hey.... I've been a pretty serious modeler for decades now and tried just about everything. The best navigation system I have found and will never give up requires a good gaming mouse, I prefer the G502, and mapping the center button of the mouse on to the side buttons, along with undo and delete. The 3d mouse is cool, but I didn't find myself using very often. Just my 2 cents - keep up the awesome work!
I've used a Spacemouse for the last 14 years with Sketchup. I feel literally naked without it. While working on The Hobbit movies here at Weta Workshop - before Peter Jackson took the helm - I was able to "fly" Guillermo Del Toro around the various Sketchup mockups of the Goblin Caverns and Rivendell I was creating for the films. The bigger models by 3Dconnexion have as many shortcut buttons as you'd ever need without breaking navigation. We also use them now with Zbrush to literally double our workflow when digital sculpting assets.
I had one. I used it only for Sketchup since 3d navigation is very weak. Since I don't use Sketchup that much, I sold it. I would recommend for regular Sketchup users, it felt almost like 3dsMax or Unreal, it was very nice!
I have used it for years. Initially I got it because it took pressure off my right hand easing carpal tunnel. I have not had trouble with that since. It takes time to get used to it. I also always recommend the larger one with a base as the small one will walk and your axis gets off. In Enscape it is an incredible presentation tool, however Enscape recently broke how it works and have not fixed it. The larger 3d mouse has programable keys for shortcuts so less of an issue about having your hand off the keyboard.
@@DocTinfoil Totally agree! I feel naked and lost without my 3D mouse. I use SpaceMouse Enterprise with 39 programmable buttons for four years now - the best purchase so far!
One thing I may have missed in the comments is that with the 3D mouse, you never get lost inside an object and struggle to get out. It avoids that completely. No more endlessly scrolling or having to hit a camera view key and then go back in. Love your very informative videos.
Sorry, but I totally disagree. I've been using a SpaceMouse since 2011 and can't imagine SketchUp without it. When I first was learning how to drive a car it was challenging, but today I just think where I want to go and I go there. The car and I are one. Same thing with the SpaceMouse. Once you have used it long enough, you are holding the model in your left hand (the SpaceMouse) and very literally using your right hand to cut, carve, push, pull, whatever you're "holding." I use the SpaceMouse and the mouse together like the steering wheel and gear shift knob on my car. I do use keyboard shortcuts when it's convenient, but I have no problem moving my hands from the SpaceMouse/mouse to the keyboard and back without taking my eyes off the screen. I find there are times when I want to start geometry from one view and finish it from another angle or perhaps zoom in to make sure I started my line at the correct point and then zoom out to find another part the model and zoom in to finish the geometry at exactly where I want it and the SpaceMouse allows that without any thought whatsoever. Of course there are many times when I just need a static view to build geometry, and I move my left hand over to the keyboard. It's a bit like using the gas & brake pedals together, it becomes an autopilot action. Compared to the time it takes to get comfortable with SketchUp, the time it takes to master a 3D mouse is nothing. Once you get comfortable using it, you won't go back to navigating with the mouse anymore than you will go back to crawling after you've learned to walk. Justin, I love your videos. They're great and very informative, but this one...not so much.
I used to do tech support for them many years ago and I still use it alot in my freelance 3D work today. I would strongly recommend upgrading to their Enterprise edition SpaceMouse. You mentioned one of your turn-offs was having to move your hand off of it to the keyboard. With all the programmable macro keys built into the ergonomic Enterprise version, I almost never have to move my hand to the keyboard. 90% of the tools I use regularly are mapped to the keys on the device and I could probably do more but haven't gotten around to it yet. It is hugely useful in Photoshop as well for doing all my texture maps. The small SpaceMouse you show in the video is a good portable one that should pair well with your laptop for taking with you. For serious work at your primary workstation at home or at work, the Enterprise will speed up your workflow so much faster once you get used to what you have assigned to all the keys. For most people the learning curve is less than a week to get used to it. The high end version may be a little pricey, but the speed and productivity boost will pay for itself in no time.
I don't think it gives you speed, on the contrary, it slows you down. Just because the traditional way I just highlight a facet, hit a hotkey and I'm there. I don't have to fly smoothly and beautifully to the facet.
Hi Justin, thanks for the great 3D mouse review! I am in the camp of *never* wanting to model without my 3DX SpaceMouse, both in my engineering career and now mostly for woodworking. A tip on the radial menus: there is an option to put eight commands on each of the left and right button radial menus, so I have sixteen of my most-used SketchUp commands available without having to take my left hand away from my 3D mouse. 😁
I've had one for a couple of months due to very painful carpal tunnel problems and it's brilliant as it reduces the strain significantly. I've found that Target Camera Mode works best for me.
I have used it professionally for approx. Ten years When navigating inside a room there is no alternative! I do not use shortcuts very much but icons/ mouse (thats the best compromise for me). I have both default tray and toolset active on the righthand / mouse side! Working on a 32 : 9 inch screen you don't wont to trawel from side to side. It also works in Enscape - here the smothness is even better. wouldn't work without it!
