How to Use a Tablet With Blender
By Erin McManaway
Blender is free graphic software that allows you to create your own 3D art and objects on your computer. You can use a PC tablet to enhance your experience with the Blender software. The tablet pen allows you to move and draw on the tablet surface, just as if you were drawing on a piece of paper with a pencil. The pen acts like a computer mouse, giving you the ability to left and right click by touching the tablet or using a button on the side of the pen.
Step 1
Insert the PC tablet USB plug into a USB port on your computer.
Step 2
Allow your computer to detect and install the drivers for your tablet. Usually, the computer will automatically install these drivers, but sometimes you may need to install the drivers from a software CD or the tablet manufacturer's website.
Step 3
Move the point of the tablet pen lightly across the surface of the table to ensure that the table is working correctly. The mouse cursor should respond and move along with your table pen's motions.
Step 4
Launch the Blender software on your computer and open a Blender project as you would normally do. The tablet pen will now work like the computer mouse used to.
Step 5
Press the point of the tablet pen on the tablet surface to use commands that require a mouse left-click, such as selecting menus or confirming commands.
Step 6
Press the button on the side of the table pen to use commands that require a mouse right-click, such as selecting vertices or faces of your 3D model.
References
Tips
- You can still use your regular computer mouse at any time, even when the PC tablet is plugged into your computer.
Writer Bio
Erin McManaway holds a B.A. in professional writing from Francis Marion University, where she earned the Richard B. Larsen Memorial Award for Business and Technical Writing. She has worked in materials development, media and information technology in the nonprofit sector since 2006. McManaway has also been a writer and editor since 2008.