3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Compact

Tried many drivers but can't get it to work on a mac.. a seemingly known problem.

Good 3d mouse, for the basics exactly what you need.

I've worked quite a bit with SolidWorks and Siemens NX, and so far always with just a mouse, with endless dragging, mouse wheel use, and holding down Ctrl and Shift whatever comes with it. It sometimes takes you a good 10 seconds to get the camera exactly where you want, and even then you can't quite get to what you want. In addition to being time-consuming, it is also very frustrating, and it takes the tempo out of your design work.

With the SpaceMouse, that is a thing of the past; you can rotate, zoom, and move your model even while in menus. In addition, you keep your mouse free for navigating through the menu, clicking things, etc. It is really difficult to explain what a difference this device can make, so you should try it, and if you don't like it you can always return it . I do say that the support differs per program; in NX, for example, it works fantastic, in Blender it has been a bit less smooth so far, but that can be solved with configuration. I myself use it with my laptop, for which I can recommend the use of an (official) cover, although Coolblue unfortunately does not sell this (yet).

All in all, totally worth the price, especially for someone doing professional CAD work, and a real quality product for the money.