Custom Functions broken on Windows but works on Mac?

Torley · Post by **Torley** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:05 am

Friendly greetings!

I'm trying to use the SpaceNavigator PE/SE with Second Life. I've noticed the same following problem as others and am curious for more info:

I want to setup a Custom Function (macro) that does a keystroke like "Ctrl-Shift-S". It works on Mac but doesn't work on Windows.

I use the same basic equivalent steps. I thought this might be a problem specific to Second Life, but I can't get it to work in "any application".

My two test OSes:

Windows 7 x64 - SN drivers 3.12.3
Mac OS X 10.6.6 - SN drivers 1.6.2

On Windows, there's no response. Curiously, some of the button functions do work for me on Windows, like "3DxWare panel" (which overrides the default "left button does Flycam in Second Life") and "Browser Back". But the shortcuts already setup like "Undo (^z)" don't work. Oddly, some keys seem to have inconsistent behavior: if I set a button to "Alt", it only triggers on alternating keypresses, making it unreliable.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled to no avail, and like I mentioned, this is working on Mac. Is there a broader bug affecting more SN users or is there something else I should try?

Torley · Post by **Torley** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:22 am

Also:

Another person I'm in touch with says she can't get the SN's Custom Functions to work on Windows XP.

I can reproduce this lack of functionality after a fresh restart without opening Second Life, so the problem appears independent of SL.

I'm going to submit a ticket to official support, in case this is indicative of broader problems not yet addressed.

Post by **jwick** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:43 am

The 3DxSoftware 3 driver doesn't work with any old program. It has to be a 3D mouse enabled program. IOW, you, in general, for example, can't send ^n to Outlook to get it to open a new email.

Second Life is a special case, it doesn't use the 3DxSoftware driver. It operates outside of 3Dconnexion software. The 3DxSoftware driver does the keyboard shortcuts that you configure inside the 3DxSoftware GUI. They are not active when Second Life is running. There are special cases that could cause it to work, inconsistently.

The next major release, 3DxSoftware 4, will fix this inconsistency. It will be in beta "soon".

Still, any customization you do inside Second Life should work fine. If it doesn't let us know and please give us a detailed scenario of what you do to get it to fail. We'll take it up with them (it's inside Second Life).

Torley · Post by **Torley** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:18 am

Thanks for the confirmation, jwick. Roger @ 3Dconnexion has also confirmed that the Mac version has more advanced functionality because it currently can use Custom Functions in any app, whereas like you mention, the Windows one only works with "3D mouse enabled programs".

This seems like a big feature discrepancy and one I'm unaccustomed to (since it's usually the Mac drivers that are cut down), but good to know about 3DxSoftware 4! I'll share this info forward with others who are curious.

And yes, despite Second Life being supported by SpaceNavigator, Custom Functions do not work inside of it. Here's a precise example that reproduces for me in Windows 7 x64:

- In 3DxWare Panel, click Button Configuration tab.
- Click Custom Functions button.
- Click New button.
- In Macro Name field, enter "Snapshot".
- In User Macro field, press Ctrl-Shift-S.
- Click Save button.
- Back in 3DxWare Panel, set R button to "Snapshot" Custom Function.
- Start Second Life Viewer 2.5 and login.
- Select Me menu > Properties and click Move & View tab.
- Click Other Devices button. Confirm SpaceNavigator is recognized.
- Click OK, then click OK in PREFERENCES window to close it.
- Press right SpaceNavigator button.
- OBSERVE: Nothing happens.
- EXPECTED: Snapshot window should come up.

This happens with both the older Viewer 1.23 and the current Viewer 2.5, both downloadable at http://secondlife.com/download . But I do recall it working further back (Viewer 1.20?) so maybe something broke in the interim? BTW, I work for Linden Lab and have been teaching our customers how to get the most out of alternative input devices like SpaceNavigator, so feel free to copy me in: torley at lindenlab dot com

Torley · Post by **Torley** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:22 am

Sorry, I meant "Fred @ 3Dconnexion". Can't edit my earlier post.

Post by **jwick** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:54 pm

That's where I've heard that name before. You did a very nice vid on the SN in SL a few years ago.

3DxSoftware 4 should fix these issues.

Post by **jwick** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:03 pm

I take that all back. In fact, SL doesn't work at all with the new version of 3DxSoftware (in beta). We need to talk to development at LL about this.