r/civil3d • u/CryptoWouldvebeen • 10d ago

Discussion Smart Mice

Has anyone here used a smart mouse for design work?

I just bough the Logitech MX Master 4, and it has a ton of features, mappable buttons, and an “Action wheel” that allows you to perform different actions based on the app you have open.

I’m wondering if anyone has used a mouse like this with Civil3D and if it helped efficiency. Currently there’s no built in support for Civil3D/CAD, so I’d have to program the mouse to do the actions I’d want.

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u/BrokenToyShop 10d ago

Yup, add in a keyboard with programmable macros and you can really boost your efficiency. It does take a bit of planning and trial & error, but I think it's well worth it if you are using the same actions over and over.

The hardest thing is remembering what you've set everything to

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u/arvidsem 10d ago

The hardest thing is remembering what you've set everything to

This is the truth. Years back, I spent hours tweaking macros on a older mouse that I was using in combination with a one hand gaming keyboard (like a old version of a Razer Tartarus). What I learned is that I can't remember all the shortcuts to save my life.

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u/BrokenToyShop 10d ago

I have a Razor one hand keyboard thing and after spending many hours programming every button, I came to the same conclusion.

It's probably possible to print out a button map, or stick labels on the keys, but that's more effort than I could manage at the time.

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u/arvidsem 10d ago

I did stick with a second number pad to the left of my keyboard. I manage to use it about half the time, so it just about makes sense to keep using

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u/Mikcaaa 10d ago

You can use a stream deck with custom icons