First of all, thank you for your videos! Almost every time I learn something from them. And about this video, I'm sorry to say that you might need some more time adjusting to it. I use it in combination with mouse and keyboard and I think it's such a time saver! Once you get comfortable with it, it lets you always to get the best zoom/direction for working on whatever you are modeling. Sometimes It's better to use the mouse's scroll wheel to zoom faster or the middle button to quickly pivot around a small object, otherwise the "puck" it's absolutely the best way to move around in the model. On the other hand, it seems some people have more trouble getting used to it than others, but then again, some people get motion sickness while playing first person games! I'd recommend you soldier on for a bit and will soon be asking yourself how did you work without one before! Thanks for the great videos!
The question of whether people should get a 3D mouse for modeling always starts off as "maybe", but if you use it enough, it becomes "definitely". Being able to just nudge the view around a little bit and see objects from different angles and at different scales, completely fluidly as you're working on them becomes second nature. You will really miss that ability if you have to go without one. A keyboard and mouse alone just becomes really irritating.
I've been using one for several years (excusably for Sketchup) and I couldn't imaging having to go without it now. It mainly stays at home with my desktop and if I'm out somewhere with the laptop and don't have the 3D mouse it not the same for sure. It has definitely improved my workflow.
I had one for a decade now. Once you learn how to use it properly (it takes a few weeks) it is the best way to navigate within your models. I also prefer the Hellicopter mode as it feels more natural for architectural modeling.
What’s Up Justin? Jim here with THE comment you requested! lol Hey bro appreciate the video and honest review. I am a HVAC engineer and for me I will absolutely sell my soul if I had to give up my 3D mice. I am in no way even on the same planet as your skill set but my brother…I am hooked on the 3D line. I have 2 and they are in no way “paper weights”. In fact they are part of my EDC (Every Day Carry) as I go forth into this weird “Remote Working” environment these days. I have the “Puck” for my remote work and the “Enterprise” mounted to my work station at home. I do not use the Enterprise buttons nearly as much as I should know how to but, Hey, I don’t think it saves me that much time over punching in a shortcut on the key board. That withstanding the time I save flying through a model and dragging a line or a any other sticky geometry thru a model with out having to scroll or other weird things just makes it that much better. The “Presentation” mode for your clients is just icing on the cake. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a client say “Wait! Go back” so they could see part of the model that is not even in my scope of work. They will see some framing or structural that someone missed and it was only because of me scrolling nice and smooth thru the model that they caught it. Anyways, catch ya on the next video my friend. Keep up the good work! I am sure you will shoot a “3 months later” video on your experience and you will come over to the dark side! Peace!
I've had a corded version for about ten years, and it's spent about seven of them at the back of a drawer after multiple laptops said "incompatible device" or "no device detected". I think it was a USB cord fail, not a failure of the device itself. Bummer, it was a real help with client presentations. You know that thing where someone else is navigating the 3D model and they yank it suddenly, you feel a little vertigo? It did a great job eliminating that by moving the view more smoothly. And for all you leftie architects and drafters out there right-handing your mice, you get to avoid the mouse to 3D mouse hand hop he mentions, keep it on the left side and just jump from the one-handed keyboard use I KNOW you still remember from AutoCAD.
hello justin greetings from a venezuelan from peru first of all I want to thank you for your contribution to those of us who use this wonderful program such as sketchup, your content is very helpful even though I do not speak English but I use the google translator, how kind From you, I wanted to tell you that I have been using the 3d connexion mouse for 2 years and once you master it, since at first it is different from what you are used to, my workflow has improved a lot since the movement in the third dimension is more fluid with this mouse, I recommend it to everyone who can acquire it
interesting video. you concentrated on flying around, very little on practical use in designing / editing drawings with tight & accurate pointer control as with s normal mouse? How did it fair In Design mode?
Hey Justin, I hope you’ve adopted to the 3D connexion mouse till now, I use it in Archicad and Twinmotion and I am obsessed by it, it is actually something you fin for if you don’t have it while working once you get used to it, it is best to customize it to your preferences, I have the shift key programmed on the right button and I just move the model to where I want the cursor to click at and just click on my mouse with little to no movement.
Haven't watched the video yet, but may forget, so just a very quick note - this 3D mouse is an absolute must have tool in the arsenal of anyone, working with 3D software. And no, have no any affiliation with the manufacturer/sales of this mouse. Just an opinion from a guy, who was using it for around 10 years now.
I borrowed a friends for a tryout and I must say that I agree with you about its use while modeling, which is more of a hindrance than a help due to switching my left hand from the 3d mouse to the keyboard. I can definitely see its advantages for showing models to a client, but I no longer model for clients so that's a non starter feature for me. If you just want to navigate your scene then this is, however, a useful tool, but I can certainly live without it.
A counterpoint to the drawback you mentioned regarding constantly moving your hand between the 3d mouse and keyboard... There are a couple regular mice out there (technically they're gaming/MMO mice, but w/e) with extra buttons on the thumb-side panel that you can usually program to use as anything from single-button presses to full-on macros. (Razer and Logitech are two of the better brands for those.) As such, you could use that for your more frequently-used keys to save you effort in the long term. As someone who has a mouse like this, they're super useful in a number of applications, both inside and outside of the gaming sphere. Heck my mouse has a third finger-click option next to the right-click button that allows the thumb-side buttons to access a second set of programmed options when it's held, effectively doubling your available buttons on the mouse!
