Too poor for a TabletPC- need something on the go? [Archive] - Page 2

cresshead

11-03-2009, 12:53 PM

StereoMike

11-03-2009, 06:55 PM

from my findings (friend has an r4) there's a lot of strange talk about the r4s. It ranges from theories about the producers (maybe all the same) to card-destroying firmware upgrades if you're using a clone. What I found out is that it is a lot more difficult to get a current firmware (if you get any at all) for the r4 version you own because of the clones that look all the same.
I'd definitely go with an acekard2 (I own one and it's really nice).

mike

biliousfrog

11-04-2009, 07:27 AM

The official R4 cards will only accept up to 2GB. I found this out when I purchased a 4GB card for my R4.

IMO, I would stay away from R4 as it's a bit dated and technically not supported or even available anymore. If you see one advertised today as an R4, it's probably an R4 clone.

What's recommended these days is the Super Card DS ONEi or Acekard 2i. They will work with DS Lite, and DSi and support micro SDHC cards which can have greater capacity.

You can search the Colors! forum for the latest info.

Greenlaw

I got mine from here: http://www.mymemory.co.uk/R4-Adaptors

hmm....I thought that I'd figured out all the crap regarding R4 cards. I've now discovered that there are 14 R4 manufacturers after the original company folded so I guess 'Genuine' doesn't mean much. :rolleyes:

As long as the replacement card works I don't care, if it doesn't I'll buy one of the others. I'd hope that the companies selling the kits would know whether they work together otherwise they wouldn't still be in business...R4cards, R4ds and R4i for example mostly sell just R4 cards with SDHC cards so they must work...even if they aren't the original R4 cards.

What's most annoying is that Royal Mail are striking so the post is even slower than usual...I want my card!!!

cresshead

11-04-2009, 08:36 AM

my personal view is DO NOT use the R4 card...my R4 is a genuine one...as i got it before the company folded...i have heard the ds's ca FRY the micro sd cards or maybe the DS itself..EEEK! with these knock off r4 cards!

get an acecard from a good vendor...ask someone above who already did so WHERE they got it.

biliousfrog

11-11-2009, 09:05 AM

good news/bad news

bad news, after sending the R4 back almost a week ago for replacement, I just got an email that they are now out of stock and they have refunded me.

good news, as recommended by the guy at the store, I only sent the R4 card which means that I have two brand new Kingston 8gb micro SD cards and USB adapter for free :D

I just bought an AceKard 2i from another store

cresshead

11-11-2009, 06:27 PM

geothefaust

11-12-2009, 01:45 AM

I still have an original R4, it works no problems! But definitely avoid all these R4 knock offs, like Cress said... They will most certainly wreak havoc upon your DS or DSi, rendering it to a worthless paperweight!

I have read lots of reviews, and it seems the AK2 or the AK2i are the best on the market ATM.

If anyone is still looking for a place to purchase a homebrew card here are some recommendations. I have purchased from http://www.realhotstuff.com/ 6 times, for homebrew cards, all with no problems and with pretty quick shipping.

You could also try http://www.ishopvideogame.com/

gbatemp also has reviews on all of the hardware, they are worth reading:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?dynamic=8#slot1

biliousfrog

11-17-2009, 04:21 PM

Colors is lots of fun, far more intuitive than I imagined, the little screen is a perfect size for quick doodles. I'll post some up when I get a chance, nothing fancy yet as I'm not much of a painter.

cresshead

11-18-2009, 10:26 AM

so your up n running now?

cool!

biliousfrog

11-19-2009, 06:21 AM

so your up n running now?

cool!

oooh yesh :D

geothefaust

11-19-2009, 09:44 PM

Nice. :)

Hope you post some of your stuff when you get a chance!

cresshead

11-27-2009, 08:37 AM

http://www.sumopaint.com/home/

cresshead

11-27-2009, 03:45 PM

http://urumadelvi.com/udpaint/philosophy.html

geothefaust

11-27-2009, 10:03 PM

http://www.sumopaint.com/home/

I remember this one, wacom (Gideon) showed it to me this summer. It's actually pretty cool. Now if only it supported pressure sensitivity of our tablets... ;)

cresshead

12-06-2009, 06:56 AM

I just bought an AceKard 2i from another store

hi can you tell us which url you got yours from as i'd like to buy one for my dsi?

geothefaust

12-07-2009, 01:05 AM

Hey Cress,

My cousin buys all sorts of stuff from dealextreme.com, he swears by them, lol. I can't personally vouch for it though, so don't hold me accountable if something bad happens. ;)

I found them AK2i on there for dirt cheap!!

http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.acekard%202i

cresshead

12-08-2009, 06:02 AM

biliousfrog

12-08-2009, 10:33 AM

hi can you tell us which url you got yours from as i'd like to buy one for my dsi?

I got mine from here: http://www.nds-gear.co.uk/

wacom

01-13-2010, 09:58 AM

Well I have an ipod touch now...and I really just can't seem to get used to "painting" on it. I take that back...it's OK for painting...but drawing...it's like trying to use a mop to paint on a letter sized canvas.

Anyway- I still think the DS is the way to go- the quick interaction with the buttons is priceless IMHO. Even with layers, all of the ipod/iphone solutions I've tried are still PAINFULLY non interactive. UNDOs are great...but eh...opacity, and eyedropper need to be right there INSTANTLY...and you just can't do that fumbling with the screen on these things.

So far I've tried Alias Sketch, Brushes, Layers and Colors! for it...all leave me wanting to give up half the screen resolution for better and faster controls of the DS and Colors!.

Yeah...I know the New Yorker cover was painted with one...uh...but it's a real basic painting (that doesn't mean bad BTW).

Anyway...yeah...for day to day I'm going back to my DS, and a thing called paper and pencil!

Just my 2 cents as to which device is "superior" for on the go color work.

wacom

01-13-2010, 10:06 AM

WOW- check out the feature set on inchworm- the manual is very revealing...when is the big "N" going to let this thing see the light of day?

http://www.inchwormds.com/manual/InchwormManual_v01.pdf

cresshead

01-13-2010, 12:15 PM

WOW- check out the feature set on inchworm- the manual is very revealing...when is the big "N" going to let this thing see the light of day?

http://www.inchwormds.com/manual/InchwormManual_v01.pdf

yeh been waiting for inchworm for months!...like 6 to 9 months!:D

Greenlaw

01-18-2010, 03:37 PM

R+H Studios is moving farther south in a couple of months, and since my commute is already over an hour each way, I've been looking into public transportation. I learned that by subway and light rail, my trip will be over a half hour longer but that's time I could spend productively writing or drawing instead of just sitting in traffic like a rock. (Actually, I learned to play the harmonica while sitting in traffic, so it hasn't been a total loss of time.)

