Wacom or Mouse for Maya

Talix

Wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this. Is there any advantage to converting to a wacom full time in maya/max these days? 

Whats the standard for you guys

AtticusMars

I don't know that theres any real objective benefit, I would like to switch to using a tablet simply because I find that it is easier on my hands but it's been difficult for me in the past to find a decent setup because they tend to be reliant on the middle mouse button and scroll wheel.

I give ZBrush a lot of flack for its UI, but the viewport controls are absolutely perfect for a tablet, other programs... not as much.

Blender has an addon that will emulate ZBrush's viewport controls, but for the life of me I could not get it to install. Max/Maya/Modo may have similar.

thomasp

maya controls are fine with a tablet. i try to adapt those in every app that lets me customize them. 3ds max's viewport control scheme feels awkward with a tablet for me and generally it also does not 'stick' as well in my opinion - and i'm saying this as someone from the long time pro-max camp.

i think there is no advantage to converting to a wacom full time though - best to mix it up and make your hands work in different ways frequently IMO. seems to avoid hand/arm pain like some are complaining about. also i find mousewheels do have benefits in 3D that the pen does not match.

bounchfx

I prefer using maya with a tablet honestly. I originally did it out of curiosity, and then found the marking menus and stuff are really easy to do with just a flick of the wrist. Now I do it because it's a lot better for my wrist in general, if I use a mouse too long my wrist and forearm start burning, and no sir I don't like that.

Cay

I just switch from one to the other whenever I feel like it.. and it's not a big deal since I can work about the same speed with both.
Sometimes working with the mouse starts to hurt and I switch over to relax and then I might switch back again after some time. I don't use the mouse wheel at all in Maya (you can zoom with alt+rmb anyways) and I have RMB and MMB bound to the pen buttons.

Fefs

I had changed to wacom when I started using zbrush, it makes more practical to work, just need to adjust the mmb for it work right in maya and is more confortable to the hand....plus I have less things in my table too ( just hide the mouse and you will became used to the pen very fast). 

But make some breaks anyway or it will start a pain in you fingers. 

blankslatejoe

I had to switch to tablet due to early carpal tunnel symptoms--it's a bit slower than modeling with the mouse imo, but waaaaaay kinder on the hands/wrists. Maya worked fine as tablet-only.

Marshkin

I find I'm too reliant on some of the shortcuts/custom macros to use tablet with Maya, so I've remained with Keyboard and mouse for it.
Zbrush on the other hand I use almost exclusively with a tablet 

Pioldes

I can't speak for Maya specifically, but I started modeling in Max on my Cintiq about a year ago and haven't looked back! I find it much faster and intuitive than a mouse for sure. I think there's value in a more 'pencil-oriented' worflow for artists that are more used to drawing/painting/etc.

beefaroni

thomasp said:

 3ds max's viewport control scheme feels awkward with a tablet for me and generally it also does not 'stick' as well in my opinion - and i'm saying this as someone from the long time pro-max camp.

Try changing zoom viewport to shift instead of shift+alt and then switch the MMB and RMB on your Wacom pen. I did that and working on a tablet in Max was super fun/easy. 

Personally I've been doing everything with a Wacom recently. Feels very natural and quick. Maya marking menus seem to work perfectly with it. Also is more comfortable for long hours for me. 

Selaznog

I started using my tablet for retopoing in Maya (quad draw). It makes retopo a lot of fun! I also use it for UV editing. Im slowly trying to use it for everything but I find some things a little awkward. And like others said, easier on the wrist.

Autocon

I use my wacom tablet with Maya and I will never go back. Switched to it when I started at Naughty Dog and my fingers/hands never end up hurting. Works just as well as a mouse for nearly everything.

The mouse is better for single clicks as maybe once or twice a day I will click with the mouse and it will act as a double selection, but its so minor compared to how great my hands feel after a long day of work.

JamesTKirk

I wonder do you all use maya default navigation with MMB and RMB assigned to stylus's side buttons or some other kind of setup?
I remember a separate viewport navigation page in preferences appeared in maya a while ago, but now it's gone.

Also how do you hold your wacom pen? with side buttons under index finger or thumb?

thomasp

JamesTKirk said:

Also how do you hold your wacom pen? with side buttons under index finger or thumb?

like that pretty much. with the sidebutton under the thumb and the buttons assigned to MMB & RMB.

@beefaroni
i don't think i have ever used a max version that supported customization of viewport controls so it was always default for me. something they added in recent releases perhaps?

beefaroni

@thomasp

I only used Max 2015 for 10 months at my last job. The settings were under Mouse preferences IIRC. I also ended up swapping RMB and MMB in the Wacom drivers by creating a separate entry for Max. 

maytuxa

working with tablett_pen is faaar more comfortable for hand.
i found that RMB on pen_button is a little bit slow for marking menus (top button = RMB, bottom buttom = MMB). Can't find solution for changing RMB on keyboard button )-
it would be super to  change right click pen button "alt+other" instead

throttlekitty

maytuxa said:

working with tablett_pen is faaar more comfortable for hand.
i found that RMB on pen_button is a little bit slow for marking menus (top button = RMB, bottom buttom = MMB). Can't find solution for changing RMB on keyboard button )-
it would be super to  change right click pen button "alt+other" instead

You could do this with AutoHotKey.

maytuxa

throttlekitty said:

You could do this with AutoHotKey.

WOW! Thanks throttlekitty!
Began to study. Simply remap  !z::MButton    - works perfect. 
The case with RButton looks a more complicated.

DesignByKivi

I recently had lateral epicondylitis due to gripping my mouse all day with my forearm being in a pronated position - the pain lasted for over a year. I tried all sorts of remedies for that, ergonomic mice, variety braces to limit the strain on my arm, powerball to strengthen my forearm muscles but none of that really fixed the situation for me. Until I bit the bullet and replaced my mouse with a Wacom Tablet all together. Took me a month to get used to it and there are several perks of using a mouse that I miss for daily pc usage, such as the scroll wheel and clicking precision while browsing the internet. 

There are so many cases where people have developed some sort of RSI in their hand/arm due to extensive mouse usage. So when people bring up the subject of "should I change to a wacom?", instantly my response is without a second thought "definitely!". Do it before you're the one complaining about pain! 

But when it comes to working in Maya I can't complain, the marking menus truly do work well with a tablet and once you get used to it, it feels quite natural. I recommend giving it a try, at least a week or two. I doubt anyone will get used to a tablet right away - it takes time to develop the muscle memory and get up to speed again.
Personally, I've configured the pen buttons to right click and middle click and on the tablet itself I've configured one button to display toggle, just so that I can bounce between monitors quickly.

tynew

Just wanted to revive this and ask how do you guys avoid such sensitivity of moving the cursor after clicking? One little move and I suddenly create a selection box in Max. Super annoying when selecting verts.