I've seen those - for me though I'm still going to be moving over to the keyboard to type in a lot of dimensions for heavy modeling exercises, but they could definitely make the whole thing better.
@@Thesketchupessentials fair enough. Something sad I've discovered is that the spacemouse doesn't have a "helicopter" mode for blender, which is annoying...
I've had one for about 5 years. I absolutely love it, and totally underuse it. I find it really handy for presentations more than modeling. It also works great in the desktop version of google earth.
Thank you for the review, it give me new ideas for usecases and optimization. I'm using it since 2020 (spacemouse wireless + cadmouse pro wireless + keyboard pro (more recently)), it is really game-changers for 3D designers especialy the spacemouse, which is so practical to navigate in a 3D environment, fast, fluid, so convenient when you do a presentation on your computer or with streamed screen sharing. I personnaly prefere the "target camera with blocked horizon" mod. And the buttons which gives access to on_screen radial menues for 2 x 8 functions (already registered for most of softwares, and accepting custom macros) are really usefull, it allows to draw without a keyboard most of the time. The cadmouse has a very practical wheel and 4 more buttons (in addition to the 3 normal ones) for additionnal shortcuts / radial menus. Same thing for the keyboard (16 customisable buttons for up to 128 macro / functions with radial menus) with the possibility to place the numerical part on the lefft which gives a better posture and is more practical when you have peripherals on the left (in my case loupedeck + spacemouse). All of their tools are very usefull but the most gamechanger tool is definitively the spacemouse (any kind from compact to enterprise). I use or used it with sketchup, rhino, twinmotion, unreal, zbrush, blender, photoshop... One advice : the more you think and organize your shortcuts / macros, the more you'll find it awesome and spare time.
Fusion 360 here, was resistant for the longest time and then after getting it was not sure for about a month . Now you can’t have it. Makes my workflow so much faster.
Interesting comments on SketchUp and Twinmotion, as I have the opposite opinion to you. For me SketchUp has one of the best 3Dconnexion drivers available for the SpaceMouse because it has object mode. I model as if I am sculpting a piece of clay on a rotating table. Using the SpaceMouse, I remain stationary as I rotate the model around the object centre point in front of me. The Twinmotion driver has yet to have object mode which is a bit frustrating. I use a SpaceMouse Enterprise with a tablet & pen because I was suffering a lot with RSI and this combination has helped me a lot. The SpaceMouse Enterprise has 12 buttons for commands which once you get the hang of does reduce the amount keyboard use.
That makes sense - personally I found helicopter mode to be easier to use, but object mode seemed like it had more upside once you get it all figured out
SpaceMouse Enterprise - has 39 programmable buttons, not 12. Eight buttons on the right have a double macro - click or hold, and you can program it for different use. I personally can't work without this mouse, I use it in Sketchup, 3ds Max, and Revit. With this mouse and amount of buttons - I do not use my keyboard at all (only for Numpad with my right hand, which controls the regular mouse). And because of having all shortcuts under your fingertips while flying around with a 3D mouse - it feels that workflow is two times faster :)
I was considering purchasing this spacemouse but was unsure if it would be useful. Your suggestion of using for presentation purposes only was perfect. That one sentence helped me to decide. Great thinking. 🤨
I use a SpaceMouse Pro in conjunction with a Razer Naga, which more or less solves the problem of moving your hands between the keyboard and mouse. Most of my shortcuts are on the Razer while the Pro's own keypad has a few more shortcuts on it. I still need to use the keyboard for some tools, but it's not very time consuming.
I use my spacepilot pro daily at work for fusion 360 and altium designer, is just more than a must have. I can't imagine a world where it doesn't exist. At home i also use a spacemouse compact. People how tell you it's useless definitely don't know how to use it.
Can you get dose commands like push/pull, create a square, make a line, etc, in the different buttons that you have in the space mouse and in the regular mouse?
It's really interesting to see your perspective on this and it reflects my own. For presentation, it's really nice, but for day to day working, it slows me down. It's not a device that I miss if I re-arrange my desk and forget to get it back out. I might put it next to my mouse instead of operating on the keyboard hand, in case that improves usability. I bought their cad mouse a few weeks ago, lasted 2 days before I had to switch away from it, which of course disappointed me because of the cost. It is a TAX deductible of course, so not the end of the world. I might give it another go when I don't have to be as productive, because I do really like the middle pan button in both sketchup and autocad.
I have used my 3DConnexion space mouse (usb) with SketchUp for the past 5 years, if for some reason it was to brake, I would have to replace it immediately because going back to controlling all aspects of movement with just the mouse……no way. Btw, it only took a couple of drawing sessions in the very beginning to get over the drunken feeling you get when first using the 3DConnexion space mouse.
I love it except for the amount of memory it uses even when not plugged in. Wish there was a way to download the mouse driver only. Because of the memory hogging even when not plugged in, I un-install all drivers for it until I need to use it again.
I was going to ask what you thought about 3D Mice in your last SketchUp Essentials Course Q&A call. I was pleased to find you provide your opinion. I struggle with zooming in tightly sometimes, perhaps this will solve some of my issues.