Anyway, since I think I'll be getting some 'free time' before and after work this year, I'm now in the market for a tablet PC.

Friday night I ordered the HP tx2z tablet PC. At a glance, it seemed like a good one: tons of ram, a decent processor; just an okay 64MB Radeon graphics card but even that is better than what most tablet PCs have. Unfortunately, the next day, I learned from another artist that while this model technically has pressure sensitivity, the feature isn't recognized by Photoshop, Painter and most other graphics packages. Bummer. Guess I should have researched this a little better. The next morning, I called HP to cancel my order, and thankfullly the HP rep was quick to respond and very helpful about my mistake.

I was wondering if any Tablet PC artists here had recommendations. I wanted to go with HP because I really like my HP workstation, but it doesn't sound like their current tablets are appropriate for graphic artists because they have N-Trig Multi-touch instead of the more 'artist friendly' Wacom Pen Enabled screens. So I'm looking for something wacom pen enabled and fast enough for working with print-res Photoshop, Painter, and MangaStudio files, probably with lots of layers. Also, it would be great if it has a decent graphics card. (Most current tablet PCs I've looked at have the mediocre Intel Graphics chipset on board...hmm, what decade was this again?)

Sorry for the long and winding post, and thanks in advance for any helpful info.

Greenlaw

Greenlaw

01-18-2010, 03:58 PM

Hmm...just read elsewhere that the newer HP tm2 tablet PC just released this weekend is both Wacom Pen and touch screen enabled. It also has a much beefier graphics card.

Guess I should wait a few weeks and see what early adopter artists think about it.

Greenlaw

Edit: Had the wrong model number listed.

PixelDust

01-18-2010, 04:03 PM

Greenlaw - I've heard good things about the Fujitsu T5010, and also the replacement model that's due out later this month, the Fujitsu T900. Both use Wacom digitizers, and can be ordered with a dual digitizer screen (active and multitouch). Also, the T900 will have Core i3, i5, or i7 processors! There's a thread about it (http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=29818) over at TabletPCReviews.com. It seems to be a good site for tablet info.

None of these tablets are good for 3D, or so I hear, because they don't have discrete graphics cards, only integrated. However, I've seen reports that some people do use them for some 3D stuff. Apparently, they use Intel integrated graphics to avoid overheating and for longer battery life.

BTW, I just got a Nintendo DS Lite for Christmas to use for Colors, partly based on this thread. It's nice for sketching, and like you, I like it so much I'm considering getting a tablet PC myself for painting soon. From what I've read so far, I may go with the T900.

EDIT: Hmm, I hadn't seen that about the HP tm2. I'll have to look at that, too. There were a lot of new tablets announced at the CES show recently.

Hope that helps!

Greenlaw

01-18-2010, 04:24 PM

PixelDust,

Thanks for the helpful info!

Here's more info about the tm2:

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/showthread.php?t=37109

I guess the wacom technology it uses is new too; there's a Wacom press release at the bottom half of the page. The optional 512MB Radeon sounds good too; at least it's a lot better than the onboard Intel Graphics chipset most current tablets have.

I think I'll wait a few weeks and see where all this stuff is going. I'm curious about the Apple slate, but I'm kinda expecting it to be more of a consumer media browser than a graphic artists tool. We'll see.

I'll check out the other models you mentioned.

Greenlaw

geothefaust

01-19-2010, 01:36 AM

Hey man. :)

Awesome on the harmonica, that's really cool... Although not so cool for the sitting in traffic part.

Anyway, I've had a tablet PC for about two years now, it's actually pretty nice. I use painter on it regularly. It's a Fujitsu Lifebook 4220, so it's a little old but still does the trick for me. It uses Wacom technology and has full pressure sensitivity. I can't recall the levels of sensitivity off hand, but I think it's about 1024.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Greenlaw

01-19-2010, 03:21 AM

biliousfrog

01-19-2010, 03:44 AM

I believe that the Fujitsu and Lenovo tablets are the standards amongst artists but I'd suggest searching CGTalk's tech and hardware forum to see exactly what models are recommended.

biliousfrog

01-19-2010, 03:47 AM

Cool! Thanks! So right now I'm keeping my eyes on the latest HP and Fujitsu, with the mysterious Apple slate in my peripheral vision. Seems like a good time to be shopping for a tablet PC. :)

Greenlaw

From what I've read the Apple slate sounds like it's little more than a large iPhone, even using the same processor and OS. I'll be interested to see what they finally deliver but it's extremely unlikely to be anywhere near a tablet PC.

Greenlaw

01-19-2010, 12:43 PM

Yes, that's my expectations. Apple has surprised me before, but I'm not counting on it this time.

I'll check out cgtalk. Thanks.

G.

Ztreem

01-19-2010, 12:52 PM

cresshead

01-19-2010, 07:58 PM

i have a H.P. tx2000...it a couple of years old nw but runs painter,zbrush,toon boom fine with touch sensitivity etc it's amd powered and has a nvidia chip for graphics also it came with 2 batteries..a slim one and a huge long lasting one at no extra cost.

http://www.tabletpcreview.com/assets/4018.jpg

http://www.tabletpcreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1064

Greenlaw

01-19-2010, 09:44 PM

Thanks guys. I'm beginning to think that many recent, and even some not-so-recent tablet PC's are not as underpowered for painting as I thought they might be; you just need to be sure it's Wacom Pen Enabled. (Which, sadly, the HP xt2z is not. What were they thinking?)

The extra power adapter I ordered arrived today, so apparently HP wasn't able to cancel my order in time. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to wait for the tablet to arrive in ten days just so I can send it back. That's okay; this will stop me from rushing into my next decision. :p

Greenlaw

geothefaust

01-20-2010, 01:35 AM

My TabletPc is quite old but still delivers, it's a toshiba tecra m4, it's almost the only tabletpc with a 14 inch screen and Geforce graphics. works great for both games and 3D and of course sketching. I assembled a 21000*21000 pixels render in photoshop on it a couple of weeks ago and it worked great.

