INTUOS4 Medium ?

[Sinzalot]

Just thought I'd pitch in as well 3DShay about tablet size. I had been using a Genius 9x12 tablet for about a year and a half. Never used any other tablet before, so I had nothing to compare it with. Anyway got ZBrush 4 and found that my old Genius wouldn't, no pressure sensitvity so I decided on an Intuos 4.

My biggest headache was what size to get, having always used a large size I was really hesitant in getting the small version (couldn't stretch my budget to a medium) so decided to scale my work area down on my Genius to match the work area of the small Intuos 4. After about an hours work I discovered I only really used a small portion of the Genius.

Anyhoo, in simple terms, bought Intuos4, plugged in, played with ZBrush and PS (both worked brilliantly) replaced standard nib with spring loaded nib (and grinned at variety avaliable) and fell in love with the feel and pressure. Binned old tablet, walked off into the sunset with new Intuos4. Cue cheesy music!

[ReplicA]

Hahahahaa, that's hilarious, AcrobatFly. Did you not read my post fully? Like I stated I've tried almost all the tablets available, and they don't feel right AT ALL. Yes including the 2048 pressure stuff. And to imply that I'm not using it "hardcore" is rather insulting, really. Is game art not hardcore? Yes, published titles, game art, not just personal stuff. I use it for everything from ZB to Photoshop. Sculpting to texture painting, and drawing 2d character stuff. Is that not hardcore enough for you?

Just cause it's not TECHNICALLY superior doesn't mean it's crap.

[AcrobatFly]

Did you not read my post fully?

I read it. I've just never been a huge fan of the Bamboo. Pressure aside, not enough express keys for my taste. I end up using somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-8 (of 10) on my Cintiq.

And to imply that I'm not using it "hardcore" is rather insulting

Touchy. Touchy. So, maybe "hardcore" was the wrong word. I'm not suggesting that you can't crank out professional quality work with "only" 512 levels. In fact, for about 6 years, I stuck with my old Wacom ArtZ-II and that only had (maybe) 120 levels of pressure. Before that, back in the olden days of the Commodore 64, I owned a Koala Pad and that thing was beyond primitive. It's not the tool. It's what you do with it. I agree 100%.

I'm not saying that the Bamboo is "Wacom for Kids." Not at all. Don't get me wrong. I just think that there are certain, very tangible advantages to all of that extra precision and the fancy schmancy buttons/strips. That's hard to deny. We push our tools hard. 1 extra button. 2 extra levels of pressure. Every small advantage is appreciated. It might not seem like a lot, or even enough to justify the extra cost, but when it can save you time....

The Bamboo fills your needs and feels most comfortable to you. That's all that matters. It wasn't an indictment of your skills. Not at all.

[AcrobatFly]

For those of you who've never seen a Koala Pad...



This was my first tablet. I got it for my 11th birthday back in `85. 2 Buttons & a 4"x4" surface. Good times. (In hindsight, I'd have more space to draw on a square of toilet paper. )

[3DShay]

ReplicA , thats cool .

guys what about to make a thread, introduce all kind of wacoms to people ?

Sinzalot thanks for your nice words

ReplicA, I do understand what you said, and every artist can be a great artist even with a mouse, I dont say I'm an artist , but for example when I got zbrush 3.1 and some dvd tutorial to learn it, I got a mouse for $5 , and I used zb 3.1 with that , after 6 months I've wrote 4 tutorials used that mouse for the sculpted models and tutsPlus network bought them from me and published them online . (link is below)
So yes there is absolutely no need to have the best device and I tested myself with a mouse and I got thousands visits for my tutorials .


AcrobatFly : what an amazing device , It reminds my amiga 500 mouse, good days . . . .

[3DShay]

OK , I got it , cool! im ganna open ZB , any advice and config from you very welcomed .

[AcrobatFly]

Congrats.

In case you're curious, here's how I have the express keys set up for my Intuos4. Pretty much tailored for ZB use. My Cintiq is set up similarly, albeit with a few more keyboard shortcuts. Make use of that wheel & button. So much quicker for scrolling, brush resizing, and so forth.

Apart from that, no real advice other than, "Have fun."

[dustinbrown]

Well, I use my Wacom mouse because I work on a laptop, and I'm one of those douche bags that works at coffee shops. The Wacom mouse isn't powered so it never runs out of juice, which is great if you're like me and don't like to be tethered to a desk.