I have a space mouse but I seldom use it. I prefer having hand on keyboard all the time instead. It's very nice quality product, though. Thanks for the video.
using the 3dconnexion software give us a fancy error. In some 3D games or software, for instance, ROKOKO studio, having the 3dconnexion service up makes the camera go wild. I hope you can reproduce the same error so we can inform the 3dconnexion developer about this.
I'm on my third upgrade now (Space Navigator, Space Navigator wireless and now Space Mouse Pro wireless, with has the extra buttons and hand rest). It' the first piece of hardware I would buy again for modeling in SU. The smooth motion and the ability to easily move through geometry made it a game changer for me. Or I'm just very bad at using the scroll wheel ;-)
I have the spacemouse compact (the wired puck version) for maybe over 10 years at this point. It's sat in a drawer for maybe the last 8ish with only small instances to come out then back into that drawer. Maybe 1.5 years ago I finally brought it back out and left it on my desk to force myself to finally acclimate. Now... It's decent. It DOES take a long while to finally get it so that it works with subtle finesse movements and when it does - it's nice. I now use it as an integrated experience with my skp workflow but that doesn't mean I use it exclusively or even mostly. I would guess I use it maybe 25% or to maybe 50% at max but it's nice to have when I do want that camera like panning movement. The downsides are that the software is terrible. Skp forums complain. Enscape forums complain. Reddit complains... And all for years. It took me awhile and much research to simply even get the right skp version. Separately, I see the (My) software settings change -every- time I go from perspective view to parallel and back - my advanced settings lose it's camera setting and restores to a default that I cannot change the default to what I want to to be. It's annoying. Separately, even though the mouse is weighted, it's still not heavy enough and will move on extreme pushing on the mouse. I can't make it (more) sensitive enough that at times I wouldn't need to push the max ability on the mouse either. I've debated trying sticky tape on the bottom or wish it had a hole on the bottom that I could put a dowel or something through to make it stay. For anything less then hard movements - it's fine. Aaron uses one of the full pro/enterprises version with all the buttons and has sworn by his in his videos. (he may have more then one - not sure) I near never use the buttons on my compact at all. I always revert back to my keyboard for shortcuts (or stream deck). The pro version also has a wrist rest as part of it that likely also prevents it from moving since your arm is weighing it down. Having said all that then my overall perspective is that it's... Decent to nice. If you have the extra cash burning a hole (and they are overly expensive) then go for it but it's not life changing for me or a needed/required tool but it's not terrible either. It's somewhere in the middle. I (now) use mine and it does make my workflow somewhat better. I would contemplate one of the pro/enterprise versions but I think it's way overpriced for what it is so I won't. ($300-$400 really?)
I'm flabergasted that you didn't get this 3d mouse many years ago. To me it would be like having a computer without a kayboard... PS: Also works with Photoshop, your browser, and many other programms..
Strange, isn't it? Justin has probably the best SU channel on YT and only now gets to test the space mouse. I read about it in 2008 in a magazine called 3D World and ordered it right away. The first day, I wanted to throw it against the wall. On the second day, I started to get things done. On the third day, I would have probably hurt someone badly who would have tried to take it away from me. Ever since then, I have introduced it to many fellow designers and architects. All went through the same experience. And none of them would ever want to work without it anymore. As a matter of fact, I have started to choose the 3D applications I work with based on their support of the space mouse. Luckily, EPIC's Unreal engine does now. Absolutely the best hardware addition any 3D modeler can buy.
I've had mine for a little over a year. I'm on the same page as you. It's a nice tool but not necessary. I experience motion sickness if I use the 3D mouse for too long. I can model all day using a traditional mouse without any motion sickness. It's really odd and I never anticipated that when I bought my 3D mouse.
@@Thesketchupessentials Congrats on the hard work and hopefully it's paying your bills! You should show it off next to your star wars stuff in the background ;) I just noticed it is there but I couldn't tell because it's so dark! Hilarious!
Hi everyone! Do you use a 3D mouse? How do you like it? Leave a comment below and let me know!
hey.... I've been a pretty serious modeler for decades now and tried just about everything. The best navigation system I have found and will never give up requires a good gaming mouse, I prefer the G502, and mapping the center button of the mouse on to the side buttons, along with undo and delete. The 3d mouse is cool, but I didn't find myself using very often. Just my 2 cents - keep up the awesome work!
I've used a Spacemouse for the last 14 years with Sketchup. I feel literally naked without it. While working on The Hobbit movies here at Weta Workshop - before Peter Jackson took the helm - I was able to "fly" Guillermo Del Toro around the various Sketchup mockups of the Goblin Caverns and Rivendell I was creating for the films.
The bigger models by 3Dconnexion have as many shortcut buttons as you'd ever need without breaking navigation. We also use them now with Zbrush to literally double our workflow when digital sculpting assets.
I had one. I used it only for Sketchup since 3d navigation is very weak. Since I don't use Sketchup that much, I sold it.
I would recommend for regular Sketchup users, it felt almost like 3dsMax or Unreal, it was very nice!
