New tablet info.
My laptop is starting to have problems so a few weeks ago I got a Surface Laptop with the Slim Pen 2 running on Windows 11 to eventually replace it. This is a nice tablet computer and Moho so far appears to run well with it, but there are definitely some quirks.
The Slim Pen 2 is physically different: it's flat like a carpenter's pencil, and the side button is awkward to press with your index finger. However, if you place the button under your thumb, it feels a bit more natural. It's not bad...just takes a a little getting used to and I seem to have adapted to is pretty quickly.
There two buttons, one on the end. The side button is a single switch and not a rocker like on a Wacom pen. This means you can't assign a middle mouse button to the finger switch because it has to be used for right-clicking. Annoying. So far I've found a few workarounds:
1. Assign middle-mouse button to a keyboard key or to an external key pad like the Huion Key Dial. I'm using the Keydial but personally, I wish the pen had a rocker switch. Using a separate key works ok but it sort of defeats the reason to use a tablet computer.
2. There are a few third-party programs available that lets you assign an on-screen command for middle-mouse button. The one I'm trying now is called
Tablet Pro. It seems very comprehensive but may overkill and overly complicated for how I want to use it. TBD.
Back when I had the HP tm2 tablet computer, I used a third-party widget that added all the modifier keys in a small moveable window. That was many years ago though. I hope I can find something similar to work with modern tablets like this Surface.
3. Get a different Stylus that has the rocker switch. This basically what I did years ago for my tm2 tablet computer and it worked out well, I just bought an alternative pen with a rocker switch called Renaisser R530 but I haven't spent enough time with it yet to comment. Oh, this pen is also compatible with Tablet Pro.
The Slim Pen 2's button on the end can be used as an eraser, and when it's clicked or double-clicked, it can be used to launch programs and other simple tasks. It can be used like a middle-mouse button though and I'm not even sure how that would be practical.
The way the pen works with Moho (and other programs) takes a little getting used to. For example to click on buttons that open a menu list, like the Bone Constraints button, you need to first press and hold the side button then tap. If you try to simply tap on the button, Moho ignores it. Same for r-clicking on a layer; press and hold the side button and then tap. This isn't just in Moho but also in other programs, so this behavior is apparently by design for the Slim Pen 2.
But how well does Slim Pen 2 draw? Actually that part is quite nice! Pressure sensitivity seems very good for drawing thick and thin and opacity. The real test will be when I use it to draw a comic, which I hope to do this weekend. (After that, I'll draw another comic to test the Renaisser R530.)
So is it worth it? Not sure yet. I've used a lot of different tablets and styli over the last couple of decades, and they all have some quirk I needed to workaround or adapt to. The Surface and Slim Pen 2 are not an exception, and may be a little more extreme. So far, I'm enjoying the drawing quality but it does get frustrating when something doesn't work as expected. For example, in any web browser, I can't undock a tabbed window by dragging it with the Slim Pen 2 like I can with a mouse, and the steps to do this is really silly:
1. press and hold the side button.
2. tap on the tab. A context menu will open
3. release the button
4. select the menu item Move Tab To Another Window >New Window. Browser tab is undocked.
I'm not joking, that's really how you do this with the Slim Pen 2. BTW, if anybody knows a better way to do this with the Slim Pen 2, PLEASE let me know!
Now admittedly, I still a lot to learn about this tablet and pen but I can post more info as I figure things out.
Just thought some users will find this info helpful, interesting, or maybe just amusing.
