We live in a designed world – where form and function are woven together into our everyday lives. From computer animation and architecture to complex machines and tiny gadgets, much of our world is conceived in 3D design programs like Autodesk Maya before it takes physical shape.

Within this 3D space of pure design, industry professionals are using the Leap Motion Controller to push past the flat interface to design and manipulate models. In the video below, you can see how the Autodesk Maya plugin in the Airspace Store works with Leap Motion for a unique design experience:

By augmenting the traditional mouse and keyboard, the Leap Motion Controller gives designers the ability to reach into their design space and play with its contents. They can grab, push, pull, and mold their creations into new forms and shapes. This ability unlocks new possibilities for 3D design – adding a new level of reality and flow to the virtual spaces where they bring their ideas to life.

“When I found out that you can track all your fingers, that’s pretty amazing. You actually have more control,” says Landis Fields, a visual development artist at a major film digital effects studio. “When you start using it, you quickly realize how sensitive it is. Things that you’re thinking in your mind can happen so much faster.”

All around the world, designers and artists are using 3D tools like Autodesk Maya to create and mold their designs with Leap Motion interaction. What would you like to create? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.

Elon Musk and SpaceX want to take humanity to other planets. To help make that dream a reality, the real-life inspiration for Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man has been using the Leap Motion Controller to design a rocket part prototype using hand gestures. It’s a truly new experience for the pioneering company, bringing together cutting-edge aerospace engineering with our Leap Motion Controller. And it’s the very same device that anyone can buy on leapmotion.com or grab off the shelf at Best Buy or Maplins for $79.99.

Musk tweeted about SpaceX’s touchless design system on August 23, and it quickly went viral:

By integrating the Leap Motion Controller with their CAD platform, SpaceX engineers can manipulate virtual rocket parts with a high degree of nuance and control. It allows them to dive into virtual models and see them in new ways. From design to prototype, the component can be printed in titanium in a matter of days at SpaceX headquarters.

Founded by Musk in 2002, SpaceX designs, manufacturers, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. They’ve already become the first private company to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit and resupply the International Space Station. With their Falcon Heavy rocket, they soon hope to send a crewed spacecraft on lunar orbiting missions.

But their true giant leap for mankind, enabling human settlements on other planets, is a dream decades in the making. Meeting this challenge means nothing less than bringing science fiction to life – playing with engineering and design concepts to create something new. By exploring touch-free interaction with CAD and the Leap Motion Controller, SpaceX takes another first step towards that giant leap.