I have used it for years. Initially I got it because it took pressure off my right hand easing carpal tunnel. I have not had trouble with that since. It takes time to get used to it. I also always recommend the larger one with a base as the small one will walk and your axis gets off. In Enscape it is an incredible presentation tool, however Enscape recently broke how it works and have not fixed it. The larger 3d mouse has programable keys for shortcuts so less of an issue about having your hand off the keyboard.
@@DocTinfoil Totally agree! I feel naked and lost without my 3D mouse. I use SpaceMouse Enterprise with 39 programmable buttons for four years now - the best purchase so far!
One thing I may have missed in the comments is that with the 3D mouse, you never get lost inside an object and struggle to get out. It avoids that completely. No more endlessly scrolling or having to hit a camera view key and then go back in. Love your very informative videos.
Sorry, but I totally disagree. I've been using a SpaceMouse since 2011 and can't imagine SketchUp without it. When I first was learning how to drive a car it was challenging, but today I just think where I want to go and I go there. The car and I are one. Same thing with the SpaceMouse. Once you have used it long enough, you are holding the model in your left hand (the SpaceMouse) and very literally using your right hand to cut, carve, push, pull, whatever you're "holding." I use the SpaceMouse and the mouse together like the steering wheel and gear shift knob on my car. I do use keyboard shortcuts when it's convenient, but I have no problem moving my hands from the SpaceMouse/mouse to the keyboard and back without taking my eyes off the screen. I find there are times when I want to start geometry from one view and finish it from another angle or perhaps zoom in to make sure I started my line at the correct point and then zoom out to find another part the model and zoom in to finish the geometry at exactly where I want it and the SpaceMouse allows that without any thought whatsoever. Of course there are many times when I just need a static view to build geometry, and I move my left hand over to the keyboard. It's a bit like using the gas & brake pedals together, it becomes an autopilot action. Compared to the time it takes to get comfortable with SketchUp, the time it takes to master a 3D mouse is nothing. Once you get comfortable using it, you won't go back to navigating with the mouse anymore than you will go back to crawling after you've learned to walk. Justin, I love your videos. They're great and very informative, but this one...not so much.
I used to do tech support for them many years ago and I still use it alot in my freelance 3D work today. I would strongly recommend upgrading to their Enterprise edition SpaceMouse. You mentioned one of your turn-offs was having to move your hand off of it to the keyboard. With all the programmable macro keys built into the ergonomic Enterprise version, I almost never have to move my hand to the keyboard. 90% of the tools I use regularly are mapped to the keys on the device and I could probably do more but haven't gotten around to it yet. It is hugely useful in Photoshop as well for doing all my texture maps. The small SpaceMouse you show in the video is a good portable one that should pair well with your laptop for taking with you. For serious work at your primary workstation at home or at work, the Enterprise will speed up your workflow so much faster once you get used to what you have assigned to all the keys. For most people the learning curve is less than a week to get used to it. The high end version may be a little pricey, but the speed and productivity boost will pay for itself in no time.
I don't think it gives you speed, on the contrary, it slows you down. Just because the traditional way I just highlight a facet, hit a hotkey and I'm there. I don't have to fly smoothly and beautifully to the facet.
Hi Justin, thanks for the great 3D mouse review! I am in the camp of *never* wanting to model without my 3DX SpaceMouse, both in my engineering career and now mostly for woodworking. A tip on the radial menus: there is an option to put eight commands on each of the left and right button radial menus, so I have sixteen of my most-used SketchUp commands available without having to take my left hand away from my 3D mouse. 😁
I've had one for a couple of months due to very painful carpal tunnel problems and it's brilliant as it reduces the strain significantly. I've found that Target Camera Mode works best for me.
I have used it professionally for approx. Ten years
When navigating inside a room there is no alternative!
I do not use shortcuts very much but icons/ mouse (thats the best compromise for me).
I have both default tray and toolset active on the righthand / mouse side!
Working on a 32 : 9 inch screen you don't wont to trawel from side to side.
It also works in Enscape - here the smothness is even better.
wouldn't work without it!
First of all, thank you for your videos! Almost every time I learn something from them.
And about this video, I'm sorry to say that you might need some more time adjusting to it. I use it in combination with mouse and keyboard and I think it's such a time saver!
Once you get comfortable with it, it lets you always to get the best zoom/direction for working on whatever you are modeling. Sometimes It's better to use the mouse's scroll wheel to zoom faster or the middle button to quickly pivot around a small object, otherwise the "puck" it's absolutely the best way to move around in the model.
On the other hand, it seems some people have more trouble getting used to it than others, but then again, some people get motion sickness while playing first person games!
I'd recommend you soldier on for a bit and will soon be asking yourself how did you work without one before!
Thanks for the great videos!
The question of whether people should get a 3D mouse for modeling always starts off as "maybe", but if you use it enough, it becomes "definitely". Being able to just nudge the view around a little bit and see objects from different angles and at different scales, completely fluidly as you're working on them becomes second nature. You will really miss that ability if you have to go without one. A keyboard and mouse alone just becomes really irritating.
I've been using one for several years (excusably for Sketchup) and I couldn't imaging having to go without it now. It mainly stays at home with my desktop and if I'm out somewhere with the laptop and don't have the 3D mouse it not the same for sure. It has definitely improved my workflow.
