3D Modelling one handed after stroke

mccartm6

Hi guys,

I run a company called XD studios and I'm also 3D modeller. Unfortunately I suffered a stroke last April (at just 27!). I've made a good recovery and it's still ongoing, I've been left with right handed semi-paresis. Any of you in similar boats or have any advice on getting back to modelling with just  left hand for now? My main programs are maya, zbrush and photoshop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

pior

Hello @mccartm6 - 

You could try looking at the 3Dconnection Spacenavigator.
http://www.3dconnexion.fr/products/spacemouse/spacenavigator.html

It would allow you to navigate your 3d scenes using only one hand - and doing so in a very smooth, deliberate manner. I haven't used it in Maya hence I cannot tell if the plugin works well in it, but I can confirm that it works pretty flawlessly in Max. That was years ago though, hence I don't know if it is still supported and I have no idea if there is Zbrush support at all. It's a niche product, but some artists swear by it therefore I would assume that it is still maintained.

Besides that there are interesting on-screen solutions developed for the tablet market - that is to say, applications giving you virtual buttons for keyboard shortcuts when using a Windows-based tablet like the Surface pro without its keyboard.

This could be useful too : 
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/2006/11/17/ergodex_dx1_input_system/1

And last but not least, there are on-screen pie menus integrated into the Wacom driver, which can be triggered at the press of a button on the stylus or the tablet itself.

Good luck - wishing you a good recovery !

Zack Maxwell

mccartm6 said:

Hi guys,

I run a company called XD studios and I'm also 3D modeller. Unfortunately I suffered a stroke last April (at just 27!). I've made a good recovery and it's still ongoing, I've been left with right handed semi-paresis. Any of you in similar boats or have any advice on getting back to modelling with just  left hand for now? My main programs are maya, zbrush and photoshop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Carpal tunnel put me in a similar boat. I recommend binding your hotkeys to foot pedals. This is the best one I've found; http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GVWTS4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

ExcessiveZero

mccartm6 said:

Hi guys,

I run a company called XD studios and I'm also 3D modeller. Unfortunately I suffered a stroke last April (at just 27!). I've made a good recovery and it's still ongoing, I've been left with right handed semi-paresis. Any of you in similar boats or have any advice on getting back to modelling with just  left hand for now? My main programs are maya, zbrush and photoshop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Hello Mccartm6, sucks about your stroke, crazy you can have one at 27! my dad had one, it's pretty amazing just how much you can recover over time brain has an amazing ability to rededicate regions or at least I think that's how it works.

I have had some hand injuries quite severe before and can understand the frustration.
the foot pedals seem like an interesting novel solution, you might try switching to max, I dunno but maya is so heavily relied on hotkeys and all those drop menus for me where as with a custom toolbar you can setup all your extrudes bevels etc on a single click,  obviously a multi button programmable  mouse would go a long way I personally would also pickup one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Razer-Tartarus-Chroma-Expert-Gaming/dp/B010B5C04M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453711702&sr=8-2&keywords=macro+keypad and switch between the mouse and pad

or something like it, couple that with a 12 button mouse like the razer naga and you have 37 customizable macros.

As far as learning all the macros which will take time (backup profiles for sure for the future) id say a quick reference cheat sheet and get that on your desk in front of you for easy reference until you know them off by heart.

Hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your recovery.

thomasp

i was going to recommend a gamer mice with multiple, programmable buttons too - but how many of these pressed down simultaneously can be recognized? you'd need to account for three engaged buttons at least i reckon - to make e.g. manipulating selections possible.

the foot pedal stuff sounds good.

Green Pirate64

I personally use the Razer mouse shown above and it works wonderfully. It also comes with Macro software so you can set several keys to a single button or even toggles.

AtticusMars

You might consider using something like Radial Menu (Wacom also has its own radial menu, but I hate it personally) to build maya-like radial menus in non-maya applications. I use it to paint in Photoshop and you could set it up so that you never had to press any hotkeys.

If you combined it with foot pedals for color picking and panning I'm pretty sure you'd be nearly just as efficient as a keyboard user.

Joopson

Seems like most of the heavy lifting could be done by getting a mouse with a few side buttons, and setting them to be alt, ctrl, shift, and spacebar. At least for maya, those are really the important keystrokes. I know for myself, being right handed, my left hand is pretty uncoordinated; I can't imagine being able to use that 12 button mouse with any efficiency for a long time. All depends on what you think will be usable and comfortable.
The foot pedal idea is pretty brilliant too, though I never realized such a thing existed. That would probably be the most efficient option, used in conjunction with a mouse with extra buttons.

Also, I think it's awesome you'll be sticking with 3D, even in this time of difficulty. Someone in my family had a stroke at 23, and apparently for a while she was uncoordinated, forgetful, and generally had lots of difficulty with things she considered easy or thoughtless beforehand; but now, it's been 3 years, and she's almost perfect, except for maybe a little bit of difficulty remembering small details, but it's not apparent. It really is amazing what the brain can do to repair itself.

Deathstick

It looks like everyone else has better suggestions than I can think of. Just wanted to wish you well!

Bletzkarn

I don't have any advice for you by I want to say that I believe you can absolutely be as good with only one hand. It's not really related but at my martial arts dojo there was a man who came to train with only 1 arm! For a martial art that is very hand oriented it was reasonable for people to think he couldn't do it but he ended up being of the strongest martial artist there, adapting his techniques for his body's condition.

I'm sure there are many effient workflows that can be achieved with one hand.

monster

Thinking outside the box.. and it's probably not possible now.  If something like VR Desktop let you use head tracking for mouse movement you could use your free hand for hotkeys. http://www.vrdesktop.net/ (Again that particular feature is not available in VR Desktop as of right now.)

Justin Meisse

If you were local to me in Austin I'd totally be up to collaborate on a custom built interface!  See if there's any hackerspace/makerspace groups in your area, it isn't that hard to fabricate the circuitry needed.  Foot pedals, dials, or a custom made control pad for your good hand could be fabricated without too much fuss.