Changes with Latest Drivers

Questions and answers about 3Dconnexion devices on Windows.

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Mike Truly
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Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:31 am

Changes with Latest Drivers

Post by Mike Truly »

There are a number of disturbing changes with the latest SpacePilot drivers.

This is on a dual quad-core workstation running XP x64, 8 gigs, dual QuadroFX 3450s, MAX8, MAX932, MAX964.

First of all, it seems support for many apps has been dropped. Previously, when I would go to open something like File Explorer, I could use the SP to scroll the folders, etc. Now this functionality seems to be gone.

But the real problem is in working with MAX8 (or 9). Previously, when MAX8 started, the SP would recognize that MAX was started and change the config to the MAX config. Now when MAX starts, the SP display shows '3D Connexion logo' but no MAX config.

If I then double-click the 3D Connexion icon on the desktop, instantly the proper MAX config is displayed on the SP. But why should I have to do this?

Has this problem been seen before?

Thanks!
Sincerely,

Mike Truly
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Mike Truly
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Post by Mike Truly »

OK, I found the post about legacy plugins for Office, Acrobat, Photoshop and have downloaded these plugins. I am hopeful these will give back some of the lost functionality.

But my question about MAX still stands.

Thanks!
Sincerely,

Mike Truly
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Mike Truly
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Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:31 am

Post by Mike Truly »

OK,

I may have solved the MAX problem. I went down into 'docs & settings>etc.' and found the 3D Connexion profiles and deleted all the profiles and started MAX again and now it seems to be properly switching the SP config to MAX when MAX starts up.

Thanks!
Sincerely,

Mike Truly
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ngomes
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Post by ngomes »

Hi Mike Truly,
Glad to see that you managed to sort out the issue with Max. Your comment regarding the legacy plug-ins as been noted.
Nuno Gomes
Mike Truly
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Post by Mike Truly »

Unfortunately, I have NOT fixed the problem. I thought I did but I didn't.

There is something different about the way the latest drivers write and use config files.

Some background.

I have MAX8, MAX9_32 and MAX9_64 installed on a x64 system, 8 gigs, 2 QuardoFX 3450s, etc.

With a fresh reboot of the system, when MAX8 is started, the SpacePilot display only shows the 3D Connexion logo (or it will show 'Any Application'), not the MAX config. If I immediately go and double-click the 3D Connexion desktop icon to bring up the config app, it does NOT open the config app but instead refreshes the config of the SP and it realizes that MAX8 is open and it loads the MAX config and the SP works as desired.

If I then go and start MAX9_32 or MAX9_64 the SP will properly show the MAX config.


But if I restart the system, and go into MAX9_32 or MAX9_64 the same problem is there again. No MAX config on the SP.


This is related to the loading of SP profiles.


One thing I should note. I do NOT have my MAX9_32 and MAX9_64 installed in the default Autodesk locations. Autodesk's multi-user config is a huge pain installing the app down in Program Files (a MS restricted directory that makes managing and operating MAX a greater hassle than in prior releases). I have MAX9_32 and MAX9_64 installed at the root:

C:\3dsMax9_32\
C:\3dsMax9_64\

I also have set a setting down in MAX's InstallSettings.ini to turn off the multi-user config and allow all MAX's config files to be located in the MAX direcotry as with previous releases. This works great and allows the simplicity of operation as in previous releases.


Back to the SP problem. Now, I must always double-click the 3D Connexion icon to make the proper MAX config load. This was not the case in previous releases of the SP drivers.

Thanks!
Sincerely,

Mike Truly
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mbonk
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Post by mbonk »

Hi Mike,

I have not found any records of a similar issue being reported.

Generally the following applies:
If the SpacePilot displays the 3Dconnexion logo then the driver is not running.
If the SpacePilot displays the 'Any Application' configuration, then either the foreground application has not connected to the driver, there is no custom configuration for that application, or the 'any application' has been manually selected.

In your case I cannot tell what is happening:

Although the SpacePilot display is incorrect does the 3D navigation work correctly? I would be surprised if it worked in max 9 x64 as there appears to be an issue that the plug-in will not load. But does it work in 3ds max 8 and the 32 bit 3ds max 9?
If not would you please check that the plug-in is loaded: there ought to be a 3dxstudio control panel under the utilities tab.