I had one for a decade now. Once you learn how to use it properly (it takes a few weeks) it is the best way to navigate within your models. I also prefer the Hellicopter mode as it feels more natural for architectural modeling.
Love it - thanks for the comment!
What’s Up Justin? Jim here with THE comment you requested! lol Hey bro appreciate the video and honest review. I am a HVAC engineer and for me I will absolutely sell my soul if I had to give up my 3D mice. I am in no way even on the same planet as your skill set but my brother…I am hooked on the 3D line. I have 2 and they are in no way “paper weights”. In fact they are part of my EDC (Every Day Carry) as I go forth into this weird “Remote Working” environment these days. I have the “Puck” for my remote work and the “Enterprise” mounted to my work station at home. I do not use the Enterprise buttons nearly as much as I should know how to but, Hey, I don’t think it saves me that much time over punching in a shortcut on the key board. That withstanding the time I save flying through a model and dragging a line or a any other sticky geometry thru a model with out having to scroll or other weird things just makes it that much better. The “Presentation” mode for your clients is just icing on the cake. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a client say “Wait! Go back” so they could see part of the model that is not even in my scope of work. They will see some framing or structural that someone missed and it was only because of me scrolling nice and smooth thru the model that they caught it. Anyways, catch ya on the next video my friend. Keep up the good work! I am sure you will shoot a “3 months later” video on your experience and you will come over to the dark side! Peace!
I've had a corded version for about ten years, and it's spent about seven of them at the back of a drawer after multiple laptops said "incompatible device" or "no device detected". I think it was a USB cord fail, not a failure of the device itself. Bummer, it was a real help with client presentations. You know that thing where someone else is navigating the 3D model and they yank it suddenly, you feel a little vertigo? It did a great job eliminating that by moving the view more smoothly.
And for all you leftie architects and drafters out there right-handing your mice, you get to avoid the mouse to 3D mouse hand hop he mentions, keep it on the left side and just jump from the one-handed keyboard use I KNOW you still remember from AutoCAD.
The answer is yes! Yes to 3D mouse. Been using mine for several years now, wouldn’t model without one.
Cant live without this. Its so smooth. Mapped the buttons to popular features.
hello justin greetings from a venezuelan from peru first of all I want to thank you for your contribution to those of us who use this wonderful program such as sketchup, your content is very helpful even though I do not speak English but I use the google translator, how kind From you, I wanted to tell you that I have been using the 3d connexion mouse for 2 years and once you master it, since at first it is different from what you are used to, my workflow has improved a lot since the movement in the third dimension is more fluid with this mouse, I recommend it to everyone who can acquire it
interesting video. you concentrated on flying around, very little on practical use in designing / editing drawings with tight & accurate pointer control as with s normal mouse? How did it fair In Design mode?
Hey Justin, I hope you’ve adopted to the 3D connexion mouse till now, I use it in Archicad and Twinmotion and I am obsessed by it, it is actually something you fin for if you don’t have it while working once you get used to it, it is best to customize it to your preferences, I have the shift key programmed on the right button and I just move the model to where I want the cursor to click at and just click on my mouse with little to no movement.
Haven't watched the video yet, but may forget, so just a very quick note - this 3D mouse is an absolute must have tool in the arsenal of anyone, working with 3D software. And no, have no any affiliation with the manufacturer/sales of this mouse. Just an opinion from a guy, who was using it for around 10 years now.
In the Building Information Modeling/ Virtual Design Construction world this is a must- primarily for use in Navisworks
I could see that
I borrowed a friends for a tryout and I must say that I agree with you about its use while modeling, which is more of a hindrance than a help due to switching my left hand from the 3d mouse to the keyboard. I can definitely see its advantages for showing models to a client, but I no longer model for clients so that's a non starter feature for me. If you just want to navigate your scene then this is, however, a useful tool, but I can certainly live without it.
They also have a bigger one with all the shortcut buttons on it.
A counterpoint to the drawback you mentioned regarding constantly moving your hand between the 3d mouse and keyboard... There are a couple regular mice out there (technically they're gaming/MMO mice, but w/e) with extra buttons on the thumb-side panel that you can usually program to use as anything from single-button presses to full-on macros. (Razer and Logitech are two of the better brands for those.) As such, you could use that for your more frequently-used keys to save you effort in the long term. As someone who has a mouse like this, they're super useful in a number of applications, both inside and outside of the gaming sphere. Heck my mouse has a third finger-click option next to the right-click button that allows the thumb-side buttons to access a second set of programmed options when it's held, effectively doubling your available buttons on the mouse!
I've seen those - for me though I'm still going to be moving over to the keyboard to type in a lot of dimensions for heavy modeling exercises, but they could definitely make the whole thing better.
@@Thesketchupessentials fair enough. Something sad I've discovered is that the spacemouse doesn't have a "helicopter" mode for blender, which is annoying...
I've had one for about 5 years. I absolutely love it, and totally underuse it.
I find it really handy for presentations more than modeling. It also works great in the desktop version of google earth.
This was the conclusion I came to as well - definitely a fun tool :)
Thank you for the review, it give me new ideas for usecases and optimization.
