better save and load features for button layouts

[nigelki77s]

Every few weeks my space explorer deletes all of it's profiles and I have to re-enter the layouts for each of my programs, which is a NIGHTMARE.

I'd like to see better support for saving and loading layouts in the 3DxWare driver, so that I can choose a file location to backup my profiles and re load them when the driver software freaks out, or if I plug the explorer into another computer.

[UtaSH]

Hi nigelki77s,

what application are you using?
Which settings are deleted? Just the button mapping or other settings (sesitivity, ...), too?
Is your profile set back to default or is it empty?

[nigelki77s]

The settings reset are the button configurations (in some instances my saved configurations vanish and I'm left with only the default selection, in others, all configuration names still exist but the buttons are reset to default functions)
and more rarely, zoom directions will swap to the opposite setting while in use.

using 3DxWare 3.17.6 with Autodesk Maya 2014 (though this also happened in versions going back to 2010 over the years)

[UtaSH]

Hi nigelki77s,

note that the settings for the 3D mouse with Maya are saved at two places.

1. The axis settings are saved in the configuration file. If you are working in Maya you can move the cursor over the 3Dconnexion icon in the system tray and the tooltip will tell you the name of the file. If it is a file user00.scg (or user01.scg, or ...) you will find it in the folder %APPDATA%\3Dconnexion\3DxWare\profiles. Make sure that this folder is not cleaned when you log out.
2. The settings for the button mapping are saved in a registry key:
   
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\3Dconnexion\3DxMaya
   This branch is user specific and thus it should not be an issue to write to this key. Are you in a large comany where the user profiles might get cleaned up from time to time?

Try this: export the key and save it. If you then encounter again the problem that your saved button mapping is gone you can import it again.

[nigelki77s]

Hi UtaSH, thanks I'll back up those files from now on

I don't think windows user profiles are being interfered with at work. peculiar.

[Barbara]

Hi nigelki77s -

This can also help if you're seeing Maya button mapping overwritten or returned to defaults:

Make changes only using the button editor inside Maya. This is the editor that opens from 'Customize buttons' in the pop-up menu shown in the '3D Mouse News' window.

Each device has a button mapped to the pop-up menu - the "Menu" button on the SpacePilot PRO and SpaceMouse Pro, "Panel" on the SpacePilot and SpaceExplorer and the left button on the SpaceNavigator.

The button editor inside Maya has the Maya commands rather than the general commands in 3Dconnexion Properties and it has priority over the 3Dconnexion Properties editor. When Maya is restarted, the button mappings from the 3DxMaya editor overwrite changes made in the 3Dconnexion Properties editor.

Using the editor inside Maya as well as exporting the registry key in case anything changes should keep your buttons as you mapped them.
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Barbara