I don’t know about the Pro 2 or Pro 3 - I’m still kicking it old school with the Surface Pro 1 and find it fantastic. I find it hard to use the type cover connected as it gets in the way of drawing/sculpting so currently use my Mac keyboard which I can move to one side - but I have a Razor Orbweaver gaming keypad on order which I’m going to remap my hotkeys to.
I am however considering upgrading to the Pro 3 when my cash flow allows - the increased screen real estate is really tempting
I opted getting the Lenovo Thinkpad S1 Yoga (with wacom digitizer /core i7) from the Microsoft store
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Yoga.htm
if you are shopping for this model make sure to get the version with Active digitizer …
“In stores, you’ll find models that are touch only. Be mindful of the model number so you get the version you desire. The Wacom digitizer and pen add $100 to $230 to the configuration, depending on how you spec your laptop.”
Model: 20CD-S02C00
Cheers!
I have now upgraded my Surface Pro 1 to a Surface Pro 3 and…
IT’S AWESOME!
I love the size of the screen, it’s ratio and it’s quality, the thinness and weight of the unit. The kickstand is brilliantly engineered, one of my favourite features of the Pro 3. I was worried about the Ntrig pen but I can honestly say the worry was misplaced: it is soooo much more accurate and I don’t notice the reduced pressure levels - I actually feel like I have more control of the pressure with the new pen in Zbrush. I didn’t realized that the first button acts as an ALT when in Zbrush so I can Zadd and Zsub just using the pen. Cool. The pen itself is much better quality than the original Surface pen and has a nice weight to it.
Unlike with the first Surface Pro’s screen ratio, it is now entirely possible to sculpt in portrait, I just need to complete a portrait UI I can use. I use a Razor Orbweaver gaming keypad for my keyboard shortcuts and this works brilliantly with Zbrush and other design/art packages.
Well done Microsoft, the Pro 3 is a brilliant piece of tech.
Hey guys, I already own a Surface Pro 1, but I think I’ll buy a Surface Pro 3 for xmas.
I have some questions for you 
Currently I can’t decide which processor to choose. The main use I have in mind for this tablet is zbrush of course.
So my main questions is:
Thanks!
I previously had a Surface Pro 1 and upgraded to an i5 SP3 4gb. It is more than powerful enough for Zbrush. The i7 does run a bit warmer so given the choice I would get an i5 with 8 GB memory if you can for higher res sculpts - although my 4gb is ample for my needs.
thanks guys, wanted to get a surface pro for ZBrush and this thread provides a lot of great insights regarding it.
May I know is it possible to use the new ZBrush right click navigation on surface pro? basically having one of the pen button set to right click and have CTRL, ALT, SHIFT & SPACEBAR on screen buttons. I prefer to use only the Tablet and Pen without additional keyboard.
It seems like full pressure sensitivity is supported for ZBrush as of now is that correct?
Thanks!
Right button navigation works fine. For pen only input for Zbrush check out RadialMenu here:
http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/radialmenu-toolbar-0-4-1-295.64232/
You can basically set up a toolbar and a Wacom like radial menu with custom shortcuts as in my example below. The radial menu shows at your cursor position and you can set it to auto close once you have pressed whichever button in the menu. The toolbar can be hidden, dragged to a different position and you have an option to set it to auto hide whenever the stylus comes close to it. The opacity of the menu can be altered and if you wish you can design your own icons for the buttons instead of using text labels.
I have also set up a custom brush and material palette in Zbrush which I can call up from my custom toolbar. It makes working in Zbrush with just the pen a lot of fun.
The developer behind RadialMenu is active at the link above and regularly posts updates, including suggestions fro the community.
Finally yes, pressure sensitivity is fully supported.
Thanks for the great inputs Gary!
Finally bought the Surface Pro 3 and ZBrush runs great. However the pressure sensitivity only works if I install the 32bit of the WinTab driver, prob have to switch to 64bit driver when ZBrush becomes 64bit. The radial menu is indeed a great piece of software and it works on all other programs as well.
Finally an ideal solution of mobile sculpting for me, cintiq companion is too builky to carry around and quite a bit more expensive, and dont think there is going to be a great iOS, android or zbrush mobile sculpting app anytime soon.
