FreeCAD Blog By MangoJelly Solutions

A Follow-Up on Using the Radial Menu with My 3Dconnexion Mouse in FreeCAD I’ve been using the radial menu button on my 3Dconnexion mouse in FreeCAD, and before diving into my overall impressions, I want to share some additional configurations I’ve added. Along with setting up the Sketcher workbench, I also configured the Part Design workbench and added four tools, three from Part Design (New Sketch, Pad, and Loft) and one from the Draft workbench (Clone, not to be confused with the Part Design Clone, which is a very different tool). The Clone tool wasn’t initially available in the radial menus since the menu restricts itself to the workbench you’re currently in. While you can set up key shortcuts, most 3D packages require sequences of key combinations that can’t be entered into a single shortcut field. This is where the radial menu shines: it allows you to create and assign macros to a button by programming each key press along with custom millisecond pauses to build a flow. In my c...

  Let’s explore how we can use the mouse with FreeCAD. I decided to set it up for sketching. While I know I can use shortcuts, not everyone can remember the many key combinations. Clicking the menu button in the middle of the mouse while in the Sketcher opens the radial menu. This menu is customizable—simply select "Properties" to tailor it to your needs. Notice how the menu defaults to FreeCAD, the application you're currently using. The software intelligently switches between the applications you have running. Interestingly, it even detected Screenpresso, the tool I use for taking screenshots. This made documenting the process a bit tricky—after taking a screenshot, the mouse would switch to configuring Screenpresso instead of FreeCAD. Clicking on the buttons takes you directly to the configuration section for the specific part of FreeCAD you're working in—in this case, the Sketcher. This is where you can configure the radial menu and other mouse buttons. In tr...

I’ve completely dropped the ball on this one! The kind folks at 3Dconnexion sent me their mouse and device, and I’ve only managed to make two posts about it. So, what happened? Well, most of my work is done on a laptop in the living room. Even though I have a dedicated office, I rarely use it. I made a couple of posts when I first received the device, but I quickly got frustrated with how long it was taking me to learn how to use it, not just that but it was causing me pain in my shoulder? which I found out the reason why (explained later). But, I could of still reviewed the mouse! Eventually, I slipped back into my usual routine, laptop, sofa, touchpad. I’ve been dealing with some health issues that I’m hoping to overcome this year. Specifically, I’ve been struggling with sciatica in both legs. What I thought was helping—working on the sofa in a soft, comfortable nest—has actually been making things worse. I barely move from that spot, which only aggravates my condition. With the new ...