I've tried a couple other wireless mice that, at the time, came highly recommended as being comfortable and very accurate. I have a Microsoft Lasermouse 8000 (no I didn't make that up), but I find that I have to push the middle wheel/button WAAAAY too hard to get any response out of it. Just looking at that mouse now gives me carpal tunnel pains. The Wacom mouse has never given me any problems.

Let me rephrase that actually. The Wacom Intuos2 mouse has never given me problems until five days ago when I installed 3ds Max 2011. Any time I evoke a caddy, the mouse switches into Pen Mapping Mode, which makes it feel like the cursor is moving through molasses. I have yet to find a solution to this.

I know a lot of people have had problems with the Intuos2 pens exploding into a thousand plastic pieces if they get dropped, and the mouse buttons acting wonky, but mine has been rock fucking solid so I swear by it. But then I also take really good care of my shit and I don't touch my computer if I've got Cheetos crud stuck to my fingers. That's a Pro Tip, by the way, so write it down.

[AcrobatFly]

Well, I use my Wacom mouse because I work on a laptop, and I'm one of those douche bags that works at coffee shops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12JTDp6xm18

[dustinbrown]

Yep, that's me!

[3DShay]

Thanks guys, I mapped that for zb , max and windows , I need some practice for writing cause I didnt write any things for years

AcrobatFly' why u have 2 wacom?

[AcrobatFly]

Repetitive stress.

I use the computer for about 14 hours a day. Last year, I started feeling a weird cramp in my right hand. I take regular breaks so I couldn't figure out the problem. One morning, I woke up and my right arm started tingling, from shoulder to finger tips. Severe & sharp pains to the wrist, forearm, & elbow too.

My immediate reaction was to lay off the PC totally. For 2 days, I avoided the computer like the plague. I woke up in the middle of the 3rd night & my whole right arm was numb. I couldn't feel a damn thing. Like if you slept on your arm, it fell asleep, but decided not to wake up.

As it turns out, extensive mouse use can lead to a variation on the old "tennis elbow" injury. It's actually very common nowadays, with so many people logging in dozens of hours of PC time a week. The repetitive stress of the mouse causes wear & stress on the elbow, wrist, & forearm muscles and connective tissue. I had to wear one of those neoprene elbow braces with the forearm support for 4 months.

I also stopped using my mouse immediately. The Intuos4 is now my primary input device. Instead of a mouse, I use the Intous. For just about everything really. Photoshop. The internet. CG modeling. Basic computer asks. ETC.

I use the Cintiq primarily for ZBrush work. Sculpting with the pen directly on the screen has a much different feeling than if you just sculpted on a regular Intuos. You're that much closer to the object. For now, that's as close as you can practically get to putting your hands on actual clay.

[3DShay]

Oh, sorry to hear that . . .hope you are fine now .

May i ask your current position?

I was a freelancer and yes some days I worked 14 hours, My mouse destroyed instead

Thanks for information

[AcrobatFly]

hope you are fine now .

Now that I avoid the mouse? Yeah.

May i ask your current position?

It's a mix of freelance & on-site.

I have a steady gig as the in-house CG Generalist for a non-CG company. Plus, I also take on clients of my own, as the in-house only occupies so many hours of the day.

In that Generalist capacity, I do pretty much everything under the sun. If it relates to graphics, I end up doing it. Been getting work from them and operating under their banner for a number of years now. Downside of being the in-house dude? You get to do a lot of everything, but that usually amounts to a lot of nothing. No real lasting legacy. Like trying to build a portfolio off of every person you've served at McDonalds. It's money, but...

For my own clients, that stuff is almost exclusively high poly 3D. I've done character work for large corporations, architectural & product visualization for smaller local clients, & lots of stuff in-between, for clients of various sizes.

The apps I regularly use: Maya, Cinema4D Studio, ZBrush, Photoshop, 3D-Coat, xNormal, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Premiere, AfterEffects, InDesign, & SketchBook.

I'm not exactly content with this freelance/in-house mix though. I'm 36 now and what worked for me when I was 19 has grown... tired. Honestly, I can't imagine spending the next 30 years until retirement doing freelance or consulting. It feels very... non-committal. Only so long you can stay engaged to your fiancée, so to speak.

Pretty much also one of the reasons why I also recently dumped Cinema4D Studio in favor of Maya. I'm prepping a new portfolio for a more focused & permanent job in larger, more CG oriented industries.

The downside of that C4D to Maya switch? Except for my ZB stuff, pretty much all of my old work is now obsolete. Frustrating. Like being a newbie all over again.

[3DShay]

thanks for detailed explanatoins