No kidding! That one is nice. I wish I would had gone for that one because of the video card... That's not to say the Fujitsu one is bad, but it does have a stinkin' intel video card, which means some 3D apps and games don't jive well with it. :grumpy:

geothefaust

01-20-2010, 01:36 AM

The extra power adapter I ordered arrived today, so apparently HP wasn't able to cancel my order in time. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to wait for the tablet to arrive in ten days just so I can send it back. That's okay; this will stop me from rushing into my next decision. :p

Greenlaw

Dude that sucks!

Good luck with your decision. :)

Greenlaw

01-21-2010, 03:34 AM

Surprise! Just got my refund from HP, so I guess I'm back in the market again. :)

I really am interested in the new HP tm2, but waiting to hear from other graphic artists. Seems like a lot of artists are interested in this one. FWIW, it appears the model I cancelled (tx2z) is no longer offered at their website, so I guess the tm2 replaces it. The tm2 costs about $200 more, but you get ten times the computer plus genuine wacom technology. Very tempting.

Greenlaw

cresshead

01-22-2010, 11:18 AM

Greenlaw

01-22-2010, 12:34 PM

Pulled the trigger and ordered the tm2 last night. It's annoying that HP doesn't specifically list that it is wacom enabled, but a number of users who attended CES said it definitely is a wacom; one even tried a wacom stylus and it worked. I'll let everybody here know when I get to spend some time with it myself. Here are some interesting CES videos of this tablet:

HP TM2 pen action: CES 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE2o1xDkMxY)

HP TM2's Wacom capacitive Multi touch in action: CES 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo9tHmjfnbw)

Anyway, thanks for indulging me. We now return you to the actual topic of this forum. (I'm sick and stuck in bed again today, so I'll post a Colors! sketch this afternoon.) :)

G.

geothefaust

01-22-2010, 03:19 PM

It's a nice looking laptop, looking forward to your thoughts on it when you start using it. :)

I am going to be picking up a DSi XL once it hits the States. Unfortunately that means I'll need to buy a new homebrew cart! Oh well.

Greenlaw

01-28-2010, 01:01 AM

Wow, I wasn't expecting them to ship my tm2 for another 10 days, but I just got the FedEx tracking number for it. Let you know in a couple of days what it's like.

cresshead

01-28-2010, 05:54 PM

what what's people's thoughs on the ipad?

i believe it will live/die on what apps come o it...currently it looks really weak...it needs some killer graphics apps to arrive for 2d paint/sketching, 2d animation like toonboom/tv paint and some simple 3d apps liek google sketch up

one thing we don't knowis how much RAM is in the device and how much of that is set aside for graphics display on their A4 cpu

Greenlaw

01-28-2010, 08:34 PM

When I first heard rumors of Apple's tablet, I thought it "Oh, it looks like I'm finally going back to the Mac." I really hoped this was going to be a real tablet PC, but the more I heard about it, the more sounded more like a super Kindle or giant-sized iTouch. As we all know now, that's exactly what it turned out to be. Not that anything's wrong with that, but I guess I'm just not the target audience for this device.

Of course, this is coming from a guy who loves sketching on his Nintendo DS Lite. :)

BTW, my tm2 tablet is supposed to arrive Tueday morning. Can't wait! I'll post some sketching videos after I get it.

Ztreem

01-29-2010, 02:29 PM

I think the ipad is just a big ipod touch, it seems to have the same limits and functions like the ipod, quite i disapointment. I have an ipod touch now, but my next sofa surfing device will not be produced by apple that's for sure.

biliousfrog

02-02-2010, 06:23 AM

the nintendo dsi XL is now listed over on amazon.co.uk due out march 2010

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ld5XuI6eL._AA280_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41dXyCqA5jL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

I noticed that one of the game shops ( either GAME or Gamestation) had an offer where you could trade in your DSi and upgrade to the XL...it seemed like quite a good deal from what I can remember.

cresshead

02-02-2010, 06:36 AM

I noticed that one of the game shops ( either GAME or Gamestation) had an offer where you could trade in your DSi and upgrade to the XL...it seemed like quite a good deal from what I can remember.

yeah gamestation is offering £85 for trade in on a dsi upto a dsi XL which retails for £150

they also have a trade in for ds lite upto dsi XL

i was holding off till we knew what the ipad was....ha ha!

geothefaust

02-02-2010, 05:58 PM

That's cool... Still no news when the DSi XL will hit the states, just Q1 10... Argh.

Greenlaw

02-03-2010, 08:07 PM

Got my HP tm2 table PC a couple of days ago, and today I finished installing all of my 2d drawing/painting programs. It was tricky because my regular laptop's video card started degrading the day my tm2 arrived, and it became hard to see if I was deactivating program licenses on it correctly so I could transfer the licenses to the tm2. The only one I couldn't deactivate before the card completely died is Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010, so I'll have to call Autodesk later. To be honest, I don't use this program very often so I'm not too concerned about it at the moment.

Anyway, if anybody is wondering, yes, this tablet is wacom pen enabled, and there are many cool things about this tablet. I'll post a full review of the tm2 for artists on my website later this month, with pictures and maybe some videos.

If you can't wait, I've been posting my first impressions here:

HP tm2: My first impressions (http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?p=173462#post173462)

Scroll down to post #565.

I'm a little harsh about the default pressure curve in this forum post but I'm getting used to working with it. The real test of course will be how well it this tablet PC works with Photoshop and Painter. My goal with the full review is to test and report how well this tablet PC works with Photoshop CS4, Painter 11, Manga Studio 4 EX, ArtRage 3 Studio Pro, OpenCanvas 4 Plus, Sketchbook Pro 2010 (when I get the license issue resolved,) Toonboom Animate Pro, and TVPaint 9.5.

Ztreem

02-04-2010, 03:52 PM

Cool, please test it with artrage 3 multitouch, I would love to hear if it works to rotate the paper with one hand and sketch with the pen in the other. Looking forward to your review.

dwburman

02-04-2010, 08:08 PM

A couple of months ago I *finally* bought a Revolution DS. Today, I drew a few things in Colors, touched them up in Photoshop, animated them in After Effects and added sound effects in Soundtrack Pro.

