SpaceMouse Compact swapping axes: yaw and roll

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textile
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:45 pm

SpaceMouse Compact swapping axes: yaw and roll

Post by textile »

I'm using my SpaceMouse Compact on a new computer and am going through the axis swap again. It's been a while since I did this, and the instructions I found here are a bit old and don't reflect the latest file structure & format.

I'm looking for information on which text file to modify, and what syntax to use.
I am NOT interested in replies telling me to just get used to it as-is.

Thx!
jwick
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Re: SpaceMouse Compact swapping axes: yaw and roll

Post by jwick »

You should be able to copy your files from your old computer to the new computer.
If they are very old, they may need a minor syntax upgrade. If the driver doesn't do that for you, send them to me and I will upgrade them for you.

Do you want to change these two axes permanently, for all applications, or only for some?
textile
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:45 pm

Re: SpaceMouse Compact swapping axes: yaw and roll

Post by textile »

Unfortunately the old computer got a complete OS reinstall, so I don't have the old settings file. But good news, I found the right file on the new install and changed it pretty easily. I was looking in AppData/Local, it was in AppData/Roaming. I

Instructions for anyone else looking for this info:
Go to: C:\Users\[your username here]\AppData\Roaming\3Dconnexion\3DxWare\Cfg
If you have changed the settings for a specific program in the 3D Connextion Settings GUI, it will appear here in an xml file, with axis information.
Find the xml file for the program you want and open it with a text editor.
Note: I am interested in changing this for all applications, might be able to just add the axis info to the Global.xml file, haven't tried that yet.

Original (excerpt for just Rotation Y and Z axes, the two I wanted to swap):
<Axis>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Input>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Ry</ActionID>
<Min>-512</Min>
<Max>511</Max>
</Input>
<Output>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Rz</ActionID>
<Reversed>false</Reversed>
</Output>
</Axis>
<Axis>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Input>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Rz</ActionID>
<Min>-512</Min>
<Max>511</Max>
</Input>
<Output>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Ry</ActionID>
<Reversed>true</Reversed>
</Output>
</Axis>


Changed the "Output" sections:
<Axis>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Input>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Ry</ActionID>
<Min>-512</Min>
<Max>511</Max>
</Input>
<Output>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Ry</ActionID>
<Reversed>false</Reversed>
</Output>
</Axis>
<Axis>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Input>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Rz</ActionID>
<Min>-512</Min>
<Max>511</Max>
</Input>
<Output>
<ActionID>HIDMultiAxis_Rz</ActionID>
<Reversed>false</Reversed>
</Output>
</Axis>

And now I can manipulate solid models in a way that's intuitive for me. It's interesting that according to the terminology, I agree with the devs on what the default axis behavior should be. It's also pretty annoying that a device specifically developed for accessibility doesn't easily allow the user to configure this in the Settings GUI. Not everyone will want the same things, that's OK, just support the ability for the user to configure it in the way that's best for them.
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