Customizing Buttons Using the 3Dx Device Toolbar

This task explains how to customize buttons which allows you to assign (i.e. map) any given command or macro to a device button.
This functionality is available for any application-supported hardware providing the necessary buttons, e.g. Space Mouse and the Spaceball range of 3D input devices, joysticks, Intersense wand, etc.
  The SpacePilot (a new version of the SpaceBall/SpaceMouse with an LCD panel) is also supported. Refer to Activating Viewing Tools for a general overview of this device.

  1. Select View > Toolbars > 3DxDevice to display the 3DxDevice toolbar.

    Before you begin, just a few words about the toolbar:
    The 3DxDevice toolbar contains native integrated commands which let you modify the mode of the 3Dconnexion® device you are currently using. For detailed information, you can browse the following Internet site:

    http://www.3dconnexion.com

    Clicking:

    • activates or deactivates the translation mode
    • activates or deactivates the rotation mode
    • activates or deactivates the dominant mode
    • increases the sensitivity of the device
    • decreases the sensitivity of the device
    • resets the sensitivity of the device to its original state
    • activates or deactivates the fast zoom mode. Note that when the fast zoom mode is on, all other manipulation commands are disabled.
    When entering the Sketcher workbench, the rotation mode is automatically deactivated. If you exit the Sketcher workbench (by clicking Exit workbench ), the rotation is automatically activated when you enter another workbench.
    However, if you enter another workbench (by the Start menu or by creating a new part or product, for instance) without exiting the Sketcher workbench, the rotation mode remains deactivated in the other workbench. You need to click the icon to activate the rotation mode.

  2. In the 3DxDevice toolbar, click Opens the Button Customization dialog box to open the Button Customization dialog box:

    You can also access the Button Customization dialog box using one of the methods below:
    • select Tools > Customize, choose the Commands tab then select VR Button Customization
    • select View > Commands List then select VR Button Customization
    • type c:VR Button Customize  or c:3Dx Button Customize in the power input field then press Enter
    • press button "1" of your Space Mouse or Spaceball (if you are using original settings).
    This scenario uses the SpacePilot as an example but do not forget that the buttons displayed in the Button Customization dialog box depend on the device you are using. For instance, when using the SpaceMouse, the look of the dialog box is as follows:
    Let's have a look at the information displayed in this dialog box:
    • the Device list displays the name of the device you are using
    • the Button Configuration list displays the default configurations available as well as the configurations you created
    • the command icon displays the mapped command icon (if available) as it is shown on a toolbar
    • the button drag-and-drop area displays the title of the command or macro which is currently assigned to the corresponding device button. For instance, the Redo command has been assigned to "Button 2"
    • the button title displays the device button title. For instance, with a SpaceBall 4000FLX the tenth button from the top is shown as "Button A"
    • the navigation buttons are not grayed out to let you skip backward and forward through the pages if the device you have chosen has more than 15 buttons.
    In addition to that:
    • pointing at a command name displays the tooltip of the corresponding mapped command:

    • pressing a device button displays a red arrow to the left of the corresponding button name in the Button Customization dialog box:

    When starting a Version 5 session with no settings defined, two default mappings are provided in the two default configurations shown below, provided that you use the new device and you installed the new driver (minimum level required: 5.0.7):
    Default configuration 1 Default Configuration 2
    Note that this mapping differs from the one of the SpaceMouse. In that case, only the former default configuration is available and this, whatever the driver version (anterior to 5.0.7 or later) you installed.
    Similarly, if you use the SpacePilot with a driver anterior to 5.0.7, only the former default configuration is available:

  3. In the Device area, use the list to select the device to be used. In our example, the device is a SpacePilot.

  4. In the Button Configuration area, select the default configuration to be used:

    • if you are using the SpacePilot and the new driver, you can choose between Default 1 and Default 2 as explained above

    • if you are using a SpaceMouse, only one default configuration is available (whatever the driver).

  5. To create a new button configuration, click New:

    • with the SpacePilot and the new driver, the configuration is initialized with Default 1

    • with a SpaceMouse, the configuration is initialized with the default configuration.

    Each configuration you create is named "Configurationn", "n" is incremented by "1" for each new configuration.

    Once several configurations have been created, you can switch from one configuration to another using the list.

  6. If you want to delete one of the configurations you created, select it from the list then click Delete.

    Note that default configurations cannot be deleted.

