did you look at this?
one basic point is to plug in the SM after installation or app and drivers?
Interesting. Take a look at this:
Assuming we are meant to read the western way from left to right, the quick start guide on the box clearly indicates that you plug the mouse in first. Is there a conflict between the guide and the video?
Itās been my experience to always load the software and then plug in the device - where software is involved. As it says, itās not a mouse, which as a basic piece of hardware would ordinarily install itself. I know its a pain but you might uninstall it all, re-install and then plug the sucker in? ( however, this is from a windows experience pov)
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I spoke to 3DX this morning and they admitted that having a video suggesting one thing and instructions on the box suggesting the opposite might just possibly be a bit, you know, confusing.
I did try the usual uninstall re-install, switch off computer, turn back on, rigmarole, but none of it made any difference. Itās possible I have to wait for the Age of Aquarius when the planets are all in perfect alignment for it to work. I am prepared to go quite a long distance before I give up as everyone who has actually succeeded in getting their SpaceMouse to work says it is a joy to use.
This forum has quite few posts about the agonies of cohabiting with a SpaceMouse. Usually, itās an upgrade of the OS or SU software that makes the SpaceMouse kick its toys out of the pram. However, there are also quite a number of posts on 3DXās own forum with very similar problems to mine. So Iām not convinced 3DX have really grasped the nettle. Anyway, I am promised a call back tomorrow pm to try to resolve things so Iāll update this thread after that. At present, I have had to uninstall everything to cure the memory leak issue.
Sorry you are having such a hard time with this, very frustrating. All I can say. as a ray of hope, is that once itās operating you wont be disappointed with it.
Thanks. Thatās why I am persevering. If I wasnāt sure it was worthwhile, I would have given up by now!
I have a SpaceMouse wireless and CadMouse with cord that I use with Windows 10 and any version of Sketchup.
From time to time the SpaceMouse looses connection. with the USB Receiver. I just unplug the USB receiver and then plug it back in. This happens once every few weeks.
Other than that I am perfectly satisfied with the 2 devices.
Oh - I should say that I had to copy files over into Sketchup 2018 as 3DConnexion didnāt have an install for that version of Sketchup. I believe they do now.
I was tempted by the wireless version but decided I didnāt need that level of extra pain!
I feel sure that once the new mouse and the Mac have shaken hands and made up, it should be pain free. At least until someone decides to upgrade something!
Iām fairly determined not to let a mere electronic rodent get the better of me.
This could be an option that could work: delete the installed plugin file and folder in the 2018 pluginfolder and copy paste the 2017 version in it.
While I like the freedom from the corded mouse, I have found the bluetooth connectivity to lag at times so Iāve gone back to corded rodents to eliminate those issues. MAybe itās my own perception, but when orbiting with large models the direct connection seems more stable.
I did that long time ago and it did work.
The 3DConnexion universal receiver is WIFI - not Bluetooth and will work with up to 5 devices
Sorry for confusion, I was referring to a regular mouse (corded rodent) which for me was bluetooth. The issues with those led me to get both of the spacemice I have as corded assuming they may of suffered with the same problems. I wasnāt aware that their dongle was wi-fi, maybe that has better performance than bluetooth?
If I get nowhere with 3DX later on, I may try this. Itās pretty rum to think that the latest version of their plugin is the source of the problem. But I wonder if it is since their own dialog box that you get at through System Preferences wasnāt registering the presence of the mouse. Presumably the computer and mouse have to be talking to each other before you can move on to any difficulties with interacting with third party software?
Simon, I am on Windows so this could be different for you. I copied the plugin across into 2018 before the plugin for 2018 became available. Later installed the 2018 version and everything worked ok.
Then one day I plugged in the spacemouse and it showed windows explorer but was not recognised in SU. I reinstalled the software and it still didnāt work, I gave up on it that day it got really annoying.
Next day I removed the app, went and got rid of the driver for it and deleted the plugin from the SU folder then did a registry clean for good measure.
Full reboot, plugged in mouse and reinstalled the software. As if by magic it worked and has done since.
I would suggest using its own USB port, AND plug the mouse in before installing the software. Thatās how I have done it. There are a lot of unexplainable quirks with the 3d Connexion software it seems.
Hope any of that is of help, but weāre Windows/Mac so things could be different.
