ZBrushCentral

What Tablet to buy?

Community
#1

I’m about to buy a Wacom Tablet, but I wonder what to buy?

Graphire 3?

Isn’t it a little small. at east the A6 version. I mean that’s somehow tiny, isn’t it? Will another Wacom Tablet like Volito for example work as well (as it’s cheaper)?

Please tell me what to buy as I have just no idea and I don’t want to spend money into something that won’t make much sense to buy, you know?

Thanks for help…

#2

i ve been using a4 wacom intous for a month it worths the money
and fun to work with

#3

Hmm the problem is that this is just too expensive for me… But I may better just save my money and buy that one when I can.
Any alternatives?

#4

you know you can buy an small acecad for 90 dollars its pretty cheap but the thing is it really sucks
if i were you i would save my money and buy an wacom not a4 perhaps but a smaller one would do the trick

#5

What are the advantages of an Intuos over a Graphire in ZBrush? I’m just on the beginning of the ZBrush learning curve, but it’s so much fun I know I’m going to be doing a lot of it. I’m currently using an old Graphire 2, and was wondering if upgrading to an Intuos would provide significant additional advantages.

For those wondering about tablet size, I’ve only got (and tried) the small one, but I find it more than adequate. In fact, I worry that a large one might actually get in my way–I have the keyboard velcroed to the top of the tablet, and have them together in my lap when I work. (If you’re curious, ask, I’ll put a picture up.) I imagine a larger size would not so much improve accuracy (which is darn good regardless of tablet size), but reduce the jitter that is transmitted from the hands to the pen. (Well, my hands, at least.) But turning up mouse averaging should also help with this.

Thanks,
Ken

#6

probably none – it’s been obeserved before that ZBrush in Edit Mode doesn’t make very much out of the pen pressure (e.g. more or less pressure levels will likely not make much difference). I have a small (A%) Intuos II, which works very nicely in 3d and 2d modes (though I’ve never tried to put on my lap. Maybe I should give that a try :smiley: )
Additionally, I personally find a tablet boigger than A5 only makes much sense if you’re going to use it a lot for 2d painting. I used an A4 sized Intuos at work, but I actually found it almost too big…

#7

I wasn’t thinking so much of the pressure sensitivity–that does work as well as I want to in ZBrush. I was wondering if any of the extra features of the Intuos line, such as tilt sensitivity, or the extra buttons and scroll bars on the Intuos 3 line, can be used effectively in ZBrush. I don’t imagine using anything else significantly for a long, long time, so ZBrush would be my only reason for upgrading right now.

thanks,
Ken

#8

…Volito is the best :slight_smile:
Inbreakable :cool:
Pilou

#9

A question to the pro’s: What is a quality criteria for Tablets? I have a cheap Aiptek tablet. I ‘think’ it’s alright. But then again, I never tried a Wacom or another ‘expensive’ board. Usually you get what you pay for. I just don’t know what makes a tablet ‘great’ ?!

Cheers
LN

#10

sorry im in Italy, i will buy a wacom Intuos A4 , but is too expensive… i look around and i found the “Trust Wireless Tablet 1200-V A4” for 99US dollars i know Wacom is the best(~400US Dollars&More) but if you don’t have the money… the tablet is perfect and with z-brush i speed up my work :D:D

#11

Actually, I’m aswell trying to find a nice tablet to buy, and I’m looking at the Intuos3 line, but can’t afford it. And quentin, I heard from diffrent pro’s who used the exact tablet that you are using, and they said it’s a piece of c***. Personally, I dont know, but the guy has been using diffrent tablets for more than 10 yrs now, so I would bee inclined to trust him.

I’m with Force on this, I’m still looking for a nice tablet for no more than 250 Euros. I’ve been told not to look at anything but wacom, but that sounds a bit like prejudice. Any pro’s feel like giving advice? :slight_smile:

#12

If money is tight, I’d recommend a Graphire 3 4X5. For the price, it is a good value and very suitable for use in ZBrush (as well as most any graphics program). I personally feel that most CG artists still using a mouse would do themselves a huge favor by getting a tablet. Any tablet. Even a small, cheap one.

I have owned and/or used the following Wacom models over the years: ArtZ II 4X5, Graphire 4X5, Intuous 6X8, and as of very recently, an Intuos3 9X12. I don’t have any experience with other brands, so I can’t fairly comment on them.

The current Graphire and Volito models offer:512 levels of Pressure Sensitivity The current Intuos models offer:1024 levels of Pressure Sensitivity Tilt (angle at which pen is tilted) Bearing (direction in which pen is tilted) Barrel Rotation (orientation of the pen around its long axis)* *This feature requires the newly released 6D Art Pen. It works with certain brushes in Painter IX and will work in the upcoming Photoshop CS2 release (and presumably other upcoming programs). Having just moved up to a 9X12 Intuos 3, I can say it's very nice. Especially when using Photoshop and Painter. The extra control I've gained is remarkable. My gestures feel more natural and less cramped. Is this worth the steep price increase? For me, Yes. Do I think it's important to get as large of a tablet as one can afford? No.

Do the extra tilt features and extra levels of pressure sensitivity make the Intuos much better than the others? Depends. If you do a lot of 2D painting, I feel it does add some nice “painterly” nuance.

All just my humble opinions. Be advised, your mileage may vary. :D
#13

Wow. I knew about the Intuos tilt feature, but not about the others. Do any or all of them work with anything in ZBrush?

Thanks,
Ken

#14

As best I can tell from my experimenting, the additional features of the Intuos don’t do anything in ZBrush. Perhaps someone here knows otherwise.

They really are nice with certain brushes in Painter IX however. The 6D Art Pen (the only stylus with the Barrel Rotation feature) is especially good for natural, gestural strokes.

Regards-

#15

I own a Graphire 2 and an Intuos 2. I bought the Graphire 2 first, and loved it. Of course that was way back in 1999/2000 when I got my first computer, so I was in heaven. Then about two years later at my “new” job they got me an Intuos 2 tablet. I couldn’t believe how much better it worked and felt compared to the Graphire 2. So I eventually purchased one for myself.

So personally I would recommend the Intuos line. I couldn’t afford the larger tablets, so I got the 4 x 5 size. I would probably prefer a larger tablet, but for not my budget doesn’t allow for things like that.

In the future though, I’m looking at the Cintaq. Wow!

#16

OMG… I pulled up the Wacom Website and saw the Cintiq21 Screen/Tablet… I’m heading into the basement to sell ‘stuff’ right away 8-)… That seems to be the ultimate soultion.

LN

#17

ehi guys you have some money to spend… like i said the wacom is the best i know. and the cintiq21 ohh :roll_eyes:small_orange_diamond:roll_eyes:small_orange_diamond:roll_eyes: i like it!! but all the people non pro dont have the money? all the people just tryng to reach the end of the month??
is just what i think, first of the trust tablet i have a little little tablet integrated in the keyboard… :cry:. now im happy and i work good even i dont have a wacom… maybe when i take profit with my works i buy one better…:smiley: bye and good painting to all…
Quentin

#18

I have a small Graphire 4x5 tablet that I paid $70 for and it works great!!! Before I bought it I tried larger models in school and felt as though they were too sensitive as well as glitchy. The small one is all you need.

#19

wow here in swiss a 4x5 graphire cost 400 swiss francs…