  7. You can also rename the configurations (either default or new) displayed in the list. To do so, right-click the configuration to be renamed from the list then select Rename. This opens the Rename Configuration dialog box:

    In the New title box, enter the new configuration name then click OK to validate. The new name is then displayed in the Button Configuration list:

  8. Map the desired device button to a particular command or macro using one of the four methods detailed below:

    Dragging and dropping from a toolbar

    1.1  Make sure that the toolbar containing the command to be mapped is visible.

    1.2  Press and hold down the left-mouse button on top of the command icon.

    1.3  Drag the icon to the top of the drag-and-drop area of the selected button:

    1.4  Release the left-mouse button.
     

    The command is assigned to the device button:

    Dragging and dropping from the Customize dialog box

    1.1  In the Button Customize dialog box, click Customize... or select Tools > Customize to open the Customize dialog box.

    1.2  Select the Commands tab:

    1.3  In the Categories list, select a category to map a command, or select the "Macros" category to map a macro.

    1.4  Select the command or macro to be mapped from the list of commands.

    1.5  Press and hold down the left-mouse button on top of the command or macro entry.

    1.6  Drag the command to the top of the button drag-and-drop area.

    1.7  Release the left-mouse button.

    The command is assigned to the device button.
    Note that you can now assign the 3Dx Swap view/tree command to one of the buttons of your Space Mouse or Spaceball in order to swap the focus between the specification tree and the geometry.

    Dragging and dropping from another button
    You can copy a command or macro already assigned to a device button. To do so:

    1.1 Press and hold down the left-mouse button on top of the button drag-and-drop area of the button mapping to be copied.

    1.2  Drag the button mapping to the other button drag-and-drop area the command or macro is to be assigned to.

    1.3  Release the left-mouse button.

    The command or macro is now assigned to two different device buttons.

    Using the contextual menu
    As an alternative to the above-detailed drag-and-drop methods, it is also possible to use the contextual menu to access the complete list of available commands.

    1.1  Right-click the desired button drag-and-drop area to display the contextual menus:

    1.2  Select Get Command.... The Commands list dialog box listing the Version 5 commands available is displayed:

    1.3  In the Commands list dialog box, select the command to be mapped.
    Two new Version 5 commands can be mapped:
    • 3Dx Next Configuration lets you cycle forward through the configurations displayed in the configuration list
    • 3Dx Previous Configuration lets you cycle backward through the configurations displayed in the configuration list.

    Once these commands have been mapped, you just have to press one of the corresponding device button (for instance, the one corresponding to 3Dx Next Configuration) then close the Button Customize dialog box. The next time you open the dialog box, the button mapping corresponding to the next configuration in the list will be displayed.

    1.4  When finished, click OK to validate.

    The button drag-and-drop area now shows the title of the mapped command.
    1.5  Select Get Driver Command... to display a list of 3DxWare functions that can be mapped:

    1.6  Select the 3Dx command to be mapped then click OK to validate.
    If you wish to remove a button mapping, simply right-click the desired button drag-and-drop area then select Delete. This empties the button drag-and-drop area to indicate that no macro or command is currently assigned to this device button.

    The contextual menu also lets you restore the selected button to its original settings by selecting Default. In case the selected button has no original settings but only a mapped command or macro, the button drag-and-drop area is emptied (mapped commands or macros are not considered as original settings).
    Now let's go back to the main scenario:

  9. Repeat step 8 as many times as needed to map your device buttons.

  10. Click OK to validate your mapping and close the Button Customization dialog box.

    The mapping you defined is saved in Version 5 settings, more precisely in a file named VRButtonCustomize.CATSettings.

  11. Press the desired device button to activate the command you assigned to it. Note that if the Button Customization dialog box is still open, pressing a device button has no effect.

    From V5R15 onwards, the calibration state is shared by your Version 5 session and the device driver. Therefore, any change made in Version 5 (for instance, disabling the rotation) is automatically made in the button function of the device driver and reciprocally:

  12. Access the 3Dxconnexion Control Panel then click the Motion Settings button to open the Motion Settings dialog box (click the thumbnail to see the full-size picture):

  13. Access your Version 5 session so that it is displayed in background then, in the Motion Settings dialog box, clear the Rotation check box: Rotation is instantaneously disabled in Version 5:

  14. In the Motion Settings dialog box, click OK to validate your modification and close the dialog box.

    Note that this applies only to calibration items that can be modified, i.e. Sensitivity, Dominant Mode, Translation On/Off and Rotation On/Off.
    The calibration state is saved in the driver settings. The default calibration calibration can be restored by entering the following command:

    c:3Dx Sensitivity Reset

  15. To restore the button mappings, click Restore... to open the following dialog box:

    Two options are available:
    • Current device lets you restore the original button mapping for the device you are currently using
    • All devices lets you restore the button mapping for all devices to their original commands.

    In both cases, if the button mappings have no original settings but only mapped commands or macros, the button drag-and-drop areas will be emptied since mapped commands or macros are not considered as original settings.

  16. Select the appropriate option then click OK to validate.