Programmable mouse\multi-functional mouse?

[mech-eng]

TL;DR Summary

I wonder about advanced mouses

Hello, I would like to ask some just basic questions about multi-functional and programmable mouses. I don't know even if they are the same. I have never seen them, but I heard about them: An autocad professional praised them to me.

1. Why do people prefer such mouses? Are they useful for advanced users of Matlab, Autocad, Solidworks, Catia, Octave, Office etc, or they are useful for ordinary PC tasks?

2. Can such mouses save us hours yearly\monthly?

Thank you.

 

[Vanadium 50]

An autocad professional praised them to me.

Why do people prefer such mouses?

What did he say when you asked him?

 

[jedishrfu]

Basically a mouse is a pointing device which can be used to point, select objects, mark an area, cut/copy and move an area to another area, or cut/copy and move objects from one area to another depending on the CAD software you are using.

More buttons on a mouse expands its features if the software can link functions to each button. As an example, one may want to pull up a color wheel and select a color for object without the need to break away and select from a menu. Or you may want to rotate the view or rotate selected objects, or move them in a 3rd dimension.

To be clear the mouse device provides the basic hardware but its the CAD software and the enduser configuring the mouse to the CAD software that gives the mouse its functionality.

Here's one such example:

https://3dconnexion.com/us/cadmouse/

and here's a review of 8 of the best mice for CAD

https://www.architecturelab.net/best-mouse-for-cad/

 

[jedishrfu]

This one looks pretty awesome:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9TR3KG/?tag=pfamazon01-20

A device designed for a civilized age and if you have $400 to burn.

 

[berkeman]

Summary: I wonder about advanced mouses

1. Why do people prefer such mouses?

"1. Why do people prefer such mice?"

 

[robphy]

In addition to those you named, you can include Gamers, Artists, YouTubers, etc...

Imagine you had a task that you had to keep doing (say navigate a set of menus) over and over again.
It might be nice to have a single button that could be pressed to do that task.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089NJQR5T/?tag=pfamazon01-20
https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-mice.html
https://www.elgato.com/en/stream-deck

In addition to performing simple tasks,
one can develop more complex programmatic tasks
using (say) https://www.autohotkey.com/ .

If condition-A is true,
then navigate the menus to do task-1
else check condition-B and ...

I use my tablet with a stylus (without an attached keyboard).
I have buttons I press that can run a script to do a complex task
which, if done manually with a stylus, would be tedious and error-prone.
Even with a mouse and keyboard, the script is a time-saver.

I use this while lecturing.
I don't have time to do some tasks manually
and a script could do this more quickly and more reliably
so my audience doesn't have to see me fumble through a bunch of steps.

I have a script that saves the current state of my file and
renames the saved file with the current date and time in the filename.
I don't have to look up that info myself and type it in.

I have a script that momentarily disables my stylus,
then draw a neat square as if it were drawn by my stylus,
then re-enables my stylus.


examples for AutoCAD:
https://www.autohotkey.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=26704
https://www.autohotkey.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=46564

One could also use gestures,
e.g. https://www.strokesplus.net/

 

[mech-eng]

What did he say when you asked him?

It was long ago. I and he were chatting about hardware.