Solidworks 2010 (CAD) Wheel Button not functioning

[Chucker27]

Hello,

MPB 15". 10.5.8
I am running Windows XP Pro SP2 on a Parallels 6 VM and am having a difficult time getting my 5-button Microsoft Intellipoint Optical mouse to behave. I have tried using both the Microsoft drivers and Steer Mouse to assign function inside the VM but have had no success. The wheel button should rotate parts in Solidworks but will only bring up the dashboard in OS X. If I give the wheel button "no action" in the system prefs, I lose all functionality in the VM.

I have also attempted to configure the mouse to only be used by the virtual machine (Parallels->preferences->USB->Add device->...). Here, I get some results in that the mouse IS only seen by the VM and the primary and secondary buttons work, but the cursor cannot be seen graphically. Upon unplugging/replugging into another usb port, the cursor is visible and moves but is now also being used by osx...taking me back to the original problem.

Any ideas on what else I can try would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Chuck

 

[SefP]

Chucker:
I'm basically in the same boat, with slightly different hardware / software.
I can't have Ctrl+Alt (from the left hand on keyboard) and (click or drag) from the mouse ADD UP TO BE

Ctrl+Alt+Click.

It's like the keyboard and mouse are treated separately. So, sadly, while I hope you can get at least your basic mouse functions working, brace yourself for other (normal functions) to not work as expected.

I used a 7 button Razer proclick mouse, and couldn't get 2 of the buttons mapped properly. Gave up and bought a Razer Naga (which has 12 ! keys on one side, its ridiculous, but stands to be amazing for Fkey mapping) Sadly, I can't make it work.

When I was troubleshooting the Proclick, I tried using SteerMouse, dumped it. You should spend an hour with USBoverdrive. Perhaps you'll get more mileage. If you can get all your functionality working in USBoverdrive on the Mac side, you'll stand a better chance on the XP side. Also, You can install X-mouse Button Control on the XP side and ensure that the buttons are mapping correctly on the XP side.

I know that's a lot of BS to go through for making a mouse work. But even though I'm not hopeful you'll solve ALL problems, they are worth a shot.

If I can't iron out mine, I will be forced to run it on a Bootcamp partition, and hope I can get everything communicating there.

Best of luck, I will update you (and please do the same) if I make any REAL progress.

Sef.

 

[SefP]

@ Chucker27:

I installed keyremap4macbook and now ALL the Keyboard modifiers work as expected with my Razer Naga 17! Button mouse. So, Ctrl, alt or shift from the left hand COMBINES with the mouse keys (I have all 12 FKeys ON the mouse) to give me More than 36 unique combinations, without removing my hand from the mouse.

Amazing.

If you can't get your Intellimouse working with my above suggestions (USBoverdrive, Xmouse), you might also try keyremap4macbook. Its specifically set up to help with MacPro keyboards, but also has a section to remap Mouse keys as well. However, I guarantee some fiddling will be necessary.

Please note that for my particular problem, I did NOT configure anything in keyremap4macbook's pref pane, JUST INSTALLING it was enough, to start sending the virtual machine the proper key combos.

Best of luck, Sef.

 

[Chucker27]

Sef,

Thanks for the direction on this. I have spent some time with both USBoverdrive and X-Mouse and have not yet solved this thing. Xmouse faithfully and accurately signs the buttons on XP but the problem seems more superficial than a button-signing tool: the middle click is inextricably tied to the osx dashboard command. I can successfully de-activate the button with both USBoverdrive and SteerMouse but then it is also dead on XP. The only traction I've gotten comes from changing the preferences in parallels such that the Intellimouse is ONLY seen by XP while parallels is running. In this case, all buttons worked as signed in XP but the cursor does not move with the mouse (though it will move correctly with the track pad).

On a positive note, I think keyremap4macbook corrects the "pan" function in Solidworks (middle mouse + ctrl) but again, the cursor is not visible.

