mouse that's really easy on the fingers (super easy to click)
polycounter lvl 7
(Yeah, I know there are at least two recent mouse threads floating around, but those are more general-purpose "what mice do you like?" threads. I've skimmed them, and they don't seem to offer what I'm after.)
My problem: after 2-3 days of heavy clicking, my index and middle fingers really hurt, along with the muscles in between thumb and index. For reference, I've been using a standard MS Wheel Mouse Optical / Intellimouse for years. Using it for heavy modeling hurts like hell.
I was hoping to get people's recommendations for mice whose buttons are really easy to press in (where it feels like you're barely putting any pressure at all on the button), or for mice that actually let you touch/tap to click (like on a laptop touchpad), forgoing physical clicks altogether. What's baffling is, although there are tons of mice that have touchpads built in for scrolling and other gestures, none of them seem to let you tap to click. The only example I've heard of that actually does this is Apple's Magic Mouse, and even that doesn't support the functionality out of the box: you have to buy a 3rd party utility instead, and that utility is Mac-only.
I don't really have wrist problems, so recommendations for trackballs or vertical mice need not apply, unless they also satisfy the "super easy to click" requirement. I can alternate to using a drawing tablet instead, and that works okay, but it's kinda clunky for modeling. I can buy a trackpad too, but in my experience, cursor control on trackpads is awful (unless you guys know of an awesome trackpad where it isn't.)
My problem: after 2-3 days of heavy clicking, my index and middle fingers really hurt, along with the muscles in between thumb and index. For reference, I've been using a standard MS Wheel Mouse Optical / Intellimouse for years. Using it for heavy modeling hurts like hell.
I was hoping to get people's recommendations for mice whose buttons are really easy to press in (where it feels like you're barely putting any pressure at all on the button), or for mice that actually let you touch/tap to click (like on a laptop touchpad), forgoing physical clicks altogether. What's baffling is, although there are tons of mice that have touchpads built in for scrolling and other gestures, none of them seem to let you tap to click. The only example I've heard of that actually does this is Apple's Magic Mouse, and even that doesn't support the functionality out of the box: you have to buy a 3rd party utility instead, and that utility is Mac-only.
I don't really have wrist problems, so recommendations for trackballs or vertical mice need not apply, unless they also satisfy the "super easy to click" requirement. I can alternate to using a drawing tablet instead, and that works okay, but it's kinda clunky for modeling. I can buy a trackpad too, but in my experience, cursor control on trackpads is awful (unless you guys know of an awesome trackpad where it isn't.)
Replies
I use a Razer Diamondback from 2004 at work and the middle click (and all other clicks) are very very easy.
They remastered the mouse recently but I'm not sure how the middle click is.
https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-diamondback
Also, I would consider trying to model with a tablet. I've been doing it for about 3 years now and it is much more comfortable. Just remap the top button to MMB and the lower one to RMB.
I guess I can look around on PC gamer forums for similar threads, since 100k clicks per day is a thing for them too. But Google hasn't been much help so far.
Re: tablets, yeah, I alternate between mouse and tablet while modeling, to rest my hand. It's okay, but it's not as precise. Unlike a mouse, which you can move into position and then have the cursor hold still while you click, tapping w/ a stylus means hovering into position and then moving it down onto the tablet's surface, which means not only do you potentially risk tapping a little ways off from where you intended, but also sometimes you'll click and drag something a little ways by accident, because the pen tip can slide a little after touching down. Neither of those is a huge deal, but still, I miss that benefit of the mouse.
You mention that you get finger fatigue while modeling. I think this is quite understandable, because in order to move a vertex almost all 3d programs require the user to :
> Enable move mode
> precisely click the location of a vertex to select it.
> hold down the click,
> drag the mouse the the desired end location with the finger pressed down, which can require tense micro-adjustments
> release the click to confirm
I know that this sounds benign but over time it definitely adds up. Now consider this : In Blender one can use what I call "off-hand manipulation". It goes like this :
> Select a vertex by clicking anywhere near it (it detects the closest to your pointer, so no need to be tense/precise).
> The vertex is now selected - you can now let go of the finger (no need to keep it pressed).
> Tap the kb shortcut for move - you are now ready to move the vertex ... and your fingers are not even on the mouse button anymore.
> freely move the mouse to the intended end location.
> hold down the shift key if you need more precision.
> left click the mouse button to confirm/right click to cancel.
All this time no mouse buttons were held at all. It goes without saying that it does wonders for wrist/finger pain, and it is also much more precise than the regular way of manipulating objects.
I would highly encourage you to at least give it a try. I hope this doesn't sound too much like a fanboy preaching - it's just the that core of the issue might not lie with the mouse model itself, but rather with the way it is being used. Good luck !
Also, I'm just too used to Max--mod stack, add-ons I've come to depend on (Rappa, other stuff). Blender might be worthwhile to test out in general, though. I'm curious whether I can do most of the same stuff in it. Someday.
I wonder if I could wire up a stick of butter to use as a mouse.
And to go back to the Blender suggestion : the point is that once you tap the mouse button once, you do *not* need to either click or drag, you simply push your mouse around without holding anything. I can record a quick demo if you are interested.
Re: Max viewport navigation, I completely forgot about something: I used to poke around Blender when I was younger, way long ago, before the UI change, and I'd gotten used to its navigation scheme (middle mouse button for rotate, Shift+middle mouse for pan, etc). When I started learning Max, I configured the viewport controls to match Blender's, haha.
That, or MS mice have buttery-smooth activation in comparison, and I never knew. But I feel like I've definitely used lower-force mice before.
• If the worry/problem really is clicking force, then I think it would only make sense to devise a test for you (and other people) to precisely measure said force. If not the whole discussion goes in circles
• Regarding viewport navigation : Indeed I think all schemes will require at least a bit of click dragging. But who knows, maybe some of it might be fine *once* you find a good mouse and start using a model editing scheme the requires no held clicks (which I personally believe is likely the source of the problem, since most modeling programs not only require held clicks for editing but also micro movement for pointer precision).
(This is all coming from a personal background of crippling hand pain too
I know the 2D-work hand pain well. It hasn't happened in a while, but I also don't draw nearly as much as I used to. One thing that might have helped me in the past: joining a gym and using my hands for weights, cardio machines, whatever--moving my hands more in general. I've heard that's good for RSI of all kinds, so that mousing/drawing isn't the only thing you ever use your hands for. Funnily enough, I quit the gym a few months before I started getting back into modeling, late last year, so I could try getting back to working out to see if it helps.
I saw ur post and im also having same issues with my index finger and middle finger.
Can u please advise what mouse did u ended up using?
Thanks,
I've got a G502 now, and it's got a very heavy middle click. However, I'm also not in pain anymore. Pior's comment regarding Blender is definitely part of the reason, but also I found that after a long time (and some guitar playing) my fingers had built up strength and it wasn't an issue anymore. Sounds strange, working out your fingers, but it's been working for me. That said, I don't recommend powering through though, definitely take some actions to improve your equipment's ergonomics, your muscles will thank you.
One other weird thing to consider when buying a mouse solely for a comfortable middle click, is the width/profile of the mouse wheel. Honestly this turned out to be a much bigger problem for me than I had thought. My G502 has a wide flat wheel, which means my full finger tip is pushing down which in turn means it's not jabbing into me like cheaper, smaller and even lighter to click mice. No jabbing anymore meant no pain at the cost of a tad more effort.
I feel like if you get any premium mouse and you spend some time working with it you'll be very comfortable indeed.