Hi,
Is anyone using the Space Navigator from 3dconnexion with R18?
http://bit.ly/2lxVqJ5
Apart from some sketchy google references connected to R14, compatibility info in relation to R18 seems non-existent. Furthermore, the list of “supported software” link on their site features the prehistoric C4D logo which is a bit of a red flag.
Input appreciated.
Kind Regards / Alex
3D Connexion functionality is built-in to Cinema 4D R18. All the information you need is in the help file (https://help.maxon.net/#11106)
You need to first install the OS drivers that you download from 3D Connexion (http://www.3dconnexion.eu/service/drivers.html) and those are up to date for both Mac (OS X) & PC (Windows 10). Install before running Cinema 4D and then configure it as required from there.
The built-in functionality is a bit lacking. It still doesn’t support the navigational pivot, and the way they handle the Y axis is different from what you do with the mouse.
I have written an alternative controller (CollieMouse) that supports all C4D navigation and also allows the user to use context dependent key assignments. A completely revamped version is available for R18, I’m just writing the extended manual before officially offering it…
(Only available for Windows.)
Thanks for your replies. 
(…and apology for not responding earlier - both kids home with colds + diaper change overload situation)
Ok, I totally missed the R18 Space Navigator reference. Thanks for that gem of info Drew-Kerr.
CollieMouse looks great. Thanks for developing it. Do you have any plans for a Mac version later on?
Given the fact this hardware’s usefulness extends to other heavily used apps like PhotoShop, Rhino etc. I’ll probably pick one up and give it whirl.
Cheers / Alex
Unfortunately, there will not be a Mac version. CollieMouse is not a financially viable product so I can’t justify spending time on code for a system I don’t own. (Also, given the current direction Apple takes…)
Ok.
Been playing with the SpaceNavigator now for a few days and here are my preliminary conclusions which I choose to share so that others can make a more informed purchasing decision.
When it comes to usefulness in connection with C4D, its:
(A) A fairly decent user experience on Windows - worth purchasing.
(B) Awful user experience on the Mac - Do NOT purchase!
I’m on a mac and to find out how the SpaceNavigator performed inside C4D on Windows, I booted up to windows on the same machine via BootCamp. The fluid motion control and scene navigation compared to OS X was shockingly good by comparison. Nothing close to the jerky, staggered motion experience on the Mac side. However, this is probably due to better OpenGL performance on Windows compared to OS X.
While still booted up inside Windows, I took the opportunity to fire up Rhino. I was completely blown away by how well the Space Navigator performed inside Rhino. If scene navigation inside C4D (Windows) with the SpaceNavigator was decent, it was silky smooth and easy to use inside Rhino. Absolute fantastic 3D user experience.
Conclusion:
I’m seriously considering using C4D on Windows now more than on the Mac. The fluidity and OpenGL performance in conjunction with the SpaceNavigator warrants the better user 3D-experience. I was surprised how terrible the SpaceNavigator functionality is in conjunction with Adobe PhotoShop / Adobe apps. It’s pretty much useless because the slightest hand movements cause unpredictable results and basically the only thing you can realistically do with the Space Navigator in PhotoShop is zoom in or out of a document, something the scroll- wheel on your mouse does better(!) Another bummer is that the lack of Zbrush support which is a disappointment considering how useful that would be.
Anyway, long story short: The SpaceNavigator is pretty good on Windows and a total paper weight on OS X.
Cheers / Alex
Yeah the Space Navigator family has never been a good experience on Mac, especially in C4D (it may suck less in some other app *who knows). Everyone I’ve spoken to, every review I’ve read over the last 5-7 years or so conclude the same thing: the experience is shit, the driver is shit, and the support is… well, shit.
I thought I would reply if there are any Cinema 4D R25 Mac users searching in vain for information on using their 3DConnexion device with a new M1 processor-based Mac. The good news is that 3D Connexion release of 3DxWare 10.7 in January of 2022 seems to work well with Mac OS Monterey 12. I have a Space Explorer mouse from 2006, and I hooked it up and at first it just would not work with Cinema4D R25 at all. Just dead in the water, but like poetry in motion in Blender.
Turns out Maxon disabled 3D mice use in the Apple Silicon version of C4D R25. So… if you really want to use your 3DConnexion mouse on Mac, you need to boot the Intel version of the app to actually get it to work. So once I got it working I had a hard time figuring out why C4D’s implementation, which they do on their own, sucks to freaking bad. You just can’t use the thing. So I messed around with the settings, and finally determined that unchecking that little left-right-arrow thing on their 3D connexion toolbox - Viewport -> View --> 3D Connexion (see screenshot) actually made it function like it did in every application. That is, it only manipulates one axis at a time, which actually makes sense and is how it’s handled on all other apps. So there you have it. 3D Connexion working well again on Mac for me in C4D.
Maxon didn’t disable the mouse - the 3D mouse SDK (lib) for M1 wasn’t available before launch of R24 (SP1), it wasn’t available before launch of R25 and it wasn’t available in time before R25 SP1 development was closed.
Hence only the Intel part of the 3D mouse lib can work…
Best regards,
Wilfried
Thanks for that information WBJ! Do you have any sense of when the 3d mouse lib will be added to the M1 version? I’d really love to use my space mouse with c4d again!
After updating to R26, I was hoping that the m1 versions of the 3d mouse SDK would be included… but no go.
It’s really a bummer when features are taken away instead of added, even after two releases.
And, running the app in rosetta doesn’t work in r26 like it did in r25.
Please patch this asap!
