An graphic tablet suggestion?

NAIMA

Hello I was about to decide myself to get a graphic tablet , I am not sure of wich one tough , a friend of mine has the bamboo fun and he says he works greatly with it , its cheap and can do all he likes , but others suggested me the intuos series , always wacom , does anyone knows what are the difference and to what go for ?

My main work I do with photoshop , zbrush , 3dsmax , mudbox , I must admit that I know very few of the last two , but I wondring if a graphic tablet can help me improve my abilities there , I am very good at drawing in paper and pencil but I never could draw wwith a mouse .....

Thanks a lot ...

felipefrango

Wait, WAAAT?! You've been using ZBrush with a mouse all this time? Seriously, man, you'll probably find use for a tablet in every program on your workflow and dude, don't even get me started on ZBrush. I can't really see myself using it without a tablet, honestly. It's probably where you'll notice a bigger change, you'll see improvements right away.

As for the model, you seem like someone who'd use a tablet extensively and often, so I'd say go straight for an Intuos. I admit that I've used a Bamboo for a brief period of time only but I think the quality gap is huge, they're fine for people who're getting into art but aren't 100% sure they wanna invest a bigger sum into something they might end up not using, but you seem hardcore already, so there's no point in starting out with that. Just get an Intuos 4 and enjoy, it's that awesome.

Mr. Bean

Personally I don't see how a tablet would help you with Max very much...with the other programs I would say that it will probably help you a lot, but with 3ds Max I think it would just substitute a mouse. I sort of depends on what you feel comfortable with. I'm sure some people prefer a table to a mouse for Max, just because they feel more comfortable and intuitive with the tablet. But other than that, for 3ds Max I doubt that there is much a tablet would be useful with.

However, I could be wrong...

felipefrango

I admit I rarely use mine with Max but I find it useful at times. In Max 2010 you have freeform modeling tools where you can push/pull/smooth the mesh a la ZBrush, and I find more intuitive to use a tablet.

One peripheral I use with Max and I can't live without is 3D Connexion's Space Pilot. Actually the Space Navigator is useful enough, but I got a really sweet deal on the Pilot so I couldn't refuse, but I don't think it's worth the money for the extra features. Navigating is so much smoother and it makes some tasks a lot easier. It's a shame there's no ZBrush support as of yet.

NAIMA

Ok intuos then but whats the actual difference between a intuos and a bamboo?
I hav eto say that I just got zbrush and I just have the trial of mudbox , gonna try also 3dcoat if they have a trial , but for now I always used 3dsmax and photoshop , my main idea was that I could get much more help in making textures and eventually paint texture on models ...
what sizes also u suggest?

felipefrango

Hmm, ok, for some reason when you mentioned that you use ZBrush I assumed you were a regular user. One question: in Photoshop, do you draw anything or just work with textures? Cause I think I misinterpreted your work habits, if you don't draw or sculpt often, maybe you could settle for a Bamboo just fine. But if you intend on getting some serious drawing/sculpting going on then by all means get an Intuos.

The differences are huge between the models. Bamboo is an entry level tablet for casual users, it's aimed at people looking for a fun gadget to play with, to write handwritten notes and letters on their computers and occasionally make a drawing or two, while the Intuos is aimed directly at artists and is built with this in mind. The Bamboo doesn't even have different sizes as far as I'm concerned. Intuos comes in different sizes, has several different accessories such as pens and pen tips, has much better pressure sensitivity, better planned shortcut keys (and touch strips, which I think the Bamboo lacks).

Either way, it all comes to how heavily you see yourself using it. If you mostly just model with a mouse and make photosourced textures in PS (as in not handpainted) and don't draw/paint/sculpt I think you could do well with a Bamboo, but if you plan on doing these in the future just get the Intuos instead. If you have the money to burn on one I'm sure you're not going to regret it.

NAIMA

Ok thanks I am convinced , I would like Zbrush to learn sculpting and make stuff , In PS I usually work with pictures and use lot of the tools to mix and make textures but when I cant reach what I want I just try to draw in but since for me is difficoult then most of the time I have to rely on other ways ...

So I guess I 'd go for an intuous but I am fearing of the size , I guess to big would be not much portable or confortable but too smal lmay be not much surface to work in ... but since I dont know much of them I cant say an opinion ....

felipefrango

Oh yeah, then there's the size issue lol. Mine is an Intuos 3 6x11 and for me it's the perfect size as I tend to feel unconfortable near extremes. I find the small ones to be too sensitive (as in a little hand movement translates to a big cursor movement) and the big ones to be the opposite (you have to move your arm a lot to get your cursor around). Big sizes give you more precision but as I said you have to move your arms a lot more. For these reasons I found the middle ground to be ideal for me. I think the Intuos Medium is equivalent in size (they dropped the inches measurements and just went with Small, Medium and Big with 4).

That said though, I know people that feel very comfortable with either the small or big ones and that wouldn't be able to work otherwise, so I think it's a matter of testing - or seeing one in person so you at least have an idea of how portable it would be - before you actually make a purchase.