Mouse vs Trackball

[DTHOMSON]

Looking to see which works better for MC use. Any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Thad]

Do you mean Spaceball?

 

Thad

[Rekd™]

It's a matter of preferance. Personally, I hate them. They're clumsy, in-accurate, and very bad ergonomically, (At least the few I've used are..)

 

'Rekd

[Peccator]

I've seen a trackball used with relative ease with MC.

 

Plan on gettin' one for myself.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I prefer a mouse.

 

JM2C

[Travis_Buchanan]

Optical mice only please

[shipster]

I use a spaceball and trackman marble mouse and would be lost without them

[Brendan P]

I prefer a "ball-less" mouse.

Microsoft intellipoint.

[J Coulston]

Logitec Mx700 Optical cordless.

 

John

[Toolfab]

optical mouse here. There aint NO going back to the old way.

[jeffl]

optical intellimouse is only way to go... tried wireless trackball mouse and sent back... great for rotating part, but that is about it.

[heeler]

Love my Spaceball.

 

Use the Optical mouse also

 

Glenn

[maestro]

Mouse and spaceball here. Spaceball is great if doing a lot of toolpaths that are rotated about an axis.

[Müřlıń®]

Rekd is right all the new Logitech trackballs suck.

 

The opticals I have rock!!!

 

But they don't make them anymore

 

What do they have do change a good thing

 

Well, when I wear these out I'ma go with the new wireless optical mouse.

 

 

Murlin

[Code_Breaker]

I use both spaceball and optical wireless mouse.

 

My only wish with the spaceball, is that you don't have to "click" it off to continue your work. For example, if you are changing colors on surfaces, you can use your spaceball to rotate the part, but then either click in black space or double click on the intended surface. At times, this can be a nusiance.

 

But, all in all, I like the freedom of a wireless optical mouse and the spaceball.

[TheePres]

Would a "ball-less" mouse be considered a "female" mouse???

[Charles Davis]

Definitely go with an optical chordless mouse. Trackballs are extremely clumsy since in CAD/CAM you are constantly moving the cursor, and often across the entire screen space.

[Code_Breaker]

TheePres:

 

I did not even know it was a "male" mouse in the beginning.

 

 

Code_Breaker

[Andy]

These days it could still be a male!

[5AXIS505]

I use a Logitech Ergo and absolutely love it. It was a bit of an adjustment to get used to the trackball but I find its faster and far more comfortable.

[Jobnt]

Quote

19 years later...

1 hour ago, 5AXIS505 said:

I use a Logitech Ergo and absolutely love it. It was a bit of an adjustment to get used to the trackball but I find its faster and far more comfortable.

I tried a trackball once. Couldn't stand it. Mouse in left hand, 10-key or space mouse in right. 

[SuperHoneyBadger]

Well. If we're gonna roll with the necro, lol.

I have been a proponent of the CADMouse since it was released. Incredible quality, and nothing beats a true middle mouse button, plus wheel. I have them at home and at work, one got replaced for free at the ~3 year mark with 8+ hours daily use.

Used those trackballs a few times. Never got to like them. Same with the SpacePilot lineup, I tried in 3D modelling, tried in CAD. I don't know that it is faster than camera controls (shift+middle mouse, alt+a, etc.), because you aren't modifying geo or calling commands on the keyboard while you rotate the viewport. Or do you 3D mouse jockeys double-fist and perform actions while you pan around?

[Jobnt]

21 minutes ago, SuperHoneyBadger said:

Or do you 3D mouse jockeys double-fist and perform actions while you pan around?

I double fist that xxxx. Especially when doing fillets on a bunch of inside corners. 

[nperry]

On 8/8/2023 at 2:34 PM, 5AXIS505 said:

I use a Logitech Ergo and absolutely love it. It was a bit of an adjustment to get used to the trackball but I find its faster and far more comfortable.

I also have a Logitech Ergo trackball and also love it. When I was getting into the trade the journeyman I worked with was a big CAD/CAM guy. We had two workstations next to one another during the time we worked together, he used Mastercam 9 while I was using X6. He had a trackball and I couldn't stand the sight of them back then, so I used to pick on him for it. At some point during our debates he recommended that I get one sooner rather than later and gave me the most valuable advice that is still, to this day, the greatest advice I've ever been given during all my years in the shop: "It'll keep the r*tards off your computer." (Pardon my language, it was a different time back then.)

Now when I come into work and someone complains about having tried to get onto my computer (and failing) my retort is always "Trackball don't lie."

[SuperHoneyBadger]

On 8/11/2023 at 12:54 PM, nperry said:

"Trackball don't lie."

I love this. Used to run a 66 key keyboard and an 18" wide Wacom XL tablet as my only inputs, the riff-raff had no chance!