Hi I was wondering if anybody knows if it would be worth my while getting a graphics tablet to use with Carrara or Amapi. Thanks. Nav

I use a graphics tablet and use both Carrara and Amapi. I don't think there's really an advantage to using one, but they both work if you want to get one for use with other programs. The only thing you need to get used to is Carrara is that if you try to adjust the camara view using the trackball, it might spin around six or eight times before you realize it. You have to select the trackball tool, then adjust from the scene. Amapi is a little easier to swipe to the right to confirm/discard a tool with the pen, but that's about the only difference I notice.

Thanks dave I think I will stick with the mouse for the moment, appreciate the advice. Nav

for 3d modeling, I'd say that's an emphatic NO. I have a graphics tablet, but its for postworking images, when I need to paint or retouch images. I use a high resolution optical mouse for modeling. I highly recommend them.

I disagree. I use my tablet, (Wacom Graphite) all the time with both Carrara, and Vectorworks, (a 3D CAD program,) as well as Photoshop. I do find that some operations work better with a mouse vs. a tablet. But, then again, my mouse is still plugged in, so I just use it at those times. Sometime I use both together. By hovering the tablet over what I want to select, I then click with the mouse button, and that way I chose the item I wanted, without having to bring the pen down on the wrong spot. Whenever I'm doing any work on the computer, I find myself using keyboard commands, mouse and/or tablet all the time. Whatever works at the moment. :>

I find a very accurate mouse is much better for modeling, I have three graphics tablets so I am in a position to compare (older Wacom ArtZ 6x8 size on my mac, a Graphire that I never use anymore, an AipTek 8000 that is much nicer than the Graphire due to its 6x8 size, attached to the PC) None of them beat my optical mouse when modeling. Now I would probably use my tablet if I had a regular ball mouse, but I don't have a ball mouse (thank goodness!) I can use my tablet when modeling, sure. Its not as accurate as my optical mouse though. My optical mouse sucks bigtime in Photoshop, that's what the pressure sensitive tablet is for :) I have a 19 in monitor and a wide stroke when working, I feel absolutely constrained on the Graphire due to the small size, never liked it and that's why it never gets used even though its got the fancier name. just a matter of using the better tool for the job, sure I can use a mouse in Photoshop and a tablet in Carrara but its works much better to use a tablet in Photoshop and an optical mouse in Carrara. ;-)

I have an Intuous 12x18. I use it for most work, pixel pushing (Photoshop, PaintShopPro), vector work (Illustrator, Corel Draw), 3D work (Amapi, Carrara). I find it gives me the best freedom of motion than any other device. I've used a ball mouse and I have optical trackballs at home. I still feel more comfortable with the tablet for moving things around. I find I'm more accurate and faster to target the cursor on things with the tablet than with a mouse of some sort. For Amapi and Carrara I use the tablet's puck/paddle/mouse/whatchamacallit because I can't seem to click right with the pen without moving the cursor. That's a problem in Amapi. Not really a big issue with me though. The puck has more buttons and I find, sometimes, it works better than the pen. If I had unlimited funds I would definitely go for a Cintiq. I can only dream at the moment although those pen tablets might be something I'll look into later.

mine's not a trackball, its an optical mouse :) Its very exact, no moving parts (that means no ball whatsoever, it tracks using an LCD light), and I won't go back to a regular mouse anymore after having one. I had an optical trackball once, problem with them is that it still got a moving part, a ball. The optical mouse is much nicer, nothing to collect dirt, nothing whatsoever to clean. Actually, having a puck on a high end tablet is probably most accurate to use, but that's not an option with a low end tablet. They come with a mouse, but the mouse to my tablets I find are not nearly as accurate as the optical mouse I use. If one is looking for the most accurate thing for the lowest price, go for an optical mouse with no moving parts. The MS optical Intellimouse is a nice one, so are the ones from Logitech. I have both Logitech and MS optical mice on different computers and both work great. I just don't find using a pen very useful in a modeling program, nor even in a 2d bezier program such as Freehand or Flash, nor even in Photoshop when I'm using bezier paths. I'm more comfy with a mouse in those situations. :) I have that problem with clicking accurately with the pen in all those programs.