I'm "transitioning" from mouse to cintiq. As I'm not really used to using the cintiq, whenever I'm in a hurry, I catch myself going back to my faithful old mouse. But I sure feel the difference in ergonomics.
Hey JD! I have been a long time user of mouse workflow for 3D. I got a Jelly Comb ergonomic left handed mouse (glad to find another lefty animator!) last year and would recommend the mouse, it's small enough to be portable and wireless. But over the last year, I have been trying to be more ergonomic and this summer I have started to use my Cintiq Pro 24 (on an Ergotron ergonomic arm) on more 3D projects. Really starting to get a hang of it. I have been trying out Wacoms 3D pen with it pretty which is pretty nice (3 buttons on the side, instead of 2 with no "eraser"). Was using the EK remote for the navigation controls and scripts in to addition functions but found I need a bit more hotkeys. Especially because of being left handed, I was finding myself having to move my right hand across the keyboard to get to my hotkeys, which started running the risk of carpal tunnel or shoulder issues. So about a month ago got an Xkey macro 24 keypad. Gives me up to 46 hotkeys and takes care of most functions I need without having to slide my arm around. Would love to see a office tour and also more on ergonomics for animator like, setup of equipment, stretches etc. Once again, thank you for the awesome content! Richard
Thanks for talking about it. Hardly anyone talks about ergonomics in our industry while most of us complain about back/wrist/neck and all sorts of pains. I have been using mouse for many years. Gave tablet a shot a few times but somehow wasn't comfortable using it for fixing graphs. Then a year or so back, got a Huion tablet (model HS611) to give tablets a try and since it was pretty cheap than any of the wacoms out ther. It has 10 customizable hotkeys plus multimedia keys to quickly play/stop music and control volume so thats handy. Realized it was just about getting into that habit of a tablet and its lots better than using a mouse, for graph editor as well. Its just that why I tend to hold the pen way too tight that my fingers start paining but probably will get into a better habit of holding it loose.
In my case I like ergonomics of the mouse over a pen tablet, the pen makes my finger hurt after extensive use, so I use the tablet while working in photoshop or doing stuff which is much easier with a pen.
Hey JD thank you, because of one of your videos I also started to use a tablet to animate. It's been two months and the pain hasn't come back. Thanks again ps love your channel it's very helpful.
I have a very similar setup with a tablet and trackball but I also still use a mouse and the apple trackpad. I find varying it up helps a lot to ward of any issues or fatigue. Don't have a fancy motorised standing desk though, that next level! Hope you get the Herman Miller chair, I mean, sponsorship lol
@@jeandenishaas holy moly I just checked out the gaming chair and it looks fabulous. My previous employer had Herman Miller office chairs and I could literally sit in them all day without discomfort.
My mentor, Nicole Herr, always told us how great Wacoms were (accuracy, speed, ergonomics) and I was always nervous to switch it up until my hand pretty much blew out using a trackpad/mouse combo. 10+ years later I've never looked back. Have the same feeling you have with a mouse, it just hurts if I touch it for a split second and I can feel my hand seize up. I think a lot of my speed can be attributed to using a Wacom pen too. I've tried Cintiqs, but I like not having my hand/arm in the way, easier with an Intuos Pro. If I really really want to draw (and my skills are poor) - ipad pro with an apple pencil does the trick.
my problem with tablet is multimonitor setup... I would need to have huge tablet to get all 3 screens and I use all 3 because I have on one curves, on other options and stuff and mid one is just all for scene and timeline.
I have a small cintiq that I'd like to use in my day to day 3D animation workflow. But I have to say, it's not easy finding a good disposition on the desk, especially because the length of the keyboard cable is so tiny, and the cintiq has quite bulky cables.
