Adding new mouse shortcuts?

[TomChad]

Hi,

On 3ds Max 2023, when I go to Customize User Interface > Mouse and I choose 'Category', currently there's only one available: 'Navigation'.

It's pretty weird this is the only category available: I'd like to add mouse shortcuts for say the Material Editor but I can't.

Is there a way to add more categories to this menu?

If not, how can I add additional mouse shortcuts?

Thank you in advance for your help,

[TomChad]

Hey,
Does anybody have something to add to my inquiry?

[CAMedeck]

I'm assuming you have a fancy mouse with more than just two buttons and a scroll wheel.  🙂  See if there is a way to customize the additional functionality to the other mouse buttons through software provided by the manufacturer.  

[TomChad]

Hi @Anonymous , thanks for your insight,

No I use a regular Rival SteelSeries 310 mouse.

The thing is I try to avoid installing their software as it's doing way more than what I really need, like recording screen, downloading games etc ... I don't need that stuff. So I was hoping there is a way of assigning mouse gestures inside 3ds Max itself but I was wrong visibly.

[darawork · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Rather than trying to add extra functionality to the mouse inputs in Max, you could always try to configure your extra mouse buttons to send out keystrokes. This way you can perhaps get Max to interpert your button presses as Hotkey assignments through the Hotkey Editor in Max.

https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm
(One function is to "Send any keys using the 'simulated keystrokes' editor")

All of this working depends on whether your mouse, sans dedicated driver, can be understood by Windows in the first place. You may have to install the bloatware that comes with the mouse, and just try to disable the system utils you don't need. But, I'd give it a try with xmousebuttoncontrol on its own first, before installing any additional drivers. You can test Windows ability to read your mouse buttons here:
https://www.onlinemictest.com/mouse-test/

I just tested it out with my Logitech MX Vertical thumb buttons and it works with 3DSMax 2022.
All I did was open xmousebuttoncontrol, clicked the thumb buttons, looked where they were in the list (the dropdown item flashes yellow to indicate), configured the keystokes to output, pressed apply and then closed xmousebuttoncontrol. The cool thing is that it doesn't need to run in the background, underneath Max. It seems to just overwrite the default Windows interpretations of the button presses.

I downloaded the 'Portable' version so as not to have to install anything.
And then ran the 64bit exe inside the folder.

Hopefully this helps you out,
Regards,

[TomChad]

Hey @darawork , thanks a lot this is exactly what I was looking for!
It works just great: thanks to X-Mouse Button Control I was able to assign keyboard shortcuts to the 'previous page' and 'next page' buttons of my mouse. Fantastic, thank you so much 🙂