Blender 3D Space mouse settings

Question

I’m a 3ds max user trying to migrate to Blender 2.8 but having some problems setting up my 3dconnexion SpaceMouse Pro device. The 3D mouse settings that show up in Blender (when pushing on the SpaceMouse menu button) seem to provide everything needed (at first glance) but eventually every combination of settings I try does not get me to the desired navigation behavior.

What I would like to get is a comparable behavior like in 3ds max, Side FX Houdini or 3D Coat. Those apps (and most of these apps) seem to be using a target camera and the target always moves to the tings active or selected, resulting in a form of selective orbit guided behavior.

Blender seems to provide two main options, a free floating camera behavior (having no target) or a fixed center point orbital rotation mode?

With the free mode I’m having problems keeping the objects centered in the view-port while smoothly rotating around them, however this mode allows me to move to different parts of the scene although not very smoothly (its erratic without guidance of selective target locking and reducing sensitivity makes moving slow). When I try the orbit and trackball option the behavior is comparable to a locket target camera but in this mode I cannot move to different parts of my scene (not able to zoom in to different objects and rotate around them) due to a fixed center.

I tried locking the view to the 3D cursor and then manually move the 3D cursor, this brings me a bit closer but panning sideways or up/down is not possible and eventually manually moving a rotation point is just not what I’m looking for, preferably having a target camera with auto-lock to selection behavior but camera and target are still able to move up/down or sideways withing the perpendicular viewing plane of the camera.

If someone knows right combination of settings to make this happen then pleas let me know?

(using Windows 10 pro 64bit)

PS: big shout-out to Blender developers, its unbelievable what this community have done so far.

Answer 1

When it gets difficult to navigate select the object you are working on and hit the "." on the num pad and it re-centers around that object. Not perfect but makes it a little closer to usable. I'm a Solidworks user and love my 3D mouse. Seems to work a little closer to normal but is a little slow in rotating around the object but slow is better than flying off the screen. I'm a newbie to Blender but starting to love it.

Edit...... Attached are the settings I found to be the most like Solidworks movement. But if you start losing control hit the period on num pad after you have selected the object you are working on to get back functioning. You can play with the Free/ orbit and the Turntable but I like Free and Trackball settings for total movement. I did have to increase the Pan and Orbit Sensitivity they were to slow.

Answer 2

Short answer: There are no settings that will get you the behaviour you want (AFAIK) - I've looked for them ... hard!

I'm in the same position. I work with engineering CAD systems and of course use a 3D mouse. As you describe, the Blender way of handling it is .... not the way most other software do. It is principally unusable, for me at least, when you can't set a focus point on the fly (that isn't an entire object and at the same tim not have it treated as orbit point without actually using "orbit"). It should be relatively easy to fix and half of the options in the 3D mouse settings could be removed (most of them actually, considering that 3DConnexion has your back there). Also, it need to change behaviour slightly when going to side views, shading port or node view). I suspect that the user base is too small to justify a change though. Perhaps that will change with the new patrons or there is someone out there with the necessary Python skills to fix it(?). Still, greatest software on the face of the earth! Keep at it!! :)

Answer 3

I haven't used previous versions but in 2.83 and onward go to Preferences > Navigation, you can check Orbit Around Selection, I also check Zoom to Mouse Position.