For animating in 3D using pen tablet. I am going to highly recommend pick the pen tablet that has the most no of short cut keys. (Basically pick the higher end model in relatively cheaper model than directly going for something expensive like Wacom if you're 3D character animation student and short on money) You can assign many scripts, shortcuts it will make your workflow 10x times faster !!! I use Huion new 1060 plus . It has 28 keys!!!! 12 hard keys 16 soft keys You don't even have to touch the keyboard. Bonus Tip If you have gamepad like Xbox controller, you can use software like Xpadder to hook it up in Maya. You can literally use it as your maya camera rig. Or use for whatever keys to map on that controller. Going through frames using joystick feels so natural So as using joystick to control camera. The possibilities are endless!! Another one, always have at least two Monitors. Hopefully one quite bigger. It changed my life! PS. Studio Tour would be awesome!! It's always inspiring to see the work setup and environment where artists create cool personal stuff! Thanks! 😊
Hey can I ask a question? How do you use the tablet with the two monitors, like can you set up a shortkey to switch between the two monitors, or do you split the tablet's drawing space between the two monitors?
A little tip. If you're looking for a pro drawing tablet, but don't have a pro budget, do what I did. Go for a previous generation of the pro tablet. I recently bought the Wacom Intuos 3 for $35 and it has pretty much the same features the most recent ones do. And it cost me one tenth of the price. Graphics tablet technology hasn't really changed in the past decade or so.
OMG yes! I exclusively use the pen (and keyboard), to the point where I often accidentally take my wacom pen with me when i get up from my desk, it's almost glued to my hand sometimes 😂 I had started out with a super cheap drawing tablet from Aldi in Germany, but when it broke after a few years I eventually got a wacom one 😁
Loved this! I tried the pen-tablet setup last week but it slowed me down. I guess I'll have to develop a habit. You pinpointed the precise area of my back pain too! :P I am actually quite comfortable with the mouse, thanks to playing Assassin's Creed! But I do hope to be able to transition to the pen-tablet setup! Also, a tour of your office sounds awesome! I am really looking forward to the next FNA! :D
Wacom is generally not cheap. But there is One by Wacom (not Wacom one) that is much cheaper. Is the one I've got and I use it every single day for the last year, or more.... Still working perflectly
Ooh I just got word that I will be able to review a cintiq with express keys, so I’m going to postpone that clip so I can use the new equipment! PUMPED!
for 3d animation (or 3D in general) I got used to to mouse and keyboard, but I find amazing using my display tablet (a Huion KAMVAS 13 pro) as a second screen.
Cool man I have the Huion kamvas 13 how do you have your buttons setup for Maya & photoshop? I'm trying to incorporate new things into my workflow at home. I'm so used to keyboard & logi mx master 2S.
I'm looking for a solutions to replacing my mouse because I got a ganglion cyst in my wrist, I'm pretty sure it was for doing clicks with the mouse. I hope the tablet help me. Any additional advice? Also will be dope if you make a video using the tablet as a mouse.
Yeah a pen might an option to try for your situation, you never know! What specifically do you want to see in that video? I had someone else ask me about it and I’m not sure what else I can show besides “these are the buttons on the pen and this is what I assigned them to do: click, middle click and right click (ok, plus open folders using the eraser button 😁).
I'm left-handed too and I decided to move to a tablet for animating a few months ago. I had the same struggle with my keyboard. The only solution that I found was to buy a small programmable keyboard. I bought one from Koolertron, but if you have more money, people recommend "xKeys controller". So I can easily remap this keyboard and that really improved my workflow :). I hope it will help you!
Looking forward to the fna. It's been tricky for me to use my tablet to animate. Since I also do digital sculpting, my brain flips a switch when I use a tablet 😅
@@jeandenishaas Awesome! I'm eager to see that Cintiq review! As somebody that has been following your RU-vid journey, I got to say that it brings me much joy to see you get all these collaborations! You totally deserve it! :D
Love it! I also use a game mouse or vertical mouse (Logitech G502LightSpeed and Logitech MX Vertical) with super high sensitivity (900-1200-1600 dpi). I find that, using high sensitivity mouse, I can use my fingers instead of my whole wrist -- if I need a break from my tablet it's also as good! Thanks for the great videos JD!
@@jeandenishaas I tried out maya with my Wacom Intuos and it was awesome! Ty! Just curious if you had a tip for deselecting/selecting controls on a rig. I’m new to animation, and I find myself deselecting a lot, trying to click the right control. I end up clicking off the rig then clicking on the control I want constantly. Is there a better way? Just use deselect shortcut more often?
