Yes! Left handed aliases are great. Matchprop = QQ. Why. Because the M is on
the right side of the keyboard.
I'll stick with my Microsoft Trackball Explored. But that's just personal
preference. It too has very customizable software.
As far as hand movement. My thumb moves up and down to cover the pick,
programmed (F8) button and the scroll wheel. My pointer and middle finger
roll the ball. I can cover all of my 20" monitor with a simple flex. To get
to my second monitor I just "throw" the cursor over to the next screen.
All the movements are precise and the software has a pointer precision
enhancement. So the slower you move the ball the less the pointer moves.
Move the ball quickly and the pointer accelerates.
If you're talking bout the Logitech Trackman Marble FX. I started out with
one of those. But it doesn't have a scroll wheel. So you have to waste one
of the buttons to use the ball to scroll or zoom. Otherwise I liked it and
still have it as a backup. The ball on the MS TB Explorer is about the same
size. No access from the side. that's where they put the scroll wheel. But I
prefer to have the wheel. Goes for about the same $ on ebay. Another one
they should bring back.
Allen
wrote in message news:5442473@discussion.autodesk.com...
These veterans mostly know their stuff -- but the true speed, I think, comes
right down to customizations. Mine work better for me than theirs do for
them. As far as keyboarding goes, of those who use the keyboard, most accept
the ACAD defaults, while I have set up a left-handed macro set; every
command is invoked with three keys or less. I essentially draft two handed,
RH on the mouse and LH hovering over its 'normal typing position'. All of my
macros are keyed off of the left side of the keyboard, in such a way that I
do not have to look down at all, and so that all commands are invoked using
keys I can reach without moving my left hand. The result is a huge increase
in my speed. The only guys who are faster than me around here are the ones
who stay up on changes -- it's the "ain't broke so why fix it" crowd who
lags the most.
As far as the Microsoft explorer trackball, the Logitech is very similar,
and I think it's actually better. The software is very flexible, and it was
easy to set up for drafting. It's very comfortable -- I never realized how
much I was hurting my hand with all those mouse movements.
Having used other trackballs for other things, I at first found a
thumb-based ball to be a little more awkward than a palm ball when drafting.
But in the end I like it better, because there is virtually NO hand
movement. With a palm ball, you are still moving your hand around,
manipulating the ball with your palm so your fingers are ready for the
buttons. I found this a little uncomfortable because my tendency was to keep
my hand flat, fingers extended until I needed to click a button. This caused
some muscle pain in my wrist, the top of my hand and in my fingers. The
thumb ball eliminated all of that. Now I only get hand discomfort when
typing for long periods.
If you've got the cash to blow, I would look into a discontinued mouse
called the Logitech Trackball F/X. Have never used one, but I would buy one
sight unseen if I knew it worked and the price was right. It features a
trackball that is so big it is accessible from the top AND the side of the
mouse, allowing you to control the ball with the tip of your index finger
(on top of the mouse) and the tip of your thumb (side of the mouse) at the
same time, while still leaving your other fingers free for the mouse
buttons. Sadly, this mouse frequently sells on Ebay for around $80-$100
USED. If they would bring it back, unchanged, I would probably pay twice
that for a new one.
So, I would not discount a trackball right offhand; I would at least try to
inform myself about the various types, and then experiment with one to see
if it works for you. It's all in the setup. I am half-convinced that I made
such a successful switch because I WANTED to, and that might be the most
important thing.