Tekla Structures

3D Mouse User Guide

November 2018

©2018 Trimble Solutions Corporation

1 About 3D mice

Tekla Structures 2018i is compatible with the following 3D mice provided by

3Dconnexion: SpaceNavigator, SpaceExplorer, and SpacePilot.
The main features of the 3D mice are:
• You can simultaneously pan, zoom and rotate models and objects on your screen.
The 3D mouse controller cap easily rotates in six directions.
• You can use the 3D mouse in conjunction with an ordinary wheel mouse.
For example, you can use one hand to control the wheel mouse, and the other hand to control
the 3D mouse.
• You can easily customize the functionality of the 3D mouse.
3D mice have programmable buttons that you can map to the most frequently used Tekla
Structures commands. You can change the function of each button at any time.

For more information on 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice, see http://

www.3dconnexion.com.

See also Installing a 3D mouse (4)

Available commands (7)

About 3D mice 3
2 Installing a 3D mouse

Before you start, download 3DConnexionInstaller_2018i.exe from Tekla Warehouse.

To install a 3D mouse:
1. Connect the 3D mouse to your computer's USB port.
Windows automatically recognizes the mouse when you plug it in.
2. Install the configuration file for the 3D mouse.
a Start Tekla Structures 2018i.
b Run the 3DConnexionInstaller_2018i.exe file.
c In the installer dialog box, select your 3D mouse from the device list and then click
Install.
A predefined configuration file (DirectInput.cfg) is saved onto your computer.
• In Windows Vista and Windows 7, the file is located in
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Tekla
Structures\2018i\UserSettings.

Installing a 3D mouse 4
 Alternatively, you can store the configuration file in a common
folder so that it is available for all users in your company. To do this,
save the configuration file on a network drive and add the following
line at the end of the user.ini file:
set
XS_DIRECTINPUT_CONFIG=<configuration_file_location>
For example:
set
XS_DIRECTINPUT_CONFIG=Z:\Common_files\DirectInput.cfg

You can add a default configuration file to the installation instead

of the user-defined file.
To define the location of a default configuration file, use set
XS_DIRECTINPUT_CONFIG_DEFAULT=a file in the
environment.
If no user-defined configuration file exists, the default
configuration file is automatically copied to the location you have
defined with the XS_DIRECTINPUT_CONFIG advanced option.

See also About 3D mice (3)

Installing a 3D mouse 5
3 Changing the 3D mouse settings

This section describes how to map the mouse buttons, and how to change the sensitivity and
direction of the axes.

Contents Changing the mappings (6)

Adjusting axis sensitivity (11)
Adjusting axis speed (12)
Changing axis direction (13)

3.1 Changing the mappings

The buttons on your 3D mouse are pre-mapped to certain commands in Tekla Structures. For
example, when you press a particular mouse button, Tekla Structures fits the work area in the
model. You can change these mappings at any time to better suit your needs.
To change the mappings of your 3D mouse:
1. Open the DirectInput.cfg file in a text editor.
2. Change the ButtonID value of a particular command.
Each ButtonID value refers to a particular mouse button identifier (ID). For example, the value
4 refers to the mouse button with the identifier ID=4.
3. Repeat step 2 for each button whose mapping you want to change.
4. Optional: To disable a button, set the corresponding ButtonId value to -1.
5. Save the file.
6. Add the Change DirectInput Configuration command to a user-defined menu or a toolbar, and
click it for the changes to take effect.
This way you can test how different settings work while Tekla Structures is running, and you do
not need to restart Tekla Structures.

If you want to map mouse buttons to macros, use the keyword

MACRO in the DirectInput.cfg file.

Example The following example shows the SpaceExplorer configuration file. The button with the identifier
ID=1 is not being used in this example.

Changing the 3D mouse settings 6 Changing the mappings

See also Available commands (7)
Checking mouse button identifiers (10)
SpaceNavigator button identifiers (8)
SpaceExplorer button identifiers (9)
SpacePilot button identifiers (9)
SpaceMousePro button identifiers (10)

Available commands
The following Tekla Structures commands can be used with 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice:

Command Description
BUTTON_INFO See Checking mouse button identifiers (10).
BUTTON_SET_VIEW_POINT Relocates the center of rotation.
BUTTON_ZOOM_ORIGINAL Restores the original level of zoom.
BUTTON_PAN_UP Moves the viewpoint downwards.
BUTTON_PAN_LEFT Moves the viewpoint to the right.
BUTTON_PAN_RIGHT Moves the viewpoint to the left.
BUTTON_PAN_DOWN Moves the viewpoint upwards.
BUTTON_ZOOM_IN Zooms in.
BUTTON_ZOOM_OUT Zooms out.
BUTTON_DECREASE_FOV Decreases the field of view in perspective
view.
BUTTON_INCREASE_FOV Increase the field of view in perspective view.

