, every other one will require a custom PCB, some precision parts that will likely only work if printed on resin and some electronics that, if you're unlucky to live in a country like mine with ridiculously high import taxes, where most stores only send stuff through an expensive courier service, will cost you about the same as an entry level space mouse, if not more than that.

I bought mine used in nearly new shape for like 150 euro's. Awesome piece of kit.

Impeccable timing man yesterday i was just looking getting one but as u said too damn expensive

This is something that I am very interested in doing! Thank you!

I use solidworks professionally and use a space mouse. I will never go back without one. I may make this for at home. Thanks for the video.

YESSS!! Making it this weekend 🤩

Wow. What an ambitious project. Easy way to make smaller means placing game controller module on the outside. Would leave a large base.

What a night, great videos from Michael and Marius hornberger within a couple of hours

Very impressive work!

I have a Space Mouse with a Stream Deck placed in a 3d printed base. It works great and the Space Mouse is a game changer for Shapr3D.

I'm already printing out the parts and I just ordered the joysticks and microprocessor.

Amazing!! I was looking at buying but couldn’t justify spending the cash. I will be making one shortly, thank you!!

I’m definitely thinking about trying this. I’ve been looking at the space mouse for awhile.

Amazing content as usual 💪✨

ive bin using a 'Space Pilot Pro' for over 10 years. its amazing, reduced my 'clicking' in 3ds Max by half & i can move an obj in one hand and still have my mouse free to do stuff. 3d mouse is essential IMO for serous modeling .

Super cool project!

I am so excited to build this!

100% recommend just getting a real one if you can, used would be fine too. They're proper high quality makes them a joy to use.

I looked at making one but after trialing the real thing at tafe I ordered it then and there love the space mouse (basic Bluetooth one) its well designed and top notch.

holy s#!t he did it boys! thank you so much for solving the software end of this. clearly the community had come up with clever solutions for the hardware end of things but the software solutions were always lack luster or difficult to implement with 100% success. your contributions to the community are invaluable

I would love to do this. I think maybe making the parts that go on the joysticks just the ball part without a shaft could reduce the finished size. And maybe make a shroud for the LED section that has a thin area that can be for translucent flexible materials to let the light through and then a couple areas on the edges to slot into the body and handle? This gives me a bunch of ideas, that's for sure.

OMG Thank you for this!

I want to build one myself, but then was to lasy, Grate you came Up with an great Design.

Got excited seeing the thumbnail and then list my shit when you showed this comically large brick

This is wild, i was thinkig thinking about doing something like this a couple weeks ago

i love it! once you go 3D Mouse, you never go back

@xTreme.Power.

28 күн бұрын

exactly, last month I wanted to demonstrate a project on my F360 on my laptop , but 100% of time I desin on my home computer, The customer think I was a beginner because on the laptop I don't even know now how to turn an object without my SPaceMouse Enterprise :p (and before Space Pilot Pro, but after 5 years he began to move alone)

@ReinaldoGonzalezreix2x

25 күн бұрын

@@xTreme.Power. that's a tricky situation, that had happened to me also. I try to not use it from time to time so i don't forget how to orbit or make camera movements on different 3D software

Just get a used model, I got one in perfect condition for around $80 10 years ago, and it's still going strong (They were selling several, I figure a company was upgrading). Incredibly useful in 3D CAD like FreeCAD!

Well done! I'm shocked that official Spacemouse prices have skyrocketed so much. I think I paid $99 CAD for my original, and even less for a used one. More importantly I'm glad I'm not SOL if the company ever goes under, thanks to everyone's efforts.

@CoPoint

28 күн бұрын

Just as a heads-up: the prices in the video are Australian dollars, so the numbers you see are a good bit bigger than you may be used to, but still, the prices for those things ARE steadily going up, with mostly the same unfixed **ahem** quirks as in the first models...

@sq3rjick

28 күн бұрын

And it is the Australian importer / official reseller at that, not a straight USD/AUD conversion. The least expensive one can be had in the US for $99 and I got a wired pro (I hate replacing batteries) for less than $200 on sale.

I just bought a space mouse compact as the only thing I do on my pc is designing things with sketchup or fusion 360. It was pricey at 149 euro but it works amazing.

Is it supported in FreeCAD and Blender under Linux?

Amazing project. I didn't know the Space Mouse worked in Onshape as well, I always believed it didn't.

an idea would be to place the josticks around the mushroom and not inside, it would enable a smaller design

Reminds me of the SpaceOrb360 I used in the 90's to play video games. Mostly Descent, because you needed 6 degrees of freedom in the game.

I have a 3DConnexion device (bought second hand) and it takes a lot of getting used to. Don't be disappointed by how difficult yours is to operate the Z axis as it takes some time to get used to both the original and any other.

seems to work really well!

The spacemouse is totally worth the money, I got my wireless one used for less that £80

Cool idea, i think there is enough interest for V2! I would suggest smaller hall effect sensors for the joystick and maybe integrated butons in the base for shortcuts.

Hi!! Awesome video! I will definately build my own!!

Didn't know there was a way to fool the 3dconnexion driver into thinking it's their device. Very cool, since their devices have very little motion range. Also while it did become more expensive recently, it still not 200$+ device. For US at their site it's 150$ excl tax, so like around 180$ at worst And it is a really a must own device for anyone who have more than one 3d printer. At least the basic one.

Very nice made! I like how you positioned all the electronics! :) I do have the spacemouse pro and it's easy to move multiple axis at once instead of using every axis individually like all the open source designs.. but at 1 point, I believe the open source versions will be better than the originals ;)

@TheExileFox

28 күн бұрын

anything will be better than my experience with 3dconnexion - without a deadzone option, the device, whenever i take my hand off one of these devices, the viewport/camera in any cad software is sent miles away which is really frustrating. For 15 years people have been asking for this option but it only exists as a driver hack and it's pretty janky

Brilliant work.

Def going to give this a try.

Great project just needs to be half the size. Great video. Keep up the good work.

Awesome stuff!!!

Great video, so want to do this! I've been eyeing up those spacemeeses 😁 for ages but the cost is prohibitive... a mkII a bit smaller would be 👌 So love the generous sharing of knowledge by all involved 🙌😎

I'd absolutely love an updated version with hall effect sticks and smaller footprint. I think that would crush

That’s my winter project sorted!