3D Mouse recommendation and tips

[ikoon]

I have to recommend 3D mouse to everybody. It is amazing. Try to borrow one from friend. Also second hand mice are cheap.

Here are tips which I have discovered so far. Good luck!

Getting used to:

Reversed orbits
- Everybody has his own “understanding” if the mouse should be reversed or not. I have tried 3D mouse formerly on one conference and I was disappointed. Now I have borrowed one from my friend and he told me to try reversed and ... wow

Side stepping
- there is no “step forward” with the 3D mouse ... you are "zooming in"
- if you are “zooming in”, you are moving the viewport pivot closer to the camera and “locking” the pivot to the cam ... and when the "viewport pivot" is getting closer to the camera, it can result in strange "lock" (seemingly wrong, but in fact allright if you think about it)
- solution is to use more "side stepping" ... when you get into it, it is really intuitive

Hotkeys
- I have the small Space Navigator, close to the keyboard, and I am quite able to do basic orbit with midfinger and forefinger and also can hold ctrl/shift with my thumb
- This should be great for modellers

C4D/Houdini
- "camera pivot" in Houdini behaves slightly different than in C4D (in C4D it considers selection, I personally like H behaviour better)

Installation:
- http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/basics/3dmouse
- Windows ... you have to copy some files manually ... %ProgramFiles%\3Dconnexion\3DxWare\3DxWinCore64\Cfg
- Windows ... I had to reinstall Houdini after installing the 3D mouse.

For greater minds than mine:
- the pivot behaviour is unfortunately "invisible", because you dont know where and how far the pivot is
- maybe SESI could add some "PIVOT HUD" into viewport? Some "crosshair target" getting bigger/close or smaller/far?

Tags: Space Navigator, 3D mouse, Space Mouse, connexion
Also discussed here: https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/48526/

[nisachar]

Thanks. Useful tips.

One question : where is this reverse setting? I am using a mac

[ikoon]

Hello,
I am on windows, so my screenshot is attached. Maybe on mac you have something similar? Try to google.

If I have reversed settings, I "push" camera with the mouse. If I have not reversed, I push the model ... for me intuitive is to move the camera. But everybody has its own "intuitive".

[edward]

@nisacharOn Mac, make sure you've installed the appropriate 3DxWare drivers: http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/shelf/lookat ... If you've a "settings" key on your space mouse, then that should work. Otherwise, look for the 3Dconnexion settings app and run that.

[nisachar]

5 hours ago, edward said:

@nisacharOn Mac, make sure you've installed the appropriate 3DxWare drivers: http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/shelf/lookat ... If you've a "settings" key on your space mouse, then that should work. Otherwise, look for the 3Dconnexion settings app and run that.

Oh Hey,

I had already set that because the default didn't seem intuitive. Switching the direction ( and slowing down the speed ) really helped too. I thought there was some global switch that took care if each axis.

Thanks though.

Now if only ZBrush supported this :/

[animatrix]

Do you recommend 3d mouse to wacom tablet users?

[ikoon]

Hello pusat,
I am:
- on Wacom Intuos many years (XL for 30" LCD), happy
- without mouse many years, quite happy (you know, no wheel)
- with Space Navigator few days, amazed... especially for modelling or transforming or selecting

So I dont have much experience with 3D mouse, but I think that wacom is no problem.