a little tricky selecting objects with Wacom?

[nicholas_baum]

Does anyone have trouble selecting objects or picking dimensions to change with a Wacom tablet. When I bring the pen tip close to the tablet the cursor on the screen shakes even if my hand is fairly steady.

Maybe I have my Wacom settings incorrect or other.

Wacom is set to:
Positioning mode: Pen mode
Tablet area: entire tablet
Display area: entire area
Aspect: proportional

I am using a Intuos 4X5 tablet (GD-0405-R) that is set across two displays. Is that the problem?

I am curious because I find it tedious to work with the tablet most of the day. I need switch off to the mouse which causes my wrist to hurt.

any thoughts?

Thanks,
Nick Baum
---------------
Chaleff & Rogers, Architects
Water Mill, NY

[Chad Smith]

I find this happens occasionally when I try and select something from the Project Browser. I put it down to being a very low resolution tablet. Also, I'm only using one display.

This doesn't happen enough to bother me though.

[gbrowne]

Have you tried "tabbing" to get the selection you want?

[hand471037]

I find that holding the pen as vertically as possible using my thumb and first two fingers (index finger on the rocker switch) as well as dragging my ring and pinkey on the surface of the tablet helps a lot. A big problem with picking things with the Wacom is as you move the pen down to 'click' you also tend to move the pen to the side as part of the natural curve of your hand. The more off-vertical you hold the pen the worse this seems.

But I do find Revit to be somewhat touchy about picking things sometimes with the Wacom, but I think that's because I'm using the cheaper one that's not as sensitive, for I didn't really have this issue when using an Intous.

[nicholas_baum]

Have you tried "tabbing" to get the selection you want?

Yes.

Unfortunately if there are many overlapping objects then that is the time to put down the pen and move the mouse into position and use the tab key to select the correct one.

nick

[nicholas_baum]

Thanks for all the replies. I will try Jeffery's advice about holding pen more vertical. Also, maybe it is time for a higher resolution tablet.

Jeffery, which Intuos tablet did you find worked better?

[Steve_Stafford]

...Unfortunately if there are many overlapping objects then that is the time to put down the pen and move the mouse into position and use the tab key to select the correct one...You shouldn't "need" to use the mouse to do this. Just hover (don't touch the tablet) over the object with the pen tip and press tab. There is a small range above the tablet which the pen still controls the cursor position and this allows you to use the cycle function of the tab key.

Like Jeffrey says, holding the pen more vertical helps a bit. I tend to put my thumb over the bottom half of the pen button. This makes right clicking very easy and I don't use the upper half of the button all that much anyway.

[nicholas_baum]

You shouldn't "need" to use the mouse to do this. Just hover (don't touch the tablet) over the object with the pen tip and press tab. There is a small range above the tablet which the pen still controls the cursor position and this allows you to use the cycle function of the tab key.

I don't have a problem hovering the pen over object and using the tab to select object. But once i have tabbed and I am ready to select the object the movement of the pen tip down onto the tablet moves the cursor location enough to select a different object. It does not happen all the time, only when objects are very close to each other. The mouse usually stays in position when you click the mouse button.

[Steve_Stafford]

...But once i have tabbed and I am ready to select the object the movement of the pen tip down onto the tablet moves the cursor location enough to select a different object...aah...you need to get some "surgeon" hands...;) I think they are extra? (maybe included with the 21" Cintiq?

[hand471037]

Any of the Intous ones work great. Smaller is better IMHO for CAD, for you'll just exhaust your arm faster on the larger tablets.

But I also use mine with a laptop, and sometimes in tricky picking situations will hover with the pen but click with the laptop touchpad...

Also, when my wife was doing lots of very exacting photoshop work on historic photos, she was having this issue, for she couldn't let the mouse waver very much when clicking upon the photo, so she turned the rocker switch on the side to be a single click, and then simply hovered and clicked with her finger rather than tapping at all...

[Chad Smith]

I think others here are getting confused with moving the pen when pushing down, as opposed to the cursor have what seems to be a micro epileptic fit.
These fits, for me anyway, tend to happen anywhere along the horizontal line at about the middle of the pad, and will shake vertically within a 20 pixel distance.

Do I have this correct Cramail?

[nicholas_baum]

I think others here are getting confused with moving the pen when pushing down, as opposed to the cursor have what seems to be a micro epileptic fit.
These fits, for me anyway, tend to happen anywhere along the horizontal line at about the middle of the pad, and will shake vertically within a 20 pixel distance.

Do I have this correct Cramail?

No, I am was referring to the moving the pen when pushing down. I was unaware of micro epileptic fits in the middle of the pad. My tablet does not seem to have this problem.

Thanks,
Nick

[Chad Smith]

No, I am was referring to the moving the pen when pushing down.
Oh. :shock: I thought that's what you meant when you said:

cursor on the screen shakes even if my hand is fairly steady
Except for this occasional fit phenomenon that I experience every now and then, I don't have a problem with the cursor moving when pushing down.

[hand471037]

Except for this occasional fit phenomenon that I experience every now and then, I don't have a problem with the cursor moving when pushing down.

Those could be from your monitor. If your Wacom is too close to your CRT monitor, or some other interfearing source, it will get those little 'fits'. Could be what's happening to yours...

[Chad Smith]

Thanks for the suggestion Jeffrey, but I just tried moving the tablet and it still does it. Maybe I have a dud, and I might have to ask Wacom about it.

[david.kingham]

cramail, if you have 2 monitors you will want to use about half of the tablet, mine was shaky till I did this. My settings are Top-5397 Bottom-10160 Left-0 Right-12700
You would need to recalculate if you have 16:9 ratio, this is for 4:5

[hand471037]

Yeah, when I used to use a dual setup my Wacom was a little 'off' too, until I remapped it.

I just brought up the monitor thing because my old Intous I was really upset by it, and I used it for a year like that before I read someone else's post on the internet about the issue with the monitor thing...

[gbrowne]

http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_21UX.cfm

Wow. Is this the future for reviteers?

[hand471037]

http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_21UX.cfm

Wow. Is this the future for reviteers?

I've wanted one of those forever. These are the new 21" models, they have had a 15" and a 17" model for a couple of years now. When I used one at AU once it was great, I got so totally lost drawing with it in Revit that I was 10 minutes late for a class... :D

However, it's funny, the UI is totally not meant for use on one of these things... all the right-click menus pop up under your hand! (if you're right-handed, I guess the lefties have an advantage here...).

[gbrowne]

It looks like it would be really fast, for revit, and so much like sketching. I want one.

I might need some ideas on how to get one though...