Wacom Cintiq 18XS Review with ZBrush 2.0 (터치스크린으로 지브러쉬스컬핑작업하는 타브렛이라고해야되죠.)

[햇님]

BACKGROUND

Recently I was fortunate to be asked to review the new Cintiq tablet screen from Wacom. I am a digital sculptor at Gentle Giant Studios in Burbank. At Gentle Giant we work on everything from modeling for visual effects and games, scanning props, actors, and sets, to creating high end collectables and toys, and design maquettes for the entertainment industry. If it is a sculpture of any form, digital or practical we make them here. I spend my day at the computer trying to bring sculptural form into a 2D realm, the computer screen.

OVERVIEW

Since the introduction of the mouse in 1973 the computer industry has been trying to further simplify the interface between humans and the machines that have become such an ubiquitous part of our everyday lives. Nowhere has this challenge become more apparent than the attempt to create a union between the artist and the computer.

Wacom helped this process along with their popular pen tablet technology however there was still an uncomfortable level of abstraction when looking at a screen for feedback while at the same time working on a completely separate plane.

This offset can be overcome with a modicum of hand eye coordination and practice but it remains an unfortunate hindrance. Despite their superiority over the mouse working with tablets was still fundamentally clumsy.

Wacom has made a huge step forward by introducing the Cintiq.

Not the first screen tablet but the first in a price range reasonable to the average professional. The Cintiq opened the doors for all manner of artists and designers using the computer as a medium. It facilitates the transfer of real world approaches and existing muscle memory to the digital realm. This review will look at the Cintiq from the perspective of a digital artist focusing on painting and digital sculpting applications. Specifically we will examine the Cintiq with Zbrush for digital sculpture.

The Cintiq itself is composed of 2 units; a sturdy metal base and the tablet screen itself.

The tablet interfaces with the base by a single T-post on the center back. It is from this central location all the cabling emerges in the form of a single cord. At the termination of the cable all the necessary connectors diverge. This reduces cable clutter to a bare minimum and allows for maximum maneuverability of the screen while working.

Screen resolution of this monitor is 1280X1024 with 24 bit color and 27ms pixel response rate. Measuring at 18" the LCD screen is enclosed in a sturdy smooth gray housing. The screen itself resists abrasion but be wary of rough handling. The hard clear surface feels like working against a smooth plastic support. The pen is a standard Wacom pen and the unit sports 512 levels of sensitivity (the newer 21UX has increased these levels to 1024).

The cable bundle is a sleek and efficient. A single wire extends from the back terminating in every possible connector from USB, power, VGA, DMI and Serial. The power supply attaches here at the end of the main cable.

This minimalist approach to engineering allows a high level of maneuverability for the unit. In its lowest position you could feasibly rotate the Cintiq through 360 degrees!

WORKING WITH ZBRUSH

For the purpose of this review I decided to start a new sculpt in Zbrush to help get a feel for the entire process as executed on the Cintiq. As I began I immediately sensed the speed increase the Cintiq provided. No longer picking up and placing the pen I was able to lay down strokes with confidence as I only ever do in clay or on paper. The size of the screen too allowed me to be far more physical and sweeping on my motions.

In most traditional art training the need to develop a painting, drawing, or sculpture with a gestural approach from the very beginning stages is constantly stressed. There are three major arcs your arm can make, a large sweeping arc from the shoulder, a smaller one from the elbow then a tight arc at the wrist. When approaching a sketch or clay I am capable of thinking in these terms but at the computer it just didn’t translate well. On the spacious Cintiq screen I was able to use this range of motion in the sculpting process. Larger standard tablets will allow for such motion but again the confidence you gain from the immediate feedback of placing your pen at the origin of the stroke is invaluable!

As I was working I did notice an issue when accessing the right click menu in ZBrush. My hand would invariably be covering the menu options when invoked. These same options are accessible from the top of the screen but I prefer to access them via the floating menu. Moving the hand back a bit on the pen helped as well as simply “getting used” to the menu’s position and knowing where I need to click by habit anyway.

Another solution is found in the configuration screens of the Wacom control panel. It is possible to create a small offset in the pointer position in relation to the pen tip. By setting this offset I could invoke the menu and see its options without my hand obscuring them.

General sculpting in Zbrush was a breeze. There is no ramp up to getting accustomed to the tool since it is such a close analog to real world drawing. One application in Zbrush which is far easier with the Cintiq is painting masks. Often tight areas of a sculpture are accomplished by masking off portions and affecting the unmasked areas. This is tricky in complex masks around the wings of the nostrils or the eyes. The Cintiq enabled me to directly paint the mask areas with no hesitation increasing my speed substantially.

After blocking in gesture, form, and proportion I decided to try the Cintiq functionality inside Projection Master. Here was where the tool really shines. While trying to create fine line wrinkles and details it is important to be confident in the placement of your pen position and also the need to remain loose and gestural remains. I was able to quickly hatch in wrinkle patters as I could normally in clay, layering on texture quickly and easily. As I began to refine strokes and selective accentuate details I was not guessing at all where the wrinkle is going. It becomes quickly apparent how much time is actually lost with false starts and undos when you are trying to replace your pointer inside an existing line to selectively enhance it. I could be far more specific and exacting where and how I applied the tools.

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http://www.highend3d.com/articles/reviews/16.html

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[마야펙토리]

마야 디센버 세미나때.. 이거보다 더큰화면을 지원하는 타블렛을봤는데..가격물어보고..덜덜덜...ㅡㅡ^ 전 타블렛은 사용하진않지만.. 괜찮아보이더군요^^