Feature request: 3D mouse support

[znib 2]

Hi,

I got myself one of these 3D mice http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html

I use it with FreeCAD but it is also supported by Sketchup, Blender and many CAD programs (here's a list of supported programs http://www.3dconnexion.com/supported-software/software0.html%20).

It's fun and very intuitive to use!

It would be cool to have Cura supporting it. I don't know how difficult it would be to implement this in Cura but here's a thread which discusses licensing and which has a link to a blog (in the first post) which explains how to implement 3D mouse support in Qt applications (with example code): http://www.3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4968

 

[IRobertI 520]

I bought one of those a couple of years ago, tried it for a week on and off and since then it's been sitting in a drawer. I can't understand why people like it, it feels sooo imprecise. When I rotate around a model with my mouse there's a (close to) 1:1 response and when I let go the model stops. With the space mouse it all feels so "floaty" and it drives me crazy.

People say that it's quicker than a mouse but in my experience I'm much much faster with a mouse. I guess I'm weird.

Ok, rant over.

I think I've seen daid mention something about this a while back. I'll see if I can dig it out (I doubt it though).

 

[IRobertI 520]

Found it: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ultimaker/QFqgGf7fesA

 

[owen 19]

I love it as you use it with your left left hand while doing other stuff with the mouse on the right hand. You don't have to move your mouse away to rotate your model. I'm using it with inventor

[aaronalai 2]

I've never seen a mouse like that, has anyone used it in SolidWorks? I like owen's suggestion of using the 3d mouse in the left hand and executing actions with a normal mouse in the right hand.

 

[Daid 306]

We have one of these at the office now. However, the SDK is incompattible with the way Cura is build. So no luck there...

 

[znib 2]

We have one of these at the office now. However, the SDK is incompattible with the way Cura is build. So no luck there...

 

Too bad to hear that. But I hope you understand me right, I don't want to rotate/move the model on the platform with it, I'd just like to use it to rotate/move/zoom the whole platform, just like you do now when you move the mouse while holding the right mouse button.

 

I bought one of those a couple of years ago, tried it for a week on and off and since then it's been sitting in a drawer. I can't understand why people like it, it feels sooo imprecise. When I rotate around a model with my mouse there's a (close to) 1:1 response and when I let go the model stops. With the space mouse it all feels so "floaty" and it drives me crazy.

People say that it's quicker than a mouse but in my experience I'm much much faster with a mouse. I guess I'm weird.

Ok, rant over.

I think I've seen daid mention something about this a while back. I'll see if I can dig it out (I doubt it though).

 

Hehe, I guess different people have different likes. :smile: I admit it takes some getting used to, to precisely control it. I like it because you don't have to press any additional button to rotate / move as you usually have to with a mouse. And it lets you manipulate all three axis, while with a mouse you can only manipulate two axis at a time.

 

[Daid 306]

Too bad to hear that. But I hope you understand me right, I don't want to rotate/move the model on the platform with it, I'd just like to use it to rotate/move/zoom the whole platform, just like you do now when you move the mouse while holding the right mouse button.

 

Yes, just that. The mouse just gives off 6 "movement" axis (or a transformation matrix). How you use those is up to you.

However, the windows SDK needs access to the "window message loop" which is hidden inside wxWidgets and inaccessible.

 

[martin-van-wezel 0]

hi guys @Team Ultimaker .. got the same question but 1 your later . Any developments on this front on new versions of CURA. It is the only 3D package I use that is not supporting the 3Dconnexion right now...

 

[Daid 306]

hi guys @Team Ultimaker .. got the same question but 1 your later . Any developments on this front on new versions of CURA. It is the only 3D package I use that is not supporting the 3Dconnexion right now...

 

The new code base Arjen is working on is based on Qt, and with that we should be able to support this. (Does not mean we will in the first release, just that it makes it possible to develop, unlike the wxWidgets based version we have now)

 

[blecheimer 9]

I would love to see that feature!

A space mouse is a standard tool in my business. After some time you do not want to work without one anymore.

 

[nallath 1,122]

Well, we probably won't write the support for it (unless it turns out to be really, really easy and we have a device to test it with), but at least the architecture will be in place to make it possible. In it's current implementation, even the mouse & keyboard are interface plugins.

 

[Daid 306]

Well, we probably won't write the support for it (unless it turns out to be really, really easy and we have a device to test it with), but at least the architecture will be in place to make it possible. In it's current implementation, even the mouse & keyboard are interface plugins.

 

It's not that hard with Qt. We'll just have to check that it's possible with the python bindings. And we have one of these devices at the office.

 

[eldrick 65]

It's kind of hard to see any noticeable added value in rotating the build platform in Cura with a device that very few people will ever have. How often would you ever want to do that, and why, and what's wrong with using the existing support that would warrant bothering with this?

