Do you have a 3DConnexion device (3D ‘mouse’) and use it in AutoCAD or AutoCAD-based products? What do you think of the way it works in the most recent releases of AutoCAD?
From AutoCAD 2011 on, Autodesk provided built-in support for these devices. Has that made things better or worse than in earlier releases? If you’re having problems, exactly what are they and how does it affect your ability to work with AutoCAD in 3D? Is the 2012 support any better than 2011? How does AutoCAD’s support for these devices compare with that of other products?
I have a Space Navigator, worked great in AutoCAD 2010, but does not work in 2011 or 2012. Panning and Zoom fuctions are extremely slow. Commands are canceled if your zoom or pan while trying to copy, draw a line, etc. Any suggestions. Installed latest driver for Space Navigator and for graphic card.
I’ve tried a SpacePilot in Civil 3D 2011, and found it was all but useless. Very clunky & slow, and exiting out of current commands while trying to pan or zoom meant it was uninstalled & removed. How Autodesk say it ‘supports’ 3DConnexion devices is beyond me. Apparently ‘supports’ is not synonymous with ‘functional’.
By the way, I hear Autodesk now ‘supports’ coffee cups.
Autodesk should have left well enough alone. They wrecked it in AutoCAD 2011 to the point that I stopped using it and went back to 2010. In 2012, which has other issues that make it unusable, the SpaceNavigator doesn’t work unless you have the navbaricon turned on. Hello? If I have a SpaceNavigator, what do I need all that clutter on my screen for?
3dconnexions, for their part, is getting in the way, too. They want to lock up one of the buttons on the SpaceNavigator to only pop up their configuration menu. More foolishness. You spend 5 minutes configuring the device when you hook it up and then rarely need to access the setup again. You certainly don’t need a button hardwired to pop it up, especially when it could be defined to do something more useful.
I never installed the AutoCAD drivers, I have found out on the 3D Connexion forum that AutoCAD have now taken over responsibility for the drivers & they are in AutoCAD 2011 so you don’t have to install any drivers to make it work which is a pain if you don’t want to use it with AutoCAD but thanks for the reply
Edit: URL removed.
I too love my space pilot. I followed it right into SolidWorks when Acad screwed up the drivers. I anxiously downloaded the new 2012 in hopes they got the system right. BIG dissapointment. I guess I will stick with Solidworks. Slowly I will replace my seats of Acad, and Acad is fading fast in the rear view mirror.
I have not had any luck with my 3Dconnexion mouse in CAD 2011, but I still love the mouse, and still love CAD. I think I’m trying to combine too many technologies.
Hi all Ive been using my spavceNavigator for many years in Navisworks on one screen & Autocad with a normal mouse on another screen, but since AutoCAD 2011 I have not been able to disable my Navigator in CAD. So as soon as I touch it AutoCAD tries 3D orbiting & with the size of many of my drawings this just crashes so Ive had to unplug it & now its just a paper weight gathering dust on my desk! Autodesk if your reading this please please please guve us an option to disable the spavceNavigator in Autocad or just put it back to how it was before 2011 I miss using it in Navisworks.
I use Civil 3D 2012. I just loaded the space navigator software version 3.14.2 to replace version 3.13.1. It did not make a difference. Like others in this post, my space navigator worked great in in Civil 3D 2010 but has not worked well in 2011 or 2012. I think Autodesk should provide a hotfix to remove the software for 3d connexion mice and 3d connexion should come up with a new driver. Autodesk does not care about the functionality of special mice. Without the proper ergonomics, baby boomers who use autocad do not stand a chance with such a mouse intensive program.