Hi! I work a lot with illustration and graphic design and over this whole year have been suffering with wrist tendinitis. Still doing a lot of work with physiotherapy and muscle strengthening, and while I must say I feel very little pain or at least some discomfort around the wrist, i still feel somewhat sensible with my hands, still trying very slowly to get back to pc (have been resting along with the treatment for more than a month now) but as you said, just touching the mouse feels bad, do you think using the wacom tablet for everything and just raplacing the mouse all together be a good ideia? even for non work stuff, and what set up do you like using on your table to adapt to that? Thanks for the video, it was great.
I’m sorry about your injury! Yikes! I would definitely give it a try, it might be what you need! And I’d start with a small tablet to not get too much arm involvement and see how it feels for you. (And thanks for watching!)
So do you mean Pen Tab as productivity and Computer use in general or strictly drawing/animation? I get wrist pain from suing mouse for prolonged period of time and now I’m considering a pen tab to replace the mouse.. Also do charting and drawing on charts etc
Hi! For what do you have a stream deck?.. I'm planning to add it to my desk.. but I'm not sure of is it possible to set up maya shortcuts with it. Cheers!
I’ve neglected the Maya side lately since I haven’t been animating that much anymore but next year I’ll be back at it. Right now it’s organizational stuff with folders, programs to starts, repetitive writing tasks as actions, shortcuts, etc. I use it so many times all day.
I was looking around for your video on how to use Maya with a tablet, There was a behind the Scenes on Moana where the animations were using a Cintiq and its just not something i've been able to work into my workflow but now im having back issue and really need to make some improvements or my career might be over before i begin :
@@jeandenishaas Oh ABSOLUTELY! I also do a lot of 2D so being a complete Posture goblin is a known culprit! I'm trying not to fall for that Toolbox fallacy thing but I do had a growing Amazon Wishlist thanks to Ilse Zamarripa Ergonomics video haha! My home setup has been in need of some TLC but always looking for over options as to make improvement to the issue too! my GP has been such a help with stretches and exercise advice :) Ergonomics and regular rest/ workout is on the mind and love that you always have these awesome nuggets of wisdom like this in all your video Thanks a bunch!
Hi. Every one is always taking how they use a tablet in their videos but none ever show real work with it. (Not drawing, but all other stuff) I have to switch from mouse to a pen tablet cos to much pain. I'm a music producer and I'm trying to find out if any tablet in mouse mode(not drawing) works better then the other and what size is best. Do I need a medium or is a small enough, does it work in my daw, my video editing, googling, word etc... I know Wacom also support hand gestures, how does that work? Do I need a intuos pro or does a cheaper model work aswell. No one in youtube does a video like this. They all say it works but never show. So this could be a good video for you perhaps. Tnx
I think they don’t show it because it’s kinda boring to show? 😂 I use my tablet (and it’s a smaller one) for everything on my windows machine. Regular OS interaction, email, video editing, Photoshop, Maya, etc. so all the “other stuff” since I’m not drawing. The small size works for me because it fits nicely on my desk and because I don’t need a 1:1 paper equivalent size or something like that since I’m not a graphic designer or comic book artist, etc. But none of that matters since it’s also personal and subjective so I would recommend that you either start small (cheaper) or find a way to try multiple sizes. I have the touch function on/off 50% of the time, don’t always need it but it’s nice for scrolling and pinch zooming within applications. I like your idea of an every day usage type of video, thanks for the tip! Hope that helps!
@@fredaberix Ah well it is definitely small for that, it’s on my desk. You don’t lean on it like a huge cintiq. I’d go on the Wacom website and look at the dimensions, then make fake ones using cardboard with the same dimensions so you can see how big they are. 😁
I use Wacom Intuos with a Kinesis Gaming split keyboard. I did use a Cintiq pro at one point at work, but since WFH happens, I haven't felt the need to get one yet. I did and still do have issues with using mouse's, mostly because they are too small, but I'm more efficient with Wacom pens animating. Web surfing= mouse, animating/art = pen :)
@@jeandenishaas, I think most of it for me is a habit when on the web. But also, I have to jump into the UE4 editor a lot to test whatever game I'm currently working on, and I'm forced to use the mouse. But on my laptop on the couch its pen all the way lol. And yeah, to the office tour! Monitor setup, chair, inspiration board, action figures, etc.
