Microsofts Surface Studio

[schwarzgrau]

Microsoft has announced a new tablet PC, called Microsoft Surface Studio


Here you can find an article on CartoonBrew

To me it seems like Microsoft tries to skim the creatives Apple doesn't care about anymore. Probably cause creatives are "cool" and if you build the tools for the cool people, you get cool too pretty fast.
The wheel seems to be cool, but pretty much useless for animation. How well does TVPaint works with N-Trig?

[Elodie]

The wheel seems to be cool, but pretty much useless for animation.

You could use it to flip animation, switch between a bunch of tools, rotate canvas, rotate custom brush, etc... There are plenty possibiliies to me, but only if the device is easily configurable, which is not the case of current ntrig stylus.

How well does TVPaint works with N-Trig?

we have a surface pro 3 : you can paint and draw, it's pressure sensitive and I think it's also tilt sensitive. however, the parallax issue is quite disturbing, you cannot really calibrate it like wacom ; I remembre there were troubles with the configuration of the right click : it was impossible to assign it...

This surface studio sounds to be a great hardware, but I'm afraid the Ntrig technology behind won't please people used to wacom technology.

[schwarzgrau]

You could use it to flip animation, switch between a bunch of tools, rotate canvas, rotate custom brush, etc... There are plenty possibiliies to me, but only if the device is easily configurable, which is not the case of current ntrig stylus.

Of course! Sometimes I'm blind for the obvious, since I'm using a lot of buttons. The wheel seems like a nice idea, but it only serves one purpose. The buttons of any wacom tablet seems outdated compared to it, but in practical usage they are way more handy, since you can assign more than one function to them.

How well does TVPaint works with N-Trig?

we have a surface pro 3 : you can paint and draw, it's pressure sensitive and I think it's also tilt sensitive. however, the parallax issue is quite disturbing, you cannot really calibrate it like wacom ; I remembre there were troubles with the configuration of the right click : it was impossible to assign it...

This surface studio sounds to be a great hardware, but I'm afraid the Ntrig technology behind won't please people used to wacom technology.

Ah that's some interesting point. Thank you.

[mox]

Quite a interesting feedback from an artist (and Cintiq 27 user! ):
https://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/ ... ace-studio" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[schwarzgrau]

Sounds great, but even if he don't get paid by Microsoft, they ask him and bring him stuff, so I would say he's at least a little bit biased. I don't want to say it's not his honest opinion, but it makes a difference if someone gives you a computer made with your help or if you buy it in a shop.

[neonnoodle]

The screen itself is the most attractive aspect of this device, and unfortunately it risks being inevitably tethered to soon-obsolete hardware. I wish I could get that sort of thing as a standalone device. The Cintiq line is not nearly so high in resolution.

[Fabrice]

I agree with Schwarzgrau, it's maybe biased :
The guys says he is fan of the Surface tablet from the beginning
anyone who used once a Surface 3 knows there is an incredible lag between the stylus and the cursor ... which makes almost any drawing impossible to perform.
So wait and see.

[Elodie]

I agree with Schwarzgrau, it's maybe biased :
The guys says he is fan of the Surface tablet from the beginning
anyone who used once a Surface 3 knows there is an incredible lag between the stylus and the cursor ... which makes almost any drawing impossible to perform.
So wait and see.

Well, Wayne Unten is pretty fan of his Surface Pro, so it's not impossible to find people who actually like Microsoft's products.

. The Cintiq line is not nearly so high in resolution

The Cintiq 27HD is in WQHD and their next Companion 3 / Mobile Studio Pro will have a 4K screen.

[Fabrice]

Well, Wayne Unten is pretty fan of his Surface Pro, so it's not impossible to find people who actually like Microsoft's products.

Not exactly. I would say "yes" and "no" at the same time ...
He explained in his blog all the problems with the Surface Pro 3, we even exchanged about it by email because I thought the problem was coming from TVPaint (at the end, it came from Microsoft).
There was the lag problem + some other ones like the palm rejection, but it seems he found some workaround in TVPaint by tweaking some profiles and options.

