Transforming my Lenovo Helix2 tablet into a snazzy wacom device by connecting it to a second monitor and a bluetooth keyboard.
Wacom stylus/screen was recognized outof the box including all the needed tilt and pressure options.
And, most important: No lag when drawing thanks to Elives speed. 
4 Likes
Yay! looks fun! 
Just posted it in the Facebook page: ELIVE Linux - https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/my-setup-using... | Facebook
2 Likes
I discovered "mypaint" in the last months searching for a good "paint" app candidate to include, all the other ones were not worth for one reason or another, but "mypaint" was a really great discover, pretty nice with tools and misc brushes, and seems like to do pretty well its "paint" job!
It does its job well and reminds of the Corell Draw application. For just painting its fine, especially 'cause it supports layers, though I often find myself drawing on the wrong layer 
and of course the multiple brush/pencil/charcoal options.
The uncluttered interface is nice compared to gimp.
Downside is that it only allows a few bitmap formats as import.....but then that's a minor niggle with "convert" available on the command line 
.
"apsh mypaint" doesn't show any suggested / recommended package description (which most of the times are good to make more featured the software itself), so let's see if the next version of Elive with new mypaint will have more formats support :), but yeah "convert" is very powerful !
Hello!
For the software, Krita seems nice too (with Wacom support)!
On the way of "snazzy drawing tablet", I think about it too, with (pehaps) a cheap second hand HP pavilion x2 10 n103nf that will of course be under Elive in case I take it...
Please how did you make working the Wacom stylus with it? I think obvius for it to function as a simple average stylet, but if you have Pressure / eraser / buttons, I should be VERY interested, as I already have a little Wacom CTE-440 (that I already tested ok with MyPaint & Krita on my eeepc with Elive)...
Salutations from France!
I didn't have to make it working. Elive 3 simply has it configured out of the box.
Actually I don't use krita as it's a KDE app and thus requires Qt which is a needless extra load on Elive.
I disabled touch (stylus and touch at the same time makes for some quircky drawings 
) by disconnecting the hardware but can also be done through software if you want to.
Hi!
Wacom stylus: Isn't that the Helix2 itself having pressure sens? Witch model of Wacom stylus do you have? Mine is the one of my CTE-440...
It seems that if the screen has an integrated digitizer that works... So probably the pavilion x2 10 n103nf will...
Krita: true for Qt, I had fogeted that!
I'm very interested in this pseudo-cintiq option!
Regards!
Yes, it's built-in and the stylus comes with the helix.
| xsetwacom --list-devices" shows the stylus as an ISDv4 pen stylus. It also shows an erasor but that is not physically on the pen itself.
Other wacom pens (not all of them) do work on the helix so that's good enough for me. 
The point of my setup was the added 2nd big screen. The Helix has an HDMI port which works well but I suppose a normal VGA connection on older machines will work too.
Downside of older machines is their low resolution (I have Thinkpads XT61 and XT220 too) .... the Helix sports a 1920x 1080 resolution whereas with the older thinkpads it's only 1240x800, if at all.
Hi!
I see your point with added big screen; As I write in "Iiyama touch" topic, with my eeepc 1001px, it might not be "illimited" in resolution!
My aim is, if I take this cheap HP tablet, to draw with it on Blender 3D 3.8, that is on my work machine, so probably with a VNC or so connection via wifi or BT...
Salutations.
Actually I was referring to the tablet resolution. It's an 11" tablet with said 1920x1080 resolution, giving me a sharp image to draw on and a possibility to see on a bigger screen the same resolution.
The bigger screen is only there to have a better oversight and see unexpected color differences.
A tablet with a lower specs might be forced to allow for a higher resolution on a bigger screen (which doesn't actually give greater sharpness or detail) but will probably max outyour graphical chip, depending on the acompanying color depth.
A modern high spec tablet like the Helix is expensive (probably in the same price class as high end wacom tablets) with added comfort that it can be used for more than only drawing. 
So my advice to you is to get the best high end tablet you can afford and specifically one with a hefty garphical card
If you do intend to look for a Helix on Ebay or such, then do NOT buy one with a built-in fan, buy the fanless one (3rdgen).... the built-in fan is shitty, wears out soon and very loud. Use one in a library and you'll be getting scathing glances from others. 
As for Blender: A wacom tablet isn't really much use there. Blender is awesome with a good mouse or trackball but most importantly ..... the other hand on a keyboard and a ready knowledge of all the hotkeys available. Otherwise it's an exasperating and slow experience
going all over the place trying to find the menu entries and settings that you want at that moment.
Use Blender often (like on a daily basis) and it will grow on you and become intrinsic part of the process, otherwise you'll just be fighting the interface.
Hello!
Thanks for your adverts!
For the tablet, I have a very little fee, about 40€, and as I'm about to pay a good graphic card to work with Blender (2.80, of course not 3.8) that perhaps made me eat mainly spirulina and bread for a month, I can't do more!
For Blender, I already have a 3dconnexion SpaceNavigator and my little Wacom... I began to learn it, there's about two years, but had to suspend that due to too bad working possibilities... I had a second hand keyboard just for it... But I if I can't yet truly work on it, the new 2.80 feels nice to me!
Salutations!
1 Like
I have a XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro drawing tablet with screen , it works great in Krita , My Paint , Photoshop.
1 Like
Yeash, I've also got one of those as well as the 22 version. They work fine albeit no "tilt" yet.
https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/using-an-xp-pen-22-pro-tablet-on-elive-linux-x64