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Which Mouse for CAD under OS X ?


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Yes, it looks like the Logitech gaming mice are windows only, which somewhat surprises me as most of their mice also work on Macs.

They indeed look like a copy of the Mad Catz mice, though I have to say it feels more like a regular mouse than the Mad Catz mice look. Never used (or seen other than on the web) a Mad Catz mouse but all the open spaces in their design seem a bit uncomfortable to me.

Got the Logitech G502 yesterday because it was on sale and already like it, especially the adjustable dpi is useful. Thanks to those who brought up and commented on the mouse for CAD. Just need to get a new mousepad as well because the current one is a bit worn out in the middle.

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anyone else want to chime in pro or con on the 3dconnexion CadMouse..

looks interesting..

The Cadmouse looks interesting based on the info on their website, and I may consider getting one in the future once I have found more real use experience reviews.

The one thing I noticed with the DPI sensitivity levels is that the higher the level the faster the cursor moves. Being able to adjust to speed from faster to slower with just a click on a button is quite nice compared to the semi-fixed speed setting of my Anywhere MX. I can adjust the speed of the cursor but have to go through the control panel every time which is a bit cumbersome compared to the G502.

If the DPI of the Cadmouse is about actual surface scanning resolution it should allow for accurate selections. If it is similar to the DPI sensitivity level of the gaming mice then it will be quite jittery for precise selections.

The information is not really clear about that.

On the other hand, if you have a space mouse then it looks like a really useful combination assuming the software makes the two work in a team.

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anyone else want to chime in pro or con on the 3dconnexion CadMouse..

looks interesting..

This info page says the following:

What applications does CadMouse fully support?

In order to answer this question it's important to define that "full support" means the following features are optimized for the application (3DxWare 10 driver installation required): Middle Mouse Button, Smart Scroll, QuickZoom and Radial Menus (with pre-programmed, application specific commands).

The list of applications offering full CadMouse support, based on 3DxWare 10 version 10.2.6 is: SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, Catia, Creo / ProE, AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, NX, Solid Edge, SketchUp, 3DxViewer, 3ds Max, Maya & Blender.

Users of applications not listed can still take advantage of the middle mouse button and the smart scroll wheel but QuickZoom and radial menu functionality is either not available or reduced.

What operating systems does CadMouse support?

The 3Dconnexion CadMouse is supported on Microsoft Windows 8, Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

The product is optimized for applications running on Microsoft Windows as this operating system offers extensive support for 3-button mice. Users of other operating systems (e.g. OS X and Linux) may be able to take advantage of certain hardware features like the dedicated middle mouse button and advanced laser sensor but not the additional features including QuickZoom, Smart Scroll or the gesture button.

This makes it sound like in Vectorworks on either Windows or Mac OS X, the QuickZoom, Smart Scroll or Gesture Button probably aren't supported.

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As VW is the only App where I had to reconfigure/mirror button assignments

for my 3D mouse in 3DCon driver app, I would not expect much support for that mouse.

I always thought mouse laser DPI settings are for resolution and sensitiveness of

scanning, but seems it is just influencing cursor speed for any of these gamer mouses.

And 99% seem to be Windows only.

Edited by zoomer
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As VW is the only App where I had to reconfigure/mirror button assignments

for my 3D mouse in 3DCon driver app, I would not expect much support for that mouse.

I always thought mouse laser DPI settings are for resolution and sensitiveness of

scanning, but seems it is just influencing cursor speed for any of these gamer mouses.

And 99% seem to be Windows only.

Vectorworks is listed as supported by the CadMouse, but given your and other's comments I was wondering how many of the CadMouse features would actually work.

Regarding the DPI settings, that was my initial thought also, until I read somewhere it is about screen travel more than scanning accuracy, which matches your experience.

The CadMouse info on the 3Dconnexion website is not really clear whether their DPI is the max of the DPI range as in gaming mice or an actual scanning resolution. If the former then a good gaming mouse with enough user definable buttons might be a better option from a cost perspective.

Regarding the Logitech G502 mouse, it can store three user profiles in its memory so you could use bootcamp to set up the mouse and then use it on the mac. A profile contains settings for not just the various DPI settings but also the button actions. I don't know if the same applies to the Mad Catz mice, but this could be a reason to go for the Logitech G502 if you have access to a windows (virtual) machine to set up the mouse. (Assuming the button commands would work the same on a Mac)

Edited by Art V
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Vectorworks is listed as supported by the CadMouse, but given your and other's comments I was wondering how many of the CadMouse features would actually work.

The body text of the 3Dconnexion page on Vectorworks specifically mentions only a 3D mouse (ie. SpaceNavigator) as being supported in Vectorworks: It doesn't say that the 2D CadMouse is supported in Vectorworks.

Based on what I read about the CadMouse on the 3Dconnexion Mac OS X Discussion forum, it sounds like only the left-button, right-button and scroll wheel function under Mac OS X Yosemite and El Capitan.

I'd keep looking for another mouse that works better in Mac OS X.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Attention !

MadCatz users, stay with Yosemite.

MadCatz does not work with El Capitan !

LMB, MMB, RMB and Scrollwheel work fine, even without driver.

