panning with the scroll wheel on a Mac

[landscape archiberry]

A question for Mac users:

Was working with a colleague who owns a new Mac and she couldn't get her scroll wheel to pan. Being a PC gal, I couldn't tell her how to fix that. The VW Preferences only seem to cover keyboard strokes. Is this a mouse preference thing and how do we change that on a Mac?

Thanks!

alchemilla

Vectorworks 2008

usually Windows XP

Dell Inspiron6400

[Gerrit]

Open the VW Preferences and go to the first tab, "Drawing method".

The bottom option (Zoom with mouse button) is probably checked.

If so, you can scroll while holding the Option (Alt) key.

This whole thing also works in the opposite way : if the Zoom preference is unchecked, the mouse button scrolls - but zooms while holding the Option key.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Gerrit

[sketcher]

you could also check the status of mouse set-up in system pref's panel

play around with the settings til you find what works best for you! its a MAC for goodness sake.... not gonna crash like some systems might! haha

[brudgers]

It ain't a PC that's having issues with integrating basic mouse functions...but hey, maybe left clicking will fix it.

Edited May 28, 2008 by brudgers

[Ray Libby]

I couldn't have said it better.

[sketcher]

point taken... i humbly bow to your graces! all in good fun!

[Christiaan]

I think you're both wrong. It's neither a PC problem nor a Mac problem. The problem here is clearly an unintuitive preference interface in VectorWorks.

[ionw]

If you guys can climb off of your platform pedestals and VW complaints, maybe you could offer to help solve the actual problem.

alchemilla,

You need to go into the System preferences, go to the Keyboard and Mouse preferences, click on the Mouse preferences and assign the mouse wheel button to Button 3. See the attachment. This is if the colleague is using the Apple Mouse. If she is using a third party mouse, the specific control panel should still be in the System preferences, and you can make the same assignment there.

Also a funny little tip for those of us who do use a third party mouse (Logitech MX310 for me) if you plug in the apple mouse, and configure what you want the buttons to do, then swap the mice, the button mapping applies to the third party mouse, no need to install third party software, if you don't want to.

HTH,

ion

[Christiaan]

I'm picking Gerrit's already solved the problem.

[ionw]

ah well, always late to the party I suppose. Around this office, people always are asking how to make the scroll button pan, so they can keep the zooming capabilities in the scroll wheel, I guess we read what we want to see, not what is there....

[brudgers]

On my logitech, pushing the scroll wheel down pans.

[PeterT]

With my mouse, pushing the space bar pans, and pushing the "C" key zooms.

Ahh, the simplicity of a one button mouse........

[brudgers]

A mouse that requires two hands.

Pass me an 8" floppy.

[landscape archiberry]

Thanks ionw, you're not too late, I am just now checking back. That's the answer I wanted, one handed scrolling, without having to push the alt.

Brilliant, thanks!

[Christiaan]

Isn't that what Gerrit explained how to do?

[landscape archiberry]

Sorry, I should have said: "one handed panning" not "one handed scrolling". Gerrit told me how to scroll or zoom by setting my options and pushing other keys. I want to show my Mac friend how to use the wheel to BOTH pan (not scroll) and zoom. I push my own wheel down and it pans, I roll it and it zooms. Highly efficient, and I am very surprised if you Mac guys aren't set up to do the same...?

By both zooming and panning with that roll button I can get where I want super fast, and can take a bite of a Hovis half-chocolate Digestive Biscuit with the other hand at the same time .

-alchemilla

VW2008 Landmark/Renderworks

Dell Inspiron 6400

Windows XP

[mar schrammeyer]

yes macs do same push down scroll wheel on mighty mouse

[Christiaan]

Ah, now I see what you mean. Very useful! (although I was using that button for Expose)