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Sketchup - What's the best mouse for SU?

Read some where that special 3D mice are great for CAD stuff. What say you?

Reply to
gray asphalt
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My way of thinking says that SketchUp would be easier to handle when using a tablet. I say that because I have always used trackballs and tablets. I do not like mice, and I abhor trackpads. I can use all of the above but my absolute favourite is a Wacom tablet with their mouse. Why their mouse? Well, I am glad you asked. If one moves an ordinary mouse to create, say, a vertical (on screen visual of vertical) motion, an ordinary mouse must be pointed perfectly into that direction. The Wacom mouse can be held sideways, pointing towards or away from you, it will still give you a vertical movement if you move it vertically. I use a Intuos Medium

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every day and have a Wacom Graphite installed on another computer. The Bamboo ones I'm told, are quite capable and fun.

Reply to
Robatoy

IIRC there is the "Space Navagator" that gets good reviews but I have not used it.. IIRC it does not replace the mouse rather it suppliments the mouse.

I cannot stand using a mouse for anything, I hate all the wrist movement, picking up, sliding, picking up, sliding etc.

I have have been very happy with thumb operated track balls for 20+ years.

Reply to
Leon

Tablets are best.

Logitech "laser" mice are good too. They have an invisible scanner beneath, not the red LED, and they're noticeably more precise. Cheap too - my USB cabled one was under =A310. The Logitech "darkfield" mice (work on any surface, including glass) are good too, but more expensive - mine was =A350 for a cordless.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

In any case, they are only useful if your application supports them. Does Sketchup?

Reply to
J. Clarke

Shouldn't be much wrist movement. Except for gross, across-the page movements, mice should be moved with the fingers. I use my forearm for gross movements. Not much, if any, wrist movement at all.

Reply to
keithw86

Yabbut, you happen to be in a woodworking forum ... not everyone will have all the necessary digits to operate a mouse like that.

Reply to
Swingman

groan!

Reply to
Upscale

The minimum for Sketchup is reckoned to be a two button mouse with wheel, which is all I use with SU (LogiTech wireless laser); and I'm a pretty heavy user, often rendering an entire house from scratch off a full set of architectural and structural drawings, from foundation to cross sections, for bidding purposes.

After that it's really a matter of personal preference.

That said, I'm certainly interested in any supported device that would make the job easier.

Reply to
Swingman

I use an Intellimouse Explorer four button mouse with scrolling, tilting centre wheel. The thing I like best about it is that the two side buttons are programmable for almost any preference. I also prefer a corded mouse which prevents accidentally dropping it on the floor and breaking it as well as eliminating any intermittent cordless stuttering movement.

Reply to
Upscale

It took a while to get weened off my trackball, but that Wacom Intuos tablet/pen/mouse combo is awful hard to surpass. I would have no idea how that concept could be improved upon, yet still, I miss the 'ballistic' feature of sending a pointer across the diagonal of a 30" screen with a mere flick of the wrist of a trackball. I do, however, like the medium size tablet the best. The big ones are just too cumbersome and I'm no artist where I need to have that much real estate. (They're also stupid money.) The small tablet is just that... small. Not quite enough fine movement ability. Henceforth, the Medium winneth.

The Wacom Medium Intuos is the Festool of input devices... there... I said it. (It is one of those deals where you didn't know what you didn't know till you used one and then wondered how you ever built a house without one...okay, I embellish..)

Reply to
Robatoy

I guess double-clicking is out of the question than, too.

Reply to
keithw86

It took a while to get weened off my trackball, but that Wacom Intuos tablet/pen/mouse combo is awful hard to surpass. I would have no idea how that concept could be improved upon, yet still, I miss the 'ballistic' feature of sending a pointer across the diagonal of a 30" screen with a mere flick of the wrist of a trackball. I do, however, like the medium size tablet the best. The big ones are just too cumbersome and I'm no artist where I need to have that much real estate. (They're also stupid money.) The small tablet is just that... small. Not quite enough fine movement ability. Henceforth, the Medium winneth.

The Wacom Medium Intuos is the Festool of input devices... there... I said it. (It is one of those deals where you didn't know what you didn't know till you used one and then wondered how you ever built a house without one...okay, I embellish..)

Don't ever spill anything on a Wacom tablet :(

basilsik

Reply to
basilisk

Why not? What happens? . . . . .

*smirk*
Reply to
Robatoy

Have you seen a Wacom Cintiq? If I ever hit the lotto . . .

Reply to
J. Clarke

LOL!.....

As for the mouse, use what works for you. Any advice from others on which is the best mouse is USELESS!! Another persons dream mouse may be your crippling nightmare. Only you can know this by using it yourself.

I was a pro Autocad designer. Forty plus hours per week pushing a mouse. I tried them all. Mouse, trackball, etc. What worked for me is personal. Of all the many cad drafter/designers in our group, no two ppl ever used the same setup. I have a box of old Logitech asymetric 3-button mouses. I've never again seen the same perfect combination of button spring tension, ball resolution, hand fit, etc, again. But, that's me. ;)

In the end, it's not what works. They all work. It's what doesn't work for you, what will end up giving you RSI problems. Usually, you won't know till it's too late. Sure, there will be an initial period of discomfort as you use new muscles. But, if after a reasonable period you start feeling continuing or persistent pain, change immediately. It only takes a few weeks to create an RSI problem that may take months to remedy. BTDT! ...more than once.

nb

Reply to
notbob

Shouldn't be much wrist movement. Except for gross, across-the page movements, mice should be moved with the fingers. I use my forearm for gross movements. Not much, if any, wrist movement at all.

I have tried it with my wide's computer and mouse, seemed like a waste of time and effort to move the cursor and to orbit. And as far as track balls go, it has to be thumb operated, I prefer my fingers do the clicking and wheel rolling.

Reply to
Leon

Shouldn't be much wrist movement. Except for gross, across-the page movements, mice should be moved with the fingers. I use my forearm for gross movements. Not much, if any, wrist movement at all.

To add a little extra here, there is actually a lot of mouse movement when orbiting of moving across an object that is many times larger than a 23" screen, when you are zoomed in working on details.

Reply to
Leon

I use the 3DConnexion Space Navigator with Sketchup. Lets me really fly. I drive it with my left hand to handle zooming and xyz positioning and use the right hand and 5 button scroll wheel mouse to do the actual drawing. The CAD guys at work are adept at using one hand on the keyboard and the other with the mouse or tablet, and they can move really quick too. But I just found the SN to be quite intuitive and fast to get used to.

HTH,

Paul Franklin

Reply to
Paul Franklin

^^^^^^ Wow! Are you in trouble now!

Set too slow? What's the issue?

I can't stand track balls, at least the fancy ones (I had a small one in the corner of a keyboard that worked well where space was constrained). My wrist would be shot in a half hour. Like you said, it's a very personal thing. I use Logitech laser mice.

Reply to
krw

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