You can see the results here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1sPrJ6Q9hU

geothefaust

02-04-2010, 11:41 PM

Got my HP tm2 table PC a couple of days ago...

Snipped

Good right up for your review there. I like hearing the blunt sides of a product as well as the good.

I know what you mean about the cheap stylus on laptops... I've tried a couple now, and they all have that look and feel. Even the Fujitsu Lifebook I'm using right now is the same way. Though the rocker is just like a normal one.

Anyway, thanks for the info!

geothefaust

02-04-2010, 11:41 PM

Greenlaw

02-05-2010, 12:58 AM

I know what you mean about the cheap stylus on laptops... I've tried a couple now, and they all have that look and feel. Even the Fujitsu Lifebook I'm using right now is the same way. Though the rocker is just like a normal one.

I dug around the garage this morning and found my old ArtZ pen, but it turned out to be much older than I though it was. This pen came with an ancient Mac ADB tablet, if that says anything. Turns out it only has one button and no eraser. I was surprised that it worked with the tm2, but it doesn't work as well as the native pen. Oh, well. :p

This afternoon I wound up ordering a later model Wacom stylus with the rocker switch and eraser that should be compatible with the tm2. NewEgg has them for about $34.

I also found some useful apps to make up for the lack of modifier and function keys. ModLock gives you 'sticky' on-screen modifiers buttons, and QuickButtons give you on-screen buttons for anything else you may need (kinda like Photoshop actions in 'button' mode, except they work in any program.) I'll let you know how well these work for me.

BTW, what do you guys with tablet PCs use for modifier keys?

cresshead

02-05-2010, 01:08 AM

I dug around the garage this morning and found my old ArtZ pen, but it turned out to be much older than I though it was. This pen came with an ancient Mac ADB tablet, if that says anything. Turns out it only has one button and no eraser. I was surprised that it worked with the tm2, but it doesn't work as well as the native pen. Oh, well. :p

This afternoon I wound up ordering a later model Wacom stylus with the rocker switch and eraser that should be compatible with the tm2. NewEgg has them for about $34.

I also found some useful apps to make up for the lack of modifier and function keys. ModLock gives you 'sticky' on-screen modifiers buttons, and QuickButtons give you on-screen buttons for anything else you may need (kinda like Photoshop actions in 'button' mode, except they work in any program.) I'll let you know how well these work for me.

BTW, what do you guys with tablet PCs use for modifier keys?

:thumbsup: hey thanks for pointing over to the small utilities

Ztreem

02-05-2010, 01:04 PM

BTW, what do you guys with tablet PCs use for modifier keys?

I use the Nostromo Speedpad n52 from Belkin, it's a gaming device, but works perfect in art related apps. I've set it up so that I can zoom, change brush size and brush hardness with the scrollwheel, works perfect. I can perform all common keyboard shortcuts with my lefthand and skecth with my right hand without touching the keyboard or menus. :thumbsup:
http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=164714

geothefaust

02-05-2010, 01:41 PM

BTW, what do you guys with tablet PCs use for modifier keys?

A couple of things, depending on the situation.

I use my X-Keys when I'm in my office. I love it, also use it for common shortcut commands, like cut, paste, etc... Because I'm left handed my right arm has to stretch wayyy over to the left side of my ergo keyboard, and that is just flat out annoying... So I keep the X-Keys on my right hand side at all times. Works like a champ.
http://www.xkeys.com/xkeys/xkdesk.php

The Lifebook 4220 has a few buttons on it that you can customize, which I use for ALT, CTRL and SHIFT, I use those when I'm in a pinch and need quick access on the go.

I also have a mini keyboard which is great on the go, but can sometimes be a little cumbersome when totally mobile (on bus or lightrail for example). I have an older version of this Fentek (http://www.fentek-ind.com/illuminated.htm#kbmblusb) KB, it doesn't have the media keys, thankfully. When I was completely mobile (aka. homeless) I would have preferred one of these Brando keyboards, as they are totally bad *** and fit in the palm of your hand. Check it out:
http://usb.brando.com/super-tiny-multimedia-keyboard_p01003c034d015.html

dwburman

02-05-2010, 08:42 PM

Man that is pretty cool that you did all the artwork in Colors! :thumbsup: It turned out pretty well.

Thanks!

I did the tires, upper leg, and a lot of the detail of the bike in Photoshop. The background was brought in unretouched.

Greenlaw

02-05-2010, 09:55 PM

Hi,

Thanks for the info. I'm actually more interested in software solutions though (i.e., on-screen modifier/macro buttons or gestures) because I'm trying to keep things very portable. I tried ModLock and QuickButtons last night. ModLock works pretty well, but QuickButtons seems to take up more room than I'd like. Right now I'm reading an artist's tutorials for creating AutoHotKeys button scripts for Photoshop--that might be what I'm looking for.

I'm wondering if I really need all these controls though. MangaStudio EX and ArtRage Studio have really good on-screen widgets so you don't need a lot of extra buttons, and I just realized that the current Photoshop CS4 has Zoom, Panning, and Rotation widgets too, and both MangaStudio and Photoshop have Actions which can be displayed as single click buttons.

An artist on another forum pointed out to me that the stylus I ordered isn't what I thought it was--it has an eraser but only one button. Ugh! Sending it back after it arrives. I did learn that almost any Intuos 2 tool should work though, so I'm looking into that now. I think we may still have an Intuos 2 at work somewhere, so I wll try that when I get the chance.

jwiede

02-07-2010, 09:22 PM

Interesting thread, I purchased a Toshiba M200 not too long ago precisely because I wanted a carry-around sketchbook, and an (older thus cheap) TabletPC seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I've been using it mostly for AD Sketchbook 2010, ArtRage, PDPro, and a few other drawing-type apps. It's CPU isn't anything stellar (Pentium M 1.6, 1GB Ram), but perfectly fine with XPTablet'05 and the apps in question.

All told, not a bad ~$100 spend. The gfx onboard are a few gens back, but it actually had good discrete nvidia gfx for the time, so still usable now.