As a significant software investment to support the eleven people in the world who might ever use it once or twice, that would be a really poor use of scarce development time. Zero additional software or hardware would ever bring revenue to Ultimaker as a result of having such support, so there is no reason at all to spend any time on this.

Just my opinion, as a software market development manager...

 

[Daid 306]

It's kind of hard to see any noticeable added value in rotating the build platform in Cura with a device that very few people will ever have. How often would you ever want to do that, and why, and what's wrong with using the existing support that would warrant bothering with this?

As a significant software investment to support the eleven people in the world who might ever use it once or twice, that would be a really poor use of scarce development time. Zero additional software or hardware would ever bring revenue to Ultimaker as a result of having such support, so there is no reason at all to spend any time on this.

Just my opinion, as a software market development manager...

 

I think, that's short sighted of you.

3D mouses are pretty much standard equipment in high end 3D CAD environments. These users are a very nice target for 3D printing. And the added value for them is actually quite high, as they don't have to switch control scheme in their mind when they switch.

So for certain environments supporting 3D mouses is good added value and a nice sales argument.

(My GF does CAD design, and their office is fully equiped with these. She loves it, so I might be biased)

 

[mastory 44]

Just want to express my approval for future support of 3d mice. I use one with solidworks and autocad. It is a highly intuitive input system. This mostly for the reasons daid just sited. I will admit it should be a low priority for development.

Matt

 

[titanoid 4]

+1 for the space mouse.

I use it in Rhino, and when I switch to Cura to see if a model will slice fine, it happens every time that I move the space mouse and think my PC freezed due to no reaction of the model.

So, of cause a comfort feature with lower priority, but most welcome for workflow!

 

(My GF does CAD design, and their office is fully equiped with these. She loves it, so I might be biased)

 

Thanks Daid`s GF for making him biased! :grin:

 

[eldrick 65]

I assert that 3D mice are never going to become popular unless and until they at the least provide some haptic, i.e. touch, feedback.

Current devices are like waving your hand around in the air with only your eyes telling you where the "cursor" might be, and on a flat display, no real feedback about where it is located, so precision suffers greatly vs. a mouse or trackball.

 

Further, having no support for the hand and wrist, they will be about as popular as large touchscreens, i.e. not very, because it is far more fatiguing to hold the arm up in the air unsupported than to have a desk on which to rest the forearm.

Sorry folks, but it will be a long time coming for this technology, and market projections agree.

 

[mikebaier 0]

I use a 3d mouse as well and love it, it would be great to have it work with Cura

 

[Daid 306]

I assert that 3D mice are never going to become popular unless and until they at the least provide some haptic, i.e. touch, feedback.

Current devices are like waving your hand around in the air with only your eyes telling you where the "cursor" might be, and on a flat display, no real feedback about where it is located, so precision suffers greatly vs. a mouse or trackball.

 

Further, having no support for the hand and wrist, they will be about as popular as large touchscreens, i.e. not very, because it is far more fatiguing to hold the arm up in the air unsupported than to have a desk on which to rest the forearm.

Sorry folks, but it will be a long time coming for this technology, and market projections agree.

 

Clearly you never really used one.

We're talking about this device:

 

[nallath 1,122]

The new Cura has a new graphical backend (oh yeah, we went inception there. Backends upon backends), which supports plugins. You can write plugins for anything, including input devices. Hell, someone could even write leap motion support or kinect if they feel like it.

 

[MarcusWolschon 7]

I'd really apreciate support for the 3dConnexion devices.

[nallath 1,122]

Don't expect it any time soon. It's not high on our priority list (and we don't have one!)

It should be doable to implement this in the new Cura though.

[gareee 39]

Just another person chiming in that they have and use a space navigator when I can. On the surface 4 pro though, I have a touchscreen, and I'd much rather see support for that instead. I'm finding I use it more than my desktop of late.

[Caffi 0]

This may be an old thread but the subject should not be forgotten.

I used to work with Autodesk Inventor using a 3dconnexion spacepilot, and decided to buy my own 3dconnexion spacemouse Pro, After a few hours of designing something for 3d printing, then moving it over to Cura, it feels like something is missing when I have to use the right mouse button to rotate and mouse wheel to scroll.

It was said that the 3d mouse is inaccurate, true: However do you really need visual movements to be accurate? The work you do with the model is the only part that has to be accurate, the just has to be usable and the 3d mouse makes moving around a CAD part very easy and fast after a few weeks or months of practice.

I never CAD without one.

By the way, the Spacemouse Pro I mentioned does have a handrest:

https://www.3dconnexion.com/fileadmin/templates/images/SpaceMouse2014/top-panel-device.png