One more comment…
Wacom is the way to go - I’ve had one for about 10 years and though it’s pretty banged up it’s still going strong. I’ve been waiting for it to die, but recently decided to move up to the Intuos 3 - 6x8.
Also, there’s a newly announced Graphire 4 series which might mean there will be old model Graphire 3 tablets on sale soon.
Sven
Okay, it’s settled --I have to get a 6x8 tablet. One more question:
Do I need to get the Intuos or is the less expensive Graphire suited for the job?
Graphire or Intuos? I really can’t say having never used the Graphire series. The difference in cost can be $80.00 - $100.00… but for basic functionality, I think they are equivalent.
Sven
I know the Intuos has higher levels of stroke sensitivity and is more recomended for artists, but I wasn’t sure if the difference was that noticeable from the Graphire when using ZBrush. If you haven’t used the Graphire, than I guess, your guess is as good as mine; but I do appreciate you efforts. 
hi i am sridhar from india does wacom tablet helps me zbrush for sculpting
Unfortunately, they are not equivalent. In my opinion, you have to get a Wacom Intuos3 for ZBrush if you’re a serious digital artist. It’s just too good of a combination. The Intuos3 9 x 12 is what I use, and it’s a match made in heaven. The Intuos3 has much more pressure sensitivity than the other models. It’s built for professional artwork. The Graphire, which is now the Bamboo line, has less pressure sensitivity and a weaker digitizer. In other words, pen strokes have lag. It’s built for consumer level use.
The Intous3 tracks perfectly and has more customizable buttons. It’s digitizer is what they put in the Cintiq models, it’s the best they have to offer and they’re the best tablet company in the world. I would say, if you’re serious about art, get an Intuous3, no questions asked. If it’s something you just play around with from time to time, but don’t want to spend a lot on, the Bamboo/Graphire line will do, but they’re not as accurate or as sensitive.
Just my 2 pennies…
or you could go for a wacom powered tablet pc 
i have a HP Pavilion TX2130EA which is juat great for sculpting with zbrush…you have your model right under your hands which is really tactile
i also have a wacom bamboo medium for my desktop pc and zbrush which is also very good too.
whatever you get ‘a tablet’ is much better than a mouse for sculpting and painting.
I am brand new to Zbrush and I also purchased a wacom Intous 3 tablet to go along with it. I am running Zbrush2 on a Mac and I am not able to acces any of the settings under preferences>Tablet. They are all grayed out. Any ideas? Do I need to load a driver? The tablet works with it and I can draw and sculpt with it and the pressure feature seems to be working but it seems like I should be able to access the tablet settings.
Your tablet will react even if the driver isn’t installed, just not like a tablet, but instead, like a mouse. It sounds like you need to install the driver that came with the tablet on cd.
If the driver is installed, the pen won’t act like a mouse. Instead, each point on the tablet will represent a point on the screen. IOW, if you hover the pen over the bottom left area of the tablet, the cursor will jump to the bottom left of the screen, and so on. This is great for free drawing because you know where the cursor will go when you move the pen.
After you install the driver cd, go to the Mac’s “system preferences” in finder or in the dock. Under “other”, you will see a Wacom Tablet icon. Under that menu set, you can completely customize the tablet itself, and for each different pen you own. If the tablet pen is still acting like a mouse after you install the driver, go to mapping and set it to pen mode. Also under mapping, be sure that you have the “Force Proportions” box checked. This will make your strokes accurate. If this isn’t checked, when you draw a circle it will translate it as an oval. At the top of the menu, you will see “Tool:”. This is where you choose what tool to customize, and where you set the tablet button and touch strip functions.
After this, you should be able to set the ZB preferences, although I’ve never used ZB2. Always make sure the tablet is installed when you do artwork! If not, you will lose accuracy and pressure sensitivity.
Congratulations on a great purchase!
thank you for your help. I am not sure what exactly it was that was not working but I reinstalled the tablet software , made the changes under the preferences for the tablet and restart Zbrush and now I can make changes to the tablet. Thank you very much.
…the packaging even mentions zbrush. great price, great tablet…
I don’t know if that’s built for the wear and tear of full time digital art. Of course, I’ve never used one, but it seems more like a consumer friendy alternative, which is exactly how they advertise it. It’s not likely that it’s a professional piece of hardware that can stand the abuse I put a tablet through. This, again, just isn’t a sure shot while Wacom Intuous3 tablets are proven to stand up to years and years of hardcore drawing with no sign of wear. The Vistablet looks like something you would get a young artist for a gift or buy for general navigation as a substitute for a mouse. Not so much something I would add to my studio to depend on.
I could very well be wrong on these other, cheaper designs, but I know I’m right about the quality of the Intuous3. Invest at your own risk!
jamespthornton: the cost of a tablet doesn’t necessarily reflect the viability… I used a calcomp 4x6 I bought for 100 bucks 10 years ago until I started with a vistablet.
