Using tablets for modeling

WarrenM

So I know a few people here have said that they use their tablets for modeling and just about every other mouse related task on their computers. I've been trying to do this to see how I like it but, man, clicking with the pen results in a lot of mis-clicks and unintentional double clicks.

Is it just something I have to get used to or do you guys do clicking differently - like, with the buttons on the tablet, for example?

Tenchi

Modify/assign the shift and alt keys to whichever button you feel works well for you, you could always reassign the wacom pen button, I actually don't use it for anything.

In time you will get used to it, for me I find the tablet quicker and more efficient to use than a mouse and even my Cintiq24, A4 size is my perfect weapon of choice for modeling ^^

DeadlyFreeze

If it dosen't feel right then don't use it, bottom line. No reason to re-learn something because it has a different form factor.

That being said, retopologizing with PB and continuously dragging out edges feels pretty natural with a tablet. Only time I've felt it really made my work flow faster.

citizen_j

Modo + wacom works for me pretty well. Doubleclicking is a bit unaccurate at times but there's a nice flow to things when using a tablet. Didn't take too long getting used to it either, it just felt right. Right as in 'hey, there's an alternative but functional approach to doing this'.

i've never used the buttons on the tablet though, i wonder what they do

ikken

WarrenMarshall wrote: »

So I know a few people here have said that they use their tablets for modeling and just about every other mouse related task on their computers. I've been trying to do this to see how I like it but, man, clicking with the pen results in a lot of mis-clicks and unintentional double clicks.

play with this setting in wacom drivers:

you may need to take some time to re-adjust after using mouse, though;
overal, I use tablet as a complete mouse replacement, and it feels great.

toxic_h2o

psh tablets are for noobs. If you are pro you use one of these useless things.

WarrenM

deadlyfreeze

Well, it's about trying new things. If some people like it, it seems worth exploring. I'll never know if I don't try it for myself. And things take time to feel right, so...

ikken

Yeah, I have that set. I'll keep playing with it to get a proper feel.

Tenchi

Modify/assign the shift and alt keys to whichever button you feel works well for you, you could always reassign the wacom pen button, I actually don't use it for anything.

Then how are you middle and right clicking?

Neox

DeadlyFreeze wrote: »

If it dosen't feel right then don't use it, bottom line. No reason to re-learn something because it has a different form factor.

we'll see about that when you get carpal tunnel syndrome

na seriously, there are tasks where i like it and where i prefer the mouse, i think this is pretty individual but to me working with the tablet is usually less straining, i switched a lot of tasks to tablet after i had some issues with my wrist, a couple of years back

Progg

I switched over to almost exclusively using a wacom for all art related tasks a few months ago when I had issues with my wrist. It took some time getting use to using it, but I would agree with the others that it feels more natural. I didn't bother learning how to manage double clicking as I just used AutoHotKey to reassign double click to a keyboard shortcut. I'd recommend that as an alternative.

Only thing that still bothers me is I find myself using a tight grip on the wacom pen throughout the day which can strain the hand with writer's cramps. I wish Wacom had a better grip selection with some fatter grips. I'm going to try getting some foam grips and see if I can modify it to work with the wacom pen.

DeadlyFreeze

Neox wrote: »

we'll see about that when you get carpal tunnel syndrome

lol, ya that's the exception.

ericdigital

A year or two ago when my wrist was hurting I started modeling in maya with a tablet and it didn't take long to feel completely natural. The main problem I've had since then is there has been times where I haven't been able to get rid of a slight input lag that happens when using a tablet in maya but if you can get past that its awesome. (that was on vista) It was mostly weird vista things that had to be disabled/messed with to get rid of the lag. I remember being able to have to completely smooth at work but wasn't able to get it right at home. /shrug

WarrenM

Windows7 does that to a degree as well. You have to turn off a bunch of crap before it stops hindering your tablet use. Annoying, but I've finally got it to the point where Windows is out the way enough.

