3DConnexion SpaceNavigator and Vectorworks 2014

[Christiaan]

At the end of the Vectorworks Architect 2014 introduction video there's a comment that SpaceNavigator "just works" now.

I don't believe it. Can we see a demo video please?

Last time I was told it worked with VW (in 2007) it turned out not to be true:

http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=104632

[digitalcarbon]

the glitch maybe me...but i'm stumped

http://youtu.be/aycqyF-v8PM

[PVA - Admin]

My initial testing with this had all been on Windows, when I rechecked it again, the SpaceNavigator worked without issue on Windows 7, but then I moved it over to my OS X 10.8 machine and saw exactly the problems detailed in http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=104632

Submitting these specifics to engineering now.

[Dave Donley]

Logitech re-mapped the controls for MacOS 10.8. You will have to re-map what "pull up" and "push down" mean for VW but other than that it will work the same as before.

We used Space Navigators extensively to test the new 2014 OpenGL rendering, because the combination is hella fun.

[digitalcarbon]

can you post a snapshot like this-

[PVA - Admin]

Found a number of things out about using the SpaceNavigator with 2014, specifically on OS X 10.8, but im sure it will apply to most Mac OSes:

To start with, my settings after customizing them:

However, before these customized settings would work at all, I had to go to the "Configure" menu on the top of the system prefs pane and remove Vectorworks 2014 and re-add it. This may just have been because I had been using beta versions of 2014 before, but I'm not sure.

In any case, after I re-added it to the list manually, I was able to map the axis as shown above and this feels much more natural for me compared to the default settings.

Note: I mapped 3D Mouse in and 3D Mouse Out to function as the mouse wheel scroll in and out (they're inverted) and with the threshold set to 50% or higher, it only triggers when I deliberately tap the knob forward or backward.

Edited September 19, 2013 by JimW

[PVA - Admin]

Additionally I would also recommend upping the speed on nearly all the axis, the default seems a little slow to me.

[digitalcarbon]

thank you jim.

still not correct

please see

http://youtu.be/AR6QI2pI0x0

ok... you say "it only triggers when I deliberately tap the knob forward or backward."

i do not want that, i want smooth flight forward and back. helicopter mode

im suspecting there is a glitch and that is the best you can do to get it to work for now and a fix is coming. please show me wrong and i will be a happy camper.

here is the deal...the space navigator works "out of the box" with sketch up. if your trying to compete with sketch up (and i think you can with 2014) the navigator needs to work "out of the box" or at lease post a video that shows the setting for helicopter mode with no forward & back jumpiness.

[Kevin McAllister]

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to "just work". I'm willing to bet a lot of us have one of these we wanted to use with VW. I got my out of the drawer, re-installed the drivers and gave it a test drive. I started with C4D so I'd have a baseline to work with. It worked perfectly without even opening the Space Navigator control panel. (I discovered later that C4D is in its application list so this may be why. Why isn't VW in that list?)

Still without adjusting the settings I opened VW. It basically pans and fights with the mouse driver in a perspective view. It makes a little more sense in an orthogonal view, though I'm not sure why it would act differently.

Next I set up the drivers as per Jim's settings above. It worked pretty much the same as the flyover tool in an orthogonal view except for the jitters that digitalmechanics documents. These seem to be related to it trying to scroll up/down. The model slowly moved up or down until it was off the screen completely and there was nothing I could do using the Space Navigator to get it back into the view.

Jim, what 3d mode are you using it in, perspective or orthogonal? From some of the comments in the thread above it sounds like more VW testing happens on PCs than Macs, which may be part of the problem (and perhaps problems in general)....

It would be great to get this sorted out and have my Space Navigator be a functional tool.

Kevin

[Kevin McAllister]

Also, Jim, in reading your response again about thresholds and mouse in / mouse out, shouldn't these map to the Translate View Tool? Scroll up and Scroll down don't match those movements....

KM

[PVA - Admin]

These were set up for maneuvering around with the Walkthrough tool activated.

As to why Vectorworks doesn't have its own default configuration, I have no idea, my goal is simply to help users having problems with the device.

Kevin: Were you able to specify a tool in Vectorworks to map those axes to successfully?

[Kevin McAllister]

Right, the walk through tool. I don't remember ever using it before as I normally navigate in 3d using the flyover tool. I gave the walk through tool a try without much success. It doesn't understand dolly in and dolly out. I must say this is all a bit obscure for something that "just works".

Implementation of the Space Navigator should be tool independent anyway. You should be able to put your hand on it an navigate logically in any active view / mode (2D, 3D, Orthogonal, Perspective) without switching tools. I guess what I was hoping for was integration.

Thanks for trying to solve this.

Kevin

[digitalcarbon]

this is so cool. once they fix 100%

i disabled the in-out on the 3d mouse.

move in and out done by wheel on regular mouse

http://youtu.be/8t7k689DJCU

[VincentCuclair]

I find these settings work best for me, good fun this :grin: .........

Edited September 27, 2013 by Vincent C

[AndiACD]

This is all still TOO MUCH BUGGERIN' ABOUT.

Both VW and 3DConnection cost a hefty chunk of cash, the only controls i want to have to fiddle with are those on the real 3DCon.

[skavan]

Running Win8 x64 with VW2014.

3DxWare 10.0.19

SpacePilot

Left-Right work (although they are backwards).

In Out and Zoom Work.

All tilt and rotate functions just don;t work at all.

s.

[PVA - Admin]

Running Win8 x64 with VW2014.

3DxWare 10.0.19

SpacePilot

Left-Right work (although they are backwards).

In Out and Zoom Work.

All tilt and rotate functions just don;t work at all.

s.

With the SpacePilot, im not sure what results you'll get, the only device currently supported is the SpaceNavigator.

On my fresh Win 8.1 install with the current Win8 drivers (3.17.7) I am able to use all axis without remapping in Walkthrough mode, and the expected flyover behavior works in regular isometric views.

I tried to pull up the drivers for the SpacePilot, to see if it used simlar drivers (and thus, may behave the same as the SpaceNavigator) but they did not have a compatible version for Windows 8, which may very well be the problem in your specific case.

http://www.3dconnexion.com/service/drivers.html

Edited January 2, 2014 by JimW