Configure SketchUp same as Google Earth?

[TheJoker]

Hi,

How do I configure my SpaceNavigator PE to work the same way in Google SketchUp as it works in Google Earth.

I find the Google Earth way very intuitive, but when I switch to Google SketchUp the controller is all wrong. It's driving me crazy!

Please let me know how I can ge the same experience in both programs.

Thanks!

[Bryan]

Dear TheJoker,

Sketchup and Google Earth are two different programs and they have different development teams using different tools with different design goals and different design specifications for their user interfaces. So it is not surprising that the user interface you experience in these different applications may be different. They take the input from our devices and use it in different fashions for different goals with different expectations and performance criterion.

Specifically what are you experiencing Google SketchUp that you would like different?

How much have you used SketchUp before installing our device?
Have you spent time practicing moving objects in jet demo?
Are you using camera mode or object mode?
What have you selected as center of rotation?
Are you set for auto center of rotation?
Do you have rolling disabled?
Are you bothered by perspectives?
Or speed of movement?
Or direction of movement?
Or what gets moved?
Does viewing closeness to an object make a difference for you?

Sincerely,
Bryan

[TheJoker]

Thanks for your reply Bryan. I'm going to try make this progress.

Sketchup and Google Earth are two different programs and they have different development teams using different tools with different design goals and different design specifications for their user interfaces. So it is not surprising that the user interface you experience in these different applications may be different. They take the input from our devices and use it in different fashions for different goals with different expectations and performance criterion.

I'm fully aware of that these are two different applications. However, they do serve a very similar purpose; viewing in 3D. My question is how can I configure Google Sketchup to behave the same way as Google Earth.

Specifically what are you experiencing Google SketchUp that you would like different?

Moving around in Google Earth is totally intuitive. I can hand the SpaceNavigator to pretty much anyone and they can fly around in Google Earth.
You lift the SN or push it down to zoom in/out.
You tilt the SN to tilt the landscape.
You turn (spin) the SN to change the direction of north.
You push the SN (pan) to "fly around".

In SketchUp, the movement of the view is, to me, totally wrong. I've tried different settings but they either don't change what I want to change, or they change it in a strange way.
This is what happens in SketchUp:
Lifting the SN moves up or down, or depending on configuration zooms in/out. (not too bad).
Tilting the SN forward/backwards/left/right moves the view up/down/left/right in camera mode. (this is wrong) Without "camera mode", the model waggles around in a really strange way (wrong wrong wrong), flicking the other settings on and off doesn't really change the intuitiveness (probably not a word) of the whole thing.
Pushing the SN operates the same as tilting it (this is how I want it).
And so forth... not very intuitive.

How much have you used SketchUp before installing our device?

A bit. I'm no expert but I've played around.

Have you spent time practicing moving objects in jet demo?

no, what's that?

Are you using camera mode or object mode?

Both, they make no positive difference.

What have you selected as center of rotation?

Sometimes, no positive difference in the intuitiveness.

Are you set for auto center of rotation?

Sometimes.

Do you have rolling disabled?

Sometimes.

Are you bothered by perspectives?
What do you mean?
Or speed of movement?

That I can adjust to my satisfaction.

Or direction of movement?

See above, my explanations of the differences.

Or what gets moved?

I haven't used the SN to move anything else than the point of view.

Does viewing closeness to an object make a difference for you?

Please explain what you mean by that.


Let me just point out once more, using the SpaceNavigator in Google Earth is totally intuitive and absolutely wonderful. I love using the SpaceNavigator in Google Earth. I see no reason for not being able to have the exact same configuration in Google SketchUp. At the moment using SpaceNavigator in Google SketchUp is confusing annoys me to the extent that I don't want to use the SpaceNavigator nor Google SketchUp.

[Bryan]

Dear TheJoker,

I do not know of anyway to configure Sketchup to behave the same way as Google Earth. I would recommend that you contact the developers of Googe Sketchup and ask them to include changes in their next version of Sketchup to match your sense of intuitiveness.

Sincerely,
Bryan

[ngomes]

Hi TheJoker,

Try opening the "3DxSketchUp" toolbar (it's created by the 3Dconnexion add-in for SketchUp) and then switching to "camera" mode. That should should change the use of your 3D mouse to something similar to what you're used to in GE.

Let us know how it goes for you.

[TheJoker]

Thanks guys!
Camera mode didn't really work for me. I've now started using "Center of rotation on selection" and I have all axis' reversed, but I still feel that (as per System Preferences):

a) "spin" should do what "roll" does and
b) "roll" should do what "spin" does.

I guess I'll just have to let my head work around this.....

[David Phillips]

I have a similar request, which I'll post as an independent item.

[TheJoker]

Please cross-link them.

[David Phillips]

3D Connexion reference:

viewtopic.php?t=2245

SketchUp Pro reference:

http://groups.google.com/group/Sketchup ... fdc15c423f#