I'm actually quite interested in the tm2, as that's the likely high-power replacement I'll grab as a combo general purpose laptop & sketchbook once I have a bit more cash (depending on how things go with iPad apps, we'll see). Glad to hear it supports the Wacom tools, that's a big plus in my book, though wish more TabletPCs supported the full Wacom drivers, as I'd really want Intuos-level control and settings, alas.

EDIT: As a gadget-lover, if I need a keyboard, I use my FrogBoard chording bluetooth keyboard for modifiers, but I'll be looking into some of the utilities mentioned in this thread, as I'd prefer to not need additional hardware.

Greenlaw

02-08-2010, 01:02 AM

:thumbsup: hey thanks for pointing over to the small utilities

Sure. The one I'm liking the best for Tablet PC now is ModLock. If you set the 'timeout' for the modifiers to 3 seconds or so, in Photoshop you can do things like interactive brush scale (alt-stroke right-left) and brush softness (alt-shift stroke right-left), and the virtual buttons will unlock automatically while your making the adjustments but not interrupt you. Makes drawing on a tablet PC without physical keys a smoother experience.

For Photoshop, I'm setting up a special Actions group for common key-commands and tasks and setting it to button mode. (I got the idea from another user.) It seems to work pretty well, though I wish it took up less space. Any ideas for an alternative method? I'm looking for something like QuickButtons, but with a more flexible button layout, and works universally so I can use it in other paint programs.

Greenlaw

02-09-2010, 03:35 AM

Experimenting with gMote (http://www.handform.net/gmote.php) now. gMote is a free mouse gestures program like StrokeIt, but it seems to be more flexible in that, among several additional features, you can make your own gestures and use other keys to activate it. Note that, if you use the Aero theme in Vista or Win 7, you need to switch to Fast Trails mode or the program will run too slow. With Fast Trails enabled it's pretty zippy.

geothefaust

02-09-2010, 07:10 PM

Ztreem

02-10-2010, 12:54 PM

geothefaust

02-25-2010, 06:15 PM

Just thought people would like to know that Animanatee has been updated to 1.5b. Many new features! It's actually got a lot of the features native to the DSi animation app. Check it out. :)

http://deku.rydia.net/program.html

(posting v1.4 features as well, since they are quite new to me)

v1.5b
Preview is now loaded one frame at a time, to reduce memory usage (this was effectively cutting the maximum animation size in half).

v1.5a
Fixed a silly palette window bug.

v1.5
Onion skinning can now be turned on for previous frame, next frame, or both.
Onion skinning works while zoomed in.
Added halftone brushes.
Added 16x zoom level.
Added Merge Layers button, to combine both layers into one.
Added page buttons to save/load menu, so you can now use up to 100 slots.
Added Up/X tool selection. You can now switch between Fill, Eraser, and Dropper.

v1.4a
Fixed crash when trying to preview an empty slot. Added an OK button to load/save menu, so you click a slot to preview, then OK to actually load/save. Fixed frame corruption when drawing at the bottom of the BG layer with a large brush.

v1.4
Full undo system rewrite to fix bugs.
Zoom (1x, 2x, 4x, 8x).
Copy/paste (currently only copies full layer).
Brush size up to 16 pixels, plus pressure sensitivity.
Calibration tweak, if the draw position feels a couple pixels off.
1 and 2 pixel gap tolerance for fill, because tiny gaps are annoying.
Layer visibility controls.
Scroll (offsets a layer, handy for moving backgrounds over time).
Top screen preview for load/save menus.
Fix for Save As not setting the selected save slot unless exporting an AVI. Mask/remask (mask=don't draw on a specific color, remask=don't draw on any other).
Frames before/frames after, to loop a small portion of the animation near the current frame. Much quicker to check movement when working on a long animation.

Greenlaw

02-26-2010, 12:56 PM

I've been out of town for a few weeks without internet connection so I haven't been able to post for a while, but I'm back now. :)

While I was away, I got to use the HP tm2 quite a bit. Here's the scoop: to get the best results for drawing and painting with the tablet you need the Wacom Penabled Tablet PC Pen with Dual Side Switches and Eraser (wow, that's a mouthful.) The included HP pen is crap for drawing, however however you'll want to keep both pens around because the HP pen is actually better for handwriting recognition.

If you get this tablet, go for the 512MB ATI Radeon graphics card option. The latency with with the native Intel graphics for drawing is not bad for most drawing programs, but it's a bit slow with Photoshop even at screen res. With the ATI card, every 2d program I tried was pretty zippy.

The downside to the ATI card is that is sucks your battery a lot faster and for this reason, you'll want to use the Intel graphics mode when your mobile. By default, the tablet will switch to Intel mode when you unplug it battery power; it switches on the fly and there's no need to reboot. I haven't tried this yet yet, but I think you can configure the tablet to stay in ATI mode if that's your preference.

The only problem I've run into is that the auto-rotate for table mode doesn't work correctly unless you modify the software. The fix is pretty easy though and I'll post details for how to do it on my website later. Other users have had problems with missing Wacom drivers but this probme seemed to be limited to retail versions; everybody I know who ordered a custom tablet direct from HP has all the Wacom drivers installed.

Anyway, when used with the free programs ModLock and Gmote, this tablet PC has been pretty awesome for Photoshop, MangaStudio, and ArtRage Studio Pro. ArtRage is interesting in that is can support both multi-touch and the pen at the same time, so you can scale, move, and rotate with two fingers, and paint with the pen. (Or paint with a finger if you wish.)

If I can make the time, I'll post my workflow for drawing with the HP tm2 on a page at the Little Green Dog website this weekend. I'll let you know when that's up. In the meantime, enjoy Brudders episode 39 'Call of Doodie' (http://www.littlegreendog.com/comics/brudders/brudders039.html), which was drawn entirely on the tm2.

cresshead

02-26-2010, 08:30 PM

just a doodle from your typical bouncin ball....toon boom studio>>
http://www.cresshead.com/gallery1_recent_work.htm

just click on the supa bug yellow button!

also just installed animatee 1.5b...looks like a load of FUN there!

cresshead

03-05-2010, 09:13 AM

chopped in my DSi for a DSi XL..flipperty flop is the screen HUGE!

also longer battery life an a proper stylus pen as well as the typical ds sylus

actual size of the DSi XL is amost the same as the origional DS..well just about 12 mm wider and 8 mm deeper but less thick than a DS

blockbuster offered £90 part chop in so was okay seeing as i get a brand new machine

update...spent a few hours with it now...love it!

the bigger screen is much nicer to work with

cresshead

03-05-2010, 02:31 PM

vid on the DSi XL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy1rZ17jqVU

i'm using flipnote for a storyboard test..much better with a bigger screen!

cresshead

03-06-2010, 06:51 AM

playing in flip note... rough storyboarding! :D

http://www.newtek.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82901&d=1267879822

http://www.newtek.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82904&d=1267881772

probiner

03-06-2010, 07:00 AM

Nice one cress. whats that look of the girl in the end and he saying: Good idea?

