2 questions about a 3Dconnexion 3d mouse

pieterv · 2 Mar 2013, 15:27

Hello,

I am considering to buy this 3D mouse from 3dconnexion: http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacemousepro.html

I have only two questions left. Maybe someone can provide me with an answer. It would be greatly appreciated!

1. Like most of us I use mostly shortcuts to acces my tools. My question is: are the buttons on the Spacemouse Pro (or a similar 3d mouse) handy enough to use them as shortcuts? Are they fast enough? Do you have to switch back to the keyboard a lot to use some shortcuts that are not mapped onto the 3d mouse?

2. Is the "feel" of the instrument similar in different application (ex.: blender, 3ds max, modo, ...)? Is the feeling similar enough to use it across defferent platforms without too much issues?

Thanks in advance!

nickchun · 2 Mar 2013, 15:44

Don't know about about that one but I use this with my left hand and mouse in the right.
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-nostromo

Saves you having to look down as you can feel the keys under your fingers.

d12dozr · 2 Mar 2013, 17:31

@pieterv said:

...
1. Like most of us I use mostly shortcuts to acces my tools. My question is: are the buttons on the Spacemouse Pro (or a similar 3d mouse) handy enough to use them as shortcuts? Are they fast enough? Do you have to switch back to the keyboard a lot to use some shortcuts that are not mapped onto the 3d mouse?...

I own a SpaceMouse Pro and find a regular 3-button mouse & keyboard shortcuts to be faster than using the 3D mouse.

I have not tried the mouse on different platforms.

Dave R · 2 Mar 2013, 21:44

I've tried several 3D mice and like Marcus, I find an inexpensive 3-button mouse much better with SketchUp. My left hand tends to hover over Ctrl and Shift and most of my keyboard shortcuts are on the left end of the keyboard. I've thought about these mice with a ton of buttons but they just get to be larger and take up too much of my desk real estate.

pieterv · 3 Mar 2013, 09:59

@d12dozr and Dave R: Thanks for your responses. Interesting to see that not all experiences are positive.

thomthom · 3 Mar 2013, 10:12

I tried one of them 3d navigation buttons once, for flying through the model it worked well, but I didn't feel I could control it well enough when modeling.

Chris Fullmer · 3 Mar 2013, 15:14

I've also had one (without any buttons on it though) and it just wasn't useful. I use the keyboard shortcut keys for everything, so my hand was constantly being taken off the 3dconnexion mouse.

I did really like it for 3dsmax though. It was a zillion times better to navigate in 3dsmax than a mouse is.

db11 · 3 Mar 2013, 23:50

I've been using a Space Navigator for a few weeks (would have liked a Space Mouse Pro, but it's 3x the price) and like it a lot. I use it in conjunction with a Wacom tablet - which I find a lot less tiring for long sessions than a mouse. (the hand and wrist are in a more natural and relaxed position.)

By thoughtful configuration of the 2 buttons on the pen, 4 on the tablet and the 2 on the 3D mouse, I can substantially reduce - but not totally eliminate - the number of trips to the keyboard with my left hand.

There is a learning curve for the 3D mouse... but it is so adept for navigating the model (zoom. orbit and pan smoothly and simultaneously), that for me at least, I find it has substantially speeded my modeling.

I do get why some people aren't enamored with 3D mice - for similar reasons that many people don't like graphics tablets or trackballs... (which I also use - though not with SU). Seems to me input device preferences are quite personal, and it can take a while to find and tweak the optimal setup for you individually.

I first heard of the 3D mouse in an interview I read of Ken 28875, and a long time later finally pulled the trigger - with no regrets. I only use it with SketchUp, so no help on the behavior across applications.

db11 · 4 Mar 2013, 00:06

@thomthom said:

I tried one of them 3d navigation buttons once, for flying through the model it worked well, but I didn't feel I could control it well enough when modeling.

Re: my own learning curve with the Space Navigator, I found it took me a couple of weeks of steady use to gain acceptable speed and navigation precision. (though 4 weeks in, I'm still gaining skill with it). It's different enough from any other way of working that there's a significant amount of brain-hand motor re-mapping to do.

If you're not convinced ahead of time of the eventual value, you probably won't make it far enough down the learning curve to gain the real benefit of the new approach. (bit like switching OS's and getting used to different mapping of functions to keystrokes/clicks - and whether you make it through the unlearning-relearning cycle before throwing up your hands in frustration!)

thomthom · 4 Mar 2013, 08:28

I spent about a month with the gadget - as I figured it needed some learning. And I was very positive to it in advance. But it just didn't feel to be a well match for my workflow in the end.

jgb · 16 Jan 2016, 19:34

@dave r said:

I find an inexpensive 3-button mouse much better with SketchUp. My left hand tends to hover over Ctrl and Shift and most of my keyboard shortcuts are on the left end of the keyboard. I've thought about these mice with a ton of buttons but they just get to be larger and take up too much of my desk real estate.

Yeah, me 2 exactly.

I came into a few extra bucks last Nov and bought a wireless 3D mouse. It is now unused more than used. It seems I can pass the "tests" ok, but not have definitive control in my models, so my 3 btn mouse still does the heavy work of pan/zoom. I slowed down the response, that helped a bit. But it is still too sensitive.

I wanted to program the radial menu with a shortcut macro (toggle Draw and Erase tools) but no instructions on how to write and incorporate macros.

There is a calculator but entering numbers does absolutely nothing. There is no numerical display so I would have expected it to display I/O in the VCB, but nada.

Also, as much as it is being pushed on Sketchucation (pro discounts) I am surprised there is no thread that I can find related directly to using the spacemouse.

Makes for a good paperweight though.

thomthom · 16 Jan 2016, 20:13

@thomthom said:

I spent about a month with the gadget - as I figured it needed some learning. And I was very positive to it in advance. But it just didn't feel to be a well match for my workflow in the end.

Two years later I've bought one. I still use the mouse primarily when modelling as I find it faster to set the viewport to where I want, but when evaluation the model and finding good views the 3d mouse is really nice. It's also of great help when I do video tutorials - preventing people from getting sea-sick from the jerky mouse movements.

JasonWD · 20 Jan 2016, 20:00

Yep, I agree with Thom and most of the comments here.

I have had mine for years and only use it for positioning 'cameras' and for getting the view out of walls/tables/the floor when it gets stuck.

It is also really fun in Google Earth!