Let’s say your CAD workflow is starving for spatial awareness. Your fingers yearn to push, twist, and orbit – not just click. Enter the Nebula Mouse. A 6-DOF DIY marvel, blending 3D printing, magnets, and microcontroller wizardry into a handheld input device that emulates the revered 3DConnexion SpaceMouse – at a hacker price. It’s wireless, RGB-lit, powered by a chunky 1500 mAh cell, and fully configurable through standard apps. The catch? You print and build it yourself, with a little help of [DoTheDIY]’s design files.
This isn’t some half-baked enclosure on Thingiverse. The Nebula’s internals are crafted with the kind of precision that makes you file plastic for hours just to fit weights correctly. Hall effect sensors track real-world movement in all axes; a Seeed Xiao nRF52840 handles Bluetooth duty. It’s hefty (280 g), intentional, and smartly designed: auto-wake, USB-C, even a diffused LED bezel for night-time geek cred. Just beware that screw lengths matter. Misplace a 20 mm and you’ll hear the soft crack of PCB grief. No open firmware either – you’ll get compiled code only, unlocked per build via Discord.
In short: it’s not open source, but it is deeply open-ended. If your fingers itch after having seen the SpaceMouse teardown of last month, this might be what you’re looking for.
“No open firmware either – you’ll get compiled code only, unlocked per build via Discord.”
Closed source and discord as a prerequisite, no thank you.
I hope someone releases open software for this. Closed firmware gives me the ick.
What exactly keeps someone from building this hardware assembly, and then putting open sourced software on it? Like porting a software solution from a different open sourced device
That will be great. If it helps, I can release the schematics so others can develop their code.
Nothing. Go on.
(Seriously, that would be great!)
closed source and bluetooth .. worst of both worlds.
that’s beautiful but getting a firmware from a rando on discord it’s looking for troubles, nothing stop the person to just inject keystrokes in your system…
You have to pay for the firmware right? Because “with each plan you will be able to activate 2 Nebula mouse after build.”
I wonder what “a hacker price” is. You have to order 3 custom boards from JLC, Laser cut metal weights, source a bunch of stuff (battery, cables, custom made spring). And then you still have to pay for the firmware. (How much?)
The 3d printed parts are basically free. But I’d be surprised if you can build a single piece for less then 100€, unless you have a good Lasercutter and solder all the boards yourself.
The project page states “This is a very advance level project and build will require good problem solving skill, So only proceed if you can challenge yourself”. So I doubt it is really to safe a lot of money, more a “DIY because I can”.
Maybe if you live in India or something. But even at minimum wage, you’re probably better of doing 12 hours of work and just buying a space mouse wireless.
I’m sure, if you build 50 of these, you could sell them at 50$ with a nice margin. But single quantities are expensive.
And you can find real Spacemice on eBay and the like for ~$100-$150 all day long, my coworker just got one a few weeks ago.
Or less, HP has branded models, $20-60.
Also older models work if you drop their driver files in the new software’s plugin folder.
That’s a good tip. Thanks.
I’ve got a 10+ year old USB spacemouse that still works on the old computer but refuses to run (with old drivers) on a new one.
I can see it, use it as a joystick etc, drivers won’t denoise it.
I mean, great durable hardware!
But scummy forced upgrades and e-waste generation from the manufacturer.
Not even good business!
Before this, I had sold a dozen for them.
Hmmm… It seems to me a crystal ball design would be rather optimal, if it could be pulled off. Small sphere that tracks your finger positions as you move you hand around it in any direction or rotation, smart enough to recognize a finger tap as a mouse click. Always wondered why there was nothing like that :p
Yeah this got me looking. I’ve never used/heard of the OEM hardware. Two seconds on google and the spacemouse equivalent to this is about $160 shipped, the super rad one with a bunch of extra buttons and stuff is a bit over $400. I’m a little hesitant to say it but isn’t very much money for what looks like an essential tool to do your job. Heck mechanics and stuff spend that much on a couple of snap on wrenches and they probably have nowhere near as much available cash as a white collar CAD designer.
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I like that this project featured here exists but I’m not sure why it exists- if you are deep enough into CAD to need a 6 DOF input device, either your employer will buy one, or you can and expense that off, or if you are a serious hobbyist dropping $200 is peanuts compared to license fees for CAD itself anyway. It is kind of like being a photographer but taking ages to building an inferior camera that probably costs more and makes worse photos. Plus you have to pay to use it. Maybe that’s the definition of a hobby or a bad analogy (I’m well aware building your own cameras and stuff is a hobby itself) but I think that is different than this “product.”
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So what I’m sadly left with is what many of these things end up being- ulterior motives and a front for clickbait youtube video where the product isn’t the 3d mouse, its clicks and views, or else as noted elsewhere, closed source code subscription model, or some other similar ick-inducing thing. I do home I’m wrong though.
“only proceed if you can challenge yourself”
Sounds like an excuse for poor engineering.
These are cool but why can’t we have a small plastic cube or sphere battery powered device with Accelerometer + gyroscope and have it connected over bluetooth and report its position.
You can hold it in your hand and rotate or move it around to rotate/translate the CAD model you’re viewing. Maybe a few small buttons which can enable rotation/translation when held, so that you can map it to muscle memory (you press the button and move the device and then release the button)
You acurately described WiiMote and VR controllers, both of which exist. Also could run software on something like a cheap Android phone, it has all the needed sensors. Even could use camera and internal magnemometer to track a spacemouse like device.
I had something like that a way long time ago. Seemed like a great idea but is actually pretty tiring after a while. IIRC it was called a gyromouse? Similar problem with big touchscreens, fine for ordering a Big Mac but body mechanics are tough to get right for long term use.
I like Shapelab w Rift for artsy-fartsy type shape design.
Just as you describe, but the off hand is sort of a tool/color pallet selector.
Good undo functions, which you will need.
The meshes produced are a mess, but there are tools to fix that.
Like all VR, limit time under hat.
You can get branded HP SpaceMouse for $20 used. Would be surprised if this beata that price.
I like the project, not sure about premise of cost saving. And ultimately it’s the software where the important part is.
closed-source software ? no thanks. I even wonder why it is even featured at all …
For profit close sourced clone, duplicating functionality, look and feel == attention from 3Dconnexion. I would expect a C&D quite soon …
I’m too lazy to look but I bet there’s a reason there are no major competitors.
I agree with you. I am the author of “space mushroom”,
https://www.instructables.com/Space-Mushroom-Full-6-DOFs-Controller-for-CAD-Appl/
and when I made it, I paid attention to not infringing on 3Dconnexion’s intellectual property rights. Although the shape and working principle are different, I did not use their software. Some people tried to make this “space mushroom” work with the 3Dconnexion’s driver and/or app, but I think there is probably a clause in the EULA of the 3Dconnexion software that prohibits this (use the software with the other hardware), so I did not go in that direction.
interesting liminal space between a product and a project. the juxtaposition of closed source firmware with an unforgiving diy build gives me the icks. one thing it ain’t is open-ended. only thing i know for sure is i wish the writers here would be more careful with their word choices because meaning is important to readers.