Many people on this forum are beginning with Z and the vistablet is a great replacement for a mouse. I’ve found Wacom’s product has a high price point, and can’t be used as a direct replacement to a mouse, which is an important consideration for me. I’m surprised you feel so strongly about an alternative to Wacom, but it’s a free country…choose what’s available.
As I stated, I could be wrong on the other tablets. Here’s the amazon review of the Vistablet. TWO of the 5 star reviews are by people that work for the company. There are only nine reviews, and it still has a 3 1/2 star rating with two gimmies. There’s one guy that has the nerve to act like a customer, but another dude calls him out. Then there’s a company representative, who has the nerve to advertise on there about the warranty, and then gives his own product a 5 star rating. WTF, ridiculous…
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000Z06VMG/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
That said, more reviews get posted by upset customers than by happy customers, and even though that’s stupid marketing, it sounds like you’re happy with the tablet quality. I still doubt it’s as well built as the Wacom. The specs reveal that it’s not as customizable. Be careful using this in a dual monitor set up, you can’t designate one monitor to the tablet in a multi monitor studio. Be careful using this with any monitor that isn’t widscreen, it won’t proportion the tablet area to that monitor (circular strokes will be ovals). This doesn’t apply to most people’s set up. However, Wacom products are not cheap, you could get a few Vistablets for the cost of one Wacom, and they may not be that much better.
I’m not trying to offend anyone by debating the quality of tablets. I know the Wacom Intuos3 is reliable because I own one, as do most professional digital artists. Others who are interested should know that. When I read statements on multiple sites about these other tablets not being as reliable, I feel it should be pointed out here when others are inquiring. So if this upsets anyone, oh well.
BTW, the Intuos3 comes with a 5 button mouse, and the option in the preferences menu to designate any tool as either a mouse or a pen. The various tools include a grip pen, airbrush, rotational pen, and mouse - all battery free - unlike the battery operated pen of the Vistablet, which I’m sure works just fine. The rotational pen and airbrush are more for Photoshop and Painter, etc, not so much ZBrush, and are sold separately.
None of this means that the Vistablet, or any other cheaper design, isn’t a worthy Wacom substitute as far as I know. I’ve only used Wacom, which is popular for good reason. My opinions only indicate that Wacom works and I highly recommend their products. Again, invest at your own risk…
…and if you end up getting a job working for Vistablet, feel free to give the product off-the-chart ratings on any site that sells them as well. Even act like a customer if you want to, no one will think it makes your company look untrustworthy or shady as hell…
Hey… anyone got any good ideas of what to map to the slider button on the intos?
Lusankya, personally I map the slider button to different things for different programs. But for Zbrush, maybe it can be mapped to brush size?
I have all but replaced my mouse with my Wacom Intuos 3. I don’t just mean for Zbrush, I mean for computer use in general. From an ergonomics standpoint, it’s less stress on my wrist. It just feels more natural. I still use a mouse in certain situations in Photoshop, if I need to drop the cursor at one specific spot. I find that the cursor tends to shift when you lift the pen off the tablet, so if I’m ever in that situation, I just use a mouse to leave the cursor where I want it.
But otherwise, I use the Wacom for literally everything. Have you ever checked your email with a Wacom? Oh man…
Seriously though…Intuos 3 all the way.
jamespthornton: your work speaks for itself; you’ve convinced me, tablets are great, let’s get together for a drink…
Hey Webhead,
I’m using ZBrush with an old 4x5 Wacom tablet and its very usable. I used to have a larger tablet, but found that I prefered being able to reach around the whole screen by wrist motion without arm motion - but that’s just my preference.
I use it for photoshop effectively too.
I fully understand that most professional users will prefer the 6x8 over the 4x5. I just thought I should let you know that for the lower cost of a 4X5 tablet, you will still get fantastic usability way beyond that of a mouse. You can still add fine detail to your models. Also, if you want to use broader strokes in a small area of a model, you simply zoom in. Using 4x5 is more akin to strokes that feel like ‘doodling’ (with precision).
So, basically, even a 4x5 drawing tablet provides a creative experience way beyond that of a mouse.
Sippin’ on a cold brew right now, and it’s mighty delicious!
Here’s another Vistablet review that’s really postive and informative for those who are considering it. This person actually owns multiple Intuos3’s and an Vistablet. He/she says that it’s not a professional artists tool, and not a substitute for a Wacom Intuos3, but great for light hobbyists or those looking for a substitute for a mouse…
http://homeoffice.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=329593
Lusankya, I do so much Photoshop work that my touch strips are set to PS functions - changing brush size/ zoom in and out. Look in the hotkey section of the ZBrush wiki, any 2 keys that have opposite functions, like enlarging brush size in PS (]) or decreasing([) can be set so you can scrub back and forth. I’ll look into it since I myself am interested to see what’s available in ZB. I’ll post back tomorrow…
…another good thing about the vistablet: people with disabilities
can use it for more efficient graphics work.