The new keyboard complements the SpaceMouse and CadMouse lineup of professional CAD peripherals.
3Dconnexion, developer of computer peripherals for professional CAD users, has unveiled its latest product: the 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro with Numpad. This is the first keyboard offered by 3Dconnexion, and it complements the company’s existing lineup of SpaceMouse and CadMouse products.
“Today we are happy to provide CAD professionals, designers, graphic specialists, artists and makers with an entire professional desktop solution,” said 3Dconnexion CEO Antonio Pascucci. “It’s the result of 20 years of dedicated product research and development, always motivated by customer feedback.”
The 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro with Detachable Numpad
There are a few interesting features of the new 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro with Numpad, each designed with CAD professionals in mind. The numpad, for starters, is not in its standard position to the right of the QWERTY keys—it’s a standalone unit that connects wirelessly with the main keyboard.
The main reason for the detachment is ergonomics. Keyboards that are wide enough to accommodate a regular fixed numpad force users (right-handed users, at least) to move their mouse further to the side than they otherwise would. According to 3dconnexion, this extra displacement can be problematic.
“Research has shown that reduced shoulder rotation associated with the use of a narrow keyboard – such as one with no numpad – results in less muscle fatigue,” stated the company’s press release.
Whether or not this is true (no specific research is cited), the detachable numpad is a plus in my books. It offers users the ability to customize their desk layout however they want, even if that means shoving the numpad right in its standard spot. I would personally keep it to the left, which as 3dconnexion points out allows for easier back-and-forth between number entry and clicking (again, for righties like me). You could also stick a SpaceMouse in between the two halves of the keyboard, as shown in the picture below.
The downside of the detachable numpad is the same as for any wireless device: battery life. However, 3dconnexion claims the numpad will last for an impressive six months of everyday use (eight hours a day, five days a week). So as long as you remember to charge it on the solstices, you should be just fine.
Ergonomic Design for Engineers
Another feature of the 3dconnexion Keyboard Pro, as you’ve likely noticed, is the blank space below the keys. My first instinct is to call it a chin, but 3dconnexion calls it a full-size palm rest, another attempt at enhancing the user’s comfort while typing. I’m not a fan of this aspect of the design, as it cuts into the vertical desk space in the exact same way as a numpad cuts into the horizontal, but perhaps making the palm rest detachable too would have been a step too far for 3dconnexion.
The ergonomic design doesn’t stop there, with the keys themselves featuring “ergonomically shaped concave keycaps that fit the fingertips.” The keys also have rounded edges and a matte-coated surface, which 3dconnexion says makes them feel good to the touch and allows them to provide “noticeable accuracy.” Employing “advanced scissor technology,” the keys are supposedly stable with minimal resistance.
Those who care enough about their key feel to notice such things generally opt for mechanical keyboards, while I’m among those who simply expect the keys to work when pressed. If the Keyboard Pro can deliver on that, I don’t care how advanced its scissor technology is.
The 3dconnexion Keyboard Pro and Numpad also has an adjustable tilt, with the standard folding feet that elevate the keyboard to a 4.3° angle.
Customizing the 3dconnexion Keyboard Pro
One of the key features of 3dconnexion’s devices is the inclusion of user-programmable hotkeys, meant to simplify the execution of common CAD functions but applicable to any workflow. 3dconnection’s driver supports most major CAD applications including AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, Creo, CATIA, Fusion 360, NX, and more, with customizable commands specific to those programs. There are 12 programmable keys on the keyboard and another 4 on the numpad. An on-screen display can be toggled on or off to reveal what functions have been assigned.
This extent of application-specific customizability is one of the best features of 3dconnexion devices, one which we highlighted in more detail in our recent review of the CadMouse lineup. The keyboard and numpad also include a few global customizations: four media keys on the keyboard (default volume mute, volume down, volume up, and mic mute) and five keys on the numpad (default equals, parentheses, backspace, and delete).
Availability of the 3dconnexion Keyboard Pro with Numpad
The 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro with Numpad began shipping on September 28, 2021 on 3dconnexion.com at a cost of $129.00. The price is only ten dollars more than 3dconnexion’s top end CadMouse, the CadMouse Pro Wireless, and if it maintains the same quality as that device I’d consider it a good price. Still, if I could only pick one 3dconnexion peripheral, I’d put the money towards a SpaceMouse instead, which for me has become an indispensable tool for 3D workflows (though not everyone agrees with me on this).
It’s also worth keeping in mind that 3dconnexion’s other offerings, the SpaceMouse and CadMouse, each have fully wireless versions available. The Keyboard Pro itself is wired, even though the detachable numpad is wireless. I wouldn’t be surprised if 3dconnexion unveiled a Keyboard Pro Wireless at some point, which may be worth waiting for if wires won’t do.
“After revolutionizing the 3D navigation experience by introducing the SpaceMouse, we wanted to innovate the way users interact with commands within CAD environments, design programs as well as daily applications,” Pascucci said. “We designed 3Dconnexion Keyboard Pro and Numpad Pro to enable users to personalize their desktops, improve their posture and achieve a seamless workflow. This naturally leads to better performance.”
For more on 3dconnexion, read A Mouse Made For CAD: Review of the 3Dconnexion CadMouse or CAD Like a Jet Pilot: Review of the SpaceMouse Pro Wireless.
