3Dconnexion releases a conventional mouse designed for CAD professionals

3Dconnexion, best known for its line of 3D mice, today released CadMouse, a traditional-style computer mouse that incorporates design features targeted at computer aided design (CAD) professionals.

“We developed the 3Dconnexion CadMouse because CAD users asked us to,” says Antonio Pascucci, VP of products at 3Dconnexion. “We took the time to understand what they needed before developing a combination of smart hardware and software features.”

The most distinctive of those is the CadMouse’s dedicated middle mouse button. Most 3D applications, including CAD, facilitate model orientation (i.e. rotate/pan) by clicking and holding the rotating scroll wheel. Providing a separate, full-sized button, the company says, relieves the discomfort of holding down this hard, rounded surface thousands of times per day.

To zoom in and out of models or drawings, the CadMouse provides two thumb buttons in addition to what the company calls a “Smart Scroll Wheel” that adapts its zooming behavior depending on the active application. For traditionalist, the clickable wheel also incorporates concave “finger-friendly” contours.

Just behind the scroll wheel sits a smaller gesture/radial menu button, which opens a context sensitive on-screen radial menu. Once clicked, moving the cursor left, right, up or down activates a configurable, application-specific command.

Under the hood, the CadMouse features a high-resolution tracking system (8200dpi) with a poll rate of up to 1000Hz (responsiveness of 1 millisecond), the company says. In addition, the mouse’s “feet” are made from PTFE, a material with one of the lowest coefficients of friction against any surface.

At launch (end of February 2015), 3Dconnexion says the CadMouse will retail for US$99 and have full feature support on MS Windows 8, 7 and Vista.
www.3dconnexion.com