But all OS X UI Mouse Overs don't work anymore, for any Mouse (!),

as soon as MadCatz cord is connected to USB.

There are very good news !

10.11 "SP1" repaired Mousover and Highlighting.

So I can use my MadCatz again, without driver.

So it should work with one of those universal mouse drivers.

And, I will believe this when available,

I read that Mad Catz would update its OS X driver at the end of this year

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I have used a Logitech MX500 mouse for everything I do for the past 10 years or so. For me, it is the absolute perfect mouse. Fits my hand perfectly, and is the perfect weight. Three buttons flanking the wheel, which I have set to selection, magnification, and rotation tools. The two thumb buttons are either set for enter/exit symbol or are reassigned to different key commands using steermouse depending on the project (I'll set it to run the script I'm using most at the time).

The only problem is that it doesn't work on all surfaces, so I often need a mousepad.

Unfortunately, Logitech no longer makes it, so I will use it until it falls apart.

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MX500 is cheap and good. If you are working with a 4k/5K screen, Logitech G502 + Logitech G440 (mouse pad) can work really well on the high resolution screen. Gaming mouses are design for comfortable, accuracy, and long hours usage. G502 is a few logitech mouses which support Mac. (P.S. do not expect they will update their mouse driver for the OS update). It comes with lots of buttons , feel free to customise as your preference. Also you can store different profiles for different software. They are a bit expensive. Overall the time you can earn it back.

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  • 7 months later...
Zoomer

I'm using MadCatz Rat7 and Rat9 on El Capitan. No issues.

mk

Don't make me jealous ;)

I could try again as I now can get rid of my logitech software.

There are only very few people that got MadCatz working with EC.

I tried all tips but for me it worked just for some minutes after a reboot

and install.

They announced EC drivers for late last year and say they are still

working on these. Released a 10.10 Rat TE driver only so far.

I use a standard Microsoft mouse. They are cheap, they track well, have a mouse wheel button, and they are comfortable for my hand.

That was exactly what I was lucky with the last years.

Scroll Wheel worked great as a MMB.

But same problem with El Capitan, the old drivers stopped updating in 2011 (?)

and stopped working. And I did need my side buttons for web surfing and had

problems with cursor speed. Much too slow with Apple Settings.

That is the only reason why I dropped them.

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I don't recall having an issue when I updated to El Capitan.

Some applications (including VW) don't recognize the thumb side scroll. Whenever I try to side scroll with it the Pan tool activates for split second. But nothing moves.

I programmed the thumb buttons to do something. But I can never remember what that was.

That little red "sniper" button is really great. It boosts the dpi setting of the mouse so it moves slower and more precisely while you're holding it down.

I find that with the RAT 9 I occasionally need to unplug the base unit and plug it back in. The RAT 7 is totally stable. Using it right now.

My MadCatz editor says it's version 1.1.69.

mk

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I tried yesterday with restarts in between after I got rid of the Logitech driver.

But I still have and need 3D Connection driver.

Yes, 1.1.69 for OS X 10.9 is the latest driver available and worked well in 10.10.

No way, even without driver, as soon as I plug in my Madcatz 5, OS X highlighting

and auto expansion of menu items is blocked. Also the Madcatz setting program

immediately crashes after start.

I think every Madcatz mouse type has completely different internal components

and needs its special kernel extensions.

I'll have to wait if they finally release a new driver software.

Meanwhile I get used to my CADMouse and using RMB with the 4th finger.

Fall back to middle finger when web surfing though :)

Mouse body could be bigger or longer for me though. No problem with fingers

(overlapping) MB's, but scroll wheel and special buttons need heavy finger acrobatic.

No idea with which functions I should feed the quad menu.

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  • 3 months later...

Still no MadCatz Driver or 10.11.

 

But as I switched to Sierra now, I have to realize that the MadCatz Rat 5 works fine here again

as a normal Mouse. No Speed Settings or extra Buttuns but at least no more problems with

pop overs.

 

I tried this as my 3D Connection CADMouse does no more work with Sierra :)

It does everything but any button clicks ...

Maybe incompatible or driver install again necessary.

Maybe true for Space Mouse Entreprise also ?

Edited by zoomer
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20 hours ago, zoomer said:

But as I switched to Sierra now, I have to realize that the MadCatz Rat 5 works fine here again

as a normal Mouse. No Speed Settings or extra Buttuns but at least no more problems with

pop overs.

 

No, it does not really work 100%. MadCatz does still "something"

That "something" makes the Full Screen Cursor stick to your last click position.

It does no more move when you move your mouse.
So it may work, but you can't "see" what you are doing.

 

 

20 hours ago, zoomer said:

I tried this as my 3D Connection CADMouse does no more work with Sierra :)

 

After a second reboot the CADMouse works again.

 

But since 2 days I have heavy problems with LMB Clicks not recognized and even unwanted Double Clicks.

(The reason why I tried to update to OS Sierra, which did not influence in any way)

Not VW only related.

I think it is more of a Hardware Problem.

Maybe I wore down my most expensive Mouse I ever had in 3 month only -_-

 

As the clearcoat on the Aluminium Part also does not withstand my sweat and it corrodes, it also looks much older

already than any of my older mouses ...

 

Edited by zoomer
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