Thanks for the advice, guys! The 3D mockups are very rough. No precise measurements at all, although they were close enough to give me a general idea of how the box will look.
My 2D drawings are more precise, and I think this design
can work, although I may be underestimating the amount of space that the wiring will take up. I've not commited to a trackball yet, but the one in this drawing is a Happ 1.5" " mini trackball:
Here are the measurements:
So... I'm still in the concept stage, but it seems like it'll work. Once I order the trackball (whichever one I decide on), then I can see more clearly how everything will fit. (Since the box will be cut with a laser, I need to have all my components before I draw up the final design.)
As for the questions: 1) the mockups were modeled in Maya and rendered in mental ray. They were literally a 30 min job, so they're pretty sloppy. 2) Where I get the acrylic will depend on who I have cut the case. I have a couple of shops that I've contacted, one local (Taiwan) and one in the States. There are some others, too, that I'll probably shop my CAD file around to for a price. (I just found out that Tap plastics also does laser-cutting.)
Thanks again for your comments! You guys are probably right that I'll need to go a little bigger with the design, but I'd like to keep it as small as possible.