In order to improve my productivity and the comfort of using Solidworks, I am eyeing graphic tablets with screens (such as WACOM CINTINQ 16...) that can be completed with a " surface dial " type.
I'm currently with an ergonomic right-hand mouse, a 3D mouse with left-hand connection and the keyboard numeric keypad with the nose. In terms of ergonomics of the equipment, I notice that nothing has changed in 15 years.
Hence my question about the use of a graphic tablet and the touch features of SolidWorks. Is there a real time saver? Comfort of use? Habits to change before becoming an old man overwhelmed by the technologies of his time? Or is it still just a gimmick?
I can imagine the interest in sketches, but what does it look like for assemblies? the drawings? simulation? the renderings... How to manage the round trips with a double screen.
I am therefore wondering about the effectiveness of this kind of equipment and am listening to your feedback on the subject!
Currently I have a 3D mouse right hand, ordinary mouse left hand. But I use a lot of shortcuts (L for line, Extruded E, S sketch, etc...)
I tested on my laptop with detachable screen and in a sitting situation in a BE it's very confusing. Because you spend your time moving your hand to the four corners of the screen so less comfortable than the mouse or I move the hand 8 cm to go from one corner to the other of the 32".
If you pile up pieces of aluminum all day long it's not of obvious interest. On the other hand, if you do locksmithing with buildings with profiles in all directions, it's very practical (like if you give a freehand sketch.) For renderings under Visualize, not much interest because it's only parameterization. On the other hand, Visualize has a modern ergonomics better suited than SW to a tablet. But since the objects have already been made in SW, the pencil on the tablet is not of decisive interest. For the simulation, there is no interest because the settings are few to look at. You saw that in the demo they show splines freehand, so this is really adapted and 100 times better. So how many freehand shapes do you make.
Where it seems very well suited to me is if you are a supervisor in a team where you put all the remarks on the screen directly on the part or the asm.
It's very good in the first phase of design brainstorming where you can make parts a hundred times faster since you're not looking for precision or machinability, but quick exchanges with other colleagues and partners If you make precision like a tree with multiple strikes with hellish precisions and chains of dimensions then you forget about the tablet. The surface dial mouse I own didn't convince me and it remains in its box.
You have to be wary of the WHAOUOU effect and especially not lose sight of the possible MSDs by dint of moving your hand a lot from the stylus and jumping to the keyboard frequently I suggest you do a job-by-job analysis (which are often very different) to see if you gain anything from it.
There you go
Regards (well I'm going to jam the bubble thinking of you
Oh yes, for my part, I have a 3D mouse connection with my left hand, a Razer Naga 17 buttons with my right hand, and the keyboard with my...
spoiler
ability to alternate .
On the Naga I assign its multiple buttons with keys like Ctrl, Shift, Esc, or shortcuts, or sequences to chain actions. Even a special character. In short, everything we use most frequently. With the possibility to switch between 2 configs you can have 12 keys with 2 functions, and/or use them as a digital pad. If you manage it well, you could almost do without the claveton.
The essentials are the Esc key to cancel, exit or stop, and the Ctrl key for successive selections while moving with the 3D mouse. A real comfort and time saving. It limits the ultra-repetitive and recurrent gestures of going back and forth.
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