Mouse vs. tablet
I've been a Cintiq user for a decade or more, and I love them. But my latest investment is by far the greatest; the Wacom Cintiq companion. Wow, what a tablet! For you who doesn't know, it's a Wacom tablet AND a Windows 8 tablet computer rolled up into one. It has pretty poor battery life, bit that's ok when there are no cables and you can bring it to the living room sofa and draw for hours. Love it!
/ Sandman[.net]
My first tablet is supposed to arrive some time this week. I'm excited to try it...I know there will be a learning curve but I think it will really help me. Using the mouse to draw has never felt the least bit natural to me, I've always been disappointed in the result compared to drawing on paper.
I use a Yiynova MSP19U (though I haven't made a map with it yet), which is basically a Cintiq (i.e. a graphic tablet/screen hybrid) without the price tag. I saw this review ages ago, and ended up buying one. It's awesome. I've used a Cintiq in the past, and actually marginally prefer this, since it's more sensitive at lower pressure levels, which to me feels more natural.
I would like to know if there are any video tutorials for using a tablet. I bought a Wacom Bamboo model CTH-460 when I started my Graphic Design degree classes and have used it to sketch with, but I feel that I'm not using it to it's full potential. Can anybody help me out here?
Jynx
I don't know any videos, but you should definitely make use of all the express keys as well as the buttons on the own itself. These can help make your workflow much faster and easier. For example, binding the buttons to undo, redo, ALT, and other often used shortcuts means less time spent switching over to your keyboard and back to the tablet.Originally Posted by Jynx
Have you already looked through these?
Video Tutorials | Wacom
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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!
Ok, this thread has been around for quite some time, so I wanted to get an updated opinion on which tablet would be the best suit for cartography now as opposed to eight years up to last year.
Well, I guess it depends on how serious of an artist you are. Wacom is still the best and that's pretty much hands down however there are some competitors recently but I can't speak for them. A lot of hobbyists use the relatively inexpensive Bamboo tablets to very good result. Most professionals I would guess use one of the Wacom Intous line of products. Then you have the Cintiq series but those are really getting pricey. Still, if you want as near to using pencil and paper those are probably the best.
I have an Intous4 that I use when I'm at my desk on my PC and a Cintiq Companion that I take with me everywhere, even sitting in bedI'm fortunate I could afford such things but I did have to save up for both of these and it's taken a few years to get them.
I expect you haven't had any quick replies on this yet because there hasn't been enough change to the industry. I keep wishing for more Wacom competition because that's good for us but so far there hasn't been much.
I do know there have been some good reviews for the Microsoft Surface machines and you can probably use them just fine unless you really want to have the tilt pen settings and all the fancy stuff that comes along with a Wacom product. I think Noah Bradley did a comparison but when I was looking about a year ago the Wacom was still the best...if you could afford it.
And if I'm wrong, please somebody let me know so I can start saving money on my next purchase, LOL.
“When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden
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I believe I am going to get the Intuos Pen first and then upgrade to the Cintiq after funds allow. One question I still have is whether the Cintiq line requires a computer or not. The companion states that you can work without a computer, but the other ones don't specify on their site. Another question I have is if, should I get a tablet so I can draw like I am used to, do I still need a program such as photoshop or (the one I was looking at buying) the campaign cartographer 3.....But then again, if it lets me draw anything my mind sees, then I don't see the purpose of having something with specific layouts which can be limiting when creating complex pieces.
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