Blander and 3DConnexion

Questions and answers about 3Dconnexion devices on macOS.

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zoomer
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Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by zoomer »

Does not work for me.

What basically works well is the CADMouse and the SN/Enterprise 3D knobs and Enterprise Left Button column (ESC/ENTER/TAB/...)

But what does not work for Blender is ANY Button (Assignment) for original Space Navigator, although this works for any other App.

Much worse for the Enterprise.
Buttons 1-12 do not work at all
(What is different to a working assignment in CADMouse !?)
Right Column View Buttons do not work at all
(While these are ALL beautifully mapped in Blender's Keymap with their NDOF entries)
AmroSalih
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by AmroSalih »

Several threads exist regarding Blender on macOS: https://forum.3dconnexion.com/viewtopic ... on#p121982
zoomer
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by zoomer »

Thanks @AmroSalin,

but all the Docs and FAQs you linked deal with the 3D Knob and View Navigation which works fine.

My question is more why the side buttons of Space Navigator or extra buttons of Enterprise do not work (exclusively) in Blender. Or why the extra buttons of my CADMouse do work and can be mapped with whatever I want.
Or why the Enterprise default TAB/SHIFT/CTRL/... keys work fine like with a keyboard but the 1-12 buttons under the screen not at all - what is different to map a "Keystroke" to a CADMouse button vs an EnterpriseSpace Nav button ?

And if I look into Blenders (gigantic) short cut/Key Mapping system, I can see all Enterprise right column buttons are all included in Keymap as NDOF_Fit, NDOF_Iso, NDOF_Top, ....

Is it really a Mac only problem, can anyone confirm that all features of the Enterprise are functional on Windows ?
popevideo
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by popevideo »

The Spacemouse Enterprise in Blender on mac stopped working for me after version 2.82. You can download 2.82 from the Blender site and the buttons map in that version. I don't know what happened after 2.82 but every Blender release since the buttons will not work properly or not at all with the Spacemouse Enterprise. There have been several people to report the bug on Blenders dev sites but it has still not been fixed. The only 3D program I use is Blender and the Spacemouse Enterprise imporved my workflow so much that I became dependent on it. It now just sits in a drawer :( I wish 3DConnexion could develop a plugin to fix this as they do with other programs.
zoomer
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by zoomer »

Thanks for your inside views.

I also thought that Enterprise once in the past worked well with Blender. I only took a look at Blender from time to time but it is now that I look at it more seriously. So I am still not yet totally familiar with Blender.

But I still wonder why Blender works fine with my same Button Mappings of the CAD Mouse, but not at all with SN or SME !?
Like simple Keystrokes.
AFAIR, especially the CADMouse did not even provide standard 2 button mouse functionality without its special driver.
But somehow CADMouse button assignments works - because its Mapping is not seen/recognized as a special "NDOF" device ? (Maybe "Macros" and such will not work ?)
Same for Enterprise's left ALT/SHIFT/CTRL/... button column - does these went through as standard keyboard inputs, while all the rest is a mess of exotic input device driver voodoo ?
Jordan taylar
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by Jordan taylar »

Hey Zomomer,
sorry to hear about the issues! First, try updating the drivers for your SpaceNavigator/Enterprise to make sure everything's up to date. In Blender, go to Preferences and ensure NDOF is enabled. You might also want to disable any Blender add-ons that could be interfering with your 3D mouse. Finally, check the 3Dconnexion control panel for any conflicting profiles or settings. Hopefully, one of these fixes the problem! Let me know how it goes.

Best Regards,
[Jordan Taylar]
llealloo
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by llealloo »

I'm having the same issue with different hardware (SpaceMouse Wireless BT Edition)

Axes work perfectly, but buttons are unresponsive in Blender on macOS
llealloo
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by llealloo »

I opened a ticket with support and they sent me this page:

https://3dconnexion.com/us/support/faq/ ... e-blender/

But, there is no mention of the buttons in this guide- only the Axes, which already work perfectly.
ngomes
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by ngomes »

Concerning the issue with some SME buttons not working in Blender, please refer to this post and subsequent discussion.
llealloo
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by llealloo »

FIXED in Blender 4.4!

Also, the 3D mouse implementation is updated, now it functions similarly to Cinema4D in 3D viewports where it automatically recalculates the orbit position after letting go of the spacemouse <3 <3 <3

I am so happy! Thank you so much to all of the developers who worked on this. This is amazing stuff!!! Thank you!!!
zoomer
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by zoomer »

Well it also works for me now, at least in Blender and as far as Blender's view Navigation is compatible with an Enterprise.

But at least since the newest driver, Enterprise seems to be pretty much broken for my CAD Apps.
Pretty useless in Vectorworks, but AFAIR they said they will fix that.
But even more strange with Bricscad (V25) which will not be recognized at all. Had to add Bricscad again and assign my buttons, great that the Macros still work. But a deal breaker is that Lock Horizon is lost in Bricscad.

I also set the Menu Button to Popup Menu in hope to get access to Lock Horizon again. But for me on Sequoia, the Window "Show Driver Preferences" appears in every App when assigned - but seems to not do anything everywhere.
AFAIR, in the past, it opened special Settings for Bricscad (including access to lock horizon), while for other Apps it may have at least opened 3DCon Driver Settings. But it does nothing.

BTW,
why isn't "lock horizon" just part of the Driver Settings of an App ?
AmroSalih
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by AmroSalih »

The option is available within the Blender settings: To activate/deactivate Lock Horizon you can visit our page to see more information:
https://3dconnexion.com/is/support/faq/ ... e-blender/

3Dconnexion offers a free Software Devlopment kit for download. Please visit
https://3dconnexion.com/support/faq/how ... plication/
zoomer
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by zoomer »

Yes, Blender has a Setting for lock horizon and it works well.
Unfortunately only in Blender.
It once did work in Bricscad or VW too.
romagna
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by romagna »

Hi everyone,

I’m a new SpaceMouse user and I’m having trouble configuring it properly in Blender. I’ve installed the latest 3Dconnexion driver and the device is recognized, but I’m confused about how to set it up correctly, especially under Input Preferences > NDOF.

My main issue is with the pan function. It’s not behaving as I expected, and I can’t figure out how to make it work smoothly.

I would really appreciate some guidance on:

What are the best NDOF settings for intuitive navigation in Blender?

How can I adjust the pan, zoom, and rotation to behave more naturally?

Are there any recommended presets or user profiles for beginners?

If anyone could share their settings or tips, that would be extremely helpful!

Thanks in advance for your support!

Best regards,
ngomes
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Re: Blander and 3DConnexion

Post by ngomes »

romagna wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 1:44 pm If anyone could share their settings or tips, that would be extremely helpful!
3Dconnexion has an FAQ article here.
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