Can anyone recommend some pads like Wacom? and what are some good uses for them, ive never used one but ive been looking at one for maybe something like cad?
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Wacom Style Pads
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Wacom is really the only brand you'd want but if you must, here is a wacom copy ... at least on the outside:
http://www.amazon.com/Genius-PenSketch-PhotoShop-Cordless-rubber-coated/dp/B000COKZJK
http://www.amazon.com/Genius-PenSketch-PhotoShop-Cordless-rubber-coated/dp/B000COKZJK
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Ok since no one cares to offer alternatives, I was looking at the Bamboo Pen. Yes, its the cheap series...and thats where I plan to stay. What are some uses for this??? Can it be used for cad?
I see were full of useful posts. If you read the others, I asked if anyone has used one with AutoCAD or such...and of course I know AutoCAD is not on a Mac YET, but you can run it on windows via bootcamp, parallels, whatever so there. I DONT care to use it for photoshop, coral draw, paint, paintbrush, draw, art, gimp, anything related to gimp, anything related to photoshop, anything that does art, or manga, or pencil drawings. I would like to use it in ***AutoCAD, Mastercam, Solidworks, Vectorworks, and maybe some other CAD/CAM programs***
I also realize that there are 3d mouse available, Space Navigator and such by 3dconnexion. That is not what im looking for or asking for.
I also realize that there are 3d mouse available, Space Navigator and such by 3dconnexion. That is not what im looking for or asking for.
Hi Tjb1,
I use a 6*8" Intuos3 tablet for architectural design HOWEVER it is of limited use in cad software. Pen tablets are great for gestural inputs (sketching, spline input, touching up renderings in Photoshop) but you will quickly realize lack of pixel precision needed for most cad work.
Where a mouse can be positioned perfectly and clicked while stationery, a pen is typically held a few mm above a tablet - so your pointer is always a little shaky (unless you have ninja hands). The act of 'clicking' itself tends to move the pointer as well.
Wacom do offer higher end tablets for this work that come with a precision mouse as well as a pen (large and extra large editions only of the Intuos4). They are a joy to use and incredibly precise - but can only be justified if your cad work generates substantial income.
I'm sure you could have lots of fun with the Bamboo and you may well find it very useful - but probably not for what you intend atm.
I hope this helps.
Jim
Thank you for your informative post, I did assume it would have problems plotting lines and such and picking up snap points. I see they have pressure sensitive, if I just sit it on the pad does it allow the mouse to move and then when I push it activates a *click*?? or can I activate all clicks via the buttons on pen? I plan to go to bestbuy today or tomorrow and test one out if possible.
This is a PERFECT explanation. I don't use CAD but I use Maya and while some people swear on a tablet for it I couldn't image it. I use my tablet for ZBrush, Corel Painter, Photoshop, etc. I couldn't imagine trying to do precise clicking of vertices with a tablet (since your hand is always moving and wacoms are extremely sensitive.).
I'm not 100% sure what you mean so I will try and describe the best I can.
-When using a wacom, I generally use my mouse to click precise things and my pen for gestures (like drawing and sculpting).
-To move the cursor while using a wacom, you hold the pen slightly above the tablet and move around (just like you would a real pen on paper to position yourself where you want to start writing).
-Touching the pen on the surface registers a left click (or whatever you configure it to).
-The wacom intuos series has pens that give buttons on the pen and you can assign right click, or middle click, or whatever you want to on the pen itself. I usually assign right click and page rotate to my pen.
-Wacoms are EXTREMELY customizable. You can change how they map from the screens, all the buttons on them, pop up menues, even different buttons for different programs. Its a good idea to customize them exactly how you want them. It will speed up your workflow.
-If you ever use a drawing app (not sure if you texture in CAD or not
The end of the pen acts like an eraser which is great. Flip it over and start erasing I have an old small Bamboo Fun (in between the Bamboo Pen and the new Bamboo Fun - but it has the mouse which even the new Fun doesn't). It's good. I'm upgrading to a small Intuos4 though, Amazon has it on it's way . I work on a 13" MacBook Pro, the small is really all I need. All of the Intuos4 tablets come with a mouse, not just the larger ones. The mouse blows away a traditional mouse. Not that that's saying much, but ya know...
Honestly I've never found pen position jitter to be a problem, or even terribly real. It all depends on your hands though... To me I can keep it much more stable than a mouse... I never use the mouse on my Bamboo Fun and don't plan to on my new Intuos4 either...
. I work on a 13" MacBook Pro, the small is really all I need. All of the Intuos4 tablets come with a mouse, not just the larger ones. The mouse blows away a traditional mouse. Not that that's saying much, but ya know...Honestly I've never found pen position jitter to be a problem, or even terribly real. It all depends on your hands though... To me I can keep it much more stable than a mouse... I never use the mouse on my Bamboo Fun and don't plan to on my new Intuos4 either...
Well doing good with a pen is not gonna be me, I have muscle tremors in my hands whenever I try to do anything *precision*.
And thanks Chrono for explaining that, I guess you could maybe customize it so you can touch the pen to pad without doing anything and then make a button or something register the click, but I guess with cad nothing is really point and click drawing...almost all of it involves entering a dimension on the keyboard but solidworks has smart dimensioning that you draw everything then dimension it to size.
And thanks Chrono for explaining that, I guess you could maybe customize it so you can touch the pen to pad without doing anything and then make a button or something register the click, but I guess with cad nothing is really point and click drawing...almost all of it involves entering a dimension on the keyboard but solidworks has smart dimensioning that you draw everything then dimension it to size.