NotSoFastEd Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I was wondering if ChiefArchitect supported a digital writing/drawing pad/pen. I have no idea if this is a good idea or not, but it seems it might be easier to use than a mouse. If yes, any particular brand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-C Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I tried using a friends Wacom Intuos Pro and it kinda sucked. Totally threw me off trying to use a pen on a tablet and get my bearings straight in relation to the screen. Plus the touch feature was not responsive at all, at least not compared to the Mac Trackpad (guess I'm spoiled). The concept might be better served with an actual touch screen which I have contemplated but have not pulled the trigger yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshall Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I gotta say Steve, I don't get the track pad. I can't stand using the track pad on my laptop. Is using a stand alone track pad that much better? I used a Kensington roller ball for a period of time during a bad bout of MS, but when that cleared up I went back to the mouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefExperts Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Boy does this bring back memories! Back in the day, think 386 and Chief V3. (Not X3 the one that came after 2, you know 3) I had the pleasure of using Chief on a Pen/Tablet.. I setup a tripod with a plywood tray and measured my As-Built's with this. It worked great, other than I could never figure out a good solution to do dimensions and text without a keyboard. I even tried Dragon Speech to Text. No go. Over the years, I've tried pen tablets. They work great but for me I can draw a lot faster with a mouse. It is much more intuitive and it takes a lot less Arm and Hand movement that a pad and stylus. And to do text and Dimensions I still have to go to the keyboard. I've tried touch screens with a finger and gave up after a couple of minutes. If you can get a stylus it may work okay. Give it a try. i'd love to hear if you have better luck than I did with non mouse technology Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodCole Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I also used an Intuos 3 6 x 11 tablet with a pen and mouse. I agree completely that to use the mouse on the graphics tablet is very awkward and tiresome. You can set the working area on the tablet to a much smaller size, and that does help out some. I did like to use the pen, but the buttons on it were not really designed to be comfortable to use on a continuous basis. What I did like about it was using a regular USB mouse along with the tablet. That way you could use what ever input device you wanted. What was really nice about this setup was that there were a ton of programable actions available on the tablet. The reason that I no longer use this setup is not that it wasn't a good working arrangement, it was because the drivers for the tablet were constantly crashing. I just got sick and tired of continually having to reinstall and set them up all the time. It was awkward to use the keyboard and the tablet at the same time, but it can be done. I am not so sure I would use an arrangement like this now, mostly because of the new hot key capabilities in Chief X6. But for paint programs and the like, I still keep my tablet under a monitor stand that I made just so I could keep the tablet close at hand, but out of the way until I needed it. I don't use it that much anymore, but I probably would buy a newer model for better control of brushes in Painter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenoeightspot Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Dan, Good to see you on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodCole Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Boy does this bring back memories! Back in the day, think 386 and Chief V3. (Not X3 the one that came after 2, Dan Dan I still have your VHS videos for Chief V3. Don't tell anyone how long that has been, or how old I am getting. Memories indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRST8TRKR Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Glad to see this thread.I was thinking about a pad and stylus but after reading these comments on the subject I think I will put it off awhile. Rod we must have started about the same time.I started with 3-d home architect and moved up to chief ver.4. A great week to all,Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-C Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I gotta say Steve, I don't get the track pad. I can't stand using the track pad on my laptop. Is using a stand alone track pad that much better? I used a Kensington roller ball for a period of time during a bad bout of MS, but when that cleared up I went back to the mouse. I almost exclusively use a Logitech Darkfield wireless mouse, the trackpad is used in conjunction for panning mostly. The trackpad is great for scrolling and zooming on pdf's and web browsing. I actually love the Apple trackpads on their laptops, I've actually done complete plans using them. I still prefer using a mouse but sometimes I just like to sit in my sun room with the computer in my lap and knock out some plans. I guess I just like the change of scenery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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