Neox

ericdigital wrote: »

A year or two ago when my wrist was hurting I started modeling in maya with a tablet and it didn't take long to feel completely natural. The main problem I've had since then is there has been times where I haven't been able to get rid of a slight input lag that happens when using a tablet in maya but if you can get past that its awesome. (that was on vista) It was mostly weird vista things that had to be disabled/messed with to get rid of the lag. I remember being able to have to completely smooth at work but wasn't able to get it right at home. /shrug

turn off or uninstall all pen, tablet or touchcontrols from windows which are not related to the wacom driver

Blaizer

I use the wacom with all the DCC software i use, except the mouse for gaming .

I've been drawing since i was a child, so working with an intuos A4, a big one, is very confortable for me, and i work faster than with a fucking mouse without precision.

Tigerfeet

I just switched to using my tablet for pretty much everything. I've been meaning to do it for a while but I finally just went and DID it. It honestly feels great at home. At work it's taking a little more getting used to because of how my work surface is set up (evil keyboard trays) and the fact that my personal wacom is too big to fit where the mouse usually goes and I haven't been able to convince my boss to buy me a little bamboo yet.

I did some modeling in Maya yesterday and the only thing I needed to adjust was change the lower pen button to middle mouse click and the upper button to right-click. Feels very natural now. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to make the switch.

zakhar2

Neox wrote: »

turn off or uninstall all pen, tablet or touchcontrols from windows which are not related to the wacom driver

Wait, could you expand on this a little? That tiny little lag has been driving me absolutely nuts.

sprunghunt

zakhar2 wrote: »

Wait, could you expand on this a little? That tiny little lag has been driving me absolutely nuts.

there is a system in windows called "windows ink"(wisptis.exe) which detects pen strokes on a tablet PC. It's the thing that plays a little "splash" animation beneath the cursor whenever you click with your pen. However it just gets in the way of using a wacom. You can remove it but it's not easy.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1260

Autocon

There is for sure a learning curve and somethings are actually better on a mouse that you just have to live with. The biggest one would be the super precice placement of verts and junk. Since you still have to lift your hand off the tablet to "deselect" something there is a slight chance of wiggle room, but after a while you get use to it.

Just keep it up. Took me 2 weeks if I recall the first time I switched over to get up to the same speed as my mouse.

Best way to get use to it is use it at your job/school projects instead of just at home. Being forced to use it 8hrs a day will help you adapt quickly even if you are slowed for a week or two.

Sculptaur

sprunghunt wrote: »

there is a system in windows called "windows ink"(wisptis.exe) which detects pen strokes on a tablet PC. It's the thing that plays a little "splash" animation beneath the cursor whenever you click with your pen. However it just gets in the way of using a wacom. You can remove it but it's not easy.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1260

Theres another way around it, its still quite annoying, but it works.

"The culprit is wisptis.exe. It can cause all kinds of problems with Max\Wacom\Zbrush etc. When it is triggered by an app it is still completely invisible, both in processes and in services. And if you remove it, it is automatically reinstalled by the OS. (Nice one MS) So here is how to get rid of it. (Warning this is unlikely to harm your system but hey things happen:)

1. Navigate to C:\windows\system32\wisptis.exe
2. Right click and go to Security..click Advanced
3. Go to the Owner tab
4. Click Edit
5. Add your login as a new user
6. Take ownership of the file.
7. Click “Change permissions”
8. Add your login account if you don’t see it.
9. Then edit the setting for the account and give your self full control.
10. Now you need to rename the wisptis.exe to something else and replace it with a empty text file of the same name.
11. Now when Windows call this file nothing happens and because the file is there it is not restored"

Found it here.
http://area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-3ds-max/autodesk-3ds-max--3ds-max-design-2010/3ds-max-2010---wacom-tablet-issues

MainManiac

for MODELING?

nah, sculpting yes.

WarrenM

Obviously for sculpting.

R3D

Wait... you guys don't model with a kinect and DDR pad?

Shit.. i've been doing it wrong for so long...

Tenchi

Oops, yeh, right click, d'oh. If I recall it was double click to begin with ^_^

zakhar2

Jesus fucking christ, I am so glad I stumbled into this thread. Neox, sprunghunt, and Sculptaur I'd really like to thank you guys for helping with this!

Paradan

Ryswick wrote: »

Wait... you guys don't model with a kinect and DDR pad?

Shit.. i've been doing it wrong for so long...

I do!

..but I gotta admit, its kind of embarrassing how I have to shake my ass every time I want to undo something.