Mouse vs. tablet

[RPMiller]

I'm currently considering buying a tablet to switch to for doing all my graphic and 3D "art" (I use quotes as it is a far cry from being worthy of the title), and I'm hoping to get some good advice and tips regarding the idea.

I've heard nothing but good things regarding using a tablet and so I'm pretty much sold on the idea however I am curious about a couple bad things I've heard that makes a mouse sound better.

• The stylus wears out within a years time of use.
  If you don't get the right size tablet for your needs it will frustrate you.
  They are very expensive.
  If you don't have the right calibration software they won't work right.

In addition I've heard that Wacom is "The" only tablet you should consider buying.

Now I actually have some experience with a tablet, but it used a puck not a stylus and I was using this full time as an AutoCAD draftsman for an engineering company. However this was a very specialized application and tablet and wasn't a stylus so I don't feel it is entirely accurate for my analysis.

So, what can folks tell me about the points and comments above, and does anyone know of any great deals out there that I might be able to take advantage of?

EDIT: I just wanted to mention a couple things as I've seen a couple posts directed at me. You'll notice that this thread was started many years ago. I bought an Wacom Intous a few years ago based on comments from back then. Please feel free to continue commenting on this thread to help others that may have similar questions. In fact, I've posted to this thread a few times in the past about various deals and specials that I've found. There are also some great pointers scattered throughout the comments about what to look for when you decide to get a tablet yourself.

[ravells]

I bought my tablet after people swore by them. I don't use it as much as I should - mainly through laziness. It's generally when I need to use freehand strokes the tablet comes into its own, but for general menu selection actions, I'm more comfortable with the mouse.

I've got an A4 Wacom, but in terms of the amount of room it takes up on the desk, I think I would have got an A5 in retrospect.

Hope this helps.

Ravs

[pyrandon]

I bought a Wacom tablet after giving myself carpal tunnel making my first PS map, and I absolutely love it! I now sketch, draw, map, etc. etc. etc. with it. So much more convenient.

I have not had really any technical difficulties--but I've only had the tablet for a few months now, so who knows about the future.

I did cheap out & bu the smallest, least sensitive tablet, & I have not been disappointed. It cost under $100 at Best Buy, and I really enjoy it. I say go for it if you can afford it. A neat toy!

[Robbie]

I traded a double-bass pedal from my old drumset for a 9" Wacom Intuos 3...Its quite awesome, I agree with the minor inconvenience of having to plug it in occasionally and laziness preventing me from doing so sometimes...But when I REALLY need it its there for me and it helps...layout your desk properly switching from tablet to mouse for menu work isn't that big of a deal though...and remember the tablet often comes with a mouse that works on its surface you can quickly swap to.

I've never had a problem with tips personally, but I'm not very heavy handed, and the Intuos line comes with extras and multiple types...you can also buy replacements anyways.

The Intuos lines have a quick scroller that I use for zooming with a slide of the finger...it also has buttons that represent shift, alt, ctrl, and space...which makes a lot of photoshop functions pretty easy.

You can map the drawing area to portions of your screen so if you want to maximize yoru drawing space thats easy too. Overall I guarantee you that the benefits will FAR outweigh any drawbacks, and yes Wacom is THE only tablet to buy. I have a 12" at work and love it.

[RPMiller]

Thanks for the info guys! If anyone else has anything to contribute, Keith I'm talking to you, :wink: , it will be a little while before I get one unless I can find a good deal on the 'net somewhere.

[RobA]

I was inspired by this so I checked my local CraigsList ..... and found an unused Wacom Graphire 6x8 for $100CDN. I'll be picking it up tomorrow after work

It's no Intuos, but then I didn't have a double-bass pedal to trade :wink:

-Rob A>

[RPMiller]

Congrats!! Now if only I can find a similar deal... I have a friend that has a digital drum set I wonder if he would miss it if parts started disappearing?

No I wouldn't do that! Sheesh!

[nikole957]

Congrats!! Now if only I can find a similar deal... I have a friend that has a digital drum set I wonder if he would miss it if parts started disappearing?

No I wouldn't do that! Sheesh!

NOW.....Any suggestion on the best way to learn to use it? Is is definitely a different beast than the mouse, yet not quire as intuitive as drawing on paper. Guess I have to relearn my hand eye coordination.

[Yenski]

Just switched from my old WACOM Bamboo to the newer Intuos Pro. While it's missing the USB cord, (standard micro USB) I'd gladly rather give it to a fellow cartographer than see it sent out to Craigslist. PM me, or whatever else works, and it's your free if you cover the shipping. Hope this inspires you to continue your work!

[RobA]

Well I got my Wacom Graphire 6x8 and it works great.

I did have to play to get it working with my multimonitor setup, and I cant find a setting to use it in portrait mode like my LCD monitor (which rotates).

It is really neat, like for example I can take the GIMP random building brush and have it vary the size by the pressure I apply.

NOW.....Any suggestion on the best way to learn to use it? Is is definitely a different beast than the mouse, yet not quire as intuitive as drawing on paper. Guess I have to relearn my hand eye coordination.

-Rob A>