Switched from a mouse to a Wacom tablet for detailing and it's a game changer

I've been doing mechanical detail work for a small shop in Tampa for about 8 months now. I was always using a standard mouse, even for complex isometric views. My wrist would hurt after a few hours, and fine control on small fillets was tough. My boss finally let me try a Wacom Intuos tablet he had in a closet. The difference is huge. I can sketch revision notes directly on the PDFs now, and hatching areas is way faster with the pen pressure. It feels more natural, like drawing on paper. The biggest win is speed. I can knock out a full set of detail sheets in about two thirds of the time. Has anyone else made this switch? Looking for tips on setting up custom buttons for common CAD commands.

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_murphy161mo ago

Sketch revision notes directly on the PDFs" is the dream. I once tried to do that with a mouse and it looked like a toddler got loose in the markup tools.

ellis.nina1mo ago

My first markup with a mouse looked like I was trying to sign a check during an earthquake. The switch to a tablet is a huge relief. For custom buttons, I set one to escape and another to enter, which saves a ton of time. I also have a button set to just copy and paste. It takes a week to get used to looking at the screen and not your hand, but after that, it's all muscle memory.