A few months ago, Allen Smith released Bricksmith 2.5, which contains my code contributions for supporting 3dConnexion three dimensional mice, such as the SpaceNavigator. This code is still a bit experimental, but it allows the faster, 3D positioning of bricks.
The implementation uses Bricksmith’s “quantized” movement, where bricks move in discrete increments based on a (frequently changing) user setting. While this is a bit unusual for 3d mouse control, it fits better with the way Bricksmith works, and how users typically will want bricks to move. A more typical 3d “full-motion” mode can also be used by holding down the control key while moving the 3d mouse. (This is slightly similar to applications that use “snap to grid” features, but allow the grid to be ignored by holding down the control key.)
I had intended to include a video in this post demonstrating how the mouse worked with Bricksmith; however, since 2.5 was released in April and I haven’t made such a video yet, it’s a good bet that I won’t in the next six months either. So, you’ll just have to trust me that it is totally awesome.
If you are one of the few that both uses a 3dConnexion mouse and Bricksmith, I’d love to hear how it works for you. Heck, I’d love to hear that you even exist.