I'm on the phone with HR for Geomagic and the software is 20k. and the stylus currently only works with a software called Freeform. I'm trying to get them to look into marketing towards the game industry and integration with Zbrush.
Edit:
She is going to do some research and contact sales/ engineering & Developing. Hopefully they find this as potential market because a 3d haptic stylus makes a lot of sense for sculpting and game developing.
There is actually a downloadable demo available for the Freeform software, and I can confirm that it is totally usable without the fancy haptic stylus. There are some very cool features in it, like the surface/curve tool that allows for very clean insets, but when I gave it a spin a few months ago the performance seemed pretty poor.
They have been around for a while, and it's a bit weird that they never took the opportunity to release their software without the device ...
My wife works for 3d Systems and she uses this all the time when doing parts for knees, jaws, etc. What the stylus does in Freeform, the way 3d systems uses it, is to feel the contour of the bone from the CT scan data. Then they sculpt the prosthetic to ensure that there is a smooth contact surface between the prosthetic and the bone. As no bone is the same between 2 people, you need to be able to get that type of feedback.
It has a role in medical modeling, but seems stupid to use in games given that there are already well establish tools on the market.
It's the Sensable stuff from a few years back. Geomagic acquired Sensable and renamed the software to Freeform. 3D Systems then acquired Geomagic.
I was given the chance to try one out. The feedback is really nice but the software isn't that great compared to other 3d packages. A wacom (or similar) tablet and Zbrush or Mudbox is vastly superior to Freeform. Not to mention the pricing. Currently I think your budget would be better spent on other tools in the industry.
Their software is not that great. Right now it feels more like a gimmick, but there's a lot that could and should be done with haptic feedback. IMO they just aren't pushing it (pun intended) the right way but it has its uses and there's definitely some potential there.
I don't think they own the company that makes the hardware just the software. Which I believe is the main reason it's not being pushed the way it needs to be. It needs to be implemented into other software packages like Zbrush, Mudbox, etc.
Having haptic feedback on your digital sculpts in zbrush would be a great addition to have. If a company made an affordable 3d haptic stylus, I feel that it could potentially speed up the process or just make it easier. It just seems more intuitive than a tablet for sculpting.
Replies
http://www.geomagic.com/en/products/phantom-desktop/overview
http://www.revware.net/products/microscribe/
EDIT: not fast enough!
Edit:
She is going to do some research and contact sales/ engineering & Developing. Hopefully they find this as potential market because a 3d haptic stylus makes a lot of sense for sculpting and game developing.
They have been around for a while, and it's a bit weird that they never took the opportunity to release their software without the device ...
It has a role in medical modeling, but seems stupid to use in games given that there are already well establish tools on the market.
I was given the chance to try one out. The feedback is really nice but the software isn't that great compared to other 3d packages. A wacom (or similar) tablet and Zbrush or Mudbox is vastly superior to Freeform. Not to mention the pricing. Currently I think your budget would be better spent on other tools in the industry.
Their software is not that great. Right now it feels more like a gimmick, but there's a lot that could and should be done with haptic feedback. IMO they just aren't pushing it (pun intended) the right way but it has its uses and there's definitely some potential there.
I don't think they own the company that makes the hardware just the software. Which I believe is the main reason it's not being pushed the way it needs to be. It needs to be implemented into other software packages like Zbrush, Mudbox, etc.
Yup got one gathering dust for man years now