Ah yes, forgot about the Wintab driver. Have fun with your Surface Pro 3 
Wacom just announced the second generation of Cintiq Companion. The ‘Enhanced’ version offers i7 5557U processors and 16gb of ram. Looks like a signifcant improvement over Surface Pro 3 (i7 4650U and only 8gb of ram). It’s also possible to connect it to your main monitor and use it as a regular Wacom tablet. Available for pre-order next month.
I think I’m going to buy myself a Cintiq Companion 2 Enhanced (there’s also a customizable version called ‘Enterprise’ which can be configured with even more storage (than 512gb).
It’s worth noting thought that to get 16GB of Ram in the Wacom CC2 you will have to get the more expensive version. Honestly 2500$ is not the price I would pay for a mobile solution.
Another thing to take into account, is the screen resolution: it is 2560x1440. I would honestly be interested in a CC2, but that resolution doesn’t make much sense to me: I believe that on a 13" screen buttons will be way too small. Also, I believe performances will be affected too.
If I had to buy a tablet PC right now, I would probably put my bucks on a Surface Pro 3 (or wait for the Surface Pro 4, which is supposed to be 14").
I doubt Wacom would release it with that resolution if they found the buttons too small. Granted, if you’re the type of person who needs big buttons and big type in general, it might not be your thing.
But yea, price may be an issue for some. On the other hand, the Surface Pro 3 flagship is around $2000 (more with sleeve etc.). I think the extra $500 is worth it for the 16gb RAM alone.
I hear Surface Pro 3 suffers from overheating and noise. That’s a dealbreaker for me.
Overheating and noise would be a problem for me too. Does anyone using ZBrush on a Surface Pro 3 experiencing it?
About the price instead, 500$ for other 8gb + other 256GB of ssd, while may be worth it, they are still a lot IMO
I think it’s only the i7 version. Because the device is so thin, it doesn’t have proper ventilation.
I’m okay with a slightly bulkier/heavier device (e.g. Cintiq Companion) if it means the device doesn’t get hot or slow during extensive use.
Surface Pro 3 also has a calibration issue where instead of dark grey color, you get purple…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKfv83MJruA (see 12:40)
Hehe, I just watched the whole video
From what I can see though, the concerns expressed in it are quite personal.
First of all she doesn’t mention the pen at all, while for me it’s the main reason to buy a SP3. Then she mentions the calibration issues you were talking about, but again, I would use this guy just for sculpting, and refine on my desktop when at home.
I agree with you instead when you say that you don’t care much about the size of the device, if that increases your productivity. But what really stopped me from throwing my money to the monitor was that I was expecting a 15" device
In conclusion, the real thing for me is that neither of these devices are exactly what i was looking for.
So I would rather go for a less expensive device (like the i5 SP3), and wait for the next Companion iteration. Many people on Wacom Forums asked for a bigger size, it will eventually come sooner or later.
Why would you buy SP3 for the pen? It seems so inferior to Wacom’s pen. Or am I missing something?
I agree 15" monitor size would’ve probably been ideal.
I wasn’t comparing the pen of the SP3 TO the CC2, but the above video dismissed the pen as useless, while for an artist it represents the whole point of buying a tablet.
Also, while wacom presents more levels of pressure, it looks like the ntrig pen has less parallax effect.
Of course I would still choose a wacom pen VS a too new technology, but when the SP4 will be out, the gap might not be that big.
Certainly having two big competitors will make things better for us
Ah yes, I misunderstood you then. Yea, the reviewer definitely wasn’t the artist type
SP4 could be great, but it probably won’t be out for at least another year. Don’t know if I can wait that long to be honest. There’s always going to be better hardware on the way. By the time SP4 arrives with its rumored 14" screen, a 15" Companion could be on the horizon.
btw. this guy says Companion 2 resolution does not make icons too small (see comment section):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLiUFsOrMhA
Also, check out this hand-made sleeve for Companion (I think he makes one for Surface Pro too):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yud9OXzLKcg
Pretty darn cool
Ooohh, dat hand-made sleeve!
Geez not for 199 bucks…