Changing the 3D mouse settings 7 Changing the mappings

 Command
BUTTON_TOGGLE_ROTATE
BUTTON_TOGGLE_PAN
BUTTON_TOGGLE_ZOOM
BUTTON_ZOOM_IN_CENTERED
BUTTON_ZOOM_OUT_CENTERED
BUTTON_FIT_WORKAREA_BY_OBJEC
TS
BUTTON_FIT_WORKAREA_ALL
BUTTON_ZOOM_TO_SELECTED
MACRO
See also Changing the mappings (6)
SpaceNavigator (SpaceMouse Wireless) button identifiers
Use the following identifiers when mapping the mouse buttons on a SpaceNavigator:
Changing the 3D mouse settings
Description
Toggles rotation on or off.
One press of the button disables the
movement, another press enables it back.
Toggles pan on or off.
One press of the button disables the
movement, another press enables it back.
Toggles zoom on or off.
One press of the button disables the
movement, another press enables it back.
Centers zoom in.
Centers zoom out.
Fits the work area to include the selected
parts only.
Fits the work area to include all model
objects.
Zooms to a selection.
Starts a Tekla Structures macro.
Example of usage:
MACRO "FlipModelView.cs" 13
If your macros are not in the location set by
the environment, add the whole macro path
in the macro definition.
For example:
MACRO "C:\ProgramData\Tekla
Structures\2017\Environments\Com
mon\macros\modeling\hidden\Refre
shScreen.cs" 15
8 Changing the mappings
See also Changing the mappings (6)

SpaceExplorer button identifiers

Use the following identifiers when mapping the mouse buttons on a SpaceExplorer:

See also Changing the mappings (6)

SpacePilot button identifiers

Use the following identifiers when mapping the mouse buttons on a SpacePilot:

See also Changing the mappings (6)

Changing the 3D mouse settings 9 Changing the mappings

 SpaceMousePro (Wireless) button identifiers
Use the following identifiers when mapping the mouse buttons on a SpaceMousePro:

See also Changing the mappings (6)

Checking mouse button identifiers

Use the BUTTON_INFO option to easily figure out the identifier of an unmapped mouse button. This
can be useful when you are configuring a 3D mouse whose buttons are not listed in this document.

This functionality only works for unmapped buttons. If a button is

already mapped to a command, its identifier cannot be displayed on
the status bar.

To check the identifier of an umapped button:

1. In the configuration file, change the value of BUTTON_INFO to 1.
2. Save the file.
3. Restart Tekla Structures for the change to take effect.
4. Press an unmapped button on your 3D mouse.
Tekla Structures displays the button’s identifier on the status bar. For example:

5. Repeat step 4 for each button whose identifier you want to check.

See also Available commands (7)

Changing the 3D mouse settings 10 Changing the mappings

 3.2 Adjusting axis
You can adjust axis sensitivity and speed, and change axis direction.

Available axis commands

The following axis commands can be used with 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice:

Command Description
AXIS_ROTATE_Z Sets the rotation speed for rotation around Z.
AXIS_ROTATE_X Sets the rotation speed for rotation around X.
AXIS_PAN_X Sets the panning speed for axis X.
AXIS_PAN_Y Sets the panning speed for axis Y.
AXIS_ZOOM Sets the sensitivity and the direction of the
zoom axis towards the mouse pointer inside
the model view.
AXIS_ZOOM_CENTERED Sets the sensitivity and the direction of the
zoom axis towards center of model view.

See also Adjusting axis sensitivity (11)

Adjusting axis speed (12)
Changing axis direction (13)

Adjusting axis sensitivity

You can adjust the sensitivity of each axis on you 3D mouse by changing the DeadZoneFactor
value in the configuration file. The recommended values range from 0.1 to 100. The lower the value,
the more sensitive the axis is.
To adjust the sensitivity of an axis:
1. In the configuration file, change the DeadZoneFactor value of the axis.
2. Save the file.

Changing the 3D mouse settings 11 Adjusting axis

 3. Add the Change DirectInput Configuration command to a user-defined menu or a toolbar, and
click it for the changes to take effect.
This way you can test how different settings work while Tekla Structures is running, and you do
not need to restart Tekla Structures.

Example In the following example, the sensitivity of the zoom axis is 20.0. To increase the sensitivity, enter a
lower value.

If you want to zoom and pan or rotate simultaneously, use the

keyword AXIS_ZOOM_CENTERED for setting the centered zoom.

See also Adjusting axis speed (12)

Changing axis direction (13)

Adjusting axis speed

You can adjust the speed of each axis on your 3D mouse by changing the Factor value in the
configuration file. For example, you can increase or decrease the rotation speed. The higher the
value, the more the speed is increased. The recommended values range from -100.0 to 100.0.
To adjust the speed of an axis:
1. In the configuration file, increase or decrease the Factor value of the axis.
2. Save the file.
3. Add the Change DirectInput Configuration command to a user-defined menu or a toolbar, and
click it for the changes to take effect.
This way you can test how different settings work while Tekla Structures is running, and you do
not need to restart Tekla Structures.

Example In the following example, the original rotation speed is 1.0. The value 2.0 would double the speed,
and 0.5 would lower it to half of the original.

See also Adjusting axis sensitivity (11)

Changing axis direction (13)

Changing the 3D mouse settings 12 Adjusting axis

 Changing axis direction
You can change the direction of each axis on you 3D mouse by reversing the Factor value in the
configuration file. For example, you can change the zooming direction.
To change the direction of an axis:
1. In the configuration file, reverse the Factor value of the axis.
2. Save the file.
3. Add the Change DirectInput Configuration command to a user-defined menu or a toolbar, and
click it for the changes to take effect.
This way you can test how different settings work while Tekla Structures is running, and you do
not need to restart Tekla Structures.

Example In the following example, the direction of the zoom axis is -1.0, which means the mouse zooms in
when you press the cap and zooms out when you lift the cap. To reverse the direction, change the
value to 1.0.

See also Adjusting axis sensitivity (11)

Adjusting axis speed (12)

Changing the 3D mouse settings 13 Adjusting axis

4 Disclaimer

© 2018 Trimble Solutions Corporation and its licensors. All rights reserved.
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