What type of mouse

Dear Folks:

We are thinking of incorporating Autocad into our curriculum. We understand
that standard two-button mice will do the job, however, we have seen
"Autocad-type" mice (for lack of a more technical phrase) that "look" as if
they were made for more than mere pointing.

The problem is, other than Belkin, Logitech and Microsoft, we do not know of
any manufacturers who make such mice.

What do you mid to high-level users prefer in terms of pointing devices.
More specifically (we understand that tablets have become popular), what
mice do you prefer?

Regards,

Carter Burke

 

I have been using ACAD for 12 years and the only pointing device I have really liked is a 3 button mouse. I currently use a Logitech Mouseman Optical cordless. Works GREAT. I am sure there are a lot of other devices, I have tried a few, but I always stray back to the old reliable. The nice thing about the mouseman is you can set up the middle/scroll button to be your popup menu for picking points, and it has a thumb button which I can assign to any keystroke I want (currently F8 for Ortho). If you really like your toys, and like playing with them, get a tablet. They are very nice also. For buying one, I would say look in the back of an issue of a CAD related magazine, or do an internet search for "CAD Tablet".

 

You say "curriculum' which indicates you are associated with some kind of
school. If that is the case, you should not be thinking of anything other than
a two button mouse. I work with a community college, teaching structural
drafting and CAD and can tell you from experience that anything other than two
buttons will provide more headaches than you will want with novices trying to
learn how to use a mouse as well as various CAD programs.

 

A 3 button is a must for production work. I have used a 5 button (2
shortcut buttons at the thumb) for over a year now and don't want to go
back. (microsoft 5 button optical)

Matt

 

Some folks have strong personal preferences about this, but more or less in
line with Walt's comments, I would not equip "training" computers with
anything but the most common devices.

The world's most ubiquitous mouse nowadays, I think, is a 2-button Microsoft
mouse with a scroll wheel. The wheel adds significant functionality to
AutoCAD, and it's almost certainly what the students will have at home or at
their first job.

I think it would be a mistake to train people using non-standard equipment.
If they develop strong habits at school using odd stuff, they'll be thrown
of balance when they try to take their skills elsewhere.

There will be working pros who give you strong productivity arguments for a
particular pointing device. But that's inappropriate in a training
situation. You should be teaching the most general, basic things. They can
depart from that reference point later.

I always say, don't let a habit become a disability. Once I set up a
computer for a new employee, only to find that she "required" one of those
goofy ergonomic keyboards. She'd developed that habit on a whim, not because
she was uncomfortable with a normal keyboard or had any physical need for
it, but because she thought the ergos were cool. So she sat idle for a day,
not able to type at all (she claimed) on a standard keyboard, while I got an
ergo type rushed in for her. You don't want to produce students who "can't"
work with the most common normal equipment.

I haven't seen anybody in the AEC world using a digitizing tablet to run
AutoCAD for probably 10 years. The only place I see digitizers anymore are
the large ones used in estimating. Last time I saw an AutoCAD tablet was
when the firm I was with threw away about a dozen that hadn't been used in
several years. We had tried to give them back to the dealer, and he laughed
because he had a roomful of new ones he couldn't give away.

My two cents.

 

I also use the five button mouse, but for a different reason. I developed
repetitive stress disorder in my first finger. By using the five button
mouse and reprogramming the buttons, I am able not spare the wear and tear
on my finger that it got over the last 15 years of using a mouse. Even
after a year, I still sometimes have to wear a splint on my finger to keep
me from trying to use it, but the splint gets in the way of typing. For
CAD, I can type one handed and keep the other one the mouse.

Overall, as others have said, I would train on the most common and let
regular users pick their mouse when they are out of school.

Brad

 

My preference is the five button Microsoft Trackball Optical.
Having read the messages in this thread though, I agree with the sentiment
of giving them the basic tools. Look at it this way - give them basic tools
and they will work at 'mastering the craft', give them 'state of the art'
and they may become lazy!

Mac.

 

logitect 4 button cordelss wheel mouse. You will never give up the thumb
button when you get used to it. Set the thumb button as middle button and
your snaps are a thumb away

 

I use a Logitech Cordless Trackman Wheel mouse, but for a class room setting
we use a basic two button mouse with the scroll wheel. It works fine in the
class room, and does all that is required. Very little can go wrong with
it, and usually cleaning will take care of that.

Jack Talsky

 

Like I said. Students need to train on the most universally common
equipment, which nowadays is the Microsoft mouse with two buttons and a
wheel, or clones thereof. Call it three buttons if you want. What I mean is,
the same pointing device that they are 99% sure of encountering on the job,
and that they will most probably have at home. Whatever the most common
mouse is at the time. I certainly wouldn't train them on LESS than the
normal equipment that comes with the cheapest computer you can buy.

My point is that they shouldn't be trained on 16-button mice, or track
balls, or digitizer pads, or any other highly personalized / customized
input device. Plenty of more experienced users can make good arguments for
these things, but they're not appropriate for someone learning the basics.
For the same reasons, students shouldn't be confronted with custom menus or
any other non-standard setup. They should be taught standard AutoCAD at the
begining.