Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

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vaell
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Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

It is a hassle to use the more advance space mouse devices with Zbrush, as pushing ctl + shif+ alt makes the setting window appear and messes with your stylus window mapping.

I bought the SpaceMouse® Enterprise hoping to use it for Zbrush but there are a few things that make it almost impossible to work with.

the main problem is that every time you push crtl + shift + alt (to hide parts of the mesh for example) the settings windows pops up, this by itself is already a problem, but it also makes it the active window, forcing your stylus configuration to change, including your monitor mapping.

The way I found to tolerate this problem was to map the same monitor used for Zbrush to the 3DxSmartUi window, this way, whenever the menu pops up, at least I stay in the same monitor and can more or less be ignore.

Is there a way to disable window pop up? or at least to not make it the active window, this way you can just ignore it if pops up.

Another important feature in Zbrush is the use of Shift while rotating the view to snap the camera, this doesn't work with the spacemouse, so you have to press shift and move the cursor off the model and drag.
luping
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by luping »

So far,switch to SpaceMouse Pro Wireless or Pro.
vaell
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Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:44 pm

Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

Spacemouse pro would have the same problem as the enterprise, pushing ctrl+shift+alt makes the settings window pop up an disapear, making it IMPOSSIBLE to work with Zbrush... I simply cannot understand who designed the drivers, and who said it was possible to use it for Zbrush... a lot of the functionality of Zbrush is unusable.

As for the spacemouse basic, it only has to buttons, making it impractical for zbrush, and if it did have three buttons, it would have the same problem.


As it is today, no Spacemouse product is actually usable for Zbrush.
vaell
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Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:44 pm

Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

I just realized that it is not the the ctr+shift+alt that causes the settings window to appear.

I had remapped those keys to the esc + enter+ tab buttons on the enterprise spacemouse due to convenience.
What seems to cause the window to appear is pressing these specific buttons.

I remapped the keys as they are originally on the device and it no longer causes the problem.

It is not convenient, but at least it is usable
ngomes
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by ngomes »

vaell wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:03 pm I just realized that it is not the the ctr+shift+alt that causes the settings window to appear.

I had remapped those keys to the esc + enter+ tab buttons on the enterprise spacemouse due to convenience.
What "settings window" and what are "those keys"?

If the user press-and-holds one of the programmable keys (those labelled "1" through "12"), then the driver will display the On-Screen Display (OSD) panel. If you want to get rid of this panel, then open 3Dconnexion Properties (with ZBrush still in focus), open the "Buttons" panel and tick the check box to disable the OSD panel.
vaell
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

It is NOT the on-screen display

If you press on the enterprise model the buttons ESC + Enter + Tab, a window will pop up called "3Dconnexion properties" and will become the active window. If you press those three buttons again it will disappear, if you press them again it will reappear and become the active window again....

I do not see any way to disable or change it.

It is a shame, because mapping those keys to the Ctr, Shift and Alt commands is the most comfortable way to use the space mouse in Zbrush.
jwick
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by jwick »

I confirmed if you press certain combinations of SME hardware keys you do get an extra key presssed.
In your case the SME Esc+Tab+Enter keys press those keys and also a button 1 is sent.
The button 1 is the Menu key, so the driver thinks you are pressing the Menu key and toggles the GUI.

The same does not happen if you map shift+ctrl+alt to Esc+Tab+Enter.

While I track that down, you can remap the Menu key in the GUI to do something else in ZBrush (e.g. Disabled). The real Menu key won't work either (in ZBrush). You can assign another key to bring up the "Properties..." panel, or use the systray icon, or the Start Menu.

Sorry for the confusion. It will be interesting to track this one down.

If Shift+Ctrl+Alt is a common operation, you should be able to make a macro that does that with one button.
vaell
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

Thank you Jwick, The information you gave me was very helpful!!!

I disabled the menu key and now nothing unexpected happens when I press the buttons marked Esc + Enter + Tab together.

Zbrush requires the use of Shift, Ctrl and Alt in a fast and dynamic way, having them mapped to those easy to reach buttons seems the best way to use the space mouse.

Making a macro specifically for Shift+Ctrl+Alt would break the rhythm of how Zbrush is used.

Thanks again, I was trying other button mapping options but none seemed as useful.

Cheers
vaell
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

Even if I map Esc, Enter and Tab buttons to the Shift, Crtl and Alt function, the Menu button is activated.
Not sure why it didn't happened when you mapped it.

So For me it was necessary to disable the Menu button altogether.
jwick
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by jwick »

Interesting. What is the serial number of your device? I'll see if there was a hardware change between mine (pre-production) and yours.
nextr
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by nextr »

Vaell, did you find a solution?

I have the SM Pro (mac) and I would also like to press and hold the bigger top buttons while sculpting, smoothing, cutting, etc. But a pop up menu appears and it doesn't seem to allow simultaneous button/stylus use.
vaell
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

To Jwick: My PID is K4419470629, bought it a few months ago in Spain.

To Nextr: The solution was to disable the Menu button, you must go to button configuration, and assign the option "disabled" withing the 3DConnexions actions.
jwick
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by jwick »

Hi vaell,

Confirming your experience, any time you press the physical Esc + Enter + Tab keys, the Menu key will also be pressed. It doesn't matter what functionality is assigned to those keys. All serial numbers behave similarly.

The same thing does not happen with the physical Shift + Ctrl + Alt keys.

Therefore the only fix is to disable the Menu key in any application you want to press the physical Esc + Enter + Tab keys simultaneously.
vaell
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by vaell »

Thanks Jwick for the help,
Hopefully this post will be useful for anyone that has the same idea to use those Esc + Enter + Tab in Zbrush.

I have personally been enjoying the space mouse a lot since I solved that problem.
Janoshx
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Re: Zbrush NEEDS to use crt + shift + alt (disable popup settings window)

Post by Janoshx »

I am using space mouse pro. This popup is truly annoying thing since it is popping up constantly when you use Zbrush and want to mask hide and show parts of your mesh. Basically you do this all the time so I cannot emphasize more about how annoying this is.

I have found two tolerable solutions for this.

1. if you have two monitors move the popup to second screen like Vaell is doing.

2. When Zbrush window is active, press first shift and ctrl on spacemouse and then press alt from spacemouse and repeat pressing the alt key fast until you get error message
zbrush.png
zbrush.png (104.58 KiB) Viewed 15797 times
Sometimes you have press the shift ctrl and alt quite many times but eventually the error appears. Don't close the error dialog, just let it be in the background and it wont bother you anymore, nor does the popup appear. Sometimes the same error dialog appears again but not too often and usually they stay in the background.

at least the original popup does not appear again..

I am using 3DxWare 10.8.3.3389 & 3DxWinCore 17.8.3.18895
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