Would you also try the cube demo. Try this demo before any of the others as these (e.g. the jet demo) attempt to autoload the driver which may have side effects.

Let me know what happens.

Markus
Mike Truly
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Post by Mike Truly »

Markus,

Thanks for looking into this.

Here is what happens on my x64 system with MAX8, MAX9_32 and MAX9_64:


When the system is first started (cold boot), the system starts and the 3D Connexion logo is displayed on the SpacePilot.

When I start MAX8 for the first time, MAX starts but the 3D Connexion logo is still displayed on the SP. If I look in the MAX Utilities panel, it shows 3DxStudio 4.4. The controls on the SP are inactive... nothing happens when I try the control knob and the control panel is NOT opened by pressing the panel button. The config button also does nothing. If I press the Control Panel button in the MAX Utilities panel, it opens the SP control panel. I can set settings, close the control panel but the SP does NOT become active. If I open the button mapping editor, it does open but there is nothing on the right side as it does not see the SP buttons.

If I close MAX8 and I start MAX8 again, it starts but the SP still displays the 3D Connexion logo.

If I start MAX9_32, it starts but the SP still displays the 3D Connexion logo. (3DxStudio 4.4 is displayed in the Utilities panel and SP does nothing).

If I start MAX9_64, it starts but the SP still displays the 3D Connexion logo. (3DxStudio 4.4 is displayed in the Utilities panel and SP does nothing).

If I start MAX8 again, when I double-click the 3D Connexion icon on the desktop, the app does not open but the SP does recognize MAX8 and the proper MAX config shows on the SP and the SP works. (double-clicking the 3D Connexion icon in any of the MAX apps will make the SP become active for MAX).

If I start MAX9_32 now, the SP immediately is active for MAX (because the SP was made active by double-clicking the 3D Connexion icon with MAX8 started).

If I start MAX9_64 now, the SP immediately is active for MAX (because the SP was made active by double-clicking the 3D Connexion icon with MAX8 started).

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If (when any MAX is started) I double-click the 3D Connexion icon and start the 3D Connection Control panel, I see there are two configs listed for MAX:

Any Application (grayed out)
3D Studio MAX - Mike Truly
3D Studio MAX

If I choose to delete the '3D Studio MAX - Mike Truly' config, and then re-start MAX, it makes a new '3D Studio MAX - Mike Truly' config. Is is normal to have 2 MAX configs listed? Is it possible these two MAX configs are conflicting?
-----------------------------------------

If I restart the system (warm boot) and try the cube demo, it works fine.

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OK, I uninstalled the 3D Connexion software using Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs and then re-started system and re-installed the software. Now when the system starts, Any Application is displayed on the SP.

It seems the SP is working now when starting all versions of MAX. It is showing the MAX config when each app starts.

Thanks!
Sincerely,

Mike Truly
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mbonk
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Post by mbonk »

I uninstalled the 3D Connexion software using Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs and then re-started system and re-installed the software. Now when the system starts, Any Application is displayed on the SP.
Good to hear. What you have written is consistent with the 3DxWare driver not automatically starting up when you loggen in: There ought to be a 'Start 3DxWare" entry in the Startup program group, which was missing before you reinstalled. Double clicking on the desktop icon causes the 3dxware driver to start if it is not already running and is why everything worked afterwards.
If I choose to delete the '3D Studio MAX - Mike Truly' config, and then re-start MAX, it makes a new '3D Studio MAX - Mike Truly' config. Is is normal to have 2 MAX configs listed? Is it possible these two MAX configs are conflicting?
Generally 3DxWare supplies a default configuration for applications which are supported. If any change is made to the default - this need not necessarily be actively done by the user - the changed configuration is named 'original name - %username%' and becomes the default for that user. In the case of the 3ds Max configuration, deleting the user default has little effect.

Markus
Mike Truly
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Post by Mike Truly »

Markus,

So far, it seems to be working. Not sure why it wasn't starting before. All my systems are set to autologon since there is only one user.

Thanks for the explanation on the config files, it makes sense now.

Thanks again.
Sincerely,

Mike Truly
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