Wacom Digitizer Tablet--Revolutionary LabVIEW interface

[Mortedore]

I have not seen much chatter on alternative input devices, so I wanted to start a new discussion.  I just got a Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch input device to try as a mouse alternative for ECAD PCB layout work.  It works great in a drafting environment--I can really "draw" traces instead of guiding them with the mouse.

So I decided to try it in LabVIEW.  After over 10 years of programming in LV, I wonder why no one every mentioned this!  It's awesome in LabVIEW!  I can just draw the wires in the block diagram.  It's FAST!  A tap and drag to move.  Another pen button to right click to the functions panel.  I even programmed it so that a tap of the "eraser" switches between Front Panel and Block Diagram.  Pen functions are completely customizable.  There are also programmable buttons on the tablet--without changing pen position, I click a single button which is keystroke programmed, and the VI runs.

This is an outstanding interface, that I wish NI would have suggested years ago.  It's an issue of different industries--these drawing tablets are made for the Art world, but they've gotten so good that they are perfect now for graphically intense engineering development environments.  Both sides don't know the other exists--I could not find any marketing by Wacom toward CAD or engineering types...it was all about the Artist.  But I took a chance on it, and I'm glad I did!

Cheers!

[swatts]

Heh! I tried this years ago due to RSI and struggled. Luckily my RSI cleared up and it kind of left my mind.

I'm guessing the hardware has improved since then, so many thanks for reminding me to look into it again. It's great to know someone has been successful.

Steve

[Mortedore]

Steve,

Sure thing.  It's a very capabile device.  You can map it to single or multiple monitors; single provides the best resolution.  The pad surface of mine (Intuos Pen & Touch medium) also has complete gesture functionality.  One nice thing about the configurability is that you can setup the different buttons on the pen and pad for different applications.  I have one configuration for LabVIEW, another for Altium ECAD.  Imagine, I can now draw circuit traces like on paper, instead of trying to get them to follow my mouse through the maze...

Cheers to good beer and loud fast music!

[Dhakkan]

It's great that you've had success with this.

I, too, had tried using a wired pen mouse at least half a decade ago, when Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) started creeping in. Two things didn't work for me.

1. Frequent switching between keyboard and mouse, as required when using quick drop shortcuts, was proving to be a hassle. The wire was getting in the way. Picking up the pen and orienting it to align a button with my index finger tip required me to look away from the monitor.
2. The pen's 'click' sensitivity was bothering me, and I couldn't adjust it. It could have been user's relative insensitivity too.

In the end, I chose to go with an ergonomic trackball mouse. The fabulous feature about that for me is that it is stationary on my desk. And of course, no more CTS...