anyone use a tablet for cad work?

[paul1966]

been doing some research into buying a new mouse for cad work, whilst looking i have noticed people use tablets too. is there any advantages in using a tablet over a mouse. being new to cad i have only ever used a mouse but now am not sure if a tablet is the way to go?

[Alan Cullen]

Well, I can only speak for me, but I think you'll find the majority of us use a stock standard 2 button, plus wheel, mouse. It does everything I need.

[Geoffers]

Yes.
A few months ago I developed rsi in mouse thumb along lower arm, elbow and shoulder. It developed in about a week; I thought I could / would never use a computer again.

After investigating various options of mice I settled on a Wacom A5 wide tablet and don't regret it. I believe a three button scrolling mouse does - just - have an edge over tablet-and-stylus but - it is not a problem.

The Wacom comes with freebie cut-down Corel 'Expression' paint application - I wish I could afford the full version.

Apologies to those who have read my comments on another thread.

[ReMark]

Yes, I do. It's a Calcomp DrawingBoard III. Calcomp was taken over by GTGO. I've been using a tablet with AutoCAD as far back as I can remember. On the rare occasions I've had to use just a mouse I notice that it affects my productivity. I like the fact that my drawing area is roughly 3.75x3.25 of the overall 11x11 tablet and that the top 10.5x3.5 area is home to 225 of my most frequently used symbols. Some day soon I suspect I'll no longer be able to buy or use a tablet then like everyone else I'll be stuck with a mouse. Until then, I am going to make this tablet last as long as possible. One other advantage: I can electronically trace or digitize a drawing directly from my tablet. It comes in handy for freehand sketches and equipment spec sheets where no dimensions are given.

[Scoobydoo]

What is the difference between a tablet and a laptop?

[lpseifert]

Tablet....

[ReMark]

As the image above shows you, Scooby..., a tablet is an input device with which a person can pick commands, symbols and use to draw and edit in a CAD environment. A laptop...well, that's strictly a portable computer. A tablet, also known as a digitizer, is used with a "puck" that has a series of buttons on it that can be programmed. A laptop will come with it's own little "joystick", touch-screen or a mouse. Pucks normally don't have scroll wheels while a mouse usually does. Finally, tablets cost a less than a laptop of an equivalent size.

Now, you're probably wondering, but really, what IS the difference between a tablet and a mouse? Good question. Are you actually referring to a "tablet" much like the UPS man carries?

[ReMark]

Scoobydoo:

Were you referring to a TabletPC? Like this:

http://www.ruggedtabletpc.com/?gclid=CMuH4uGT95QCFQIyxwodEENMqQ

[ReMark]

Or, were you referring to a graphics tablet like this:

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/aboutgraphics/a/graphicstablets.htm

Give us a clue and we'll give you an answer.