Keyboard eraser

[David_Fine]

Some of us erase more than we draw! I currently use the rocker button on my pen to gain quick access to the eraser. Press it, it erases, release and I am back at the brush I last used. Only thing is, holding the rocker button for more than a moment gets kind of uncomfortable so I would like to be able to assign a key to the eraser that I can press and release the same way. That is, after releasing, it bounces back to the previous brush. Or a key that erases and another that chooses previous brush. That would amount to alost the same thing. I would be happy if a button on the Cintiq itself could be programmed to erase, but for some reason, there is no erase option for those buttons, only for the pen. Any idea how to achieve this?

[Paul Fierlinger]

Tools: Swap Stylus Tips
is the key command I use to toggle between PenBrush and Eraser. And yes, I also have my bottom rocker switch position set as "Erase" in my Wacom Tablet software. Here's a tip: I have both erasers programmed to show a red color to easily identify when I have an eraser at my pen's tip.

[David_Fine]

Hi Paul. When I go into the Keyboard Config and select Swap Stylus Tips, the Assign button is greyed out, so I can't assign a key to it. Also, not sure what you mean by showing a red colour. Where does red get shown when you erase?

[Paul Fierlinger]

Geez, I've never seen a ghosted default command. Could it be that you had one of the Swap plugins installed and had since uninstalled it? The default one in TVP11 (you do have 11 by now, correct?) is under "Tools". Is that where you see Swap Stylus Tips as ghosted?

To answer your other question, for erase you can still select a color as you would do in PenBrush so when your eraser is activated you see a red dot at the tip of your pen. But I am describing what happens with my tablet -- I have no idea how the cintique handles this.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[David_Fine]

Sigh, still on 10.5 as getting this via the NFB is a slow process. That's government. Anyway, here is a screen grab to show you the greyed out buttons. I do not have this plugin you mention. Never have. If you don't know why I can't assign a command, I hope a developer might pipe in.

[David_Fine]

Okay, Paul sorted me out. I was looking to click the assign button in order to have a dialogue box pop up, but you have to click in the left side window first in order to assign. Got it.

[Henk Beumers]

Hi David.
I have designed my space bar to the Right Mouse Button. The RMB is by default erase if I'm correct. I choose the spacebar because it's wide and I can't miss it if you're not looking at your hands all the time, but you can assign the RMB to every key you want of course. Now the only thing you have to do when you drawing is to press the spacebar and your pen has become a eraser. This goes for every tool you work with. Press fill. Hit the spacebar and it will erase. I have 'S' assinged to freehand shape ( because it's nex to 'D' for my pen and 'F' fot fill. I use them the most). It is very practical to erase with the freehand tool. No rubbish left. And it always works. If your Freehand shape is on Merge still with spacebar pressed it erases. So there is as less as possible clicking around on icons and buttons. Your pen is where it is supposed to be and you change the function with a key.
If you can manage to get the RMB assigned to one of your Sintiq keys that maybe would be practical allthough I tried to assign my shortcuts to the buttons on the wacom tablet but that is no good. It takes to mutch afford to press them and they are mutch to small.
Okay. Try it and see how it works. I think it will solve your problem completely.
Regards Henk.

[David_Fine]

You know, you just told me something ridiculously basic that I did not even know. I had set the upper rocker to erase. The lower rocker is right mouse button, which I use for accessing menus which use that, but did not even realize that it also goes to erase, so thank you Henk. Good tips.

EDIT: Just discovered a very odd behaviour. If I use the RMB to erase, it will only erase what I just drew, but nothing else on the instance. It's like it treats the existing line differently. If I use the Erase function (which is my upper rocker) it erases anything on the instance. So what is with this strange partial erase with the RMB?

[Paul Fierlinger]

Probably your RMB eraser has a different setting without having "Drying" selected. Check to see if they are both the same eraser and if not, change the RMB one.

[David_Fine]

When I toggle Erasor, I can see the Tool panel change to Eraser so that I can see the settings, but when I use the RMB, the Tool panel does not change to show me what the Eraser setting is, so how do I see that so that I can check that Drying is on or off? I presume Drying should be on, because it is with my other Erase setting.

[Paul Fierlinger]

That's strange because I don't even see a RMB listing in my pen's drop down menu. This might be a MAC thing. I know there are differences in the way Macs and PCs play with Wacom so I'm not going to be of any help. Incidentally, have you tried other Wacom settings such as Aplicatiion Defined, or Settings?

[David_Fine]

Right, but same thing even if I actually use the real RMB on my mouse.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Try this:
Activate the eraser tool and create what for you would be the ideal small eraser to match your RMB eraser and check drying. Then create a custom button. Then, using the same eraser, create a button to make a fat eraser. Now create a button with your favorite drawing tool. Keep this three button set close to your Project Window. Next, using your "K" Swap stylus tip test switching between draw and fat erase.

Close TVP and open again.
Touch your drawing tool with your pen.
Press your pen's rocker switch and touch your small eraser button.
Press your "K" key and touch your fat eraser button.

You are set: Draw, press rocker switch and erase a small part of your line, draw, press "K" and erase the entire line with your fat eraser. Isn't this just what you've been wanting to do?
But your pen's rocker switch won't always remember the tiny eraser, for instance after you reboot. All you need to do is press the rocker switch and touch the tiny eraser button.

It's a simple and beautiful routine, like having to sharpen your pencil in the old days before you started a new drawing -- just one of the many small mechanical touches of a craftsman's workflow.

[David_Fine]

When I do that, the K and the rocker button are always the same eraser. I can't get them to be two different things. RMB also still does not work for erasing anything but the last line I drew. This must be connected to the Drying issue, but I can't see the tool to change anything. Something is very wrong. Sigh.

[Henk Beumers]

That indeed is a thing you have to set right. Like Paul I would have said to switch the drying button to on. I use this settings for so long that I dont remember how I got the shapes to erase. All the pen tools have the Drying button in the tool panel but the filling shape doesn't. You must be able to change this setting to be able to get the shapes also erase everything. I'm very bussy at the moment so I can't find out for you. Try and ask the TVP people. They must know the answer.
It's pay's out in the future if you make this work. Your workflow is going to benetif from if. You just erase with every tool you choose. If your keyboard keys are set right you just work with your pen and those keys. That's all.
Succes. I'll try and ask my goeroe who has a very good memory.
Henk