Inventor 2020 panning with mouse and SpaceMouse

[r_kammingaGASBX]

Hi all,

I'm new to Inventor 2020, with my previous employer I was using Solidworks 2020. I'm trying to get Inventor to behave the same way as I'm used to, but I'm running into some frustrating orbit/pan control issues with middle mouse button and the SpaceMouse.

MMB seemingly orbits around random coordinates. I was used to orbiting around whatever my mouse was hovering over at the time of pressing MMB. But in Inventor it sometimes orbits around the center of the assembly, sometimes around the XYZ=0 coordinate, and sometimes around the part that I have selected. I've even had a case where it was orbiting around a coordinate seemingly infinite distance away, making me move left-right instead of rotating. I've been playing with it and it seems to be completely random. It's very frustrating because you cant build any muscle memory or intuition, because it's always doing something different than expected.

The same issue also arises with the 3Dconnection SpaceMouse. Even though the settings are identical to my Solidworks setup, I'm orbiting like a toddler trying to colour between the lines for the first time. It's very much handicapping my productivity.

And then two last seemingly small but very frustrating issues; i can't find any settings to toggle pan and orbit on the MMB. I was used to orbiting with MMB, and SHIFT+MMB for panning. Inventor has it the opposite way. Not a big deal, but in combination with the next one it's very frustrating: In Navisworks i can toggle oribt and pan simply by pressing and releasing SHIFT, while continuously holding down MMB. But in Inventor this doesn't work. I have to release MMB, hold SHIFT, then press MMB again, in order to switch from orbit to pan mode. 

I know how this sounds like; Solidworks user bashing Inventor. But that's not what I'm trying to do. Am I missing something? I've scanned all options and settings, clicked everything. But I can't seem to get Inventor to work properly.

A

[Frederick_Law · Accepted solution]

Setup MMB here:

If you click and select something, that should become orbit center.

Try Rotation Center on/off here:

Both IV and SW could fly off when rotate.

A shortcut to Zoom All is very handy which I have on my 15 buttons mouse 😉

Need that for SW.

[r_kammingaGASBX]

Ah, seems I'm running a different (older?) version of Inventor 2020. I don't have that MMB option. The menu just stops under "Look at behaviour"

I'll see if I can get the software updated.

[Frederick_Law]

That could be IV2023.

[CCarreiras]

Hi!

Just my own experience.

I use a lot of different software, every one with its own "zoom, pan, etc ways to do it".

It would be impossible to have the same definitions for all the software i use, so i don't even try to tweak that.

In a couple of days of using the software, the brain will adapt and i don't even have to think about which software I'm using.
The brain is a powerful tool 😆

In my case, it's more frustrating try to tweak one software to work like another one, than just start to playing and eventually adapt to it.

[r_kammingaGASBX]

Of course, if I only used one software package that would be fine. But for my own freelance jobs I'm still using SolidWorks. I know I hadn't mentioned that, but thats the case for me. This means that often I use both on the same day.

I don't want to be constantly interrupted because the software does something different than expected. It interrupts my workflow and my concentration too much. I know I sound whiny and autistic right now, but when I'm in the zone I'm flying errorlessly, and right now it's hard to get there.

I've been able to force some changes for the spacemouse in the .xml configuration file though, so most issues have been worked around.

[Anonymous]

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@r_kammingaGASBX wrote:

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"I'm new to Inventor 2020, with my previous employer I was using Solidworks 2020. I'm trying to get Inventor to behave the same way as I'm used to..."

First and foremost, stop with that thinking right there. It'll only make things tougher on you. Whether you're used to SW, Pro/E, Acad, etc. Inventor is a different application and while it may still do some things the way the other apps do, heading down the road of trying to make Inventor work like SW/Acad, etc will bite you hard and you'll have a tough time recovering. I see this a lot, especially from Acad users moving over to Inventor. They'll work like they are in Acad and then finally hit the wall as to what they can do like Acad and now they are painted into a corner they can't get out of. Inventor is not Acad, nor is it SW, it's Inventor. It's like opening Excel and expecting it to work just like Word.

You're going to need to develop the mindset of the two different applications and the ways they work, otherwise you're just asking for trouble.

"I don't want to be constantly interrupted because the software does something different than expected. It interrupts my workflow and my concentration too much."

Well, I hate to tell you, but considering what I posted above, this is something you are going to have to figure out how to adapt to. You can't make SW work like Inventor and vice versa. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.

[Frederick_Law]

I believe OP just want mouse and 3D mouse to behave the same.

I've setup mine to be the same.

IV had middle mouse button rotate in the beginning.

Lost it for a long time.

Go it back in 2023.

[r_kammingaGASBX · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@r_kammingaGASBX wrote:

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First and foremost, stop with that thinking right there. It'll only make things tougher on you. Whether you're used to SW, Pro/E, Acad, etc. Inventor is a different application and while it may still do some things the way the other apps do, heading down the road of trying to make Inventor work like SW/Acad, etc will bite you hard and you'll have a tough time recovering. I see this a lot, especially from Acad users moving over to Inventor. They'll work like they are in Acad and then finally hit the wall as to what they can do like Acad and now they are painted into a corner they can't get out of. Inventor is not Acad, nor is it SW, it's Inventor. It's like opening Excel and expecting it to work just like Word.

You're going to need to develop the mindset of the two different applications and the ways they work, otherwise you're just asking for trouble.

Well, I hate to tell you, but considering what I posted above, this is something you are going to have to figure out how to adapt to. You can't make SW work like Inventor and vice versa. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.

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I get that and I've already adapted to that. Inventor is very similar, with the way a project and assembly is built up. I'm still missing a few things I haven't figured out yet, but that will come with time.

All I was asking for is finding the options to tweak panning and orbiting. Imagine having two cars, you both daily. But on one car the brake and accelerator are switched around and on the other one the steering is inverted. Sure you can make it work, and drawing is a lot less dangerous than driving with inverted controls. But you get the point; it'll always stay frustrating and when you're focussed on your thoughts you will slip up.

[bogdan.voaidas]

I have a better question: Why the f*** every new version breaks and changes ("improves") something, introduce new bugs, new behaviors.

In the last 5 major versions years some something was changed again and again. I am tired that every time i have to re-learn all the behaviors and deal with the bugs, reconfigure everything again and again?!