Interested in getting a pen/tablet for my daily computer use - many hours of local/online browsing and writing, whatever is concidered to be office work really, not graphics (!) - instead of a mouse as I started having pain in my arm and thumb. I have a 27 inch monitor. Would you go for a small or medium sized tablet (budget is not an issue, will go for the Wacom Intuos Pro)? Will only be using it at home/work and in this setup. Any advice/short explanation would be highly welcomed!
Personally I prefer small so I only have to use my finger and wrist a bit to move things around. Bigger tablet might involve too much of my arm. Plus since you don’t use graphics or do design work the tablet doesn’t have to emulate the size of real paper, etc.
@@jeandenishaas Thank you so much for your swift answer! From time to time I do some film editing on Premiere or a some video grading in DaVinci. Do you think the small size would be OK for this too? Also, would this still be suitable for a workflow of two monitors? Thank you again.
@@jeandenishaas do u have windows ink on or off for this? Thing is I'm in this issue with my huion tablet where I am using blender 3d. and it requires me to do a setting change with the scroll wheel. I have the option to change it on my tablet but it ain't working... I'm so frustrated. i don't really wanna get a mouse just to use the scroll button for this small change .
I’m a leftie too! First of all, I’d love to watch an office tour. Second, I do use a tablet and it’s actually giving me some wrist pains... hopefully my hand is adjusting Idk because it was a large sum of money and I don’t want it to be for nothing
Hi JD! I’m left-handed when drawing but I adapted to using a right-handed mouse because that was the only option in computer labs at school and in offices. I’m early in my animation education right now and I’m considering switching over to a tablet (I have a Wacom Intous Pen & Touch small) as I’ve had wrist and forearm pain with my standard 3-button Logitech mouse. However, I’m concerned about adapting to using my left hand for primary computer workflow other than for pressing hot keys. Do you recommend the tablet switch or do you think the marble mouse could be a happy medium?
@Jean-Denis Haas I realized I hadn’t replied to this! I ended up getting a vertical mouse (Kensington Pro Fit Ergo) which really has helped and I don’t have that arm pain anymore.
I just got a really similar trackball without the middle mouse button. I'm curious how you make quick navigational adjustments in maya without the natural panning ability? I set up a hotkey for the pan tool, but it's still a little clunky and unnatural, have you found a better solution?
I don't have a problem with pain with my mouse (I have a nice mice) but since the ergonomic is better I'm trying to switch and stick to it, honestly some stuff is just annoying, I can't change RU-vid áudio level by click and drag, can't drag my tabs, and can't click select text on Windows, these stuff is annoying as all hell, but I'm trying, to stick to it, some of my software also just straight up sucks with it, my hand is shaking a bit all the time, if the software dosent like that its a pain. If you know how to fix some of these problems pls reply
Not sure, since I haven’t used a mouse for a while I don’t know what some of the problems are (click and drag for audio level, tab dragging, selecting text?).
@@jeandenishaas I have a wacom 490 if I'm not mistaken, fairly older model, in case this matters. As an example say you're in youtube watching a video, and I want to lower the volume, with a mouse I'll move it over, left click and drag the volume slider, I can't do that with my wacom, click and drag in there dosent do anything, also selecting text, I can't touch the pen and drag to select any text. I'm aware that if I turn off windows ink I might be able to do those, but then I can't touch and drag pages on the Web to scroll, neither on file explorer, so I'm kind of lost, either way I lose something
@@kendarr hmm I an able to do all the first things and I have the first button on my pen set to middle mouse click, so when I click and hold that one on web page I can move the pen up or down and the web page will scroll accordingly.
@@jeandenishaas my first one is right click, sometimes I can't get the long press due to my awful aim, I'll try that tomorrow with Windows ink off, thanks mate, if there are people like you whom can use these as a regular mouse it means I can someone get over those things lol. One interesting side effect tho is that since my aim ain't very good I'll have to incresse the ui scale a bit makes me go forward less, helping my back. I've been using mice my whole life, and the tablet for a week now, sorry if I sounded like complete begginer lol. Once again thanks
