What 3Dconnexion has done for many years is build a range of devices that focus on this idea and expand capabilities around it as you move up the product range. At the entry level, the SpaceNavigator, gives you the motion cap and a couple of buttons. Then as you progress up to the zenith, the SpaceMouse Enterprise, which has a lot of additional features. If your device is connected to your Windows computer, the serial number (PID) is shown in the “About” panel of the driver (3Dconnexion Home > Settings > More > About): I’ve always been a fan of 3Dconnexion and its range of 3D controllers. It has been one of the only hardware vendors to have served the market consistently for any period of time. The products are always built with the long term user in mind and it puts a lot of effort into supporting 3D design tool users. Then we have the CadMouse. To be frank, I was not convinced that 3Dconnexion could add much to the mouse but after nearly a year’s worth of working with the CadMouse, it has replaced my faithful Thermaltake Level 10 M (designed by BMW Design Labs no less). The shortcut buttons are there, but to be frank, I’ve never used them and I’d question if I could even reach the button behind the scroll wheel without contorting my fingers, but some will use it, I’m sure.

The CadMouse is very comfortable to use for long periods at a time. The middle mouse button being separated from the scroll wheel, while seemingly like an anachronism these days, makes perfect sense and it has been very well executed. To find the serial number ( PID) directly on your 3Dconnexion device, where you need to look depends on your device type:While the SpaceMouse products give you a special purpose 3D control device and it has a niche to itself (practically), the CadMouse is a very different beast. Mice are a very personal preference. For this product, 3Dconnexion has put a lot of effort into ensuring that the icons shown match those on the application you’re using. Design– It weighs only 1.76 pounds, but you would think more. The SpaceMouse Enterprise is solid device with the attention to materials and ergonomics 3Dconnexion has become known for. The button action is just right and the LCD display is positioned to be easily viewed and readable under different light conditions. So, what does 3Dconnexion think it can bring to an already crowded market? The answer is pretty much on two fronts. The first is that the device has three mouse buttons.

Some will be happy with whatever is supplied with their workstation, some will have a very specific preference — Logitech’s higher-end devices seem to be very popular in the CAD world. Some will try to keep the same mouse running for decades because it’s almost become part of their anatomy — I know when my original IntelliMouse (battered and broken as it was) gave up, I was more than a little upset. One workaround is to quit Fusion and terminate the "3DconnexionHelper" process using Activity Monitor. Then, restart 3DconnexionHelper (open the "3Dconnexion" pane in System Preferences, say) and then launch Fusion 360.

Some might question having wired devices (and there have been moves to release wireless devices elsewhere in 3Dconnexion’s range in the last year or two), but to my mind, this is a set-up that’s aimed fairly and squarely at those that are spending a lot of quality time at a desk. So, having wired devices makes sense — no charging, even if you’ve got a couple of cables trailing across your desk. CadMouse Compact, CadMouse Pro, CadMouse, SpaceMouse Compact, SpaceMouse Pro and SpaceMouse Enterprise: CadMouse Compact Wireless, CadMouse Pro Wireless, CadMouse Pro Wireless Left, CadMouse Wireless, SpaceMouse Wireless and SpaceMouse Pro Wireless:

The SpaceMouse Enterprise represents the high-end of the range and it’s a continuation of the company’s good work and incremental improvement of its products. To be honest, I’m surprised that the LCD and buttons are still there with today’s focus on touch screens, but considering that these types of devices are used without looking at them, then it makes sense.

Driver archive

What’s also interesting is that customisation is both accessible and pretty sophisticated, but we’ll deal with that shortly as you use the same method to customise both the 3D controller as well as the more traditional CadMouse product. So, let’s look at that next. CadMouse

This is a key thing to understand here. The shortcut keys are both application and context sensitive. If you’re using Inventor, then it’ll show a set of operations that are appropriate to Inventor — and that selection will differ if you’re in Part, assembly or drawing mode. Same goes for most mainstream systems we tried it with. The same applies to this combination of devices — your dominant hand moves the tool (in this instance, the cursor with the mouse), while the non-dominant hand manipulates the object (the SpaceMouse). This is fundamental for those using CAD systems all day long, made even more useful when you consider that you have a wealth of options for customisation. I know I'm in a bit of a rant but honestly it is upsetting me and I feel it's reasonable to be upset about this situation and how it's being handled.Firstly, to the left of the cap, you have a full set of keyboard modifiers (Escape, Control, Shift, Alt and new to the Enterprise, Enter, Delete, Space and Tab) . To the right of the cap, you have three customisable “view” buttons. These can be set to specific views (set by holding the button down until it registers). Below those you have a number of additional controls for view rotation, to zoom to fi t and a couple more. While we’re almost all used to using three buttons on our mice, that middle mouse is usually found under the scroll wheel. On the CadMouse, it has been separated entirely, nestling in between the left and right buttons.