Knowledge Base

1) Accessing 3Dconnexion settings in Blender

1. First Step

   Navigate to the “Edit” button on the ribbon and select “Preferences”

2. Second Step

   Select the “Input” category and navigate to the “NDOF” tab located at the bottom of the window. Here, you can configure most settings related to the SpaceMouse. Additiona settings can be changed in the “Navigation” category
   
   

2) Recommended settings 
Refer to Chapter 1 to access 3Dconnexion settings in Blender and adjust the corresponding parameters:

1. SpaceMouse Sensitivity

   
   Go to Input > NDOF tab
   The default “Pan sensitivity” and “Orbit Sensitivity” are set to 4.0, offering a balanced experience for all users. Feel free to experiment with this setting to find what suits you best.
   Note: Mac users might prefer setting “Orbit Sensitivity” to 2.75 for an optimal experience
   
   

2. SpaceMouse Deadzone

   
   Go to Input > NDOF tab
   Set the “Deadzone” slider to 0.0 for the best precision, disabling any additional deadband that might affect your SpaceMouse performance
   
   

3. SpaceMouse Rotation Center – Use Selected Item

   
   Go to Navigation > Orbit & Pan tab
   Enable the setting “Orbit Around Selection“. With this function, the Center of Rotation will be set to center of volume of the selected item/s. If nothing is selected, the last selection will be used. This is generally recommended, but can be inconvenient in some projects, feel free to experiment
   
   Note: this setting also impacts 2D Mouse navigation
   
   

4. CadMouse QuickZoom

   
   Go to Navigation > Zoom tab
   Enable the “Zoom to Mouse Position” setting. This ensures that the CadMouse QuickZoom buttons operate correctly
   
   

3) Other Settings
Refer to Chapter 1 to access 3Dconnexion settings in Blender and adjust the corresponding parameters:

1. Switching Navigation to Fly Mode

   
   • Object Mode is the default navigation method in Blender
   • To switch to Fly Mode:
   Set “Navigation” option to “Free”
   Deselect all axes in the “Invert Axis Pan” and “Orbit” fields, to ensure the reversal of axes is disabled for a true Fly Mode experience
   
   

2. Switching Navigation to Object Mode

   
   • Object Mode is the default navigation method in Blender
   • If you need to switch back to Object Mode:
   Set “Navigation” option to “Orbit”
   Select all axes in the “Invert Axis Pan” and “Orbit” fields, to ensure the reversal of axes is enabled
   
   

3. Activating/Deactivating Horizon Lock

   
   • To activate Horizon Lock, select the “Turntable” option in the “Rotation” field
   • To deactivate Horizon Lock, select “Trackball” option in the “Rotation” field
   
   

4. Enabling Drone (Helicopter) Mode

   
   • Drone Mode is exclusive to Blender’s Fly or Walk navigation modes. For detailed information on these navigation modes refer to Chapter 4 – section “Fly/Walk mode settings”
   

4) Troubleshooting
Refer to Chapter 1 to access 3Dconnexion settings in Blender and adjust the corresponding parameters:

1. Axis Reversal

   If you notice that reversing the Z-axis in the Blender Preferences Menu isn’t producing the desired effect:
   
   • If you are in Object Mode: toggle the “Invert Zoom” field
   • If you are in Fly Mode: toggle the the “Z” field within the “Invert Axis Pan”
   
   

2. Inability to zoom in or out

   If you’re experiencing difficulties in zooming while in Fly Mode, first, confirm that your view is set to perspective projection, as Fly Mode cannot navigate properly within an orthographic projection. To make this adjustment:
   
   • Navigate to the “View” option on the ribbon in Blender
   • From the drop-down menu, select “Perspective“
   
   If, however, you prefer orthographic projection, consider switching to Object Mode. Detailed steps for this switch are provided in Chapter 3 – section “Switching Navigation to Object Mode”.
   
   

3. Fly/Walk mode settings

   Blender features Fly and Walk modes, which are designed for 2D Mouse navigation, however, the SpaceMouse can also navigate in these modes.
   
   The options under NDOF > Fly/Walk tab are dedicated to SpaceMouse settings in these modes:
   
   • Horizon Lock and Drone (Helicopter) Mode under the “Fly/Walk” tab require that either “Fly” or “Walk” navigation is enabled
   • To activate Horizon Lock outside the “Fly” or “Walk” navigation modes, please refer to Chapter 3 – section “Activating/Deactivating Horizon Lock”
   
   Read more about Fly/Walk Modes on Blender Docs:
   (https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/3dview/navigate/walk_fly.html#dview-fly-walk)
   
   For more information about SpaceMouse related settings, please refer to Blender Docs:
   (https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/preferences/input.html#ndof)