I'll keep at it, please let me know if you think of anything else.

Chuck

 

[SefP]

Big Mice in General... are painfully to get *fully* functional.

@ Chucker.

After like 2 weeks, with some hair pulling. I've finally found an acceptable path (of least resistance.) I hope this might help. Gawd knows I wished someone else could have helped... but it seems that the hardware combinations and software multiples quickly go into the stratosphere in terms of complexity.

Hardly anyone is an expert it seems.

To recap. I work in Rhino 3D for hours at a time... and will someday Solidworks... but maybe only via bootcamp (long story) I use a crazy spec'd Razer Naga mouse with 12 buttons at the thumb + the normal ones. SO... your Intellimouse "should" be easier? right? Less complexity? Well, maybe. I tried everything, working with every keyboard remapper, every system config in Mac, and in Parallels (for multiple issues). After getting the damn mouse "working." I was dismayed to find the performance complete crap, when using the drivers coming only from the OS X side, and translated into the VM. Seemingly extra signals were being sent, so I would lose selections, object snaps, and other painful things to a CAD operator.... and generally want to slap the Driver authors.

I finally broke down and, as you did, try to just keep the Mouse in XP... ONLY. It worked. But Only by disabling the Parallels USB Mouse Sync driver in XPs Device manager. Before I did that it was terrible... sort of what you experienced... completely unusable cursor wise... disappearing, jumping. Unusable. I figured 2 drivers were conflicting, but since the Naga Mouse was now "trapped" by the guest OS, I figured it couldn't be the OS X driver conflicting. So, I disabled the Parallels Mouse Sync driver. Voila. Oh, and what's listed below.

Here's the breakdown. Your mileage may vary.

1. I'm running an OS X driver for my mouse (Razer Naga 2.01)
2. You need to set the Mouse to "be connected" only to the XP machine. P6 Prefs > I think. See Attachment.
3. I'm ALSO running an XP driver (Razer Naga 2.03) in the XP Machine... to configure that @&& load of buttons, and make my inner geek happy.
4. YOU MUST, I think, disable the "Parallels USB Mouse Synchronization device" in XPs Device Manager. See Attachment. It commandeers the mouse, and is what (I believe) causes all the conflicts with the Company Provided driver. In your case, MS, I suppose.

You will lose the ability to seamlessly work In and Out of the VM. You'll have to RELEASE the mouse to work back in OS X. BUT, at least in my case, running a different driver in each OS, I get FULL functionality.

Which is key to any professional.... and as you know "Gamers" who buy Razer Mice (not me), are pretty damn professional... they have tall requirements. They have more options than us CADs !

BTW. If you do all / or any of this and it still doesn't work... run over your M$ mouse with your car, buy some snazzy thing with really mature drivers for BOTH osX and XP, and call me in the morning.

Peace.

 

[SefP]

@Chucker.

A note on troubleshooting... it (seemingly) never ends.

Since we have the trackpad in addition to the USB mouse it is possible for both to be used in the XP VM. However, when there are 2 independent cursors... things don't work right for me. Like the clicks of one don't work, but the movement of the other does... etc.

I don't know why, but Sending a Ctrl+Alt+Del... or really just waiting around for the drivers to work out who gets what... Releasing / and Capturing the mouse with shortcut. Eventually my cursors "snap out of it" and become ONE cursor, that is controlled by whichever device you touch/move.

They both are trapped by the VM, But ONLY the trackpad can be Released back to OSX with the Ctrl + Alt shortcut. If you want the USB mouse too, You need to release the mouse (trackpad in this case) and then use the trackpad to *Uncheck* the connected Mouse name (Naga in my case) , at the bottom of the VM window. I've found that through all of this... sometimes you have to wait a bit, especially when letting XP capture the Newly connected USB mouse. Don't know the specific command sequences that are quickest..... it all seems buggy.

But they eventually work as I posted above.

Sheesh. Too complicated.