Watch out you may go "out of ink"... Got to love that warning in a digital painting device...

cresshead

03-06-2010, 07:32 AM

Nice one cress. whats that look of the girl in the end and he saying: Good idea?

Watch out you may go "out of ink"... Got to love that warning in a digital painting device...

thanks!

the girl has 'ideas'...her new 'friend' and herself will of course die a horrible death quite soon!...should have stayed in the cave learning 'stuff'.:D

flipnote has a memory usage bar so i'll just keep an eye on it..so for i'm liking drawing rough storyboards in flipnote...it's limited in the look you can get etc but i like the restrictions as they keep you on track for a rough..no colors and just basic drawings

kayla_b

04-06-2010, 03:32 PM

that's totally awesome. what better than to be able to storyboard on the morning commute.

geothefaust

04-07-2010, 02:46 AM

Man that is pretty cool. Definitely a great idea to be story boarding your stuff out with flip note. :)

cresshead

04-15-2010, 01:50 PM

so anyone bought an ipad yet?

geothefaust

04-15-2010, 11:09 PM

No thanks. ;)

cresshead

04-16-2010, 04:19 PM

No thanks. ;)

okay i'll take the ipad i had packed up for you back out of the jiffy bag and pass this freeby to someone who'd want it...:jester:

....like err i'm joking!...$500 is a ton of cash for a ipod sat in a growbag!

geothefaust

04-17-2010, 02:01 AM

Understood! It's crazy how much that thing costs.

Now if it had pressure sensitivity, a decent video card, more RAM and could run some of my 2D or 3D apps... Then I would consider it.

Wickster

04-20-2010, 11:34 AM

First gen releases usually steers me away from that. I still have a 1st gen ipod and a first gen imac G5 (which overheats like crazy and goes to sleep every 5 minutes).

Why won't anybody put a CPU, RAM and SSD inside a Wacom Cintiq? That would be my ideal tablet PC.

Wickster

04-20-2010, 11:36 AM

playing in flip note... rough storyboarding! :D
...

Is it much much better on the XL? I was contemplating on getting one. Trading in my old DS.

cresshead

04-20-2010, 01:12 PM

Is it much much better on the XL? I was contemplating on getting one. Trading in my old DS.

the larger screen is fantastic for drawing compared to dsi...the only fly that's landed in the ointment is that the XL dsi's are region locked...i had a friend buy and send me the korg ds10 plus over from the usa but it refuses to see the cartridge in the XL though it's just fine in the first gen DS....not sure about the dsi as i part exchanged it for the XL

EDIT>> after searching on the net it seems ANY dsi specific cartridge is now region locked...the korg ds10 plus defaults back to a DS capable cart when inserted into a ds or ds lite so it can be used without regard to region locking though it does restrict the features in the app to non dsi ones....so 2 synths not 4 and 4 drum tracks not 8 like in the dsi.

the thing that annoys me is that there's NO european/uk version of this cartridge at all...so we're given zero option to buy one for our legit dsi's.

Greenlaw

04-20-2010, 03:33 PM

Why won't anybody put a CPU, RAM and SSD inside a Wacom Cintiq? That would be my ideal tablet PC.

Yeah, I agree! I have a Cintiq 12WX and I love drawing on it. It's very responsive, it has one of the highest quality screens, and the expresskeys and sliders on the bezel means I almost never have to touch the keyboard. The downside is that with the ugly breakout box and four cables dangling out of it, it's not very portable.

For mobile drawing, I've started using the new HP tm2t, which is a wonderful tablet PC featuring Intel Duo Core processors, 512MB Radeon, Multi-touch, Wacom Penabled, plus 9 hrs battery life. (Okay, more like 6 hrs in the real world, but that's still pretty awesome.) My only real complaint is the viewing angle, which is very narrow compared to the Cintiq's, and I would never trust the tm2t's screen for final color decisions even after color profiling it. But, in spite of that, all the pluses with this device makes it a very compelling drawing machine.

BTW, for anybody who's interested, last night I finished editing my first HP tm2t drawing session video. I'm still working on the commentary track but I think the video will be ready for YouTube in a day or so.

cresshead

04-20-2010, 05:23 PM

BTW, for anybody who's interested, last night I finished editing my first HP tm2t drawing session video. I'm still working on the commentary track but I think the video will be ready for YouTube in a day or so.

post up a link once it goes live :thumbsup:

Greenlaw

04-25-2010, 03:14 PM

Okay, it's up.

Studio Sessions - Session 1: Drawing Brudders, Episode 42 'Conscience' (http://www.youtube.com/user/littlegreendogmovies#p/u/0/qYRXpRaVc1g)

Not exactly a tutorial video, more like just watching me draw. Anyway, please enjoy.

cresshead

04-26-2010, 10:36 PM

cresshead

07-28-2010, 01:25 PM

boo hoo....sob sob....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10790835

Greenlaw

07-28-2010, 01:55 PM

boo hoo....sob sob....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10790835

UGH! It hasn't happened here in the states yet, but as someone who only runs homebrew software in his card, this kind of news really sucks. :(

G.

geothefaust

07-29-2010, 02:57 AM

That is some seriously messed up stuff. I can see the person pirating or copying the game getting banned, but the device that plays those things too? Not cool, because like Greenlaw, I use my DS almost exclusively now for home brew. This is a bad, bad thing...

