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MacBook Pro and cintiq 12wx tablet

B

broozbeh

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 13, 2008
12
0
I am a 3D artist (photoshop/zbrush/maya user) and have been searching for a tablet/slate Macbook-pro solution.

I just received cintiq 12wx tablet for use with my MacBook Pro.

I have to admit its a clumsy setup if you plan to use this outdoor at a life drawing session. All together i have to carry a tablet, power adapter, a converter, two video cables, and a usb cable to get this tablet solution to work.

Be aware wacom In their videos hide all these extras under the desk and show you only the clean connection between the tablet and laptop/MacBook.

Another Warning: For some reason wacom doesn't include mini-vga adapter which is required for it to work with MacBook-pro and you need to buy it separately. I was disappointed I couldn't use the tablet right out of the box

I hope axiotron or apple get their act together soon, so we have an option for affordable powerful mac tablet/slate.

-Behrooz
 
Wow. That is surprising about Wacom. I own quite a few products by them and always thought they went over the top. It is a bummer you have to go to all that trouble. Hopefully they will get their act together.
 
I don't think any of Wacom's tablets, with display or not, were ever even meant to be particularly portable. Their mainly aimed at professionals who would typically work in an office on a desktop computer, thus their A4 tablets can be in reality A3 sized (when you include the bezel with all the controls etc.).
 
First I like to give info on the adapter you will need to order to connect the Cintiq to your macBook pro (2009 models) Its Called:
Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter and price ~$29

Agreed. As far as Artist tablets go , Wacom is the only game in town ...I am a paying customer. :)

My wish is to have a portable tablet to connect to the macbook pro without all the cables. (maybe a battery version of the tablet and bluetooth/wireless connection) Dont think its too much to ask.

Also if Apple is listening to this forum..one additional marketing point they can make to better sell their larger ipod coming out later this year is to allow it to become second screen and touch pad for the MacBooks/desktop .

-Behrooz
 
broozbeh said:
My wish is to have a portable tablet to connect to the macbook pro without all the cables. (maybe a battery version of the tablet and bluetooth/wireless connection) Dont think its too much to ask.

Also if Apple is listening to this forum..one additional marketing point they can make to better sell their larger ipod coming out later this year is to allow it to become second screen and touch pad for the MacBooks/desktop .
Click to expand...

Don't see it happening. A tablet with a display will require a lot more juice than you can get out of a USB port. Maybe with USB3 it might be possible but I doubt it. Your best bet would be to give up the display part and just use a regular Wacom tablet.
 
I agree, this thing is not all that portable. Everything, including MBP, does fit in my Incase Sling, Shockingly. I have 4 long cables sticking out from this external adapter thingy. That's the most annoying part, all the cables. Other than that, I'm more than happy about the form factor of the device.

I also hope that they are in the works for a wireless, battery powered Cintiq. That would be the best. If Apple can squeeze 7-8 hours in their batteries. The rest of the industry should follow eventually...
I don't mind it being slightly thicker for more functionality.
 
For price and portability I have settled on an medium Intuos4. Now that they are widescreen it is much easier to use them without actually "seeing" what you are drawing, since if you draw a circle it shows up as a circle and not an oval. The medium tablet is slightly larger LxW than a 15'' MBP and smaller LxW than my 17'' MBP and its only a half inch thick. Also the cable is removable so you can store it where it is most convenient or when you are traveling (like I do) bring a short cable. Anything above a medium though, is way to big to carry (a large is 12x18).

I don't mind the thick bezel. Yes it does seem like less than perfectly space efficient, but I like the expresskeys and such. Also it is quite nice to have a place to rest your have, drawing with your hand of of the edge of the tablet isn't very ergonomic.
 
kasakka said:
Don't see it happening. A tablet with a display will require a lot more juice than you can get out of a USB port. Maybe with USB3 it might be possible but I doubt it. Your best bet would be to give up the display part and just use a regular Wacom tablet.
Click to expand...

I'll wait until October to see what apple has in store for the tablet users. keeping faith in Apple's engineering.;)

....By the way I used Farralon timbuktu software ~20 years ago to remotely control mac screens over phone modem lines ..I dont see why USB shouldnet be able to do the same using MBP and an ipod.
They both have the computing power to send/recive small packets of 2d coordinates over USB or TCPIP cable.
 
thebrain74 said:
...For price and portability I have settled on an medium Intuos4. Now that they are widescreen it is much easier to use them without actually "seeing" what you are drawing, since if you draw a circle it shows up as a circle and not an oval. ....
Click to expand...

Great info, I will try it, I can get a loaner from work to see if it works for the life drawing session. Thanks
 
kasakka said:
Don't see it happening. A tablet with a display will require a lot more juice than you can get out of a USB port. Maybe with USB3 it might be possible but I doubt it. Your best bet would be to give up the display part and just use a regular Wacom tablet.
Click to expand...

woah
 
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