Trackball as a 3d mouse? 1

[SamCrossley]

Hi all, my first post!

I'm doing a lot of Solid Edge work for my uni project and was wondering if there is a cheaper alternative to the infamous 3dconnexion SpaceNavigator. I've been looking at trackballs which are considerably cheaper, but I was wondering if anyone has managed to use both a trackball and regular mouse at the same time? As in the trackball would replace the SpaceNavigator in order to control the view in SolidEdge.

Alternatively, has anyone got any other suggestions on a cheaper 3d mouse to use in your left hand along with a regular mouse in your right hand?

Thanks

 

[beachcomber]

Not sure of your location but the 3dconnexion web site shows education version at $75.
Other than that you could try ebay or speak nicely to your nearest supplier.
I never heard of a trackball being used as a 3d mouse.

bc.
Core i5-3570 @3.4GHz , 8GB RAM
Quadro FX4600. W7 Pro 64-bit.

 

[SamCrossley]

I'm in the UK and they're still £83 with the education discount! Only a few quid cheaper on ebay or amazon too!

Does anyone know of any way that having two mice plugged into a pc can be configured to do different things? I've seen posts saying its possible to have two mice plugged in at once, but as far as I can tell they both still operate the standard "move cursor around screen" function. Surely there must be some sort of software to read commands from different mice?

Thanks

 

[PatCouture]

Even if you are able to configure a second mouse to do some tricks, it will never be as usefull as the entry level 3d mouse from 3dconnexion. There is a world of difference between those two products.

I've been using a Space pilot for 6 years now and I would never go back!

Patrick

 

[Spaceballster]

You could check the second hand market. Those older spaceballs can be had for dirt cheap.

 

[beachcomber]

Beware an old one - it has to be a USB connection (unless you're working on V20 or earlier)

bc.
Core i5-3570 @3.4GHz , 8GB RAM
Quadro FX4600. W7 Pro 64-bit.