Wacom Tablets

f0nd004u

Hey,



I'm going to major in graphics design next year, and so i've been looking at design hardware. Anyone here have experience with Wacom tablets, or anything similar? Maybe you could give me some advice on what size, make/model to buy, or any other insight regarding tablets.



--josh

hmurchison

I have yet to buy a Wacom tablet but I'm going to. Since I won't be using mine primarily for graphics I'm choosing the 6x8 version. Graphic artists often like the bigger sizes for the more "canvas" freedom they have.



I know people that use Wacom in audio editing applications for selection regions and other stuff and that interests me. Plus I want to dabble with the latest version of Painter. Frankly I've heard little negative comments about Wacom tablets. Users seem genuinely happy with them.

king chung huang

I have a Wacom Intuos3 6x11 for doodling and editing in Photoshop. It works really well. Can't think of anything bad about it.

macjake123

I'm in the graphic design field and I don't know what'd I'd do if i didn't have my wacom tablet. i suppose I'd use a mouse.. but why do that if you don't have to.



It does take some getting used to if you've never used one before.. but you'll never want to go back!!!

f0nd004u

yeah i figured it might be a little weird trying to draw with one at first.



whats the learning curve?

carniphage

Doing art with a mouse is just wrong. You wouldn't paint with a bar of soap would you?

Tablets are as intuitive as a pencil, so if you are a trained artist, you use the same skills and muscle control.



In the games industry, I'd say about 90% of all artists use tablets to some extent. Most use them exclusively.



The Wacom tablets are fast, precise and well built. The drivers have improved and are pretty stable now.



I use tablets for 2d and most 3d apps. However, by default, Maya relies on middle button clicking, so it is not very practical with a tablet.



One thing to note - your tablet has to map to your screen-space. So a 4x3 tablet does not work well to two 16x9 monitors side by side. Better to have one large monitor.



C.

spindrift

I'm a big fan of my Wacom tablets and I have used them for many years. The Intuos 3 and Cintiq offerings are especially excellent. They do take a little getting used to. I bought one for my boss last Christmas but he has never used it for that very reason. I keep telling him to stick at it, but he's not the most patient when it comes to these kinds of things!



If you plan to get one to actually work with rather than just occasional use, I would advise you to go for something from the Intuos 3 range rather than the cheaper models. They are more precise and offer greater 'feel' in use. The tablet size depends on what you're used to, your screen size and what you need it for. I would suggest that the A5 is a good place to start. The A5 format has a very natural response, even when used with a large format display, however if you require very fine detail, the A4 is better.

splinemodel

They are unbeatable for airbrushing, digital painting, etc. For 3D they're not as useful, since scroll wheels play a fairly major roll as zoom-in zoom-out. I suppose one could set up a two-handed system with maybe a mouse, pen pad, and an x-keys pad for ultimate design-time convenience.

shawnj

Quote:

Originally Posted by f0nd004u


Hey,



I'm going to major in graphics design next year, and so i've been looking at design hardware. Anyone here have experience with Wacom tablets, or anything similar? Maybe you could give me some advice on what size, make/model to buy, or any other insight regarding tablets.



--josh

Ask around in your department.

f0nd004u

very helpful info everyone, thank you!