Peripherals and accessories

You can use compatible peripherals and accessories with your device when using Shapr3D to better enhance your modeling experience.

Explore the list below for peripherals and accessories that you can use with Shapr3D and how to set up and configure them.

• SpaceMouse
• Wacom pen tablets and display

SpaceMouse

SpaceMouse by 3Dconnexion allows you to run various commands, change navigation settings, and more in Shapr3D.

Image from https://3dconnexion.com 

Expand the sections below to learn how to use SpaceMouse with a specific platform.

1. Go to 3Dconnexion’s website and download the latest version of 3Dconnexion’s driver, 3DxWare64 or 3DxWare32.
2. Install the driver.
   The installed driver will open the 3Dconnexion Home program.
   
3. Plug your SpaceMouse into the computer via the USB cable. If you’re using the wireless SpaceMouse, then connect the dedicated receiver and launch the pairing tool in the 3Dconnexion Home program.
   Note: For more information on pairing the wireless 3D mouse, visit this SpaceMouse article.
4. Verify that the device works correctly using the test application installed by the driver.
   
   

You can change the navigation mode of your SpaceMouse in the Views tab under Views and Appearance in Shapr3D:

For more information on the navigation modes, refer to the SpaceMouse manual.

 

Wacom pen tablets and displays

Shapr3D’s user interface has been designed to incorporate digital pen input from the beginning. It makes it a uniquely great match to be used with Wacom devices.

Choosing your Wacom device

The most immediately visible difference between different Wacom devices is whether they have a built-in display:

• Pen displays feature a built-in screen, and are sold under the brand names “Wacom One” and “Cintiq.”
• Pen tablets are screenless, and are sold under brand names such as “One by Wacom” and “Intuos.”

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Pen displays are less portable and more expensive, while using a pen tablet takes some getting used to, as you need to look at a separate screen.

Shapr3D works perfectly with both types of devices, but we recommend devices with a built-in screen, as they are more intuitive to use.

Touch or no touch

Wacom sells both pen displays and screen-less pen tablets with multi-touch support in addition to pen input.

At the moment, we only support multi-touch input for view navigation on pen displays, but not on pen tablets. While you can rely on the built-in and customizable shortcuts that the Wacom driver provides for pen tablets, you won’t be able to navigate the 3D space with touch input as you would on an iPad.

For the best experience, we recommend touch-enabled pen displays, but Shapr3D works perfectly without touch input as well.

IMPORTANT: Touch input is currently not supported on Mac.

Which pen to use

You can safely get started with the pen that was shipped with your Wacom device. For the best experience, a pen specifically designed for 3D applications is recommended, such as the Pro Pen 3D. Notably, its additional button allows you to navigate in 3D space using your pen only, which many users find more convenient than using keyboard shortcuts together with pen gestures.

Navigation

If you have a touch-enabled pen display, you can navigate in 3D space using touch gestures, the same way you’d navigate on an iPad or on a touch-enabled Windows device. If you have a screenless pen tablet or a pen display that has no touch input, view navigation happens with the pen.

Navigation with keyboard

With the default settings, you can navigate the 3D space using a combination of keypresses and either hovering your pen over the tablet, or touching and dragging it over the surface. You can use the following modifiers:

• Shift: Tumble (also called Orbit)
• Ctrl: Pan
• Alt: Zoom in 3D space
• Space: Focus the view to the face under the pointer 

Note: The onboarding tutorial teaches you these gestures when you get started. To revisit it later on, go to the Learn tab, and select Redo the Basics.

To learn more about pen navigation and how to configure your Wacom device, visit this Wacom article.