Intuos 3D: Wacom’s New Pen Tablet Offers Intuitive Creating & Sculpting

Wacom users generally share one important thing: creativity. And in the company’s dedication to the artists and innovators of the world, Wacom offers a host of tools to motivate and equip those engaged in using their imaginations to the fullest. Headquartered in Japan, this diverse company develops technology for a versatile client base working in everything from film and animation to education and beyond. Offering intuitive interfaces required by designers and users today, Wacom serves as a leader around the world for pen tablets, interactive pen displays and digital interface technologies. You could think of many of their concepts as having elevated the conventional pen and pad to an almost magical—and most certainly futuristic—level.

And as intuitive as their products are, so is their continued foray into the 3D industry, forging ahead now for beginners with the Intuos 3D, a pen tablet that allows for both 3D creating and sculpting. Here they are right where they should be, it would seem, providing users on any expertise level with all of the 3D modeling tools needed for either the PC or Mac. With the goal of introducing a larger population to digital design and 3D printing, Wacom understands that the key in this industry is to offer a good product that’s also accessible and affordable.

“While 3D design and DIY printing has become extremely popular, Wacom determined an opportunity existed to improve the front-end of the creative design process and deliver a complete solution designed specifically for 3D enthusiasts, particularly those just getting started,” says Jeff Mandell, Executive Vice President of Wacom’s Branded Business.

“Wacom’s holistic approach delivers a complete customer experience, from ideation to visual creation to physical creation. For years, top creative professionals in industrial, product, fashion and game design have used our award-winning products for their 3D work, and we felt it was about time that we shared our knowhow with those interested in getting started with 3D.”

Targeting both the novice and the pro with this device, Wacom wanted to make sure they could offer a comprehensive product. And according to Tom Kopinski, Senior Manager of Creative Market Strategy at Wacom, this meant bring in the experts for streamlining hardware, software, 3D printing, and publishing. Thanks to their work with Pixologic, Shapeways, and Sketchfab, they were able to create a pen that is compatible with ZBrushCore software.

The pressure-sensitive pen, with pre-defined ExpressKeys, is free of cords and batteries, and according to Wacom, should allow users to experience the same feeling as when they are using a paintbrush or marker. You can paint everything from characters to models, to toys or jewelry.

 “Through our collaboration with Wacom, we were able to develop an industry-leading 3D design software optimized for the Intuos tablet that is sure to delight 3D enthusiasts,” says Jaime Labelle, Chief Operating Officer for Pixologic, Inc. “We look forward to seeing all the great work that this partnership helps develop.”

Shapeways comes into play in the partnership as users can send 3D models directly to them for on-demand 3D printing. Both a platform and community (very important in the 3D world!) are also available through the well-known and popular Sketchfab, allowing Intuos 3D users to publish their work. The pen tablet system retails for $199.95 USD and along with state-of-the-art video tutorials, includes the following:

• Intuos 3D tablet
• Accompanying pen
• Downloadable Pixologic ZBrushCore software
• Special offers from Shapeways and Sketchfab

If you are interested in purchasing your own Intuos package, Wacom will begin sales in late October through retailers and online resellers such as Amazon, the Wacom eStore, and more. Discuss further in the Intuos 3D forum over at 3DPB.com.