Seeking solution for Carpel Tunnel-ed Right Arm & Wrist

Mythmaker

Hi everyone

Returned to Carrara recently. Continue to discover nice gems and stuff and finding valuable info on the helpful forum. The first thing I did was making the interface and navigation as friendly as possible (more like Daz Studio basically). Maxed out the keyboard shortcut pretty soon. Soon after I developed a case of carpal tunnel so bad it spreads to my right upper arm and right shoulder. Pain became unbearable I had to stop using Carrara for now or see a physio.

For context, I'm overall healthy and active, and I use the same mouse/ Wacom Intuous inputs for Daz Studio, game engine level editors, SketchUp and ZBrush intensively from time to time, never such issue. Because either they have full shortcut, customizable UI, or 3Dconnexion support. I always maximise use of custom layout and ui whenever available to reduce load on one arm.

It doesn't help that Carrara's keyboard shortcut preference doesn't keep half the time. So the typical step after launching program is to go to Preference and program each keyboard shortcut again. Crazy, I know. But I'm not a perfectionist and do put up with eccentric tools. But tedious click-intensive workarounds such as this will of course add to more right wrist/arm click stress.

At some point I realize how important basic thing like ease of navigation is not just to newcomers, but to everyone, from casual dabblers to advanced hobbyists to pros. CG tools UI FLEXBILITY is fundamental to usage and popularity. DUH...I guess. I'm now more appreciative of what I take for-granted...how pleasureable is moving around in Daz Studio...

I really want to learn Carrara, to make trees, play physics, become a contributing member, make large scene animations, spread the 'most hidden CG gem' gospel etc... Right now I can only drool at Rashad and Wendy's creations. Or... Google for alternatives and solutions while rubbing ointments onto my very ouch-ed right arm and wrist... :(

Temporal solutions I can think of

- report the bugs (setting Dolly to C doesn't keep, XY pan sometimes keep sometimes not, spacebar cannot be assigned....)
- ask for hotkeys for frequently used functions: rewind keyframe, one key to cycle through custom cameras, one key for director camera, one key for set camera position, and dozens other Timeline, scene setup, navigation functions. Basically, hotkey-able higher and lower hierachy essentials like what Daz Studio users get.
- ask for custom menu (ability to move timeline controls to right side). Ability to add/ remove icons from menu. Like Daz Studio users.
- ask for custom icons (also enjoyed by Daz Studio users) so all 3 Remove Unused Masters and a dozen other Carrara eccentricities can be made into icons, instant access or hotkey-able
- ask for 3Dconnexion support, enjoyed by Blender SketchUp LightWave etc.. Also, ironically, enjoyed by Daz Studio users.

I'm so desperate to take Carrara work load of my right arm that I tried to reverse engineer a 3DXconnexion script for Carrara digging around their Blender and Max and Modo 3DXware config files. That's how desperate I am lol...

Maybe some plugin genius want to tackle a Carrara keyboard map plugin or 3Dconnexion for Carrara...

starboard

I had trouble with right arm also. Carpal tunnel problems from griping the mouse and the pen for wacom . I switched to my left hand and used that for a couple of weeks. I am right handed - not ambidextrous however it is quite amazing how quickly you can learn to use your left hand when you have to. Now whenever my right arm starts to give me trouble I quickly transfer over to my left . Give it a try - nothing to lose.

Starboardtack

Mythmaker

msteaka said:

I had trouble with right arm also. Carpal tunnel problems from griping the mouse and the pen for wacom . I switched to my left hand and used that for a couple of weeks. I am right handed - not ambidextrous however it is quite amazing how quickly you can learn to use your left hand when you have to. Now whenever my right arm starts to give me trouble I quickly transfer over to my left . Give it a try - nothing to lose.

Starboardtack

I'm semi-ambidextrous. All my 3 mice are wireless so quite easy to go left hand navigation. Right now typing mostly with left hand and, my firefox is also hotkey to max and use 3dconnexion, so at least net browsing is not a problem right now. Now the pain is so bad I can't even practice ZBrush. ZBrush is also demanding on right hand use, but their 300% customizable interface is a dream for artists.

