Drawing tablet - Wacom or other


CARMELHILL
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I used a digitizer tablet 25 years ago for Autocad 14. My nephew works for Falcon's Creative Group in Orlando doing theme park design and they seem to be using a mix of Wacom tablets AND Wacom Cintiq onscreen drawing computer/monitors.

 

Has anyone been able to implement a tablet, Wacom or any other brand, with a stylus pen rather than a puck/mouse? The reason I'm thinking of this is, I'd like to also use the stylus for redlining pdf drawings and a stylus is more intuitive than a mouse. I've also looked at an IPAD using Morpholio Trace or Procreate, but I'm not an Apple fan and I'm not really interested in adding any Apple products to my office workflow.

 

It would be a dream, if Autodesk Sketchbook which I use on my Chromebook Plus with it's stylus pen all the time, was able to import PDF, but it's not.

 

So any comment?

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Yeah, that old puck with the crosshairs and the tablet menu was amazing for AutoCAD. I've tried to implement a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet without success, but maybe I didn't give it enough time. I found it difficult to be precise with the point entry as a tap, and the lack of additional buttons on the pen slowed me down without the keyboard shortcuts. However, even though my main desktop is Windows, I have an iPad Pro with both Morpholio Trace and Procreate. An iPad with an Apple Pencil and these apps is AWESOME, and worth the money for these apps alone, not to mention having the LiDAR on the iPad Pro. I have no problem going back and forth between the iPad and Windows. The key to making this work is having a "paper-like" screen protector that makes using the pencil feel more like a paper experience. It also works really well with note-taking apps like Notability. I frankly wouldn't mind doing everything on the iPad Pro (recommend the 12.9 inch model), except keeping the desktop mostly for Chief. The iPad is great for taking to jobsites or meetings where you then have a camera as well as handwriting. In Notability for example, you can do a punch list that includes photographs of the issues, and email to everyone directly from the jobsite when you're finished.   

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I use a 27" Wacom Cintiq for both drawing, sketching, modeling, and a second monitor.  I've come to like a top/bottom config for 2 monitor setup better than side-to-side....especially since i can start drawing on the lower monitor anytime I want.

 

I don't use Chief a lot with the Wacom, but I have.  However, I LOVE using it with Vectorworks and other drawing apps like Concepts.  I use it a LOT and found it helps to have an architectural drafting height table.

IMG_0957.JPEG

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1 hour ago, Richard_Morrison said:

I have an iPad Pro with both Morpholio Trace and Procreate. An iPad with an Apple Pencil and these apps is AWESOME, and worth the money for these apps alone, not to mention having the LiDAR on the iPad Pro. I have no problem going back and forth between the iPad and Windows. iPad Pro (recommend the 12.9 inch model), except keeping the desktop mostly for Chief.

 

Thanks for the feedback Rich. I was afraid of this obvious answer. I'll have to look into it more. I like the Lidar paired with a 3d scanner app. I could definitely use it in my toolbox.

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45 minutes ago, johnny said:

I use a 27" Wacom Cintiq for both drawing, sketching, modeling, and a second monitor. 

 

Nice setup. I don't do much sketching and modeling anymore. My office has become more utilitarian, and the need for easy redlining of drawings is a bigger need. I'm traveling more between NY and Florida, and need a good option for redlining pdf checkprints produced by my staff. I want to be able to do redlining anywhere......at the airport, on a plane, at a coffee table, in bed......anywhere I can squeeze in some productivity time.

 

It looks like it'll be either an Ipad Pro, or my existing Samsung Chromebook plus with Kami pdf and the included stylus. Dam Ipads are freaking expensive, plus apple pen, plus floating keyboard. Jeez I hate Apple. 

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14 hours ago, CARMELHILL said:

Dam Ipads are freaking expensive, plus apple pen, plus floating keyboard. Jeez I hate Apple. 

The keyboard is optional. But with it, you are essentially getting a new laptop. For about 1/2 the price of a new Chief license. In the overall scheme of things, with the time you can save, it's cheap. I love Apple. (And I'm a Windows guy.)

 

EDIT: If you are dead set against Apple iOS, you could get a Microsoft Surface Pro with Windows 10. A low end model might set you back about $700 and then you could get Bluebeam Revu for PDF redlining. (about $350). I have a Surface Pro, too, and it's a nice machine, and you can run Chief on it (except for rendering, which is really slow without a dedicated graphics card) but Morpholio Trace might bring back the fun of architecture. That's worth a few hundred bucks, eh?

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On 2/9/2021 at 5:02 PM, johnny said:

In fact, here is a project I am working on right now where i used Vectorworks and Concepts with the Wacom to create some conceptual elevations.

lot_54_concepts.pdf

Nice work Jonny!  If you have Vectorworks then why are you on Chief?  Do you use Chief as well.  Love the way Concepts looks with your Design and wish I could have that same with Chief.  Not going to get started on another program though.

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On 2/11/2021 at 10:33 AM, cjanderson66 said:

Nice work Jonny!  If you have Vectorworks then why are you on Chief?  Do you use Chief as well.  Love the way Concepts looks with your Design and wish I could have that same with Chief.  Not going to get started on another program though.

 

Thanks!

 

I do use Chief as well right now, but I am transitioning away from it.  My team will be on Chief for the next year or so until we're finally moved over - but we'll still keep a couple copies for accessing older files etc.

 

Chief is great for many people, but their speed of development was becoming a serious concern for us.

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I never use a mouse.  I use the Stylus on my Wacom Intuous 5  (PTH650)

I also use programable keys called XKEYS.  There are 55 programable button that I've setup for CA.

Press a key and exterior walls are selected, I have different keys for all the doors, windows, cabinets, walls, roof planes, etc.

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