Skip to main content

3DConnexion Space Mouse Diary #2 : Out of the box use with FreeCAD

As you’ve probably seen from my Twitter posts, I recently started my journey with the SpaceMouse. I began with the initial setup a couple of days ago, and today I’m attempting to get it working with FreeCAD. I’m sharing my thoughts in real time as I go, so you’re getting my reactions as I discover how this new technology works. Each session lasts around 30-45 minutes.

Currently, I’m still on Windows, and I noticed that a small 3Dconnexion Home window appears every time I turn on my laptop. I initially missed the “show at system startup” checkbox, so I unchecked it to prevent this pop-up.

3Dconnexion provides a knowledge base article on SpaceMouse settings for FreeCAD, but it only covers versions up to 0.21.2, and there doesn’t seem to be anything specific to FreeCAD v1 (RC) yet. Here’s the link: 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Settings for FreeCAD.

To get started, I powered on the SpaceMouse, opened FreeCAD v1 RC2, and loaded the BIM example found on the start page to explore the settings. Surprisingly, it just worked right out of the box! I expected to need some configuration, but everything seemed to function seamlessly.


Let me tell you, it’s hard to take a first-person photo while using one hand to control the device, holding the camera, and tapping the screen! I have no idea how kids manage it so effortlessly.

For those who know me, you know I can’t stand it when things don’t work, or when instructions tell me to open some “XYZ manager” without explaining where it is or how to find it. This frustration is actually why I started my YouTube channel. But so far, the SpaceMouse has been refreshingly simple to use, although I’ll be looking at the configuration options in more detail later.

As a test I set myself a little challenge: navigating around the building, entering through a door, wandering inside, and then exiting. The out-of-the-box controls are intuitive:

  • Pull up/down to move in that direction.
  • Twist clockwise/counterclockwise to yaw.
  • Push forward/back to move forward/backward.
  • Tilt forward/back to pitch.
  • Tilt left/right to roll.

Clicking the left or right button brings up a radial menu at the cursor position with options like “views,” which I often used to reset after accidentally zooming too far away.

The sensitivity out of the box feels quite high. I found that keeping my palm elevated and gripping the device with my fingers and thumb, rather than resting it on the table like a regular mouse, offered more control. Using an armrest made the experience much more comfortable.

Overall, getting used to the SpaceMouse requires a bit of patience—something 3Dconnexion warned me about. After 20 minutes of trying to walk through the door and up the stairs to the second floor in my model, I started to get the hang of it. The stairs have a landing and switchback, and I initially struggled with turning around without accidentally tilting up, which would leave me facing a wall or losing the model entirely. With more practice and some adjustments to sensitivity, I’m sure the experience will become smoother.

One thing that I have seen on the suppliers website is for the supported software you can customize the radial menu and hook it up to, say, the part design and sketcher operations.  This is true for both the 3Dconnexion Spacemouse and the 3Dconnexion CADMouse (Customization for FreeCAD).  

In my next sitting I will like to explore these customizable features.

Related Posts in This Series:


Thanks for following along with my 3Dconnexion journey! Stay tuned for more insights and tips on using these devices to improve your workflow. Got questions or experiences to share? Drop a comment below!

Comments

  1. Hello, It is very good quality of teaching that you offer. Much appreciated by a 3d hobbyist like me. In some of your videos you display a flowchart for modelling process and I think it would be great if this could be a PDF file that could be in a single place on your blog or YT channel. I hope they make an award for work helping more people to embrace open source tools! R

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi,
    I watch your FreeCAD videos to learn the interface, very informative and easy to follow.

    I am a Catia V5 / Mastercam user in my professional life, I also use the spacemouse, they are an excellent piece of hardware once you grasp the concept and tailor the controls to the software package.

    The skills I use daily are transferable from both of my main cad/cam packages and with the help of your tutorials I have begun to grasp the fundamental basics of FreeCAD and its user interface. It’s somewhat like Catia and Solidworks however the application does have its quirks.

    However I am having difficulty with fillets failing to apply on a model.
    Particularly with the Solidworks model mania 2000 exercise.

    If possible could you do a video using the model mania 2000 drawings with the fillets applied, I believe this would be extremely helpful as an intermediate tutorial for FreeCAD users.

    At the moment my own version of the model doesn’t have the fillets as they fail to generate.

    Thank you for your work and videos teaching FreeCAD.

    Regards
    Bodrin.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beginners FreeCAD: Exercise 5.1 & 5.2 (Reference Images)

Welcome to the total beginners course to FreeCAD 0.20. In this is a two part lesson we will practice our tracing skill in the form of a mini project. Using the below reference photos we will create a more complex part which will consist of repeating features. We will utilise the symmetry tools to ease construction in both FreeCAD sketcher and Part Design workbench. This project work will help teach the fundamentals of freeCAD allowing a understanding of the basics but delivering this information via teaching you different workflows. In this tutorial we will be tracing photos imported into FreeCAD via the image workbench https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Image_Workbench JUMP TO IMAGES Do you want to purchase the complete series along with others and keep forever?  Check out my shop https://ko-fi.com/mang0/shop The story of this tutorial The idea and first attempt at creating this tutorial was back in FreeCAD 0.18.  The physical part itself, well, I have no idea what really it is, i...

FreeCAD For Beginners: CAD Thinking Part 1

Step-by-Step CAD Thinking FreeCAD Tutorial: Modeling a Latch Part (Part 1) Learning how to turn real life objects into CAD Models. Using FreeCAD we explain at a beginner level how to break down a physical object into its primitive shapes to digitise it into a 3D model, with this episode we are looking at a multi-part assembly, modelling each piece individually. The series aims to open your eyes and mind giving you the ground skills to pick the correct profiles, geometry and workflow when it comes to modelling your parts. This is not just for FreeCAD but for all CAD packages out there. Introduction This tutorial is the first in a series guiding you through modeling a latch assembly in FreeCAD (version 0.21) using the Part Design and A2Plus workbenches. It focuses on modeling the first part (a slotted component) by selecting the top profile to create a slot and adding side arcs, emphasizing CAD thinking to break down complex shapes into primitives. The tutorial highlights model stability...

Beginner FreeCAD Tutorial 14: Reference Document for Exercise 1

This tutorial focuses on modelling a deck eye plate. These items are normally made of stainless steel with some kind of galvanised coating to stop corrosion. They are used in many industries but are most commonly found around boats, ships, sail lofts and docks where they play an important part in marine industry. Finding their use in many applications, they are often wall mounted acting as lashing points for mooring and for tying down sails or canopies. They can even be used for domestic use around the house and garden, for example to anchor ropes, cords and lines. So if your into 3D printing your finished creations, you can make use of the finished result.   Disclaimer : The strength of the part will depend on the internal structure, settings of the slicer and the material it has been printed on.  This will limit its application as failure of the part, damage to property and injury is a possibility.  These items are normally made of steel and are tested to take a...