Cintiq and Carpal Tunnel
polycounter lvl 18
Was wondering how and/if any using a Cintiq helps those folks that have or had carpal tunnel symptoms. I remember a while back a few folks saying that they started modeling and everything on their Cintiq's and was wondering if that helps with carpal tunnel as well.
Thinking about getting one and tax write off for it and just take it into work if they wont buy me one.
Thinking about getting one and tax write off for it and just take it into work if they wont buy me one.
Replies
Just wish I could have afforded the bigger one.
Are you planning on going with the 12wx or 21ux?
as far as pain goes,at work i tried out one of these things out for a while and really liked it. plus they make you feel like a cyborg. problem is they get pricey. at around 90ish canadian dollars.
Given that it's much more of a traditional medium to use when going digital. It can still give you carpal tunnel syndrome if you are constantly at it just like with anything of repetitive motion.
As I remember when taking life drawing classes and going to my college for drawing. We always did wrist excercises to allow our chances of carpal tunnel to become less of a risk when sticking the pencil to the paper for hours on end with limited breaks.
All in all you should take all things with moderate consideration. As when using Cintiq's my forearm gets tired from holding itself in an upright position because my desk isn't exactly at waist level when seated beside.
But nevertheless cintiq's are indeed a wonderful tool to use as an artist! (Just wish if the screen had true sharp color and resolution as my 24' LCD.)
husband ? ...
kolby ... j ... nnoooO!! i wanted to marry kolby!
Exactaly - Always rub one out before work
-N!
I've been wanting to bring in mine from home, but I would miss having it at home. It's way too big to lug around on the train!
LOL, we can share... I'll take him on the weekdays and you can have him on the weekends
I don't have a cintiq, but anyone who has one at work would kill if asked to give it up.
I also had a Evoluent vertical mouse while I was working. That was great for general computer usage and had the added advantage of freaking out everyone who tried to use my PC.
If you can afford a Cintiq, go for it. You'll never look back. You can pick them up significantly discounted on EBay from time to time.
Yeah the stylus/tablet/cintiq can be used for modelling, it really works well. However! Some apps are lighter on the wrists than others. For instance I find Maya/Mudbox much less stressful that Max or Z. It's all related to moves you have to do while keeping buttons pressed or not. So if you work in Max, I'd say try out some apps working just like Maya for viewport nav and see if you like that. If you do, you could consider getting Switcher from the DigitalRaster guys.
Also, keep your mouse. If you work a full day on the tablet or cintiq, it will be painful too (less than mousing, but still). So keep your mouse ... but move it on the other side of your keyboard, and try to force yourself to use it for tasks requiring less precision (web browsing, folder operations...). You will learn to operate it in no time (a week or so?), and all these little 5 minutes tasks will turn into as many VERY beneficial breaks for your art hand.
Also the 21incher Cintiq surface get quite hot after a few hours (according to fellow artist the newer revisions heat up way less than the older models but still), it can cause discomfort and an antsy feeling. Blowing air from a desktop fan along the surface really helps. Its less annoying on the 12incher tho (less heat, and glass instead of acrylic surface)
Good luck!
Some friends have the same problem, various kinds of pains, but in my case i didn't find any pain associated to the use of the wacom. Doctors say: "Your posture while working is very important"; with cintiq, intuos, etc, all you do is to move your arm. It's recommend not to support the elbow on the table, because it's one of the causes of some pains. The way we use the pen is also very important, how you handle the pen, and and how you support your hand on the table is a key factor.
Forearm pain, wrist pain, elbow pain, are very common, and if you have one of them, you must find which posture is causing your injuries.
Good Luck!
Also I've got a desk like this (but mine is smaller);
http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/fu/furniture123-flair-computer-desk-428.jpg
And I'm left handed, there is no space for the intuos unless I put it on the "top" desk where the monitors are but then thats way too close to the monitors
When I do use the intuos, I force the screen area to my single main monitor only, and place it in between my lap and the desk so most of it is like "hovering". Not sure if its a smart position to be in, but its the easiest solution I've found for accessing both the tablet and the keyboard with left hand
Maybe I should force myself to learn how to use the pen with right hand~ I use right-handed mouse position so shouldnt be that hard to adjust to right-handed pen...
I had an uncle who worked at SOE as a character artist. He was having some carpal tunnel issues. There are stretches you can do with your wrist that help open up all those tendons and loosen things up. This would help me if I was really working hard all day with a tablet. Google it.
I have wrist pain too from using the mouse so much. Once I started using the Intous it is so much better. Now that I use the intous in maya as well I have to touch the mouse a lot less. So now when I do use the mouse it never really hurts so it's helped a ton for me!
The small movements you are making with your mouse are probably what is causing the carpal tunnel syndrome. Lots of small movements are bad for RSI.
I switched to a wacom for everything a while back when I started to get quite bad carpal tunnel. It works fine for the RSI except I can't use it for UnrealEd. I have dual monitors and currently use one of the widescreen intuos tablets. You get used to making the larger movements and you can streamline your workflow specifically for the tablet. (eg: using marking/quad menus a lot)
I like DIY products like this.
Its a 5 part video, all equally long and mostly boring, in the end he doesnt even show it working...
@ ericdigital; hmm good idea with the buton to switch monitors. But it does sound like its far less efficient than the mouse. I personally dont have any wrist problems just yet but it might be worth switching before I do.
Anyone tried one of these before? http://www.evoluent.com/vm3w.html
Seems to be the best of both worlds, neutral wrist and as fast/efficient as a normal mouse
Hmmm it wasnt meant to be offensive, at least not to you so I have no idea why you seem offended.
Anyway heres a better example of making a diy cintiq; http://www.bongofish.co.uk/wacom/wacom_pt1.html
If I were technically inclined, I'd love to have a DIY cintiq as a little side project. But when I open electronics of any kind, including game controllers, cellphones, and the occasional mp3 player, I seem to have a death touch. They fry shortly afterwards, and I have to buy a new one anyway. Still, it would be fun to try to make one. Or a high def projector...
A few people at work use those mice and they swear by them. However I have small hands and when I tried one I found that these mice were a bit too big and would've strained my hands in other ways.