Greenlaw

07-29-2010, 10:21 AM

While driving into work the other day, I heard on NPR about an opposite court decision here in the states regarding 'jailbreaking' cel and smartphones. I don't know all the details but basically the courts decided that once purchased, the consumer owns the physical device and is free to do whatever he wanted to it, including circumventing the software and circuitry to use different services. Not exactly the same thing, but it seems very related to hacking and homebrew for the Nintendo DS. (At least this is how I understood the story; probably should look it up for the complete facts.)

cresshead

07-29-2010, 03:50 PM

quite annoying...now i can't get my nintendo dsXL any homebrew apps...i did't get around to buying a card for it...

stuck with my other origional DS only that has a card to run animatee, colors etc..

geothefaust

08-02-2010, 12:21 AM

cresshead

02-19-2011, 05:50 AM

so moving on a few months, smartphones for drawing?
who's using what like android, windows and iphone drawing apps?

also there's a few cheap tablet pc's out...anyone using one for drawing/storyboarding?

Creativetone

02-19-2011, 07:48 AM

Hi!
I have used Nokia N900 and MyPaint for on the go sketching for a while.
There is couple of links: ( I am sorry for spamming but.. )

maemo.org
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=50811

my "old" youtube video of N900 and MyPaint
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66RBfrBgL2E

and some of my art pages of drawings and paintigns what I have done with N900 and MyPaint
http://forum.intilinux.com/mypaint-general-discussion/tone's-brush-set-v2-124-brushes-and-settings-conf-file-for-nokia-n900/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativetone/
http://creativetone.deviantart.com/

Nokia N900 with MyPaint uses "REAL Pressure Sensitivity" for drawing strokes (Like do old Nintendo DS).

Creativetone aka Luovatone aka Tone

cresshead

03-06-2011, 11:46 AM

so anyone jumping for an ipad 2?

jeric_synergy

03-06-2011, 01:03 PM

I'm jonesing for a ZOOM to read the PDF off. ::drool::

jeric_synergy

03-06-2011, 01:07 PM

my "old" youtube video of N900 and MyPaint
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66RBfrBgL2E
Holy crap!!! Amazing! :thumbsup:

A bit like sketching on a matchbox, but your skill is awesome. I'd really like to see this functionality on something big.

cresshead

03-27-2011, 06:11 PM

i missed the ipad2 on launch day...stock ran out before i could get to the store

probably gonna go and buy it online, get a BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus (Lunar Blue) and a camera connection kit...then autodesk sketchbook pro and toon boom flip lite etc...and some music synths like the korg ms20 and the rebirth.

Greenlaw

03-27-2011, 07:25 PM

Let us know when you get one. I wasn't especially interested in the first version of iPad but getting curious now that it has a bit more horsepower.

Man, I haven't touched my DS in ages. Will have to dust it off and do a sketch tonight. :)

Greenlaw

04-04-2011, 06:35 PM

Sigh! I wanted to use my DS Lite for Colors! today and decided to look for an update, only to learn that the program has been discontinued. This makes me very sad. Colors! for the DS was the reason I bought my DS Lite to begin with. :(

Jens, the developer, said Colors!'s association with the homebrew community was hurting his efforts to sell commercial software because companies like Nintendo equate 'homebrew' with 'software piracy'. Idiots! Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted and of course this doesn't mean I can't still use the program. :p

And who knows? Maybe someday soon Colors! will be the reason I finally buy an iTouch.

Colors! is dead. Long live Colors! :)

G.

geothefaust

05-09-2011, 01:31 PM

Yeah man, it's a real bummer. I luckily have the last build they put out, somewhere. I need to locate it on one of my drives. I can send it to you if you like, once it has been located.

Sad to see it die that way, it's been a fun little application to use and paint/sketch with on the go. You'd think it would have a little more fanfare than simply a puff of dust and brief mention on their website.

Greenlaw

05-09-2011, 03:31 PM

Yeah, I'm still a little bummed out. The final two builds, including a beta, is still available on another website though. I'll find the link and post it here.

I'm not especially interested in the iPhone so I won't be switching over just to use the latest Colors on that platform. Maybe a iPod Touch someday but not in a special hurry to get one of those yet either.

geothefaust

05-10-2011, 02:42 PM

I hear you, I'm not interested in getting an ipod touch again just to use colors. I find my Android phone awesome enough as is, no need for another distraction, lol.

I found the link you were talking about on the old previously official, now unofficial, forum. Too bad it's not the most recent version though... (which has some bug fixes). Looks like they are asking people not to ask about the most recent build nor distribute it, as it is hindering his non-hombrew "legal" work (as if homebrew was illegal, wtf?).

Anyway, the link for the second most recent build is here:
http://www.naughtynathan.co.uk/?page_id=482

OnlineRender

05-11-2011, 05:04 PM

whats this thread about again?

Greenlaw

05-11-2011, 09:26 PM

Using a Nintendo DS lite as a drawing tool using 'Colors!' Colors! is a homebrew paint program that exploited the DS's hidden pressure sensitivity feature and it worked really well. Unfortunately, Nintendo equated homebrew with piracy for some crazy reason and so Colors! kinda faded away from the DS.

Colors! currently exists as a commercial app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it lacks pressure sensitivity on these devices of course.

cresshead

05-13-2011, 12:09 PM

maybe colors on DS could make a come back via the DSstore as a download sometime, that way it's a non homebrew app and is bought with nintendo points or is a freeby like flipnote.

you have to say that without colors on DS the iphone version would have had a tough time getting eyes on it...though in the end it was tables turned as the iphone app is a commercial app so needs to make money..
wonder if the android marketplace will have colors soemtime?

i still hope to get a tablet device of some kind so i can have sketchbook mobile on it...maybe andriod or maybe ipad2 [if they are EVER in stock]

gerry_g

05-15-2011, 04:59 PM

Well i downloaded Adobe Easel for iPad2 and although the iPad screen is haptic and therefore non pressure sensitive I was really surprised by the way it performed as in WOW!!, it produces a faux water colour look and the colours run and blend beautifully, you can pinch zoom for fine detail work and when your done wi-fi it directly into PS to give it a tweak.

