Using a Logitech G13 for CAD

If you are a design engineer, you may now have to explain to upper management why you need to purchase a gaming device for your system. What they may not know is that there are few 'gadgets' that can increase your CAD productivity as much as a good gamepad- and the Logitech G13 really shines in this application. Here's why.

With the advancing complexity of todays engineering designs comes an equivalent complexity in the tools we use. It doesn't matter whether your tool is Allegro, Orcad, Mentor, PTC, SolidWorks, Altium Designer, or other, productivity gains can be almost instantly realized by integrating a gamepad into your design workflow. 


Once common denominator across every CAD app is the fact that many mouse-clicks or keyboard interactions are required to get to an often used function. Most of the CAD tools- if not all of them- allow scripting and keyboard macros to be created, but these exhibit a couple of inherant limitations.

  1. First, you generally can't include mouse-clicks into a custom keyboard macro which makes getting to certain dialogs cumbersome- if not impossible- in the macro.
  2. Second, if you re-map the standard CAD tool's keyboard macros to make your machine more productive for your style, the next engineer using your machine is going to have to spend time trying to figure out what you have done to your system.

Gamepads, on the other hand, look like standalone mouse/keyboard input systems and simulate series of keystrokes and mouse-clicks that the computer sees. Each key on the gamepad can launch a macro, simulating multiple keystrokes plus mouse clicks such as "Left Mouse button down, Left Mouse button Up, Shift+Alt+R, Enter"- all with one key-press. Since all keys are reachable for the hand placed on the gamepad, no two-handed key sequences are required for operations, resulting in rapid execution of CAD tool functions. Without using the gamepad, I tracked some two handed macros on the main keyboard for my favorite tool, such as a 'Place Track', and it required lifting my right hand off of the mouse, holding down multiple keys, then returning my right hand to the mouse. Time: ~2.3 seconds. The same operation using the gamepad: .09 seconds, and I never had to lift my right hand off of the mouse. Since this key sequence is used all the time in layout, the savings really rack up during the course of one daily session. The Logitech is not unique to this genre of device, but it is highly powerful, and better yet, extremely low cost for such a productive tool. Macros are stored in the gamepad, and not in the application, keeping the standard tool's shortcuts intact.

Shown to the left is bank 1 of three in this application profile. All the keys light up to the color of the bank number, in this case, red-orange.

Not shown is bank 2, in yellow. Next is bank 3 of an application profile, in violet.


The Logitech G13 monitors the position movement of the mouse in the Windows system, and once it recognizes the focus coming into an application that you have defined a profile for, it instantly loads up the three banks of macros for that profile. Each bank may be selected via an 'M' key located on the G13. Each 'G' key can be assigned a different macro (per bank) via the G13's Macro Manager. Mouse clicks may be inserted at any step, and delays can be strictly controlled, giving the G13 a much, much quicker response than a normal workflow using a standard keyboard and mouse. 


Go to Logitech.com for more information about the G13 gamepad.