Controller Configurations — Mouse Axes
To enable or disable the cursor or scroll wheel axes of a mouse, set the “Cursor” or “Scrolling” popup menu in the “Axes” section under the “Mouse Axes” tab to the desired value. The change will take effect immediately -- use caution before disabling the cursor axes of a mouse if this is the only available pointing device. The “Undo” command (Command-Z) can be used to reverse any changes that are made.
To use a custom acceleration curve for the cursor, select “Custom Acceleration” under the “Cursor Acceleration Curves” section. You may select one of the 10 standard acceleration curves (these approximate the curves that are available in the System Preferences) or you may define your own custom acceleration curve.
If you want to create your own custom acceleration curve, it is helpful to start with one of the standard curves and then modify it to suit your preferences.
ControllerMate displays an acceleration curve graphically by plotting cursor speed vs. mouse speed:
The mouse speed values range from 0-40. This range is used because it is the range that the standard Mac OS X mouse driver uses. Higher numbers represent a faster mouse movement. “40” is actually a very, very fast mouse movement. It is doubtful that users will ever actually move a mouse this fast.
The cursor speed values range from 0-1000. The number value has little actual meaning except to indicate that 1000 is twice as fast as 500, 500 is ten times faster than 50, and so forth. By selecting various standard acceleration curves and then observing the effect on the cursor movement, users should be able to quickly get a feel for the cursor speed that each acceleration curve generates.
Editing a custom acceleration curve is done by simply dragging the individual points that make up the curve. New points may be added by clicking anywhere on the curve between existing points. A point may be deleted by dragging it to the left or right until it disappears.
There are two basic characteristics of an acceleration curve: speed and sensitivity. Speed is simply how fast or slow the cursor moves. Sensitivity is a measure of how much mouse movement is required to get the cursor to move a certain distance. If the acceleration curve is more sensitive, then less mouse movement is needed to get the cursor to move a certain distance. Conversely, if the acceleration curve is less sensitive, then more mouse movement is necessary to get the cursor to move a certain distance.
The following image illustrates how an acceleration curve should change to make it more or less sensitive:
This shows that an acceleration curve that is more sensitive requires less mouse movement, and a curve that is less sensitive will require more mouse movement. To quickly change the sensitivity of an entire acceleration curve, hold down the Option key and drag one of the points on the curve left or right.
The following image illustrates how an acceleration curve should change to make it faster or slower:
This shows that a faster acceleration curve will produce more cursor movement, and a slower acceleration curve will produce less cursor movement. To quickly change the speed of an entire acceleration curve, hold down the Command key and drag one of the points on the curve up or down.
Examples: