Support 3Dconnexion 3D Mouse Navigation in RealityPlan Scenes

Description
Enable support for 3D mice (e.g 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse and similar devices) within RealityPlan’s 3D navigation environment. 3D mice provide six-degree-of-freedom control for intuitive exploration and manipulation of 3D environments and complex project scenes, enhancing user interaction with spatial data and layouts.

Background / Problem
RealityPlan offers advanced tools to view and navigate 3D point clouds, CAD/BIM integrations, and mesh environments, featuring immersive navigation modes like avatar, flythrough, and photosphere. However, there is currently no native support for external 3D navigation hardware. Users with devices such as 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse cannot leverage six-axis input to explore large and detailed environments efficiently, reducing workflow fluidity for professionals in engineering, design, and planning.

Goals

• Integrate support for 3Dconnexion 3D mice into RealityPlan’s navigation system.

• Enable fluid six-axis input to control navigation (translate and rotate) through point clouds, CAD models, and layouts.

• Improve efficiency and spatial understanding for engineers and planners using RealityPlan’s immersive 3D visualization and navigation tools.

Acceptance Criteria

1. Device Detection: 3D mice are automatically recognized when connected to the user’s workstation at runtime.

2. Navigation Control: Users can pan, orbit, zoom, and rotate the camera or navigation viewpoint using 3D mouse inputs.

3. Six-Axis Input Mapping: Device axes map intuitively to scene navigation controls (configurable mappings where needed).

4. Integration Strategy: Prefer a robust, unified approach using existing input systems or official SDKs to handle 3D mouse input across platforms.

5. Documentation: Include setup instructions and best practices for configuring 3D mice within RealityPlan documentation.

6. Cross-Platform Support: Ensure compatibility on supported desktop platforms for RealityPlan (e.g Windows).

7. Fallback Behavior: If no 3D mouse is present, navigation defaults gracefully to existing controls without errors.

User Impact
Professional users working on immersive 3D layouts, facility planning, clash detection, and spatial validation will gain precise, ergonomic navigation controls. This enhances productivity, reduces friction in spatial analysis tasks, and deepens spatial context understanding within RealityPlan’s 3D environments.

Dependencies / Notes

• Evaluate existing 3D mouse input libraries or plugins compatible with RealityPlan’s rendering and navigation stack (Unity or custom engine).

• Investigate 3Dconnexion drivers and SDKs to ensure reliable detection and mapping of six-axis input.

• Assess differences between legacy SpaceMouse hardware and current models for driver/SDK support.

• Coordinate with internal product teams to align navigation feature enhancements with broader RealityPlan UX improvements.