About three years ago I purchased a gaming mouse to play some PC games at home. The one I purchased was the Logitech G700, which has 10 programmable buttons. The Logitech Gaming Software allows the user to set macros and key presses to any of the buttons. After getting used to having so many buttons I realized I could use this for my work in which I use Civil 3D, 3ds Max, and Revit. My work mouse was an older, simple Logitech Marathon mouse that was falling apart after many years of use. I convinced my boss that I needed a new mouse and that a gaming mouse would benefit me because I could program the many buttons with commands for AutoCAD, Revit, and 3ds Max. He agreed and I purchased the Logitech Gaming Mouse G700s.

I use Civil 3D almost every day, so that’s the first one I’ve programmed. I set up a profile in the Logitech Gaming Software for C3D (AutoCAD) that has the buttons programmed for the commands I use the most: Qsave, Pline, Trim, Esc, Undo, Offset, and Matchproperties. This allows me to work very efficiently and saves time.

Below are two screenshots from the Logitech Gaming Software. One is the overall button mapping, and the other is the Command Editor. Before AutoCAD will recognize the commands, you must make each one a text block, and the Use Unicode Playback checkbox must be turned on. Some commands such as Qsave can be performed using CTRL+S, but it’s easier and consistent to keep with the text block setup.

Another nice aspect of this is that the Logitech Gaming Software allows you to import and export the button mapping into an XML file. The G700s also allows you to keep the mapping on the mouse’s internal memory itself, which means you can take the mouse to any other Windows computer and it’ll remember the button configuration.

Notes from Cadalyst tip reviewer R.K. McSwain: This tip is a good idea if this sort of user interface fits your needs. Long ago, many users had digitizing tablets that were supplied with multibutton pucks. With Windows came the standard two-, then three-button mice, which eventually phased out those multibutton pucks. What's old is new again!