Graphics Tablets

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dwlpunk
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Graphics Tablets

Post by dwlpunk »

Hello. I'm about to start school here pretty soon studying architecture as my major, as well as CAD and or mechanical drawing as a minor unless incorporated into the major. it's a career choice i have recently made and i want to have the right tools to get a head start with. Anyways I've been looking for some time at graphics tabs because i figure i will have to use one soon, and I've kinda always wanted one to begin with. a simple search on the internet does me no good in determining which one is the best or atleast of a good quality. are there any artists here that can provide me with any ideas on which one to buy? price really doesn't matter but id rather not spend an insaine amount of money, id say 300 dollars is as high as I'm willing to pay. i would also like to use it with Paint Shop Pro 6. yeah it's old, but i love and will always love psp6.

thanks.
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Thenior
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Post by Thenior »

Wacom is pretty much the standard... I got a Intuos 3 around 4 years ago, it's been a great pad. Intuos 4 looks like it had a better interface, and they are about the same price.

6x8 works great for me - I wouldn't want smaller, and bigger may get cumbersome. Plus the 6x8 seem to run in your budget.

A bigger one might be better if I used it 24x7, but I don't.
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Post by vision »

I've been using the same Wacom tablet for about 5 years. It's pretty durable and I haven't had to replace the stylus, although I should because it's looking pretty gross now. :)

I originally purchased it because I got a job where I would be doing massive amounts of image editing. After only a few weeks my wrists started to hurt from using the mouse so much. It took me a week or so to get used to the tablet, but after I did I regretted not getting one sooner (and never went back to the mouse). The tablet saved me from certain injury to my wrist.

Wacom makes some cheap tablets, for like, $100. It's worth it to get one and try it for a week or two to see if you like it. If you stay with the tablet you can upgrade to a more expensive one that fits your needs better, when you determine what those needs are. And if you don't like it, you can take it back or even sell it for very little loss.
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dwlpunk
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Post by dwlpunk »

spooky i appreciate your insight. I am a US Navy vet, and im very interested into making my way into ship building/design industry. This purchase would be mostly for sketching, ideas, and getting comfortable with interfacing myself with such equipment.
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Post by dwlpunk »

The bamboo looks pretty basic and simple. the wireless one is nice but i think i will try the cheaper bamboo first and if i like it, opt for one of the more expensive ones. thanks a lot for your help. i wouldn't even have stumbled across these otherwise.
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Post by Thenior »

personally, I only use a tablet for hand drawing. For general image editing, I have never found a use for it (I use to do alot of texturing).
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Post by Spidey »

I just got a Bamboo Craft…it’s a very nice tool for precision cursor control.
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Post by roid »

I'd think a multitouch touch screen would be much more intuitive.

You can get them as an overlay, put em on any existing screen.
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