Ian, thanks for the suggestion.
For those of us with limited techie knowhow, itās difficult to identify the source of the problem. Like you, I started by plugging the mouse in. It can then start moving the cursor around like any other mouse so you are tempted to think itās almost Plug 'n Go. In fact, I presume it is only connecting with the computerās lizard brain and not communicating with the main cortex. That is where I imagine the drivers come in. If the driver installs correctly, I imagine the mouse would then show up in About This Mac as connected hardware and in the System Preferences (which they donāt in my case). The final stage is the plugin that allows all that connectivity to work ideally with Sketchup. All this is guesswork really but if I am right, the plugin may be fine and itās a driver problem (but I wonāt know for sure until the driver issue is solved).
I also have no idea if having a Mac makes any difference. The drivers are different and I guess developers are likely to spend more time sorting out problems for PCs if they have to choose.
Itās really great to have so many people doing their best to help on this. And whilst the 3DX response is not exactly lightning fast, it is at least there. The kit itself looks and feels like a quality product (makes my old Dell 3 button mouse seem cheap and flimsy!) and I am keen to get it operational somehow.
I think your summary is sound. The only misnomer (according to 3DConnexion themselves) is that this isnāt a mouse, (maybe it should be renamed space orbiter) because if it was a mouse it would conflict with your regular mouse which can be used at the same time. So it has to install like another piece of hardware. Thatās why I wonder whether the preferred method is to install the software before you plug it in so your system is lined up to accept it for what it is and what it can doā¦otherwise the lizard brain thinks its just a regular mouse and configures it accordingly, thus not allowing it to perform as it should, but gives you what you describe as just operating like a regular mouse?
It never fails to amaze me what computers can do and at the same time, trip up on something like this which should be more straightforward.
OK so for those of you who are still awake and watching this thread, hereās an update - of sorts.
So, I was promised to be called back this afternoon to help resolve my issues. I got fed up waiting with just an hour of helpline time left and called them. It was immediately clear they werenāt intending to call me back today after all.
I was told that my case was very complicated and had had to be referred to head office who are busy beavering away inside a sealed and airless room from which they are not being allowed out of until they have come up with something. (Possibly not all of that is true - Ed.)
There was a hint that my problem might be intractable. When I pushed, I secured a promise to be called back on Friday afternoon with an update, even if it is only to say they are still working on it or have been released for the weekend to get their breath back.
I did comment that as it is a brand new SpaceMouse being used in conjunction with a current version of Sketchup on a current OS on a common platform, I was a bit surprised to hear that my problem seems to be so unique. Bit of a rhetorical point, I guess.
Their telephone helpline does not get you through to the technical staff. They are just a callcentre with a very slick way of handling people.
So as of today, I am no further forward and it is very probable that I wonāt be this week. Maybe there will be no solution forthcoming and @slbaumgartnerās comment on another post that 3DX either do not have the will or the knowhow to solve the memory leak problem may be right.
Ho hum!
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Something worthwhile to report!
I read a post on the 3DX forum that someone had achieved success by disabling their firewall. So after uninstalling everything and restarting the computer, I made sure my firewall was open and the SMC was plugged in. I then reinstalled and lo! Success! I have now has Sketchup running for a couple of hours (though I have been away from the computer) and so far at least, no memory leak. That may change of course.
I am naturally mightily relieved to have the thing working at long last, but it has not been through any help from 3DX. They are still āthinkingā about the problem. Maybe I am being unfair but how could they not know such a simple fix would work?
So @slbaumgartner, is this a fix that might work for you?
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Iām glad you got it working!
But Iām really skeptical that disabling the firewall is a fix unless the firewall is unusually configured. Normally, firewalls allow outgoing connections but block incoming ones, so if the installer needs to āphone homeā there wouldnāt be a problem. But maybe some firewalls are stricter. After installation, it isnāt license-managed software, so I canāt think of any justification for it needing to make a network connection.
I wonāt be a blockhead about it though, Iāll give this idea a try. I also have a utility that reports new network connections, so I should be able to see whether the 3DC stuff tries during either install or operation.
The memory leak seems condition-sensitive. It must not happen to everyone every time, else they would have no sales at all to Mac SketchUp users! I sincerely hope it doesnāt come back on your system (and also Iām envious).