Workaround for issue using 3DConnexion mouse in multiple versions of Chief

[Smn842]

If you use a 3DConnexion mouse in multiple versions of Chief Architect and notice it loses any custom settings/speeds when running one version then another (on Windows at least) then read on.

 

Background (for the interested, otherwise jump to the workaround)

Technically this is a bug / limitation in the way Chief registers/configures itself with the 3DConnexion software but given how few people this probably affects I've not reported it as its less important than others and importantly there is a workaround.

 

The root cause is due to the way Chief lets the 3DConnexion driver store its settings and identifies itself with the same ID   string "ChiefArchitect" for every major release.  Applications have the option to create their own 3DConnexion settings file but Chief relies on the 3DConnexion software to do this for it.  This means the 3DConnexion software creates a settings file for Chief based on the ID Chief provides when registering for 3D mouse events.

 

The result is multiple versions of Chief sharing a single settings file.  Although this sounds like a good approach the 3DConnexion software also stores the executable name and ensures this matches before using the settings due to another default setting.

 

An example of the top part of the  'ChiefArchitect.xml' file which is stored in the %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\3Dconnexion\3DxWare\Cfg folder:

 

This file was created after using X11 and adjusting the 3D mouse settings.  If another version of Chief is then used the 3DConnextion software finds the settings file that matches the name Chief provides 'ChiefArchitect' but as the exe name doesn't match it ignores the settings and uses the defaults again.  If the mouse settings are updated again the 3DConnextion software over writes the old file with a new one with the applicable Chief exe name and the problem keeps repeating.

 

Workaround
From a browse of the 3DConnexion SDK there are various ways to configure the 3D mouse, but to work around the issue and share the same settings across versions (which is my preference) all that needs to be done is to add all applicable Chief exe names in "ExecutableName" elements as below, in my case just those for X11 and X12 to the "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\3Dconnexion\3DxWare\Cfg\ChiefArchitect.xml' file:

 

 

After this the 3DConnextion software matches the 'SiOpenAppName' value and exectuable name and all is well :-)

 

Please note there may also be other files that appears to be specific to each Chief Architect release in this folder as below but these appears to be due to using the 3D mouse before Chief registers itself. After that these files appear to be ignored and only the ChiefArchitect.xml is used.

 

 

Extra note added Mar 2023

If you install a major upgrade of Chief on the first use of it the existing ChiefArchitect.xml file can be removed entirely when the 3Dconnexion software resets the settings as the exe name doesn't match.  In that case the original file is moved to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\3Dconnexion\3DxWare\Cfg\bak and renamed ChiefArchitect.bak. If you haven't got a backup of the original with your customisations simply close Chief, copy that file back to the folder above and rename the extension to .xml, make the changes I mentioned above for the required Chief version numbers and restart Chief.

[kbaxter]

I was just struggling again with the transition to X14 and the above instruction is exactly what took care of the issue with not recognizing the 3DConnexion device. After updating the ChiefArchitect.xml file element with X14 instead of 13, it recognized the controller again.

 

Is addition to the setting to allow it to work in X14, I have been having a difficult time trying to get into the Advanced Settings for the 3D Mouse Controller. Apparently, the 3D Connexion App for windows now needs to be run as Administrator to get into the proper settings and be able to see or make changes to them.

 

Without running as Admin, the controller will come up showing Internet Explorer even though you just came from Chief and selected the app. So, see below for the settings I have to make it work. They are the same settings that someone has talked about previously from nearly 6 years ago See (3D Connexion Mouse Vs X8 ). The settings below make it so it works like any other major mechanical CAD program  out there for mechanical design. (I've been using the 5 major platforms for 20+ years and never experienced the backwardness of how Chief does things compared to the other programs. Of course this is not mechanical CAD design software, but the convoluted layers and associated font styles and grouping nested configurations is much more complicated than even NX CAD is)

 

1. Start the 3DConnexion App as Admin
   1. Select the Start menu
   2. Start to Type "3DConn..."
   3. hover over the application name if needed to see the secondary menu
   4. Select "Run as Administrator"
   5. 
2. If you have the CAD Mouse and 3D Controller, you may have to select the SpaceMouse to see the settings. (If you don't see "Chief Architect" in the Application name, then you didn't start as Admin and you should try it again. (Sometimes it seems to be hit or miss), or you will need to reinstall/modify the program as a last resort)
3. Select "Advanced Settings" and compare them to the recommended settings to function "normally."
   1. Select "Reverse" for every feature on the right hand side.
   2. De-Select the "Dominant" selection.
   3. 
4. You may also want to export the settings for use later.
   1. Return to the 1st screen and select "More" even though it looks greyed out.
   2. Select Export and give the file a name in the good location. (I put mine into my Chief Architect Design folder to be able to find it again. Also Attached here if you want to import them)

The video attachment is just a quick look at the rotation of the Orthographic view to show how quick it can rotate. Although, you can only go so far before it has trouble keeping up with certain directions.

 

 

3DxWare_ChiefArchitectSettings.3dxz