That is my main concern actually. The movement of the trackball itself seems idea but the use of buttons… wish there was a better system for that. Mouse + Trackball combo does seem nice if not excessive… gotta draw the line somewhere I guess!
I don’t notice any issues with clicking while dragging. Like anything, it takes some getting used to. But removing hand movement from the equation makes fine clicking and selection much easier, in my experience.
1 Like
Hi, new to blender. I have the same expertmouse but having issues setting it up in blender, any advice help etc
Not sure what you mean? I finally got the trackball and it just kinda works, no issues. Can you explain your problem?
HI sorry, ive had the expertmouse for a while but when using blender I cant seem to get the middle mouse functions, the ball, left and right mouse button do what they need to but I dont or cant use the function of a middle button. A little frustrated.
Ok, not sure why. But you should start a new thread to get attention from more people.
Are you using Kensington’s mapping application? I use that one to remap buttons and it works great in Blender.
Hi, can you write how Trackball works in Blender? Does it rotate the camera around the selected model or just move it sideways?
I actually ended up buying a cheap trackball and it’s just the best thing ever. Moving the ball is exactly like moving the mouse, so it becomes intuitive pretty quickly, and I no longer need ample space or proper surface to work. I have completely abandoned the regular mouse, for every program. Five out of five stars.
1 Like
Another convert! Woo!
2 Likes
Hello, I am super new to blender - coming from C4D. I use a Kensington Expertmouse trackball and have for the last 10 years in my work as an editor and animator. I am working my way through tutorials and find that I am unable to use the left-click-drag tools in the Edit mode. I select the object and tool (for example the cube and the bevel tool) Whenever I left-click-drag on the screen, I just get the rectangular selection box, not the bevel adjust tool.
I am sure I am missing something simple here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If you’re using the tool-based approach, you need to click on the control widget. In the case of the bevel tool, that would be the thing that looks like a yellow lollipop that’s pointing out in the direction normal to your selection. If you click the circle, you should be able to adjust the bevel. Clicking anywhere else allows you to select other vertices/edges to bevel.
This did it. It is a different workflow from the tutorials which was tripping me up. I imagine, just like any other piece of rich software, that there are many different workflows that a user can adopt. Thank-you for your response. I am up and running. Pretty enthusiastic about Blender.
2 Likes
Yeah, a lot of legacy tutorials use Blender’s traditional select → act workflow (which I personally favor) rather than the tool → select workflow that a lot of people are more familiar with. It can trip up a lot of new folks coming to Blender. I’m glad to see that your excitement hasn’t abated. Have fun!
I am just finishing up my first project in Blender now. It is a titles sequence for a feature film that will have wide release. I have to say that Blender is singularly the most exciting tool I’ve used since Aftereffects in the 90s. Once I figured out the trackball thing with your help, I was off to the races. I am picking up a display tablet for some grease pencil work on my next project.
2 Likes