I'm using it since 2020 (spacemouse wireless + cadmouse pro wireless + keyboard pro (more recently)), it is really game-changers for 3D designers especialy the spacemouse, which is so practical to navigate in a 3D environment, fast, fluid, so convenient when you do a presentation on your computer or with streamed screen sharing. I personnaly prefere the "target camera with blocked horizon" mod. And the buttons which gives access to on_screen radial menues for 2 x 8 functions (already registered for most of softwares, and accepting custom macros) are really usefull, it allows to draw without a keyboard most of the time.
The cadmouse has a very practical wheel and 4 more buttons (in addition to the 3 normal ones) for additionnal shortcuts / radial menus. Same thing for the keyboard (16 customisable buttons for up to 128 macro / functions with radial menus) with the possibility to place the numerical part on the lefft which gives a better posture and is more practical when you have peripherals on the left (in my case loupedeck + spacemouse).
All of their tools are very usefull but the most gamechanger tool is definitively the spacemouse (any kind from compact to enterprise). I use or used it with sketchup, rhino, twinmotion, unreal, zbrush, blender, photoshop... One advice : the more you think and organize your shortcuts / macros, the more you'll find it awesome and spare time.
Fusion 360 here, was resistant for the longest time and then after getting it was not sure for about a month . Now you can’t have it. Makes my workflow so much faster.
Interesting comments on SketchUp and Twinmotion, as I have the opposite opinion to you. For me SketchUp has one of the best 3Dconnexion drivers available for the SpaceMouse because it has object mode. I model as if I am sculpting a piece of clay on a rotating table. Using the SpaceMouse, I remain stationary as I rotate the model around the object centre point in front of me. The Twinmotion driver has yet to have object mode which is a bit frustrating. I use a SpaceMouse Enterprise with a tablet & pen because I was suffering a lot with RSI and this combination has helped me a lot. The SpaceMouse Enterprise has 12 buttons for commands which once you get the hang of does reduce the amount keyboard use.
That makes sense - personally I found helicopter mode to be easier to use, but object mode seemed like it had more upside once you get it all figured out
SpaceMouse Enterprise - has 39 programmable buttons, not 12. Eight buttons on the right have a double macro - click or hold, and you can program it for different use. I personally can't work without this mouse, I use it in Sketchup, 3ds Max, and Revit. With this mouse and amount of buttons - I do not use my keyboard at all (only for Numpad with my right hand, which controls the regular mouse). And because of having all shortcuts under your fingertips while flying around with a 3D mouse - it feels that workflow is two times faster :)
I love my wire less spacemouse. Great tool. Worth every penny very good product. Solid and silky
I was considering purchasing this spacemouse but was unsure if it would be useful. Your suggestion of using for presentation purposes only was perfect. That one sentence helped me to decide. Great thinking. 🤨
I use a SpaceMouse Pro in conjunction with a Razer Naga, which more or less solves the problem of moving your hands between the keyboard and mouse. Most of my shortcuts are on the Razer while the Pro's own keypad has a few more shortcuts on it. I still need to use the keyboard for some tools, but it's not very time consuming.
Can both of those be used in conjunction with each other?
I use my spacepilot pro daily at work for fusion 360 and altium designer, is just more than a must have. I can't imagine a world where it doesn't exist. At home i also use a spacemouse compact. People how tell you it's useless definitely don't know how to use it.
Can you get dose commands like push/pull, create a square, make a line, etc, in the different buttons that you have in the space mouse and in the regular mouse?
Hi Justin, would it be possible to have a plugin to smooth the way to orbit inside SketchUp similar to the 3d mouse?
Your everywhere! Fusion 360, then blender and now sketchup! What are you gonna teach me next?!
...Rhino? Either that or online business :)
It's really interesting to see your perspective on this and it reflects my own. For presentation, it's really nice, but for day to day working, it slows me down. It's not a device that I miss if I re-arrange my desk and forget to get it back out. I might put it next to my mouse instead of operating on the keyboard hand, in case that improves usability.
I bought their cad mouse a few weeks ago, lasted 2 days before I had to switch away from it, which of course disappointed me because of the cost. It is a TAX deductible of course, so not the end of the world. I might give it another go when I don't have to be as productive, because I do really like the middle pan button in both sketchup and autocad.
I have used my 3DConnexion space mouse (usb) with SketchUp for the past 5 years, if for some reason it was to brake, I would have to replace it immediately because going back to controlling all aspects of movement with just the mouse……no way. Btw, it only took a couple of drawing sessions in the very beginning to get over the drunken feeling you get when first using the 3DConnexion space mouse.
Agreed!
I love it except for the amount of memory it uses even when not plugged in. Wish there was a way to download the mouse driver only. Because of the memory hogging even when not plugged in, I un-install all drivers for it until I need to use it again.
I was going to ask what you thought about 3D Mice in your last SketchUp Essentials Course Q&A call.
I was pleased to find you provide your opinion. I struggle with zooming in tightly sometimes, perhaps this will solve some of my issues.
I cant imagine modeling without my 3D mices (SpaceMouse Wireles, SpacePilot Pro).
