[kvbarnum]

Hey all,

First of all, this isn't a "mac only" question, but since I develop on the mac, I decided this was the best place for this:)

I'm writing a plugin for my 3d app (c4d) to allow the use of HID devices to animate objects and cameras in real-time. I'd love to also support 3DConnexion devices, but since c4d already has a plugin for such devices, I'm encountering problems. I've been using SDL to poll data from HID devices in my plugin, and 3DConnexion devices are supported as such (on mac, at least... no windows support, either as HID or through the 3DC driver). However, the 3DC driver interferes with my plugin's use of 3DC devices... unless I have the preferences panel open and set as the active window... which is a pain. The only other option is to ask my users to uninstall the 3DC driver...which is totally unacceptable.

But, in the end, none of this matters since there's no windows support for 3DC devices under SDL on windows... so here I am, at the source:) Yes, there's a patch for SDL 1.3, but that version is still in development, so I don't feel comfortable relying on it (1.2.14 works just fine for me).

My question is, if I write 3DC device support into my plugin using the 3DC sdk, will it work along side another plugin that does the same? That's basically what the Maxon implementation of 3DC device support is, a plugin... and not a very good one IMHO... editor cam control is great, but object control is utterly useless without a way to record those movements. I don't mind asking my users to delete the SpaceMouse plugin from their c4d installs if there's going to be a conflict, but if that be the case, then I'll have to create editor cam control for my plugin to fill in the gap left by the missing SpaceMouse plugin.

thanks,
Kevin

[kvbarnum]

2 months and no responses?!?

Hey Bryan (mod) I'm from Rochester too:D How bout' helping out a fellow Rochesterian and givin' me a nudge in the right direction;)

-kvb

[Bryan]

Sorry kvbarnum, I'm not a developer. I'm afraid your questions are over my head. ; ^ > Maybe, try jwick.
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The more things change, the more they remain the same. ; ^ )

[flomotan]

Adding a plug-in to handle 3d mouse data in an application that already has 3d mouse support in it usually leads to a bad navigation experience. Conflict inevitably arises.

The best solution is to disable one of the plug-ins. Preferably the user has an easy way to toggle a switch to determine which plug-in to use. You may need to coordinate this with Maxon.