(would post an image but having difficulty uploading to site for some reason)

cresshead

05-31-2011, 06:06 PM

art academy dsiware 800 point [no idea what a point in a real cash!]
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/dsiware/art_academy_second_semester_15478.html

looks okay...you can export to sd card too i believe
quick flip note animation

http://www.newtek.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=95632&d=1306886293

cresshead

06-07-2011, 02:55 PM

just bought an andriod phone (htc wildfire), currently searching for a drawing app that can create storyboards...need to have a decent pen/pencil and undo plus zoom and pan really if poss...can't run sketchbook mobi on this [screen res too small i think] so looking for alternatives.

dwburman

10-10-2011, 01:22 AM

Just waking up this old thread to mention that I uploaded a batch of sketches I did to my colors gallery page.

http://colors.collectingsmiles.com/author.php?page=1&id=19505

I hadn't been to the site in a long time, so I was surprised that the DS version had disappeared. I'm a little relieved that they plan on having a commercial version for the 3DS this year. I don't plan on buying a 3DS, so I'll just have to continue using what I've got.

Danner

10-10-2011, 04:08 AM

I just wanted to chime in to say I love the iPad app called ProCreate.

Tried a few others, but this one is so fast, even for smudging, it has layers, up to 1920x1408 rez, and a very clean interface.

cresshead

10-16-2011, 04:57 PM

I just wanted to chime in to say I love the iPad app called ProCreate.

Tried a few others, but this one is so fast, even for smudging, it has layers, up to 1920x1408 rez, and a very clean interface.

better than sketchbook pro?

Danner

10-16-2011, 07:18 PM

I like them both. Sketchbook is nice and it seems like they are developing it a lot, seen many updates this year, but ProCreate is more responsive, the painting delay in Sketchbook bugs me.

cresshead

10-18-2011, 12:36 PM

I like them both. Sketchbook is nice and it seems like they are developing it a lot, seen many updates this year, but ProCreate is more responsive, the painting delay in Sketchbook bugs me.

are you on ipad 1 or ipad2 re delay on painting in sketchbook pro?

Danner

10-18-2011, 02:01 PM

Ipad 2

Greenlaw

04-24-2012, 03:05 PM

It's time to revive this thread: I got a new toy recently--the iPod Touch. Okay, I know the Touch is not 'new' to most people but it's completely new to me. Anyway, I've been having fun with it as a drawing tool and trying out several apps.

Right now I'm using an app called ASKetch (http://akernsoft.com/ASKetch/index.php#index.php) which is a charcoal sketching program. What's surprising about this app is that it works better with my fingers than with a stylus.

Here are my first four doodles using ASKetch on the iPod Touch:

http://forums.newtek.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=103814&stc=1&d=1335295029

http://forums.newtek.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=103815&stc=1&d=1335295029

http://forums.newtek.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=103816&stc=1&d=1335295029

And would any post by me be complete without a cat doodle?

http://forums.newtek.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=103817&stc=1&d=1335295029

Enjoy! :)

G.

gerry_g

04-24-2012, 03:29 PM

Has it struck you yet that the limitations of size and input force you towards a more expressionistic mode different than that which you might take if you were say in Painter working on a 30" screen with a tablet, personally I think it's for for the better as you tend to focus more on composition and feel at this size, my only gripe is the low resolution if exported due to the screen they were mastered on, your images look great though.

Greenlaw

04-24-2012, 03:43 PM

Yes, I know what you mean. The limited toolset also contributes to that tendency. I rarely find myself trying to refine or 'correct' the drawings because it's too much bother on these little screens. It's more satisfying to simply let drawings be what they want to be.

And that's fine...I really do enjoy doodling on these tiny devices, especially when I don't think about it too much and just do it.

G.

Greenlaw

04-24-2012, 04:00 PM

Just curious: Does anybody here use Colors! 3D (http://colorslive.com/downloads_3ds.php) on the Nintendo 3DS? This is a multi-layered version of Colors! that lets you paint your images in 3D! I don't own a 3DS but I might have to get one just to run this app.

I did get Colors! for the iPod Touch. Using it is very different from using Colors! on the Nintendo DS Lite, mostly because of the lack of pressure sensitivity on the Touch and fewer physical buttons. At first, I didn't like using it at all--it felt awkward even with a stylus (I use the Pogo Sketch Pro and the OStylus.) I set it aside and came back a week later, and now I think I'm starting to like it. The way it works around the lack of 'pressure' is with the Touch's accelerometer--you can vary opacity and brush size by tilting device, and there's an on-screen meter that shows how much 'pressure' is being applied. It's not as intuitive as the actual pressure sensitivity in the DS Lite but once you get used to it works reasonably well. I'll post some sketches when I draw something I'm not too embarrassed to show in public. :p

G.

Greenlaw

04-24-2012, 04:24 PM

I also got ArtRage, Brushes, Auryn Ink and TypeDrawing for the Touch. I think spent a total of $10 for all six apps. That seems crazy!

Anyway, sketches and reviews to follow.

cresshead

04-29-2012, 07:03 AM

i have a 3ds so thanks for the heads up on the new colors app

Greenlaw

04-29-2012, 11:03 AM

Hi Cresshead,

How do you like your 3DS? I've seen some interestiing videos on YouTube for games that use the augmented reality capability (i.e., 3D games played on the real world tabletop in front of you) but haven't had a chance to try the system myself yet. Is it as cool as all that?

I got distracted by work and Lightwave 11 all this week but my five year old is having a blast drawing with the Touch. Will post some of her sketches if I can get her to sign the release forms. :p

Today, I think I'm going to finish drawing a long overdue Brudders strip.

G.

cresshead

04-30-2012, 04:43 PM

3ds was a must have cos i'm nuts on mario kart...HAD to have the new one!

3d is cool but you have a sweetspot to maintain the 3d-ness..i use it on some games but dial it down on others.

geothefaust

05-01-2012, 07:49 PM

Hey guys, been a long time since I posted here.

I wanted to post about Colors! 3D ever since it came out, just haven't had the time. So a few quick thoughts so far on it -

It works great! 3DS doesn't have the pressure sensitivity that the DSLite had, but it's actually still pretty good because you can set your base/medium pressure level and then there are two buttons you can use to toggle between lighter or heavier than your medium. So it works out alright. Not to mention that the options screen is a simple press away and you can use the pressure slider.

The stereoscopic 3D is pretty awesome.

Zooming in/out is there, handy feature.

Also it has a few brush tips: round tapered tip, round flat and round flat bristle.

The feature for playback is still there, and you can also view the gallery directly from the software (including watching the playback of any of them).