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wacom Intuos 3 tablet


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Is there anyone that uses this could tell me which would better in size wise 4x5 or 6x8 tablet for drafting. I have a 17" Powerbook with a external 13" crt monitor and very limited space. I use VW11.5 alot and will be using Sketchup soon. I been using the mouse for far too long and considering a more expensive method of mousing and beside my wrist is getting sore and old age is not helping.

Oh, How do you position tablet when you work, is it beside the computer like the mouse or in front of you?

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amante,

I have a Graphire2 4X5 and mouse.

I think the smaller pad is actually better because it means less wrist movement from one side to the other. Even with the "wide screen" 20" Apple display it only requires a small amount of movement to get from one side to the other.

Personally I fine the stylus difficult to draft with and always use the mouse. The stylus is reserved for photoshop, where the mouse becomes foolish in comparison.

Dont get the Graphire; go for the Intuos' better resolution.

I use the pad beside the keyboard because nearly all tool, view changing etc, is done with my left hand, and the mouse joins the dots.

HTH,

N.

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Thank you, I was thinking of intuos anyway and that was recommended by the manufacturer. How does the stylus and mouse compare, I thought it (stylus) would be the same movement as the mouse without the scroll wheel or does it work like a pencil on your hand?

**Oh, again, I forgot. Also about the productivity comparison between tablet and mouse, any difference? Anyone?

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The stylus is "just like" holding a pencil; with the appropriate software; tilt and pressure sensitive.

I find it much easier to guide the mouse when doing things like freehand Polys, revision clouds etc.

The other thing is I use the wheel for zooming. I don't think I could live without that now. I can't go back! I won't, I tell you! ;-)

The button on the stylus can be programmed for single and double clicks etc, but again, I find the mouse left and right buttons easier.

Another thing about the tablet mouse is that it's cordless (as long as it's on the pad) but theres no battery to go flat :-)

For the modest cost of the tablet it's worth trying, and you can get the mouse for very little extra if you don't like the stylus.

The graphire is not at all bad, and for only drafting the extra sensitivity of the Intuos would probably not be noticed. It also comes bundled with Painter ("lite") which is great to play with on its own.

As for productivity: I found the stylus less effective than the mouse. YMMV If this one broke down I would still replace it with the tablet and mouse combo rather than getting any other mouse

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Intous 6x8 w/ cordless mouse+scroll and on pads with pads & soft rug covering all round works great .. but protect the tip of the pen ... recently someone sat down at my workstation and fiddled with the pen. The nib was damaged and may working with difficult ... finally i used a nail file to trim off the fractures and re-round the tip.

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quote:

Originally posted by islandmon:

......pads & soft rug covering all round

with a little mirror over the top, two figurines, one each side sitting on top marble inlaid pedestals, and matching drapes no doubt .. ;~)

Seriously, you know the nibs are interchangable, and depending on the age of the tablet you should get at least one spare nib in the box. That is unless they changed the design in newer models.

Alan

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Hi Amante.D

I would say no to your last question. Certainly for drafting purposes the Intuos would be a waste of money. Its strength is in its ability to act almost like a real brush or pen, with greater levels of sensitivity and tilt angle, flow etc. just not needed in CAD work.

If you had your heart set on a pe/tablet then the more cost effective lower priced ranges would be fine for this, the Graphire as Nicholas mentioned.

If of course you are doing a lot of freehand drawing in more graphical based programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Painter and the like then you'd value the extra capabilities of the Intuos.

I have seen comments over on the cgtalk.com forums that indicates that pen tablets are a greater cause of RSI than the mouse and the best advice given is to have a mixture of devices to ward off the problems that RSI brings on.

I find very little , certainly in Vectorworks, if anything that would benefit from being done with a pen rather than a mouse.

Even the freehand tool which I rarely use gives me bezier points which I pull about until the curves etc are right (just like Illustrator) and a brush tool would not help anymore than the mouse in doing this.

In my opinion you'd be better spending the sums of money ensuring the ergonomics of your working enviroment were up to scratch, chair, seating position, monitor height, etc.

If you do buy one and don't end up using it much then you'll always find a buyer on ebay. Worth you checking out to buy as well.

Also check out the Wacom site, they often have refurb' units for sale.

This is the Europe addressed one

http://www.wacom-shop.net/cgi-bin/wacom.storefront/EN

Alan

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I really like the cordless trackman mouse from Logitech. I use the one with the thumb operated ball and can have the thing in my lap and go all over the screen with ease by just moving my thumb. It took a little getting used to at first by I now have two for the two locations I take my laptop to. My four year old daughter prefers it as well over the typical mouse.

Michael

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Wacom Tablets really are the best. We have two, one intuos2 at 6x8 and one intuos3 at 9x12. If you are using two monitors the larger would be better. You can adjust the active area of the tablet. One thing they do not give is a lot of room around the edge to rest your hand on. Therefore, out of your two choices I would vote for the 6x8 tablet. I mainly use it with Paint Shop Pro and Painter9 (it is far better than a mouse)and some handwritng recog programs. The software bundle that wacom includes is fanastic. You can fine tune the properties for each application.

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Been using a Tablet for 20 yrs wih no complaints.

Expounding on the padded surfaces ...

I discovered that my arms & elbows were becoming chafed by all the arm motions so I placed 4 shaped cushions ( chair pads from Kmart) under the keyboard & tablet in an 'L' shape and then covered them with a soft 24x36 throw rug. The set-up is exceptionally comfortable and allows my arms & hands to have a softly elevated posture at times avoiding carpal tunnel issues.

Once you've tried this set-up... guaranteed you will never go back to the hard desk surface.

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Originally posted by islandmon:

[........ I placed 4 shaped cushions ( chair pads from Kmart) under the keyboard & tablet in an 'L' shape and then covered them with a soft 24x36 throw rug. ........)

It seem that your very homey in your station.This set up you have, is it for desktop? I have 17" Powerbook and travel quite frequently and I take my work with me. You said that you been using this for some time, how long did it take you to get comfortable with it (I mean learning curb) and did your productivity go up?

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