I'm not asking for pro tools features. Daz3d dev know what is good navigation for their customers. They did a GREAT job on DS 4.7. and set a new standard for intuitive, artist-friendly navigation design. So they should already know how to fix this aspect of Carrara...what to add and where to add them...

I don't expect a business to help their users prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. This particular problem can be solved simply by making Carrara navigation as considerate and ***user-friendly*** as Daz Studio... That's all...

Cris Palomino

Anytime you spend too much time doing the same thing over and over, where something physical is involved, can result in problems. As artists, this often involves our hands, wrists, arm, necks, shoulders, and back.

We, too often, ignore any first symptoms and rarely think preventative.

Stop every hour and rest. Do some simple stretching exercises. For the hands, use a rubber or tennis ball and squeeze it.

I know this because I didn't do this. I ended up having to wear a wrist brace and doctors talking to me about hand surgery: the last thing an artist wants to hear. In my case, a friend urged me to see a chiropractor because if it didn't work, I could still have the surgery. For me, the chiropractor worked and he was the one who told me about resting and stretching.

A chiropractor may not be the answer for everyone, but a non-surgical solution is always a good thing to consider. And the stretching and exercises could help at any time.

Good luck.

Mythmaker

Wrist brace, wow that sounds pretty bad. I want to recommend wintergreen mix with olive oil for DIY "Deepheat". But maybe not.

It's true many heavy computer users can become too involved. That's why I make a point to keep my joints in tiptop form. Haven't seen a doctor in years; never needed a chiro, greenlighted by physio pros in my extended family recently...

Sorry if it sounded like I needed surgery. My arm situation is not so dire - just ointments and one day break will do. I prefer that Carrara won't do that to me when I go back to it for another hour or so... I have 3 custom ZBrush UIs, never had arm stress issue. So carpal tunnel wrist/ arm after using a CG tool is new thing to me.

I'm all for preventive measures: use BOTH arms, and don't use the tool that give you problem! But I LIKE Carrara...not calling it another failed purchase yet...

Daz3D should win award for the Most Artist-Friendly UI design. See Attached pic below for What I Really Miss in Carrara.

Carrara is unique in many ways: the UI is very old fashion, a style new CG artists like me find very clunky fiddly fumbly to move around in. I can spend half a Saturday clicking around in Daz Studio with no issue. See the pic arrows for how Daz3D dev make it possible. Even before 4.7 additions it was sweet enough for me. The 3dconnexion option is just beauty, cutting out 70% of needless clicking.

User-friendly Carrara keyboard shortcuts, customizable layout, left hand navigation can do wonders...

make Carrara as hobbyist-friendly and current generation as Daz Studio for casual users.
make Carrara as pro-friendly as every other CG tools out there
Which incidentally...
help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome for casual CG dabblers like myself

Still calling plugin makers... The only keyboard plugin I found was the Fenric one on Selection up down.

That Other Persona

Typing can really hurt. Have you tried Dragon Dictate to at least reduce the amount of strain on your hands from tasks other than Carrara?

Another possibility for you would be a Contour Shuttle Pro. It has 15 keys that can be mapped easily. Mine died a couple of years back after years of use so I have not tried it with Carrara (I am still a fairly new user), but I assume it would work. Contour also has some ergo items.

Mythmaker

That Other Persona said:

Typing can really hurt. Have you tried Dragon Dictate to at least reduce the amount of strain on your hands from tasks other than Carrara?

Another possibility for you would be a Contour Shuttle Pro. It has 15 keys that can be mapped easily. Mine died a couple of years back after years of use so I have not tried it with Carrara (I am still a fairly new user), but I assume it would work. Contour also has some ergo items.

Typing is never a problem for me because as a pianist I'm happy to exercise all my fingers...

