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Cindy Claveau

So I'm about convinced now that in order to get some of my whackier ideas into reality I'm going to need to buy a Wacom tablet to work with Zbrush.

I have Zbrush. I play with it a little but I can see what the "how to" book I purchased means when it says that the software was really designed to be used with a tablet.

So I'm asking you Wacom users out there - any suggestions on what to look for? Bad brands, good brands? I'm using Vista 64bit (ugh) so I'm going to have to be sure whatever I buy is still fully supported with new drivers, etc.

Seriously, I know I'm into my favorite territory when I have a dream I want to put into SL

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Aki Shichiroji

Hands down, Wacom. If you're just starting out and want something basic that doesn't rely on tilt sensitivity, try to get your hands on a Graphire, or the current equivalent, Bamboo. Decent sensitivity - 512 levels, really all you need for this sort of work. This is all i really use these days because I find my Intuos 2 9x12 way too bulky for my desk currently.

The next step up would be an Intuos - they have better sensitivity and have tilt sensitivity. These are more suited to folks who are doing digital painting, where specific programs would take advantage of that (Like with Painter).

What I *really* want is one of these though: Cintiq 20WSX Product Information Overview


There are other brands out there like the Aipteks etc... but no other brand as far as I have seen does not have a battery in the stylus and does not have the same wide support for various OS that Wacom does.

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Cindy Claveau

Do these support USB, or will I need a card of some kind?

Wildefire Walcott

Wacom is the brand. The Intuos models are worth the extra money, by the way, because of the sensitivity. They also have this thing where angling the pen affects your work, but I haven't done anything that benefited from this feature.

Some folks buy as big a tablet as they can afford, but I opt for something within what I consider a reasonable movement range for my hand. The tablet is a 1:1 representation of your screen, and unless you have lots of room or especially limber a giant pad could be way too much. I know it would be for me.

I haven't used any competing products, but it's my understanding there's not much of a competition.

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Wildefire Walcott

USB all the way.

caroline ra

Try the Wacom Bamboo range ifyoure just starting, try to get the largest tablet size you can afford is my advice (theyre more resellable if you move to the next level). I started on a graphire which was sort of equivalent to Bamboo and gave it to one of my daughters to play on and then had to go buy a Bamboo for the other daughter to stop a war.
Its lots of fun and much better than working with a mouse which is akin to hammer and chizel in stone in comparison.

Cristiano

They are USB - and I also recommend Wacom.

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Iris Seale

I'm still using a Bamboo I got forever ago.

I tried using it in Photoshop, but never really liked it and still tend to draw and design with my mouse. But, for the little I've used Zbrush, the tablet really is the way to go.

Mine is the tinier one (4x6, i think?) and I have no trouble using it on my 22" monitor. It's great with my lack of desk space since I can just hold it in my lap. And, like everyone else said, completely USB with drivers for Vista.

Walker Moore

Cindy, you know I've got 64bit Vista like you.

Well, I've got a Wacom tablet too, and was pleased to find upon migrating that drivers for 64-bit Vista are available and (based on a few months experience) they seem perfectly stable.

I was surprised the drivers were available at all TBH because they stopped manufacturing this particular tablet last year.

Oh, and they are excellent for sculpting in ZBrush and Maya due to the pressure sensitivity.

ETA: They plug into the USB port btw, so don't worry about having to buy more hardware.

Ten

I have a wacom. It rocks, but I'm also oldschool and prefer the mouse.

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Raindrop Drinkwater

I have a love affair with my Wacom (don't tell Aby).
It's a small Graphire. I use it like I'd use a pencil: naturally.

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Walker Moore

I know a lot of people use the Wacom for regular mouse movement, but I just can't get used to it. I just use the Wacom for drawing in Illustrator and sculpting, and the mouse for everything else.

Satanah

I have a Wacom Graphire4 and I love it. I originally wanted to get one of the super large ones but then after trying several I realized that it's best to have a small range for your hand (I have small hands) so you don't have to be moving all over the place.

Try this out on a piece of paper with a pen... Just put the paper down and start drawing with your pen, while looking at your screen. Pretend like you're painting on screen, then when you're done look down and see how large of an area you covered. That should give you some sort of idea as to what size might be best for you.

Anyway, as everyone else has said... Wacom is awesome.

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Lo Jacobs

I love my Wacom tablet. It's old, so I don't have any advice for you, but it changed ... everything.

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FlipperPA Peregrine

Jenn's got an 8x6 Wacom, and although she doesn't design for SL much, she swears by it.

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Atashi Yue

Another vote for Wacom, I've had others but the Wacom is the shit. And I'm quite happy with my cheapie (relatively) Bamboo.

Aspen d'Grey

I use my Toshiba 3505 as a Cintuiqe like tablet, it's a Wacom Digitizer, so it works great! Normally it has 256 pressure levels, but the other 256 are still there, which makes it on par with a graphire.

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Eboni Khan

I have a Wacom Bamboo that I used with Zbrush. As organic as ZBrush is, this makes it even more organic. If you are already using Zbrush then getting a tablet will just take it to the next level. If you are making organic shapes it will be really easy. I have a hard time getting edges for some reason, but I use different techniques for that.

Unless you are making a lot of money in SL, I would go with a Bamboo. Also you can buy one at Best Buy, try it out and return it if you don't like it. I have Vista 32bit, I know a bamboo works with that, not sure about 64.

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Walker Moore

It does.

Wacom Product Support - Driver Downloads

It seems like Wacom have produced Vista x64 drivers for every tablet they rolled out during the past five years (probably longer).

If you have a particular Wacom tablet in mind Cindy, you can always enter the model no. into this page to see if 64 bit drivers are available.

Wacom Driver Downloads

Cindy Claveau

Damn. The Wacom crowd around here is BIG!

Thanks for your advice everyone. Now I'm gonna go shopping online and see what I can find.

Winter Ventura

I have owned a Wacom tablet for a year, and I've had access to one on and off since highschool. Before that, I had a touchtablet (2 actually) for my old Atari 800.

My personal feeling is... If you can't work in art programs with a mouse, the tablet won't make things much easier. (in fact, many things become harder). Put bluntly, an artist can work with ANY tool. You can do leatherwork with a flathead screwdriver, you can also paint with a popsicle stick, you can draw with a #2 pencil, or a ballpoint pen, but not every medium is a strength. If you have trouble "painting or drawing" on paper, then a wacom is going to be your worst enemy.

I have seen FAR too many people dump hundreds, or thousands of dollars, on peripherals, software, new art supplies, expensive brushes, etc.. only to have them sit and rot in the closet.

My own Wacom sits nearly unused, because honestly, I can use the mouse for almost everything I do on the computer. While I draw quite a bit in RL, the wacom has only ever been useful when I needed to airbrush (texturing Venus for example) or get a "brushstroke" look.

If you're interested in using a tablet, my suggestion is that you borrow one, or possibly contact some "rent technology" places, to see if you can rent one for a few weeks. Or check your local paper, craig's list, or ebay, and locate an older model.. set aside the money you WANT to spend on a decent one, and then try out the technology on the cheap first. Make sure it's a good fit for you.

The Wacom "ArtPad II" (which is ancient, and uses a serial port) should be pretty cheap nowadays.

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