I have a space mouse but I seldom use it. I prefer having hand on keyboard all the time instead. It's very nice quality product, though. Thanks for the video.
So its like navigating in game engine?
using the 3dconnexion software give us a fancy error. In some 3D games or software, for instance, ROKOKO studio, having the 3dconnexion service up makes the camera go wild. I hope you can reproduce the same error so we can inform the 3dconnexion developer about this.
I'd inform them directly - I haven't had his experience so I can't really add anything to the process
I'm on my third upgrade now (Space Navigator, Space Navigator wireless and now Space Mouse Pro wireless, with has the extra buttons and hand rest). It' the first piece of hardware I would buy again for modeling in SU. The smooth motion and the ability to easily move through geometry made it a game changer for me. Or I'm just very bad at using the scroll wheel ;-)
LOL - scroll wheels - not for everybody ;p
I have the spacemouse compact (the wired puck version) for maybe over 10 years at this point. It's sat in a drawer for maybe the last 8ish with only small instances to come out then back into that drawer. Maybe 1.5 years ago I finally brought it back out and left it on my desk to force myself to finally acclimate. Now... It's decent. It DOES take a long while to finally get it so that it works with subtle finesse movements and when it does - it's nice. I now use it as an integrated experience with my skp workflow but that doesn't mean I use it exclusively or even mostly. I would guess I use it maybe 25% or to maybe 50% at max but it's nice to have when I do want that camera like panning movement.
The downsides are that the software is terrible. Skp forums complain. Enscape forums complain. Reddit complains... And all for years. It took me awhile and much research to simply even get the right skp version. Separately, I see the (My) software settings change -every- time I go from perspective view to parallel and back - my advanced settings lose it's camera setting and restores to a default that I cannot change the default to what I want to to be. It's annoying. Separately, even though the mouse is weighted, it's still not heavy enough and will move on extreme pushing on the mouse. I can't make it (more) sensitive enough that at times I wouldn't need to push the max ability on the mouse either. I've debated trying sticky tape on the bottom or wish it had a hole on the bottom that I could put a dowel or something through to make it stay. For anything less then hard movements - it's fine.
Aaron uses one of the full pro/enterprises version with all the buttons and has sworn by his in his videos. (he may have more then one - not sure) I near never use the buttons on my compact at all. I always revert back to my keyboard for shortcuts (or stream deck). The pro version also has a wrist rest as part of it that likely also prevents it from moving since your arm is weighing it down.
Having said all that then my overall perspective is that it's... Decent to nice. If you have the extra cash burning a hole (and they are overly expensive) then go for it but it's not life changing for me or a needed/required tool but it's not terrible either. It's somewhere in the middle. I (now) use mine and it does make my workflow somewhat better. I would contemplate one of the pro/enterprise versions but I think it's way overpriced for what it is so I won't. ($300-$400 really?)
Another useful video Justin, many thanks.
Thanks for watching!
I'm flabergasted that you didn't get this 3d mouse many years ago. To me it would be like having a computer without a kayboard...
PS: Also works with Photoshop, your browser, and many other programms..
Strange, isn't it? Justin has probably the best SU channel on YT and only now gets to test the space mouse. I read about it in 2008 in a magazine called 3D World and ordered it right away. The first day, I wanted to throw it against the wall. On the second day, I started to get things done. On the third day, I would have probably hurt someone badly who would have tried to take it away from me. Ever since then, I have introduced it to many fellow designers and architects. All went through the same experience. And none of them would ever want to work without it anymore. As a matter of fact, I have started to choose the 3D applications I work with based on their support of the space mouse. Luckily, EPIC's Unreal engine does now. Absolutely the best hardware addition any 3D modeler can buy.
I've had mine for a little over a year. I'm on the same page as you. It's a nice tool but not necessary. I experience motion sickness if I use the 3D mouse for too long. I can model all day using a traditional mouse without any motion sickness. It's really odd and I never anticipated that when I bought my 3D mouse.
Interesting - I've gotten motion sick when playing first person games in the past, but nothing like this yet. Thanks for your perspective! :)
Hoo what's up guys Justin here with the SketchUp... 🤩👍👍👍🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
I have and i love it. Very useful.
Great to hear!
Thank you for your help, this days it's difficult to come by people like y
COULD YOU SHOW/MAKE TUTORIAL-HOW TO USE (W,A,S,D-KEYBOARD COMBıNATıON or plugın) LIKE ENSCAPE/LUMION/UNREAL STYLE-NAVIGATE İN SKETCHUP?! thanks...
Hey Justin, have you received a TH-cam Creator Award plaque yet? ...just curious
You mean a silver play button? I have - I theoretically should be getting a second one for my rendering channel as well 😀
@@Thesketchupessentials Congrats on the hard work and hopefully it's paying your bills! You should show it off next to your star wars stuff in the background ;)
I just noticed it is there but I couldn't tell because it's so dark! Hilarious!
Space Mouse will make u feel Godlike inside Sketchup... period. Even better if wired
Once you get used to it , it’s hard to work without it
i guess this mouse is ideal for architectural stuff, not as big an improvement for product design.
ikr!
I would buy one but I’m not spending $200 for a 3d mouse that’s a scam