Skip to main content

Troubleshooting 3D SpaceMouse Connectivity Issues

Troubleshoot your 3D Connexion SpaceMouse in CoLab

Updated this week

Developed by 3Dconnexion, the SpaceMouse is a specialized 3D motion controller designed to augment a standard mouse. While a traditional mouse is confined to a 2D plane (x- and y- axes), the SpaceMouse allows for simultaneous navigation in a 3D environment across six degrees of freedom (6DoF). Because of this complexity, connection issues can arise when using a SpaceMouse with CoLab.

Try these steps to troubleshoot your 3D SpaceMouse

  1. Refresh the browser page by pressing F5 or Ctrl + R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + R (Mac).

    1. 3D mice can sometimes focus away from the browser, if it determines the browser is not being used. Refreshing the browser can re-focus the mouse on the browser and restore the connection.

  2. Disable and re-enable the 3D SpaceMouse in the CoLab viewer settings.

    1. When viewing a 3D file, click the gear icon in the viewer's toolbar and navigate to the Mouse section. Toggle the Enable 3D mouse button disable and enable the 3D Mouse.

  3. Check if 3DxNLServer is running. If not, start it manually by following these steps:

    1. On a Mac computer

      1. Open Activity Monitor, search for "3DxNLServer".

      2. If "3DxNLServer" is not running, press Cmd + Space, type "3DxNLServer", and hit Return to restart the application.

    2. On a Windows computer

      1. Right-click the taskbar, select Task Manager, and find "3DxNLServer.exe" in the list.

      2. If "3DxNLServer.exe" is not running, navigate to the Start Menu. Search for and run "Start 3DxWare"

  4. Update to the SpaceMouse drivers to the latest version by visiting 3D Connexion's website: https://3dconnexion.com.

    1. After updating the drivers, disable and enable the 3D SpaceMouse and refresh CoLab browser page.

"Look for and connect to any device on your network" requests

Starting in late 2025, many browsers will occasionally request access to network-connected devices through a small pop-up at the top of your screen when accessing CoLab.

This request is required when a website wants to use a line of hardware called the SpaceMouse. Created by 3D Connexions, a SpaceMouse is a mouse used to more easily navigate through 3D space in design.

Drivers used by the SpaceMouse require this request to be made to operate correctly with browser-based tools. If you would like to use a SpaceMouse with CoLab, you need to accept this request.

If you don't have a SpaceMouse, you can deny the request without any impact to your use of CoLab.

Did this answer your question?