Contour Shuttle Pro is very interesting, just checked it out on Youtube. Look like another possible candidate for a left hand navigator + buttons like Orbweaver or Nostromo, which I'm considering. CSPro center knob looks more like a bi-direction dial (like Wacom dial), perfect for 2D and AV editing. Can be good for timeline but a 6 degree of freedom joystick type navigator is more ideal for modelers and laying out large scenes. All in one suites like Blender LightWave C4D typically use 6DOF for good practical reasons.But yeah will definitely give it more research.

But before we bind any keys though, we need to have first option to custom hotkey Carrara's multi-room utilities controls, esp Sequencer and keyframing. As is I have problem getting custom camera hotkeys to keep, as I mentioned in OP...

Even after Carrara keys become user programmable...no guarantee they will bind with certain hardware inputs. Right now Carrara ignores attempt to assign Logitech K810 Space key to play/stop.

Thanks for the heads up anywayz...

petef

Hi Mythmaker,

I've had fibromyalgia for the past 14 years, arthritis and chronic neck pain for the past 6 and now apparently costochondritis along with tennis elbow in my right arm keeping the raynaud's syndrome in my hands company, I'm only 45 and surprisingly I've not turned zombie quite yet, though based on my VERY pale complexion I've been waiting on a call for a part in the walking dead.

Any-ways what has helped me are the following first a Vertical mouse they look strange but take about 5 mins to get used to, your wrist isn't turned and is left in a more natural position, and secondly a Contour design Shuttle pro 15 programmable buttons it comes with tons of preset's for Photoshop/illustrator etc, the idea of them both is simply to keep my arm/wrist movement to a minimum.

If possible also keep you hands as warm as possible, fingerless gloves mabey.

http://ergo.contour-design.com/ergonomic-mouse/shuttlepro-v2

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Delux-Wired-2-4Ghz-Ergonomic-Vertical-Game-Mouse-for-PC-Laptop-Computer-/221696500986?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339e2424fa

Oh also I wasn't trying to one up you with pain issues this is one area Id give anything not to be able to offer any advice if you know what I mean.

Pete

SileneUK

Mythmaker said:

Wrist brace, wow that sounds pretty bad. I want to recommend wintergreen mix with olive oil for DIY "Deepheat". But maybe not.

Wow... are you middle-aged? My late dad used to mix up wintergreen and olive oil with rubbing alcohol for my growing pains in my legs when I was little. He got the recipe from his football coach at college in the 1930s! Whenever I smell Deep Heat, I get a whiff of nostalgia ;)

Anyways... I have been using computers since 1982 and have had all the syndromes. Have avoided surgery thankfully so far.

I have had back surgery from a herniated disc from too much DIY, and to keep my posture I bought a brace to keep my vertebrae straight. It took getting used to, but has taken away any neck and shoulder pain that comes with slumping, a normal position to assume when pointing and clicking.

The biggest help has been the simplest. I got a trackball mouse. Took two days tops to get comfy with it. For two years now I have not had any wrist pain or tendonitis. I also would get golfer's elbow from using my arm in very bad ways at the computer and doing other repetitive tasks, like using the booklet maker when I worked in a print centre.

For years I used a piano stool to avoid slumping, I used to play myself when younger and I know you know that proper hand/wrist position over the keys is important for hitting all the keys without smushing any with slack fingers that are not poised over the keys. PLUS it keeps your arm/wrist/shoulders in line to help with good posture. Sadly I forgot those things when took up using a computer for work.

I also recently got a decent chair with padded arms to rest my elbow on that is in line with the deck where the mouse it so my forearm and wrist and not lower than my elbow at any time. Forearm is horizontal. Also a foot rest keeps pressure off the backs of legs and helps with keeping back problems at bay and with maintaining good posture. Have only had this setup for a couple of months and it's working!

Our bodies were not made to sit for hours and hours day upon day at a machine... we are made for motion. So when not in motion and up and about stretching, taking a walk or exercising... it's important to look after your "seated self".

So far I am able to work more efficiently and am not going to bed at night as stiff as when I woke up.... at last.

Good luck!

:-) SileneUK