[mox]

I agree with Schwarzgrau, it's maybe biased :
The guys says he is fan of the Surface tablet from the beginning
anyone who used once a Surface 3 knows there is an incredible lag between the stylus and the cursor ... which makes almost any drawing impossible to perform.
So wait and see.

He wasn't SO nut about the Surface Pro at the time https://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/ ... face-pro-3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So my honest opinion right now is that I’m frustrated with the device. It’s so close to being perfect that the problems it has feel especially maddening. If it just performed a little better! If they just hadn’t put that button right there! Grrrr.

Time will tell and competition is good!

[neonnoodle]

I agree with Schwarzgrau, it's maybe biased :

. The Cintiq line is not nearly so high in resolution

The Cintiq 27HD is in WQHD and their next Companion 3 / Mobile Studio Pro will have a 4K screen.

What I would love is a higher-res Cintiq (similar to the 21UX which is what I work with) that can connect to your own computer. The 27QHD is higher resolution than the old 21UX, for sure, but it's nowhere near the 4500x3000 resolution of the new Surface display.

I have been doing a lot of work on an iPad Pro recently and the benefits of the higher pixel density outweigh the small form factor for me. The new portable Cintiqs look bulky, heavy, and unsuited to doing portrait-oriented drawing.

[Elodie]

What I would love is a higher-res Cintiq (similar to the 21UX which is what I work with) that can connect to your own computer. The 27QHD is higher resolution than the old 21UX, for sure, but it's nowhere near the 4500x3000 resolution of the new Surface display.

I have been doing a lot of work on an iPad Pro recently and the benefits of the higher pixel density outweigh the small form factor for me. The new portable Cintiqs look bulky, heavy, and unsuited to doing portrait-oriented drawing.

Little parenthesis :
Actually, you should talk about "definition" and not "resolution". The first defines a size in pixels, the second in DPI (in order to print an image). That's a common error (even Windows and mac say " resolution" in their preferences, which is wrong, so wrong...). That's why we say "HD" and not "HR".

Anyway, I can telle that the new Companion will have a very high definition, similar to Retina monitors.

https://www.wacom.com/en/products/wacom ... studio-pro" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[neonnoodle]

What I would love is a higher-res Cintiq (similar to the 21UX which is what I work with) that can connect to your own computer. The 27QHD is higher resolution than the old 21UX, for sure, but it's nowhere near the 4500x3000 resolution of the new Surface display.

I have been doing a lot of work on an iPad Pro recently and the benefits of the higher pixel density outweigh the small form factor for me. The new portable Cintiqs look bulky, heavy, and unsuited to doing portrait-oriented drawing.

Little parenthesis :
Actually, you should talk about "definition" and not "resolution". The first defines a size in pixels, the second in DPI (in order to print an image). That's a common error (even Windows and mac say " resolution" in their preferences, which is wrong, so wrong...). That's why we say "HD" and not "HR".

Anyway, I can telle that the new Companion will have a very high definition, similar to Retina monitors.

https://www.wacom.com/en/products/wacom ... studio-pro" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very true -- I am a print designer by day and I wish that DPI were the universal nomenclature. The Cintiq line (the external monitor kind, not the tablet) has stayed at about 96dpi for many years. The screens have become larger, but the pixel density has remained the same.

I have been spoiled by the iPad Pro! Between the high DPI display, the lack of parallax between the pen tip and the screen, and the cone-shaped stylus tip (better than the little Wacom nib), working on the Cintiq has become a step downward in hardware terms. I am actually starting to use Duet Display (similar to Astropad) with TVPaint because the drawing experience on the iPad is so good.

[Elodie]

A video about the Surface Dial.

To me, it does not sound that useful. Finally, for the same price it is worth better to purchase a Wacom Express key that offers much more possibilities to be configured and it will work with any OS, even if you don't have a tablet. What do you think ?

[mox]

<Spoiler> "It sort of just slowly slides off the glass" </Spoiler>

Surface Dial not included, even for the 5000€ set up, they can't be serious...